Moroni prepares the Book of Mormon to be hidden.

When times are hard, the scriptures are a great place to turn for moral support and good attitude role modeling. Not only can you find people who are facing much greater trials than your own, but you can see how they coped with those trials. While they sometimes briefly faltered, they always rallied and learned how to face their trials with faith and gratitude.

Think of Nephi, who went from wealthy to homeless and who spent his life dodging being murdered by his brothers. In his later years, he would write that he had been blessed every day of his life. Think of Noah, being mocked for preaching about a flood. Think of the prophets in the Bible who faced death for doing what God asked of them.

My personal favorite hero in times of trial is Moroni, whose writings are found in the Book of Mormon. There are two men named Moroni, but in this article, we’re discussing the one who was the final author. If you’ve ever visited or seen pictures of a Mormon temple, you’ll see him as an angel with a horn, proclaiming the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the Book of Mormon, however, we see him during his mortal life.

Moroni’s childhood was one of great trial and stress. Although we don’t know much about it, we do know that by the time he was a teenager, his people, the Nephites (descendents of the Nephi mentioned earlier) had largely turned away from God and His teachings. Throughout the centuries, God had promised the prophets that as long as the Nephites remained righteous, they would be protected from destruction by the Lamanites (descendents of Nephi’s murderous brothers.) However, should they turn away, those protections would be taken. That time had come.

The Nephites engaged in a terrible battle against the Lamanites and lost. Tremendous numbers were killed. Only a small number was left and Moroni’s father, the prophet, spent many hours seeking out the survivors and trying to help them. Those who survived had to hide or risk certain death from their enemies. By the time we meet Moroni, all of his family was dead except his father, who would also soon die. Imagine being a teenager and watching all your friends and family die over a short period of time. There was no normal teenage fun for Moroni. He was fighting the wars and caring for the survivors. Experts believe he was only a teenager when his father died.

“ Behold I, Moroni, do finish the record of my father, Mormon. Behold, I have but few things to write, which things I have been commanded by my father.

 And now it came to pass that after the great and tremendous battle at Cumorah, behold, the Nephites who had escaped into the country southward were hunted by the Lamanites, until they were all destroyed. And my father also was killed by them, and I even remain alone to write the sad tale of the destruction of my people. But behold, they are gone, and I fulfil the commandment of my father. And whether they will slay me, I know not. Therefore I will write and hide up the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not.

  Behold, my father hath made this record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the plates, but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and how long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not.”

In ancient times, a person’s world was very small. In Moroni’s own world, he was the last remaining good person. Everyone around him—everyone—was evil. Imagine the teenagers you know hiding away in a cave somewhere, surrounded by pure evil, with everyone in your personal world determined to murder you. He has no parental guidance, no friends, no mentors, just himself and his faith in God to get him through. We learn he was occasionally visited by angels who helped to care for him when he needed it, but between angelic ministering, he was utterly alone.

The words Moroni wrote demonstrate his intense loneliness and grief. ”For I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor wither to go; and how long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not.”

He wrote that it did not matter to him where he went when he finished his assignment from his father and His God. It was, most likely, for this purpose—to finish and hide the records—that he was kept alive. The records were those of his people going all the way back to 600 B.C. It was now somewhere between 400 and 421 A.D. Moroni’s father had been engaged in the overwhelming task of taking centuries of records and reducing them to only those that mattered most, so they could be buried and preserved for those for whom they had been written.

The Bible was written by a variety of people and existed in an uncollected form until long after Jesus died, when church leaders began collecting the records and choosing which ones they wanted to include. 

The Book of Mormon, however, was written by the prophets and handed down, making a complete record. Mormon and Moroni only condensed the records into a more concise form.

Once the record was finished, Moroni buried it in the Hill Cumorah and left. However, years later he found, to his great surprise, he was still alive. He came back to Cumorah, but since he was still being hunted down, he had to do so secretly. He dug out the record and added more information to it. Finally, he buried it one last time and left. We don’t know what happened to him after that during his own lifetime.

Later, as an angel, he returned to show Joseph Smith where the plates were hidden and to begin tutoring him in the things he needed to know in order to participate in the restoration of the gospel. It’s fitting that Moroni was given this honor, since his heroic sacrifices made it possible.

What do I learn from Moroni? Often, our trials are caused by the choices of others. We can’t control their choices. We can only control ourselves. Moroni’s people caused the destruction when they turned away from God. Moroni never turned away, but he still suffered the results. He lost everyone he loved. He couldn’t change that, either. However, he was able to control his own choices about how to respond to the trials. In his record, we don’t see anger or blame. We see a teenager struggling to honor God’s plan for him the very best he can, with courage and faith. When I face a trial, Moroni is my favorite Book of Mormon person to turn to.

4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will (1 Corinthians 12 in the King James version of the Bible).

