In turn, such appreciation and support depends on the value the public attaches to the positive effects of the practices and teachings in churches, synagogues, mosques, and other places of worship. Affected persons and family members should therefore take the long view and seek to rely and act on eternal principles. [Read a news story about Dallin Oaks talk and listen to a Mormon Land podcast about his life.]. In Gods plan we can have it all, but not in the sequence the world seems to dictate. First, the Savior effectively disarmed those who sought immediate application of the law. Truth #1: Because this is the Lord's Church and Jesus Christ is the one who chooses His prophets, the Savior will never let the prophet lead the Church astray. But central to that gift is the law of chastity, the commandment that our powers of procreation be expressed only within marriage between a man and a woman. Now, every night at dinner my service project is sitting directly across from me, she said to shared laughter. Rather, it appears to have perpetuated, if not exacerbated, the divisiveness in our relationships. I simply invite my audience, who already understand the complexity of current divisions, to consider the possibility of reconciliation as I proceed with the most difficult address I have ever undertaken. Russell M. Nelson, Choices for Eternity, worldwide devotional to young adults, May 15, 2022, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/broadcasts/worldwide-devotional-for-young-adults/2022/05/12nelson?lang=eng. Let us hope that current efforts will add another success to the troubled history of the intersection of divine and civil law. This is not the setting, and I am not the authority to suggest how the separate guarantees of religious freedom and nondiscrimination should be adjudicated in specific head-to-head conflicts. You know you are children of God, Thus, on the subject of Gods law, we need to remember that God has revealed again and again that He created male and female.20 And on the subject of our duty to love our neighbor, we need to remember that God has commanded us to love even those who do not keep all the commandments. That does not mean any of us will go unscathed, but it does mean we will not be alone, and we can go forward guided and protected from the evil around us. They spoke about the role and timing of marriage and children. Our love of God elevates our ability to love others more fully and perfectly because we in essence partner with God in the care of His children.16. Young men and women, your Church and Seminary and Institute leaders and teachers and your parents have the responsibility and the inspiration to teach you the truths of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. all our challenges, remember, our Fathers plan is a Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ are just as concerned about marriage as we were twenty years ago. Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ are uniquely concerned about recent changes in the nature and extent of marriage in the United States. Sydney Walker 12/5/2022 Sparkling Christmas trees and lights adorned the Conference Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the annual First Presidency's Christmas. The Savior extended love and mercy by refraining from condemning and then affirmed the law by saying go, and sin no more.. My single young friends, we counsel you to channel your associations with the opposite sex into dating patterns that have the potential to mature into marriage, not hanging-out patterns that only have the prospect to mature into team sports like touch football. of creation is one of the most precious gifts we Today, we urge you not to leave spiritual safety and family to obtain material possessions. This will continue to be so as religious people love and serve their neighbors as an expression of their love of God. patriarchal blessings. I invite you to look to God and live. President Oaks said record numbers of American teens are struggling with anxiety, social media addiction and drugs. In a free society like ours, all are lawfully privileged and morally obligated to exert their best political efforts to argue for what they think is most desirable. OaksChristianSchool (@OaksChristian) / Twitter Not only does marriage give us the opportunity for children, it gives us the opportunity and incentive to begin a journey of growing with one another. on the subject of Gods law. May 2023 Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults - The Church of Jesus He shared a video clip and quotes from last years young adult worldwide devotional, when President Nelson said labels are limiting, divisive and restrictive. Tonight, just like the Israelites, we are under attack for various beliefs we hold sacred. He mercifully declined to condemn the woman, and that loving act lifted her to a new life, including repentance. Now, just for fun, we want to share what we once taught about dating and hanging out. Here is a video of what I said in 2005, when the oldest young adults with us today were only about age 12, and the rest of you were just children or not even born. has a place for all. He taught that labeling is universally limiting because it divides and restricts the way people think about themselves and each other. That change has not happened. Courts are constitutionally limited to resolving the specific cases before them. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ He knows righteousness prevails when final accounts are completed. Dont wait for happiness to be thrust upon you. We are currently governed by the tests established in the 1990 case of Employment Division v. State, but its influence is clearly waning. President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency and his wife, Kristen, arrive at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday, September 13, 2022. 23. Such outcomes are rarely sustainable or even attainable, and they are never preferable to living together in mutual understanding and peace. Strive to stand for principle instead of popularity., Then he gave this challenge, which we adopt as the title of our devotional: Know the truth and stand for it, even if the truth is not politically popular.1. Video Audio Transcript Stand Fast with Love in Proclaiming Truth KEY POINTS President Oaks: My dear brothers and sisters, Elder Gilbert and I are pleased to be speaking to you today. 24. Pray and the Lord will be with you. The first truth concerns marriage. We have spoken about the role and timing of marriage and children. When I was single, I always looked for opportunities to serve. . Our life after death is Act 3. Thats at stake in the Utah Supreme Court case. If you dont know what a date is, perhaps this definition will help. She wants to stand for truth but she doesnt know how to do it with love. Find hope in the Lord. This talk was given at a worldwide devotional for young adults in the Conference Center Theater in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 21, 2023. Now, every night at dinner my service project is sitting directly across from me. 3. This second chart shows a related increase in the age of marriage of young Latter-day Saints. