October  1994 Solemn Assembly

President Howard W. Hunter


My beloved brothers and Sisters, thank you for your sustaining vote. I
come before you humbly and meekly, saddened by the recent passing of
our beloved prophet, president Ezra Taft Benson. My heart is tender
upon the passing of my dear friend, particularly in light of the new
responsibilities that have come to me.


I have shed many tears and have sought my father in heaven in earnest
prayer in a desire to be equal to this high and holy calling. I have
prayed to be worthy to bear this assignment which 13 other men in this
dispensation have borne. perhaps only they, watching from the other
side of the veil, can fully understand the weight of responsibility
and the deep dependence on the Lord I feel in accepting this sacred
calling.


My greatest strength through these past months has been my abiding
testimony that this is the work of God and not of men. Jesus Christ is
the head of this church. He leads it in word and deed. I am honored
beyond expression to be called for a season to be an instrument in his
hands to preside over his church. But without the knowledge that
Christ is the head of the church, neither I nor any other man could
bear the weight of the calling that has come.


In assuming this responsibility, I acknowledge God's miraculous hand
in my life. He has repeatedly spared my life and restored my strength,
has repeatedly brought me back from the edge of eternity, and has
allowed me to continue in my mortal ministry for another season. I
have wondered on occasion why my life has been spared. But now I have
set that question aside and ask only for the faith and prayers of the
members of the church so we can work together, I laboring with you, to
fulfill God's purposes in this season of our lives.


I also acknowledge the prayers and faith of my wife and family, my
brethren of the general authorities, and the multitudes of faithful
members who have prayed for me, cared for me, and shown concern for my
health.


It has been 35 years since I was sustained as a member of the quorum
of the twelve. Those years have been rich in preparation. I have met
the saints and borne testimony in north and south America; in Europe
and Eastern Europe; in Asia, Australia, and Africa; in the islands of
the sea. Many times I have been to the holy land and walked where
Jesus walked. My walk is slower now, but my mind is clear, and my
spirit is young.


As I answer the call from the Lord to lead the church, I am overcome
with gratitude for the revelations which have established the
marvelous system by which his church is governed.


Each man who is ordained an apostle and set apart as a member of the
quorum of the twelve is sustained as a prophet, seer, and revelator.
the first presidency and the quorum of the twelve apostles, called and
ordained to hold the keys of the priesthood, have the authority and
responsibility to govern the church, to administer its ordinances, to
teach its doctrine, and to establish and maintain its practices.


When a president of the church is ill or not able to function fully in
all of the duties of his office, his two counselors, who, with him,
comprise a quorum of the first presidency, carry on the work of the
presidency. Any major questions, policies, programs, or doctrines are
prayerfully considered in council by the counselors in the first
presidency and the quorum of the twelve apostles. No decision emanates
from the first presidency and the quorum of the twelve without total
unanimity among all concerned.


Following this inspired pattern, the church will move forward without
interruption. the governance of the church and the exercise of the
prophetic gifts will always be vested in those apostolic authorities
who hold and exercise all of the keys of the priesthood.


I feel just as president Joseph F. Smith felt on a similar occasion
many years ago, when he said:

"I propose that my counselors and fellow presidents in the first
presidency shall share with me in the responsibility of every act
which I shall perform in this capacity. I do not propose to take the
reins in my own hands to do as I please; but I propose to do as my
brethren and I agree upon and as the spirit of the Lord manifests to
us.


"I have always held, and do hold, and trust I always shall hold, that
it is wrong for one man to exercise all the authority and power of
presidency in the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints. I dare
not assume such a responsibility, and I will not, so long as I can
have men like these to stand by and counsel with me in the labors we
have to perform and in doing all those things that shall tend to the
peace, advancement and happiness of the people of God and the building
up of Zion."


Then president Smith continued:
"If at any time my brethren of the apostleship shall see in me a
disposition to depart from this principle or a forgetfulness on my
part of this covenant that I make today before this body of
priesthood, I ask them in the name of my father, that they will come
to me, as my brethren, as counselors in the priesthood, as watchmen on
the towers of Zion, and remind me of this covenant and promise which I
make to the body of the church in General conference assembled at this
time.


"The Lord never did intend that one man should have all power, and for
that reason he has placed in his church presidents, apostles, high
priests, seventies, Elders and the various offices of the lesser
priesthood, all of which are essential in their order and place
according to the authority bestowed on them."