Each of us is given different gifts, depending on what God feels we need. However, we can pray and ask God to give us other gifts, if our desire is based on worthy goals of serving Him, and not on personal ego.

These gifts come to us through the Holy Ghost and most are bestowed on baptism. However, some gifts are with us before then, allowing us to find God and truth. They are given only for spiritual purposes and we must never use them for personal gain. They aren’t to be used to garner admiration or financial gain, or to harm others. Instead, they’re used to build God’s kingdom and to improve our faith in God.

The Bible and other scriptures refer to a number of these gifts. The verses above give us some of them. Other gifts include the gift of tongues, the interpretation of tongues, the gift of translation, wisdom, knowledge, teaching wisdom and knowledge, knowing that Jesus is the Christ, believing the testimonies of others, prophecy, healing, working miracles, and faith.

Once given a gift, we have a responsibility to magnify the gift. The parable of the talents teaches us that when we’re given something, we must not just selfishly guard it, but make it more than it was. After praying to learn which gifts we have, and praying for any additional gifts we long to have to improve our ability to serve God, we need to study the Bible and other scriptures to learn what God says about each of these gifts. Then we need to use them to serve God. We can’t hide them away or we’ll lose them. As we use these gifts, our gifts will grow and we’ll be better able to serve God and to live a Christ-like life.

We have to be extremely careful in the use of gifts. Satan can imitate these gifts. The imitations are pale in comparison to the real thing, but they can deceive those who aren’t careful. For instance, fortune telling can be mistaken for prophecy. However, we can discern the difference by looking at how these gifts are used. A fortune teller might claim to foretell something that will happen to movie stars, or offer other spiritually meaningless promises, rather than the teachings of God. If someone who claims to be a prophet requires you to pay him before he will give you what he claims is God’s message, he is misusing any gift he might have. The best way to know who really has a spiritual gift, or to know if you have the gift yourself, is to pray and ask God.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him (James 1:5, King James version of the Bible).

Spiritual gifts are sacred and must be treated that way. Over the next few weeks, we will examine some of the gifts God offers His children and discuss ways to treat them sacredly.

we learn a Bible story, repeating it each Sunday for the entire month, and we also have a lesson on a basic principle of Christianity. Over the past year, I’ve learned a great deal about teaching religion to very young children.

It’s never too soon to start teaching our children. As a family, we can read the scriptures and make sure even our youngest children are in the room as we do. They are listening and will absorb whatever they are ready for.

When I teach my lesson, my toddlers often wander around the little classroom, seemingly ignoring me. Even when no one seems to be listening, I continue to teach, knowing small bits will connect with them, and periodically invite them to look at a picture or join me for an activity. Naturally, I can’t deliver a lecture to a toddler. I use pictures, finger plays, stick puppets, and songs to get my message across. I stay with the very simplest parts of the gospel of Jesus Christ: Heavenly Father loves me; I can be happy; I can pray, Jesus is the Son of God.

There are no heavy discussion in our ten minute lesson. If you look at a sample lesson from our manual, you’ll see how the gospel of Jesus Christ can be brought to the simplest level. This type of lesson can be easily prepared by a parent at home for a morning devotional.

I Will Be Thankful.

If you look at the lesson, you’ll see it includes some higher level information. This is for me to study so I understand the topic well before I teach it. In teaching this lesson, I would begin with the first optional activity, which suggests bringing pictures of things I am thankful for. Sometimes I bring real objects, and put them into a bag. Each child takes turns pulling something from the bag. I then ask them what it is and briefly mention how thankful I am for that item Heavenly Father gave me. Children love to take things out of bags and to handle real objects.

Next, I’d share the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers. I show them the picture, but I often retell it using flannel board pictures. The children enjoy helping me put the objects on the board. Other times, I tell a story using stick puppets and let the children each hold one of the puppets. By telling the story several ways, they are more likely to remember it.

Next, I’d let them color the picture included with the lesson and talk to them about it as they colored. This gives them an attention break, as they have something interesting to do while they listen. Often they listen better when their hands are busy. We’d finish up with the song.

Throughout the rest of the nursery time, I’d include the songs and other activities, repeating them often to make them more familiar.

Children love repetition. As I mentioned earlier, we also learn a Bible story each month. Currently, I’m focusing on Old Testament stories. At first, I tried to do this Scripture Story Time differently each week, but I quickly learned the children prefer to do it the same way each time. By the end of the month, they know what to expect and they often enjoy joining in, where they might have ignored me the first week or two. I do vary theme-related activities during the month.

Next month, we are doing Noah’s Ark, a story children love because it’s full of animals. I keep the telling very simple and generally ignore the information that all the bad people died. They are young, so they never wonder what happened to them. I tell it like this:

“Noah was a prophet. God was sad because all the people were being bad. God told Noah to tell them to stop being bad. Noah went to the people and said, “Stop being bad! Repent!” (I shake my finger as I say this in a deep voice and invite the children to imitate me.)

