Elder Dean L. Larsen

Agency, Government, Liberty, Religious Freedom, Self Reliance, Voluntarism May 8, 2016

Self-Accountability and Human Progress

“We have inspired leaders today who are reconfirming the fact that there is no ultimate safety in programmed security where others assume accountability for our direction and performance. Those who insist that a Church program exist for every contingency and need are as much in error as their counterparts who demand that government intervene in every aspect of our lives. In both instances the ideal balance is destroyed with a resultant detriment to human progress.”

Elder Robert D. Hales speaks in General Conference, April 2015

Agency, Government, Last Days, Liberty, Politics, Religious Freedom May 7, 2016

Preserving Agency, Protecting Religious Freedom

“As we walk the path of spiritual liberty in these last days, we must understand that the faithful use of our agency depends upon our having religious freedom. We already know that Satan does not want this freedom to be ours. …he is fiercely undermining, opposing, and spreading confusion about religious freedom—what it is and why it is essential to our spiritual life and our very salvation.”

Marion G. Romney

Government, Liberty, Politics, Self Reliance, Voluntarism, Welfare May 7, 2016

The Celestial Nature of Self-reliance

“The practice of coveting and receiving unearned benefits has now become so fixed in our society that even men of wealth, possessing the means to produce more wealth, are expecting the government to guarantee them a profit. Elections often turn on what the candidates promise to do for voters from government funds. This practice, if universally accepted and implemented in any society, will make slaves of its citizens.”

President J. Reuben Clarke, Jnr.

Constitution, Government, Liberty, Politics, Prophecy May 2, 2016

The Constitution

“In broad outline the Lord has declared through our Constitution his form for human government. Our own prophets have declared in our day the responsibility of the Elders of Zion in the preservation of the Constitution. We cannot, guiltless, escape that responsibility. We cannot be laggards, nor can we be deserters.”

Elder Ezra Taft Benson

Agency, Discipleship, Family, Government, Prophecy, Self Reliance, Voluntarism, Welfare May 2, 2016

Principles of Temporal and Spiritual Welfare

Unfortunately, there has been fostered in the minds of some an expectation that …we should look to either the Church or government to bail us out. Forgotten by some of our members is an underlying principle of the Church welfare plan that “no true Latter-day Saint will, while physically able, voluntarily shift from himself the burden of his own support.”

Elder Boyd K. Packer

Discipleship, Education, Family, Religious Freedom, Self Reliance, Signs of the Times May 1, 2016

The Father and the Family

Moral values are being neglected and prayer expelled from public schools on the pretext that moral teaching belongs to religion. At the same time, atheism, the secular religion, is admitted to class, and our youngsters are proselyted to a conduct without morality. …Because we do know and because we do care, we must teach the rules of happiness without dilution, apology, or avoidance. That is our calling.