Those words of president Joseph F. Smith represent my feelings today.

Like my brethren before me, I receive with this calling the assurance
that God will direct his prophet. I humbly accept the call to serve
and declare with the psalmist, "The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusted in him, and I am helped."


At the time of my call, I issued two invitations to the members of the
church. I feel impressed to give these continued emphasis.

First, I invite all members of the church to live with evermore
attention to the life and example of the Lord Jesus Christ, especially
the love and hope and compassion he displayed. I pray that we will
treat each other with more kindness, more courtesy, patience, and
forgiveness.


To those who have transgressed or been offended, we say come back. The
path of repentance, though hard at times, lifts one ever upward and
leads to a perfect forgiveness.

To those who are hurt or are struggling and afraid, we say let us
stand with you and dry your tears. Come back. Stand with us in the
Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints. take literally his
invitation to "Come, follow me." He is the only sure way; he is the
light of the world.


We will, as you would expect us to do, continue to hold to the high
standards of conduct which define a latter-day saint. it is the Lord
who has established those standards, and we are not free to set them
aside.


Let us study the master's every teaching and devote ourselves more
fully to his example. He has given us "All things that pertain unto
life and Godliness." He has "Called us to glory and virtue" And has
"Given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these
[we] might be partakers of the divine nature."


I believe in those "Exceeding great and precious promises" and I
invite all within the sound of my voice to claim them. we should
strive to "Be partakers of the divine nature." only then may we truly
hope for "Peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come."


In that spirit I invite the latter-day saints to look to the temple of
the Lord as the great symbol of your membership. it is the deepest
desire of my heart to have every member of the church worthy to enter
the temple. It would please the Lord if every adult member would be
worthy of-- and carry-- a current temple recommend. The things that we
must do and not do to be worthy of a temple recommend are the very
things that ensure we will be happy as individuals and as families.


Let us be a temple-attending people. Attend the temple as frequently
as personal circumstances allow. Keep a picture of a temple in your
home that your children may see it. teach them about the purposes of
the house of the Lord. Have them plan from their earliest years to go
there and to remain worthy of that blessing.


If proximity to a temple does not allow frequent attendance, gather in
the history of your families and prepare the names for the sacred
ordinances performed only in the temple. this family research is
essential to the work of the temples, and blessings surely will come
to those who do that work.


We desire to bring the temples closer to our people. New temples have
been announced and are under construction. Others are being planned.
Soon we will dedicate the Orlando Florida and bountiful Utah temples.


In the ordinances of the temple, the foundations of the eternal family
are sealed in place. The church has the responsibility-- and the
authority-- to preserve and protect the family as the foundation of
society. The pattern for family life, instituted from before the
foundation of the world, provides for children to be born to and
nurtured by a father and mother who are husband and wife, lawfully
married. Parenthood is a sacred obligation and privilege, with
children welcomed as a "Heritage of the Lord."


A worried society now begins to see that the disintegration of the
family brings upon the world the calamities foretold by the prophets.
The world's councils and deliberations will succeed only when they
define the family as the Lord has revealed it to be. "Except the Lord
build the house, they labour in vain that build it."


As we become more removed from the lifestyle of the world, the church
becomes more the welcome refuge for hundreds of thousands who come
each year and say, "Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the
house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we
will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."


My brothers and Sisters, I testify that the impressions of the spirit
have weighed heavily upon me in considering these matters. God our
eternal father lives. Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, guides
his church today through his prophets.


Let us, as latter-day saints, claim those "Exceeding great and
precious promises" So that we, "Holy father, ... May grow up in thee,
and receive a fulness of the holy ghost, and be organized according to
thy laws, and be prepared to obtain every needful thing."


I invoke his blessings upon you in your homes, in your work, in your
service in his church.

I pledge my life, my strength, and the full measure of my soul to
serving him. May we have ears to hear and hearts to feel, and the
courage to follow, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus

October 1994 General Priesthood Meeting
President Howard W. Hunter
President Hunter.

My dear brethren of the priesthood, I consider it a privilege to meet
with you this evening in this general priesthood meeting. The
priesthood is the greatest brotherhood on the earth. I feel great
strength in seeing your faithfulness and feeling your love and
sustaining vote. we are particularly grateful to have so many of our
Aaronic priesthood brethren here with their fathers or advisers.