During this time, I am showing them a picture of Noah preaching, so there is something to capture their attention.

“The people said, ‘No! We don’t want to.’” (I fold my arms across my chest and look defiant, and again invite them to imitate me and say it along with me.)

“Noah was sad. God was sad. God told Noah that since they wouldn’t be good, he should build an ark just for his family and the animals. (I show a picture of the ark.)

I stop here and let the children pretend to build an ark. We gather wood, stretch to put boards up high, and hammer. This gives them a movement break.

Then I tell them God gathered two of each kind of animal. We have a large painted picture of an ark made by one of the parents. I set it on the floor and spread out an assortment of wooden animals. I choose one and ask the children what it is and what it says. Sometimes we stop and imitate it, crawling around the floor. I invite one child to find it’s friend—the animal that looks just like it. This teaches matching skills, but also lets the children participate. The teachers help as needed. When the mate has been found, the child places the two animals together on the ark.

When we’re done, I tell them that when the ark was finished, Noah and his family and the animals all moved onto the ark. Then the rain started. We pretend to make rain with our fingers. But Noah, his family, and the animals were all safe and warm and dry inside.

We finish this story with a song and an action rhyme. During playtime, we’ll do other rain or animal related activities. This is a very simple lesson and will be repeated all month. By the end of the month, the older children know the story and can help tell it and the little ones are cheerful from seeing something very familiar.

When you’re doing this with your children, you can do animal and ark related activities all day long. Sing songs about Noah in the car. Do the action rhymes while waiting in the doctor’s office. Retell the story often. Make a flannel board story or a stick puppet to use for variety once in a while.

When teaching your children about God and the Bible, find the simplest aspects of the doctrine or story to teach. Little children can learn to pray with help, to understand God’s love for them, to know Jesus is their Savior (even if they don’t quite know what that means) and that they should obey the commandments. They can learn the basics of Bible stories, just as they’ve memorized their favorite storybooks and television programs. The truths they learn when they are very small are likely to stay with them all their lives.

Take a virtual tour of a Mormon meetinghouse.

Each Mormon meetinghouse contains a large number of classrooms in various sizes. You’ve already seen the Relief Society and Primary. Today, we’ll visit a smaller classroom. On the map below the video, you’ll see a foyer. To the right of the foyer is an unlabeled silver dot inside a small room. Click the dot. This takes you to a classroom.

The classroom is very simple and undecorated, so it can be used by more than one class if needed. Teachers generally bring their own decorations each week, normally pictures or items related to the lesson, so nothing distracts from the topic. The room includes little more than a magnetized chalkboard, chairs suited to the ages of the students, a teacher’s chair, and a small table where the teacher can place her materials.

The teacher begins and ends class with a prayer. He or she teaches from a lesson manual prepared by the church, generally following a schedule. In most classes, you could show up in any church building and find the class exactly where your own class left off. This allows for continuity for travelers.

The teacher is always a volunteer. The Mormons have a lay church and there is enough work in their complex programs to keep everyone busy who wants a calling, as unpaid church jobs are known.

Read the lesson manuals taught by Mormons. The lesson manuals are available on the church website for anyone to read. This can be a good way to find out what Mormons teach members each week.

Let’s look at a sample lesson to see how a typical class might operate. We’ll use the following lesson:

Coming To Know the Savior

This lesson was written for girls ages twelve to seventeen. They are usually taught in classes containing two age groups (12-13, 14-15, 16-17) and the lessons are adapted to the ages of the students. Each manual is taught twice, the second time at a more adult level, since the girls are now older. Two adult teachers, a member of the presidency and the class advisor, are present in each class. In the Young Women’s classes, all teachers and leaders are women. In the Young Men’s classes, all leaders and teachers are men. Sunday School is taught in mixed gender classes and the teacher may be either gender.

As you can see, the manual is designed so even an experienced teacher will be able to present an interesting and age-appropriate lesson. The teacher is encouraged to pray to determine the individual needs of her specific students as she prepares.

Each lesson offers an objective. This helps the teacher remain focused as she teaches. For this lesson, the objective is to help each young woman become a friend of Jesus Christ.

The lesson uses standard methods for quality teaching. To focus the girls’ attention on the topic, the teacher tells a story that helps them to understand knowing about Jesus is not the same as knowing Him. She then gives them a moment to contemplate where they stand in this story and then guides them through a discussion. A picture of Jesus knocking at a door is shown to end the discussion and return them to the topic. If you examine the picture carefully, you discover there is no doorknob. The message is that Jesus cannot enter your life unless you let Him in.