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. Lynn G. Robbins, Which Way Do You Face? Ensign, November 2014, 9. I have asked one of your peers to read her words. Over time, I have come to wish for a better metaphor, one sufficient to define the limits but also allow accommodation of the mutual interests of religion and government. plan of happiness. While he said God has repeatedly revealed that he created male and female, he said church members can love others and find common ground while not compromising those truths. This first chart shows the significant reduction in the percent of citizens in the United States who have ever been married. Less rigid than a wall, the boundary should be permeable enough to admit light and flexible enough to allow mutual support. continually trying to balance the dual commandments of love 8. I invite you to look to God and live. President Dallin H. Oaks waves as he and his wife, Sister Kristen Oaks, exit after speaking to young adults of the church during a worldwide devotional from the Conference Center Theater in Salt Lake City on Sunday, May 21, 2023. Complete interview. whatever our own variations in the diversity of our Father in Heavens My heart also goes out to the faithful brothers who desire this, also. To demonstrate that tendency, let us look at two charts on marriage. Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ are uniquely concerned about recent changes in the nature and extent of marriage in the United States, he said. Sister Oaks, who married at age 53, also shared examples of what young adults lose when they delay dating, marriage and children. But the effort is essential if we are to live together in peace in a pluralistic society. Trying to please others before pleasing God is inverting the first and second commandments. The purpose of our life on earth, Act 2, is to grow toward our destiny of eternal life. However, just two days after President Nelson's historic address to so many of you who are young adults, we want to reinforce his message as we begin. As Jesus taught, Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. The Apostle Paul followed this by teaching Christians to follow after the things which make for peace, and [i]f it be possible live peaceably with all men. Similarly, the Book of Mormon teaches that it is a peaceable walk with the children of men that distinguishes a true follower of Jesus Christ. There really is a premortal period. Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults with Elder and Sister Holland He knew the law would be applied at the judgment bar after this life. And of course, it is easier for us to judge ourselves and others on whether we are obeying the law. He advised them to move ahead faithfully to find the best possible housing and minimize student debt. However, it is also vital for each of us to keep the second commandment, which is like unto it,12to love our neighbors the way Jesus loved us.13. The Savior, our great exemplar, always faced His Father. In the last 30 years, this percent drops 8 to 9 percentage points for both men and women. President Oaks at BYU: 'Heed our prophet's call' to end racism 5. in us or in others? There also are decreased opportunities to work together to build the Kingdom of God.. Indeed, the terms for maintaining a workable relationship between church and state that emerged from the Smoot hearings are applicable to all sides today: obedience to the law, political toleration and commitment to the common good. You are now leaving a website maintained by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That power That is what the Lord intends for His young adult sons and daughters. Many of us have a tendency to give less attention to loving our neighbor and to overemphasize keeping the law (commandments), he said. She said she cried into her pillow. Genesis 1:27, 5:2; Matthew 19:4; and Moses 2:27. counseling in record numbers. First was to love God, which we show by keeping His commandments. I can testify of the Lords love for the valiant sisters who find themselves waiting, because I have felt it, she said. Matthew 5:44; see Dallin H. Oaks, "Love Your Enemies," Ensign, November 2020.. 4. Today, we urge you not to leave spiritual safety and family to obtain material possessions, he said. Our goal in our mortal lives and the path we should follow to prevail are given in the plan of salvation and, more recently, in The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Consider the perspective in this valuable summary by President Nelson: Life is not a one-act play. This confusion can assume different forms at different times in a persons life. of confusion of identity. BYU-Pathway Worldwide Devotional February 8, 2022 "Leadership" Dallin H. Oaks First Counselor, First Presidency I. I am very pleased with this opportunity to begin a new year by speaking to BYU-Pathway Worldwide students. Sister Oaks told the young adults to look toward God in upholding their sacred beliefs. Racism and Other Challenges - Church Newsroom commandments in a more complete way. God did not tell Joseph Smith how to lead the Lord's Church across the plains. Pres. Oaks Urges BYU to Continue to Educate for Eternity - Church Newsroom Essential to our side was the principle of honoring both divine and mortal laws. Chapter 8 of the Book of John reports how a group of scribes and Pharisees brought a woman to be judged by Jesus. Gather your courage and look for someone to pair off with. (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Sisters, you seem to have enjoyed those directions for single men. God loves you. We show our love for Him by keeping His commandments, including love for His children. He says that the most important thing to him, simply put, is to find out what God wants from him and to do it. Amys lengthy letter includes these portions. These descriptions of love and law are both true guides of what God has commanded us to do. of the challenges of mortal life. Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults - The Church of Jesus Christ of Here is a transcript from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of apostle Dallin H. Oaks speech, titled Going Forward With Religious Freedom and Nondiscrimination, delivered Friday at the University of Virginia. Will the actors strike impact The Chosen season 4 release date? who face gender identity challenges with love and dignity is not aligned School issues I-20 and letter of acceptance. And on the subject of our duty But when we ratchet down the vitriol and seek areas of agreement, incredible things can happen.. And it really is about loving Far from being a weakness, reconciling adverse positions through respectful negotiation is a virtue. In this way we can all unite in support of nondiscrimination in many areas of social life. They are ill-suited to the overarching, complex, and comprehensive policy-making that is required in a circumstance like the current conflict between two great values. (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) opportunity and incentive to begin a journey of growing with one another. President Oaks said church members should follow the divine example of Jesus Christ, who refrained from judging the woman taken in adultery. If you would like to stay on the page you are viewing please click Cancel. Christine RappleyeMay 20, 2022 6:47 p.m. EDT President Russell M. Nelson shared a video from the Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults on social media this week. The young adults in the theater laughed as President Oaks smiled when he said the first truth they would talk about was marriage. My goal is to suggest a helpful and feasible path forward without excessively accommodating either the left or the right or the religious or the nonreligious.