The subject of my address this evening will be more particularly
directed to the husbands and fathers. All of you who hold the Aaronic
priesthood will soon arrive at the years of marriage and fatherhood.
Therefore, what I say tonight has application to all present.


I wish to speak of the relationship that a man holding the priesthood
should have with his wife and children. With a knowledge of the plan
of salvation as a foundation, a man who holds the priesthood looks
upon marriage as a sacred privilege and obligation. It is not good for
man nor for woman to be alone. Man is not complete without woman.
Neither can fill the measure of their creation without the other.
Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. Only through
the new and everlasting covenant of marriage can they realize the
fulness of eternal blessings. As a matter of priesthood
responsibility, a man, under normal circumstances, should not unduly
postpone marriage. Brethren, the Lord has spoken plainly on this
matter. It is your sacred and solemn responsibility to follow his
counsel and the words of his prophets.


The prophets of the past have spoken also of those who may not have
opportunity to marry in this life. President Lorenzo Snow said:

"There is no latter-day saint who dies after having lived a faithful
life who will lose anything because of having failed to do certain
things when opportunities were not furnished him or her. In other
words, if a young man or young woman has no opportunity of getting
married, and they live faithful lives up to the time of their death,
they will have all the blessings, exaltation, and glory that any man
or woman will have who had this opportunity and improved it. That is
sure and positive."


I believe president snow's statement to be true.

A man who holds the priesthood shows perfect moral fidelity to his
wife and gives her no reason to doubt his faithfulness. A husband is
to love his wife with all his heart and cleave unto her and none else.
President Spencer W. Kimball explained: "The words 'none else'
eliminate everyone and everything. The spouse then becomes pre-eminent
in the life of the husband or wife, and neither social life nor
occupational life nor political life nor any other interest nor person
nor thing shall ever take precedence over the companion spouse."


The Lord forbids-- and his church condemns-- any and every intimate
relationship outside Of marriage. Infidelity on the part of a man
breaks the heart of his wife and loses her confidence and the
confidence of his children.


Be faithful in your marriage covenants in thought, word, and deed.
Pornography, flirtations, and unwholesome fantasies erode one's
character and strike at the foundation of a happy marriage. Unity and
trust within a marriage are thereby destroyed. One who does not
control his thoughts and thus commits adultery in his heart, if he
does not repent, shall not have the spirit, but shall deny the faith
and shall fear.


A man who holds the priesthood has reverence for motherhood. mothers
are given a sacred privilege to "Bear the souls of men; for herein is
the work of the father continued, that he may be glorified."


The first presidency has said:

"Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to
be assumed by mankind." The priesthood cannot work out its destiny,
nor can God's purposes be fulfilled, without our helpmates. Mothers
perform a labor the priesthood cannot do. For this gift of life the
priesthood should have love unbounded for the mothers of their
children.


Honor your wife's unique and divinely appointed role as a mother in
Israel and her special capacity to bear and nurture children. We are
under divine command to multiply and replenish the earth and to bring
up our children and grandchildren in light and truth. You share, as a
loving partner, the care of the children. Help her to manage and keep
up your home. Help teach, train, and discipline your children.


You should express regularly to your wife and children your reverence
and respect for her. indeed, one of the greatest things a father can
do for his children is to love their mother.


A man who holds the priesthood regards the family as ordained of God.
Your leadership of the family is your most important and sacred
responsibility. The family is the most important unit in time and in
eternity and as such transcends every other interest in life. We
reiterate what was stated by president David O. Mckay:


"No other success in life can compensate for failure in the home" And
president Harold B. Lee: "The most important of the Lord's work ...
You [and I] will ever do will be within the walls of [our] own
home[s]."


Effective family leadership, brethren, requires both quantity and
quality time. The teaching and governance of the family must not be
left to your wife alone, to society, to school, or even the church.


A man who holds the priesthood accepts his wife as a partner in the
leadership of the home and family, with full knowledge of and full
participation in all decisions relating thereto. Of necessity there
must be in the church and in the home a presiding officer. By divine
appointment the responsibility to preside in the home rests upon the
priesthood holder. The Lord intended that the wife be a helpmeet for
man ("Meet" Means equal), and necessary in full partnership. Presiding
in righteousness necessitates a shared responsibility between husband
and wife: together you act with knowledge and participation in all
family matters. For a man to operate independent of or without regard
to the feelings and counsel of his wife in governing the family is to
exercise unrighteous dominion.