The girls are led through a variety of scriptures to help them learn more, which teaches them to turn to the Bible and other scriptures for gospel knowledge. They are also taught stories from the lives of church leaders and read the counsel of leaders to them, including this counsel, originally given to adult men:

“He wants us to come to him as we are. We do not have to be perfect to go to him. While Jesus was on the earth he associated with publicans and sinners and his disciples asked him why he associated with them, to which question Jesus gave a beautiful and simple answer: ‘They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick.’ (Mark 2:17.) The Lord does not ask us to heal ourselves of our imperfections before we approach him, but to come to him with those imperfections and he will assist us in overcoming them. The Lord loves us and wants us to overcome our sins and he will help us as we exercise our free agency. We must initiate the process of repentance and strive with all of our might to overcome our weaknesses” (Gospel Doctrine [A Course of Study for the Melchizedek Priesthood Quorums, 1970–71], p. 57).

The teacher then guides the girls through the process of reflecting on what they’ve learned so far to create a list of things they can do to draw closer to Jesus Christ. By developing this list themselves from the materials, they learn how to apply the lessons they learn to their personal lives, a skill which will help them throughout their lives.

The lesson concludes with testimonies from the teacher and classmates about the topic of the lesson, allowing the girls to learn from each other.

This lesson is typical of those taught at any age. Naturally, lessons for children include flannel board stories, puppets, and games, and adults might read more scriptures, but generally, students are taught basic principles of truth and then guided to apply them to their lives.

Teenagers probably receive more instruction than any other group. They have two Sunday classes. In addition, they have a weekday religion class taught during the school year. Most students attend this class, called Seminary, early in the morning. It involves an in-depth study of the scriptures for four years. Two of these years focus on the Bible. Once a week, they meet in the evening for a youth group meeting, which usually involves putting the gospel into action through service projects, learning practical skills, or educational but fun activities. The boys do Boy Scouts of America some weeks, while the girls have a similar program called Personal Progress.

In addition to all of these, they have an annual youth conference over two or three days and a summer camp. The teenage years are perilous, and Mormon youth are given a great deal of support to get through them.

In an earlier article, we learned the women spent the last class session in Relief Society. The men, during the same time, are attending their priesthood quorums, learning most of the same lessons, but focused on their roles as husband, fathers, and priesthood holders. Between the basic service and these gender-specific meetings is Sunday School, held in mixed gender classes for everyone ages twelve and older. Teenagers have their own classes. People who are visiting the church and are not members, or who are new members have a class of their own called Gospel Principles. This teaches them the essential aspects of the gospel at a beginner’s level, so they are prepared to understand the regular class after one year.

The adult Sunday School class is called Gospel Doctrine. A different book of scripture is studied each year in a four year rotation, on the same schedule as the teenagers and older children. Two years are devoted to a study of the Bible. One year is given to the Book of Mormon. The final year is spent on the Doctrine and Covenants, a book of modern revelation, and is combined with church history.

As you can see, Mormon churches are a busy place on Sunday. Of course, gospel study is not just for church meetings. Each member continues to study at home as well, because Mormonism is not a Sunday-only religion.

Open the tour of the Mormon Meetinghouse in another window and look around. I’ll discuss some of the rooms here in more detail. By going to the map below the video, you can select any room you want to view.

Begin by clicking the foyer. The tour starts you outside the building. Although Mormon buildings tend to have a similar look in most areas, you will sometimes find buildings that are quite different, due to age or to a need to blend with the neighborhood. Mormons work hard to be sure their buildings fit in and are neatly kept up. Members are encouraged to be good neighbors.

Mormons usually enter their buildings through the “back door” since parking is often tucked behind the building. When you enter, you find yourself in a foyer with a sofa and several chairs. People use this foyer to greet each other before meetings. During the weekday meetings, you’ll often find parents socializing or reading while they wait for their children. If you are visiting a Mormon church for the first time, you will find people here who will be happy to show you around and sit with you through the meetings. You’ll often find missionaries here (identifiable by their name tags) who can answer your questions and help you make sense of your visit.

Take a moment to look at the artwork in the foyers. Each foyer typically contains pictures of Jesus Christ or other religious scenes.

Follow the arrows to the chapel. If you entered from the parking lot, the chapel is normally straight ahead as you enter the foyer. You’ll notice, as you enter the chapel, it is very plain. This is a surprise to many who are used to ornate chapels. There are no crosses, artwork, or other decorations. A clock may be the only thing on the wall, and sometimes there will be flowers on the podium. Our complete focus during services should be on the Savior and on the speakers and events in the service, so there is little to distract us. This promotes a quiet feeling of peace.

The pews are normally padded and you may sit anywhere you like. You’ll frequently find young families situated near doors, because even the smallest child is welcome in our service. There is no nursery during this portion of the day. Children snuggle with their parents or play quietly, eventually learning to listen to the speakers. Occasionally a toddler will escape and rush to the choir loft, hoping to reach the piano before his parents reach him. Mormons take this sort of thing, along with the giggles of small children, in stride. It’s all part of being a family church.

The service is quiet and you are not required to stand or kneel. There may be an occasional intermediate hymn where members are invited to stand, but other than that you may remain in your seat. The meeting will begin with a welcome by a church leader from the pulpit at the front of the room, and will include announcements, prayer and a song. Following this is the passing of the Sacrament, bread and water which reminds us of the Savior’s atonement and is based on the Last Supper in the Bible. This is blessed (prayed over) by two men or older boys and then taken to the members by young boys, or, if there aren’t enough, adults. When the tray comes to you, if you prefer not to participate, simply take it and turn to the person next to you. Hold the tray while they take and eat their piece of bread or drink the small cup of water. They will then take it from you to pass to the next person. If you are at the end of the row, hand it to the boy waiting to collect it. Normally, this is for baptized members, but no one will stop you if you’d like to participate, as some do. You reach for a single piece of bread or cup of water with your right hand as it’s held by the person next to you. When you finish the water, place the cup in the center section of the tray.

After this, you will listen to speakers chosen from the congregation. Mormons have a lay church and the bishop, who is like a pastor, does not preach each Sunday. Instead, anyone age twelve or older might be asked to speak. Normally, one or two teenagers speak, followed by several adults, on an assigned topic. They write their own talks which include their personal experiences with the topic, as well as appropriate scriptures and quotes from leaders. Following this, the meeting will conclude with a song and prayer.

What you won’t see during the service is the passing of a collection plate. Tithing is paid privately by members, and is done by placing the donation and donation slip into a pre-printed envelope and handing it to one of three approved church leaders whenever the member happens to encounter him on Sunday. You will not be asked for money during your visit.

In the next article, we’ll follow members around as they leave this Sacrament Meeting and go on to their classes.

Discipleship (Good Samaritan)

(See Matthew 7:12.)

For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes called Mormons, this penetrates every aspect of our lives. It is not an instruction just to be obeyed during church. While it seems easy in theory to practice this, in everyday life, it can be challenging to remember it in the heat of battle.

Recently, the Mormons released a plea for a return to civility in both public and private life, centered on the principle of the Golden Rule. The Mormon Ethic of Civility was a firm reminder that civility is a Christ-like principle applicable to all aspects of life. “Latter-day Saint ethical life requires members to treat their neighbors with respect, regardless of the situation. Behavior in a religious setting should be consistent with behavior in a secular setting.”

The statement focused in on politics, one place where even the kindest person might find civility to be a challenge, as he is faced with very strong opinions on how his nation ought to function. Church leaders reminded members the church is non-partisan and that it defies categorization into any single party. Leaders encouraged members to look to the Church’s example in deciding how to approach this challenge:

Civility is not only a matter of discourse. It is primarily a mode of engagement. The technological interconnectedness of society has made isolation impossible. Of all the institutions in the modern world, religion has had perhaps the greatest difficulty adjusting to the reality of give and take with the public. Today, and throughout its history, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continuously encounters the legitimate interests of various stakeholders in its interaction with the public. Rather than exempting itself from the rules of law and civility, the Church has sought the path of cooperative engagement and avoided the perils of acrimonious confrontation.

A careful study of the Church’s commentary section in the LDS Newsroom can be enlightening for Mormons and others who wish to learn how to tackle controversial topics in a civil manner. While never shying away from proclaiming truth, and while calling for respect, they tackle attacks and sensitive issues in a Christ-like manner and all can benefit from studying their approach.

In a previous release called “The Publicity Dilemma,” the Church offered this counsel:

As Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder Robert D. Hales of the Council of the Twelve Apostles have both said recently, when expressing themselves in the public arena, Latter-day Saints should conduct themselves with dignity and thoughtfulness.

Not only is this the model that Jesus Christ taught and demonstrated in his own life, but it also reflects the reality of the strength and maturity of Church members today. As someone recently said, “This isn’t 1830, and there aren’t just six of us anymore.

The call for civility referred Mormons to The Book of Mormon, which tells the history of a civilization that revolved often from prosperity to decline. The negative stages of the cycles always began with a decline in civility. Church leaders are concerned about the impact negative political behavior—lying, name-calling, and attacking, rather than polite expressions of opinion and a spirit of cooperation–will have on our nation.

Furthermore, the Church views with concern the politics of fear and rhetorical extremism that render civil discussion impossible.

This is not a new topic for the Mormons. Church leaders have spoken forcefully on this subject in the past. They warn of the dire consequences that can occur when civility is abandoned in favor of less Christ-like methods of politics. One Church leader pointed out we are endangering our entire democratic system when we focus on the negative.