Keep yourself above any domineering or unworthy behavior in the
tender, intimate relationship between husband and wife. Because
marriage is ordained of God, the intimate relationship between
husbands and wives is good and honorable in the eyes of God. He has
commanded that they be one flesh and that they multiply and replenish
the earth. You are to love your wife as Christ loved the church and
gave himself for it. Tenderness and respect-- never selfishness-- must
be the guiding principles in the intimate relationship between husband
and wife. Each partner must be considerate and sensitive to the
other's needs and desires. Any domineering, indecent, or uncontrolled
behavior in the intimate relationship between husband and wife is
condemned by the Lord.


Any man who abuses or demeans his wife, physically or spiritually, is
guilty of grievous sin and in need of sincere and serious repentance.
differences should be worked out in love and kindness and with a
spirit of mutual reconciliation. A man should always speak to his wife
lovingly and kindly, treating her with the utmost respect. marriage is
like a tender flower, brethren, and must be nourished constantly with
expressions of love and affection.


You who hold the priesthood must not be abusive in your relationship
with children. seek always to employ the principles of priesthood
government set forth in the revelations.


President George Albert Smith wisely counseled: "We should not lose
our tempers and abuse one another.... Nobody ever abused anybody else
when he had the spirit of the Lord. It is always when we have some
other spirit."


No man who has been ordained to the priesthood of God can with
impunity abuse his wife or child. Sexual abuse of children has long
been a cause for excommunication from the church.


We encourage you, brethren, to remember that priesthood is a righteous
authority only. Earn the respect and confidence of your children
through your loving relationship with them. a righteous father
protects his children with his time and presence in their social,
educational, and spiritual activities and responsibilities. tender
expressions of love and affection toward children are as much the
responsibility of the father as the mother. Tell your children you
love them.


You who hold the priesthood have the responsibility, unless disabled,
to provide temporal support for your wife and children. No man can
shift this burden of responsibility to another, not even to his wife.
the Lord has commanded that women and children have claim on their
husbands and fathers for their maintenance. president Ezra Taft Benson
has stated that when a husband encourages or insists that his wife
work out of the home for their convenience, "Not only will the family
suffer in such instances,... But his own spiritual growth and
progression will be hampered."


We urge you to do all in your power to allow your wife to remain in
the home, caring for the children, while you provide for your family
as best you can. we further reemphasize that men who abandon their
families and fail to meet their responsibility to care for those they
have fathered may find their eligibility for a temple recommend and
their standing in the church in jeopardy. In cases of divorce or
separation, men must demonstrate that they are meeting family support
payments mandated by law and obligated by the principles of the church
in order to qualify for the blessings of the Lord.


A man who holds the priesthood leads his family in church
participation so they will know the gospel and be under the protection
of the the covenants and ordinances. If you are to enjoy the blessings
of the Lord, you must set your own homes in order. Together with your
wife, you determine the spiritual climate of your home. Your first
obligation is to get your own spiritual life in order through regular
scripture study and daily prayer. Secure and honor your priesthood and
temple covenants; encourage your family to do the same.


Take seriously your responsibility to teach the gospel to your family
through regular family home evening, family prayer, devotional and
scripture reading time, and other teaching moments. Give special
emphasis to preparation for missionary service and temple marriage. As
patriarch in the home, exercise your priesthood through performing the
appropriate ordinances for your family and by giving blessings to your
wife and children. Next to your own salvation, brethren, there is
nothing so important to you as the salvation of your wife and
children.


Brethren, I have spoken plainly to you regarding your responsibilities
as holders of the holy priesthood. If there are areas in your life
where improvement may be needed, I encourage you to make this a matter
of prayerful consideration.


I testify that this is what the Lord would have the brethren of the
priesthood receive at this time. May you be blessed in your efforts to
be righteous husbands and fathers, I pray, as I bear solemn witness of
the truthfulness of that which has been spoken this evening and do so
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.