Tirades against men in office or against one’s opponent tend to cause our youth and others to lose faith in the individual and others in government and often even our form of government itself.” (See N. Eldon Tanner, “‘Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged’,” Ensign, Jul 1972, 34.)

Gordon B. Hinckley, a former prophet of the Mormons, warned that while we can’t ignore the problems in our nation, we can control where we focus our attention and how we speak. In his mainstream book, Standing for Something, he warned everyone to search for balanced truth and to avoid cynicism. “A sustained diet of a negative point of view has serious repercussions,” he warned. He said such a method for coping with the challenges of the world created a cloud over the nation and made it difficult to find truth. “But if we will turn our time and our talents away from vituperative criticism, away from constantly looking for evil, and will emphasize instead the greater good, America will continue to go forward with the blessing of the Almighty and stand as an ensign of strength and peace and generosity to all the world.” (Hinckley, Gordon B.. STANDING FOR SOMETHING -. New York: Granite Publishers, Inc, 2006. Pgs. 102-103.)

By accepting the Mormon call to civility, we can avoid negativism, and continue to receive God’s blessings over our nation. We need only turn around the question: How would I feel if these words and this method of handling issues were turned against me? How would I want someone who disagreed with me to treat me and to handle the disagreement? The Golden Rule is an infallible way to handle politics wisely, allowing members to be actively participating citizens in the Democratic process while maintaining their position as representatives of the Savior.

11 For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.

12 To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby. (See Doctrine and Covenants 46: 11-12.)

Everyone, male and female, can receive spiritual gifts. The scriptures list many of these gifts, and it can be interesting, as we read, to highlight each gift mentioned. The gifts bless the holder of the gifts if he uses them wisely, but they can also be used to bless others. A person who has the gift of faith can use it to find the truth among conflicting and confusing choices. This gift can be used to help that person become a member of the Savior’s church. It comes to her through the Spirit of Christ. After receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, her faith grows even more. She might then choose to use that gift to pray for others or to share her faith with those who were not given as strong a gift as she received.

We’re taught that it is appropriate to pray for certain gifts, if we are prepared to use them wisely in the service of others, rather than to glorify ourselves. A person who is invited to teach a class, but lacks the gift to teach can begin to pray for it. While praying, of course, she must do what she can to improve her teaching skills, but God will step in and honor righteous requests if they are part of His plan for us. A prayer to become the greatest teacher in the world is not likely to be honored, because this is a prideful request, but a prayer to have the ability to teach the class one has agreed to teach will be honored.

The diversity of the human race is one of God’s best ideas. If we all had the same talents, gifts, and assignments, most things wouldn’t get done. The world needs writers, but it doesn’t need everyone to be a writer. It needs gardeners, but everyone doesn’t need a talent for gardening. Because each of us has different talents and passions, everything that needs doing gets done. If we each had all the talents possible in equal proportion, we might find ourselves spread too thin, and most things wouldn’t get accomplished. We’d all be doing whatever was easiest or created the most wealth, given human nature.

In the same way, God divided up certain tasks and assigned them to specific genders. Only women were given the ability to give birth. This doesn’t mean God loves men less; it only means that doesn’t happen to be one of the tasks assigned to them. Only men hold the priesthood, but that does not say women aren’t worthy or capable of holding it. Priesthood is an office, not a gender, but assigning it to men keeps it focused, just as assigning childbirth only to women keeps that aspect of life focused.

Within the Mormon Church, there are a great many tasks to be completed, because we have a lay religion and very complex programs. Everyone is asked to take on his or her share of the work. Tasks are assigned in various ways that make the church run more smoothly. Some are assigned by age: Only a twelve or thirteen year old girl may serve as a youth leader in the Beehive Program. (Beehives are girls of that age in the Young Women’s program for teenagers.) Others are assigned by gender: Only women can serve as Primary or Relief Society Presidents. (These are, respectively, the organizations for children and women.) Some tasks are open to anyone who is an adult: Anyone may teach the children or the literacy classes, even though only women can lead those programs. Some tasks are assigned by office: Only a person who holds the office of a high priest can serve as a bishop (the leader of a congregation.) It might appear that the rule is that only men can be bishops, but actually, the rule is that only high priests can be bishops. A good and worthy man who does not hold the office of high priest in the priesthood cannot be a bishop, no matter how qualified he is otherwise.

While it’s true that only men are to hold the Mormon priesthood (as we see from even a casual study of the Bible), this does not limit a woman from serving God, anymore than not being able to be the Primary president limits a man’s ability to serve God. There are many ways to serve, and God does not love the priesthood holders more than the Primary president—or the door greeter. We don’t get bonus points for serving in certain kinds of positions. God asks us to serve wherever He needs us, and if we do this well, we are blessed for our attitude and willingness to serve, not for the specific task accomplished.

Men holding the priesthood receive no special blessings over the women. It isn’t about power or blessings, or God’s love. It is, rather, about our trust in God and His plan. If we have a testimony that the Savior is at the head of the church, and that He sees with a vision greater than our own, we won’t waste valuable mortality hours fretting over what gifts or offices we don’t have. Instead, we’ll work hard to develop those God has asked us to take on. As with every other aspect of the gospel, it really comes down to a testimony. How much do you trust God?

When I was first investigating the church, the priesthood issue concerned me. As a teenager raised in the 1970s, I thought women’s lib was what I was supposed to be living, even though I was known for my love of taking care of children. In other words, my nature was fairly traditional, if you leave out housework. The missionaries, when asked about priesthood at the first lesson, told me they’d be happy to discuss it with me, but I needed more background and training in prayer first. They asked me to learn to pray, and to continue to study, and then we’d discuss it. By the time I was able to understand the answers, I no longer needed to ask the question. I had learned to get my own answers through prayer and I had come to see how much God valued the woman’s place in His kingdom. I understood that being told I had to turn into a man was degrading to women and insulting to God, who created gender. It was no longer a problem for me. I had become proud of the person God created in me.

Over the years, I’ve longed for certain gifts. Some I’ve been able to receive, such as an improved ability to teach. Others were not my calling, such as a desire to sing. Over the years, as I’ve grown and matured, I’ve stopped wasting time fretting over what I don’t have, and have begun to be thankful for what I do have. God gave me a most interesting gift box of traits, talents, and experiences. I would be ungrateful and unworthy of those gifts if I wasted my life whining they weren’t good enough.

When people become Mormons, we tell them they are joining a family. Members of the Church have a special bond of shared culture and faith, and are known for the way they look out for each other, as well as how they care for those outside their faith. Newly baptized Mormons are also told they are joining a “ward family.” A ward is a congregation. Congregations are geographically assigned. Members attend church wherever they are assigned, based on where they live, rather than shopping around for a congregation they like. This makes it easier for Mormons to care for one another, and often helps to increase the diversity of a congregation as well. Where members can visit many congregations to find out which one they like, they may find one where everyone is just like them, and this can be soothing, but it is also limiting in terms of growth. Mormons learn the tools needed to fit in wherever they end up, which is a valuable life skill outside the Church.

Because a ward is considered a family, members are counseled to take care of each other. Naturally, their own families come first—their spouse, children, and parents—but they also have responsibilities toward their larger ward family.

One way Mormons take care of each other is through the home and visiting teaching programs. Mormon men are assigned several families to look after. Each month, they visit the family in the home, and develop a friendship with the members. They meet privately with the father when needed to learn if the family has any needs they might be able to help with, and the families know if they need help, they can first call their home teachers. A home teacher might drive someone to the airport, help with a move, teach the children how to plant a garden, or assist the father in finding new employment. We have had home teachers do all these things. If the family is struggling, perhaps lacking sufficient food, the home teachers would pass along this information to church leaders, who can evaluate the family’s needs and prepare assistance that is beyond the abilities of the home teachers.

Visiting teachers function in much the same way. This program is administered and carried out by women through the Relief Society auxiliary for women. Two women are assigned several women to visit each month. Like the men, they also develop friendships, pray for the sisters they visit, serve where they can, and watch out for their needs. As you can see, women are doubly looked out for.

These two programs have led to many miracles. Older church members living alone have someone checking on them. Young newlyweds living away from home for the first time have someone who is immediately assigned to befriend them, and someone they can call on for emergencies before they’ve had time to make friends the usual way. Young moms may have a visiting teacher who is more experienced and can give advice when asked.

Church members also have their teachers and leaders looking after them. For instance, teenagers, while taught to turn first to their parents, have other adults they can go to for “second opinions” and these adults will share the spiritual values of their parents. Teenagers each have a Sunday school teacher. Sunday school classes have mixed genders, and are divided by age.

They also have two teachers assigned to teach the youth program in each class. The entire youth program, known as Mutual (short for what was once known as the Mutual Improvement program), has six leaders overseeing three classes divided by age. Boys and girls have separate programs. This means the teenager will have his two leaders and four others who oversee other classes, but whom they know from the many activities. Those fourteen and older also have a weekday religion class, which, naturally, has a teacher. These eight leaders and teachers, the home teachers, and the three person ward leadership offers a teenager many choices to go to when he wants advice or needs additional role models.

Despite having shared beliefs, Mormon wards tend to be very diverse. People come from a wide range of backgrounds. They have differing political beliefs and live different lifestyles within the guidelines of the commandments. They are of different ages, and are at different places in their lives. The commandment to be a family helps them learn to accept and get to know people who might be very different from them. They learn, by working and playing together, to accept people from different worlds in a spirit of love and understanding.