October 1994 General Conference
President Howard W. Hunter
President Howard W. Hunter


My dear brothers and Sisters, we now come to the conclusion of another
wonderful Conference of the church. We have experienced a marvelous
outpouring of the spirit. I commend to you the wise and inspired
counsel you have received from the general authorities and general
auxiliary officers of the church. My humble prayer is that while their
instruction is fresh in our minds, each of us will resolve to
incorporate it into our lives.


I want you to know how much I love and appreciate my devoted
counselors, president Gordon B. Hinckley and president Thomas S.
Monson. They are men of wisdom, experience, and understanding. I love
and sustain my brethren of the quorum of the twelve apostles, with
whom I served for over 34 years. To members of the seventy and the
presiding bishopric I express my love and gratitude for their
sacrifice and service to the church throughout the earth. similarly I
pay tribute to the general auxiliary officers.


As I have pondered the messages of the conference, I have asked myself
this question: "How can I help others partake of the goodness and
blessings of our Heavenly Father?" The answer lies in following the
direction received from those we sustain as prophets, seers, and
revelators, and others of the general authorities. Let us study their
words, spoken under the spirit of inspiration, and refer to them
often. The Lord has revealed his will to the saints in this
conference.


I bear solemn and grateful witness that Jesus is the Christ, the
Savior of the world. certainly he is the center of our worship and the
key to our happiness. Let us follow the son of God in all ways and all
walks of life. Let us make him our exemplar and our guide.


We are at a time in the history of the world and the growth of the
church when we must think more of holy things and act more like the
Savior would expect his disciples to act.


We should at every opportunity ask ourselves, "What would Jesus do?"
And then act more courageously upon the answer. We must be about his
work as he was about his Father's. We should make every effort to
become like Christ, the one perfect and sinless example this world has
ever seen.


We again emphasize the personal blessings of temple worship and the
sanctity and safety that are provided within those hallowed walls. It
is the house of the Lord, a place of revelation and of peace. As we
attend the temple, we will learn more richly and deeply the purpose of
life and the significance of the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Let us make the temple, with temple worship and temple
covenants and temple marriage, our ultimate earthly goal and the
supreme mortal experience.


Let us share with our children the spiritual feelings we have in the
temple. And let us teach them more earnestly and more comfortably the
things we can appropriately say about the purposes of the house of the
Lord.


Let us prepare every missionary to go to the temple worthily and to
make that experience an even greater highlight than receiving the
mission call. Let us plan for and teach and plead with our children to
marry in the house of the Lord. Let us reaffirm more vigorously than
we ever have in the past that it does matter where you marry and by
what authority you are pronounced man and wife.


All of our efforts in proclaiming the gospel, perfecting the saints,
and redeeming the dead lead to the holy temple. This is because the
temple ordinances are absolutely crucial; we cannot return to God's
presence without them. I encourage everyone to worthily attend the
temple or to work toward the day when you can enter that holy house to
receive your ordinances and covenants.


May you let the meaning and beauty and peace of the temple come into
your everyday life more directly in order that the millennial day may
come, that promised time when "They shall beat their swords into
plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift
up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more, [but
shall] walk in the light of the Lord."


Again and again during his mortal ministry, our Lord issued a call
that was both an invitation and a challenge. To Peter and Andrew,
Christ said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." We are
in the work of saving souls, of inviting people to come unto Christ,
of bringing them into the waters of baptism so they may continue to
progress along the path that leads to eternal life. This world needs
the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel provides the only way the world
will ever know peace. As followers of Jesus Christ, we seek to enlarge
the circle of love and understanding among all the people of the
earth.


Earlier prophets have taught that every able, worthy young man should
serve a full-time mission. I emphasize this need today. We also have
great need for our able, mature couples to serve in the mission field.
Jesus told his disciples, "The harvest truly is great, but the
labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he
would send forth labourers into his harvest."


And now, my beloved brothers and Sisters, through the power and
authority of the priesthood vested in me and by virtue of the calling
which I now hold, I invoke my blessings upon you. I bless you in your
efforts to live a more Christlike life. I bless you with an increased
desire to be worthy of a temple recommend and to attend the temple as
frequently as circumstances allow. I bless you to receive the peace of
our Heavenly Father in your homes and to be guided in teaching your
families to follow the master.


I again testify that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I
feel very deeply my dependence on the Lord for the guidance and
direction of his kingdom. I thank you again for your sustaining vote
and your faith and prayers in behalf of myself and my brethren. And I
do so in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.