To help you see how this family caring works out in real life, let me share a personal experience. When my children were young, I received word my father had collapsed and had to have emergency brain surgery out of town. My husband was leaving the next day for a new job out of state. We would not be joining him for a month. I was about to be on my own with three young children while packing up an entire house alone and now had to add this traumatic crisis to my life. I called a friend to bring my daughter home that evening from her church event, and she approached three women from church—the women I was assigned to serve as visiting teachers. I happened to be between visiting teachers, since mine had moved and I was moving anyway. But these women I was supposed to be serving came to my door and announced that everything was taken care of. They had arranged overnight childcare for my children during the several days I would be away and even their homeschooling would be overseen. Someone paid their allowances when they learned I had forgotten to do so in all the confusion of leaving town. (They didn’t need them, but this person didn’t want them to miss anything.) When I returned home, I was handed dinner to take with me when I picked up my children. I learned people were lined up to transport my children everywhere they needed to go so they wouldn’t miss their activities until I left. People offered to help with the packing. The last week, meals were delivered to us daily since our refrigerator and stove were on a moving van.

Jesus taught us to love our neighbors and to treat others the way we want to be treated. This Christ-like service is practiced every day in a ward family where even a complete stranger is welcomed as a brother or sister.

As we look at the history of this earth and at the history of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, it becomes obvious that women hold a special place in our Father’s plan for the eternal happiness and well-being of His children.

I hope that my dear sisters throughout the world—grandmothers, mothers, aunts, and friends—never underestimate the power of their influence for good, especially in the lives of our precious children and youth!

There are some who blame the Bible for the negative view of womanhood. However, it is the misunderstanding of the Bible that has led to this problem. God Himself clearly honors women and their roles in life and women are frequently shown filling essential roles and demonstrating great faith. While some in the world portray Eve as a weak and disobedient woman who brought all this on, Mormons hold her in high esteem as a role model. Mormon beliefs teach that Eve understood that she could not fulfill her God-given assignment to become a mother until she left the garden, and so, after careful thought (because the Bible doesn’t say she decided immediately) chose to make the great sacrifice necessary to allow us to be born. Because Mormon beliefs teach that we lived before our births with God, we would be there even today had she been selfish and chosen a life of ease and pleasure.

This simple explanation of the events of the Garden, so different from what most religions teach, set the stage for the Mormon view of women as capable of great spiritual understanding and choices. Just as Eve worked hard to set the proper example for her children, and just as Mary worked hard at raising the Savior during his earthly life, women around the world are working to fulfill their God-given roles as wives, mothers, leaders, and examples.

Women have many opportunities to be an influence for good. As wives and mothers, they often set the tone for the home. They are in a position to create a spiritual environment and to guide their families to a proper set of priorities, since they often decorate the home and organize the schedules. They are able to fill their homes with constant reminders of their family’s faith and select activities that put those beliefs into action. Their own example can be powerful. President Uchtdorf said:

There is a saying that big gates move on small hinges. Sisters, your example in seemingly small things will make a big difference in the lives of our young people. The way you dress and groom yourselves, the way you talk, the way you pray, the way you testify, the way you live every day will make the difference. This includes which TV shows you watch, which music you prefer, and how you use the Internet.”

He went on to say these choices will demonstrate to our families and others who watch us what our priorities are and what we consider important. This example will matter more than the lectures we deliver or the formal lessons we teach.

Within the communities, women are often in a better position to influence decisions. Those whose children are older often find themselves with time for volunteer work, which broadens their sphere of influence. In this work, they can fulfill the special mission of women to care for those in need, work to protect righteousness in their communities, and reach out to more people. Many women select careers that allow them to serve others as well.

President Uchtdorf pointed out that women are builders of nations, because “strong homes of love and peace will bring security to any nation. I hope you understand that, and I hope the men of the Church understand it too.” Mormon leaders have often pointed out that the strength of a nation is dependent on the strength of the families in that nation. Families train the future leaders and set the moral tone of the nation. Because mothers have the primary responsibility for the raising of children, it is largely their influence that influences the nation. Those who have no children fill of the roles of motherhood by serving children, families, and others in whatever role they choose for themselves.

When the home is strong, the nation has a solid foundation on which to build, and this gives women an unappreciated power. It may not be a role that puts them into the history books by name, but no one can measure their influence on the well-being of their homelands.

To improve their ability to influence the world and their homes, and to prepare for a career should it be needed, Mormon women are taught to get an education and training and to use this in both their professional and personal lives. As Mormon women decide where, beyond their own home, they most want to influence the world, their education can make them more effective. They are taught to obtain a formal education, but also to continue a course of life-long self-directed study of both spiritual and secular topics.

The Thirteenth Article of Faith (one of thirteen statements of belief written by Joseph Smith) gives women a pattern for their wise use of their time and their power. It can serve as a guide for deciding what method to use when changing the world.

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. (Articles of Faith)