David A. Bednar Quotes - 116 quotes

David Allan Bednar is a prominent religious leader and former educator. He is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), a position he has held since October 7, 2004. David Bednar was born on June 15, 1952, in Oakland, California. H... show more

 ...the young man’s wake-up call led him to “come to himself.” This poignant phrase suggests to me a process of examining aspects of his life that previously had been unexamined, resulting in a piercing personal realization of his present circumstances and what he had become. He was also willing to strive for a timely and needed course correction: "I will arise and go to my father."
- David A. Bednar
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 Our world has seemingly been filled recently with strong wake-up calls. From natural disasters to a deadly pandemic sweeping the globe to a most pernicious social plague of racism, we are daily reminded that we need to awaken to the perilous times that surround us, come to ourselves, and arise and turn to our Divine Father, who desires to instruct and edify us through our trials.
- David A. Bednar
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 Thus, constraints and limitations can be remarkable blessings, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
- David A. Bednar
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 COVID-19 has alerted us to the importance of defending the borders between personal liberty, constitutional rights, and governmental authority.
- David A. Bednar
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 COVID-19 has alerted us to many attacks on the freedoms of religion, speech, and assembly.
- David A. Bednar
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 This present crisis may well be a moment when we too “come to ourselves” and realize, perhaps as never before, just how precious and fragile religious freedom is.
- David A. Bednar
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 One key realization is that for most faith communities, gathering for worship, ritual, and fellowship is essential; it is not merely an enjoyable social activity.
- David A. Bednar
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 Being in each other’s presence is a unique and irreplaceable experience.
- David A. Bednar
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 Gathering, in short, is at the core of faith and religion. Indeed, if the faithful are not gathering, sooner or later they will begin to scatter. And because gathering lies at the very heart of religion, the right to gather lies at the very heart of religious freedom.
- David A. Bednar
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 I believe it is vital for us to recognize that the sweeping governmental restrictions that were placed on religious gatherings at the outset of the COVID-19 crisis truly were extraordinary. In what seemed like an instant, most Western governments and many others simply banned communal worship. These restrictions eliminated public celebrations of Easter, Passover, Ramadan, and other holy days around the world. No other event in our lifetime—and perhaps no other event since the founding of this nation—has caused quite this kind of widespread disruption of religious gatherings and worship.
- David A. Bednar
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 But we cannot deny and we should not forget the speed and intensity with which government power was used to shut down fundamental aspects of religious exercise. These decisions and regulations were unprecedented. For nearly two months, Americans and many others throughout the free world learned firsthand what it means for government to directly prohibit the free exercise of religion.
- David A. Bednar
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 Government power can never be unlimited. In our political system, the government "derives its just powers from the consent of the governed," to quote the Declaration of Independence.
- David A. Bednar
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 Constitutions, representative government, checks and balances, and the rule of law help constrain the tendency of government to exercise unlimited power.
- David A. Bednar
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 Government has a just role in fostering a moral environment in which people can live good and honorable lives.
- David A. Bednar
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 But whatever else government officials may be called upon to do, we the people must never allow them to forget that their offices and powers exist to secure our fundamental freedoms and the conditions for exercising those freedoms.
- David A. Bednar
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 ...we must not become accustomed to sweeping assertions of governmental power.
- David A. Bednar
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 The power of government must have limits.
- David A. Bednar
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 Freedom of religion stands as a bulwark against unlimited government power. It safeguards the right to think for oneself, to believe what one feels to be true, and to exercise moral agency accordingly.
- David A. Bednar
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 Religious freedom is fragile. As we have just experienced, religious freedom can quickly be swept aside in the name of protecting other societal interests.
- David A. Bednar
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 The COVID-19 crisis has presented us with a unique opportunity to reaffirm and shore up religious freedom. We have witnessed the government’s swift, well-intentioned, but often dangerous breaching of the boundaries that protect the free exercise of religion. Do we hear the buzzer on the alarm clock? This is a wake-up call for all of us. Those fundamental boundaries and protections must be healed, renewed, and fortified.
- David A. Bednar
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 While believers and their religious organizations must be good citizens in a time of crisis, never again can we allow government officials to treat the exercise of religion as simply nonessential. Never again must the fundamental right to worship God be trivialized below the ability to buy gasoline.
- David A. Bednar
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 If we stop yelling long enough to listen, I think we can work some things out.
- David A. Bednar
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 I invite the young people of the Church to learn about and experience the Spirit of Elijah. I encourage you to study, to search out your ancestors, and to prepare yourselves to perform proxy baptisms in the house of the Lord for your kindred dead. And I urge you to help other people identify their family histories. As you respond in faith to this invitation, your hearts shall turn to the fathers. The promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be implanted in your hearts. Your patriarchal blessing, with its declaration of lineage, will link you to these fathers and be more meaningful to you. Your love and gratitude for your ancestors will increase. Your testimony of and conversion to the Savior will become deep and abiding. And I promise you will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary. As you participate in and love this holy work, you will be safeguarded in your youth and throughout your lives.
- David A. Bednar
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 The peace Christ gives allows us to view mortality through the precious perspective of eternity and supplies a spiritual settledness (see Colossians 1:23) that helps us maintain a consistent focus on our heavenly destination. Thus, we can be blessed to hush our fears because His doctrine provides purpose and direction in all aspects of our lives.

- David A. Bednar

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 The peace Christ gives allows us to view mortality through the precious perspective of eternity and supplies a spiritual settledness (see Colossians 1:23) that helps us maintain a consistent focus on our heavenly destination. Thus, we can be blessed to hush our fears because His doctrine provides purpose and direction in all aspects of our lives.

- David A. Bednar

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 Whereas humility generally denotes dependence upon God and the constant need for His guidance and support, a distinguishing characteristic of meekness is a particular spiritual receptivity to learning both from the Holy Ghost and from people who may seem less capable, experienced, or educated, who may not hold important positions, or who otherwise may not appear to have much to contribute.

- David A. Bednar

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 Jesus had declared during His betrayal, “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” Yet the “Eternal Judge of both quick and dead” paradoxically was judged before a temporary political appointee. “And [Jesus] answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.” The Savior’s meekness is evidenced in His disciplined response, strong restraint, and unwillingness to exert His infinite power for personal benefit.

- David A. Bednar

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 Likewise, tests in the school of mortality are a vital element of our eternal progression. Interestingly, however, the word test is not found even one time in the scriptural text of the standard works in English. Rather, words such as prove, examine, and try are used to describe various patterns of demonstrating appropriately our spiritual knowledge about, understanding of, and devotion to our Heavenly Father’s eternal plan of happiness and our capacity to seek for the blessings of the Savior’s Atonement.

- David A. Bednar

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 To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.

- David A. Bednar

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 He, (president nelson) is a disciple of Jesus Christ, and you are trying to be one.

- David A. Bednar

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 Principles provide direction. Correct principles always are based upon and arise from doctrines, do not change, and answer the question of "what?". A principle is not a behavior or a specific action. Rather, principles provide basic guidelines for behavior and action.

- David A. Bednar

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 Just as challenging times reveal inadequacies in temporal preparedness, so too the maladies of spiritual casualness and complacency inflict their most detrimental effects during difficult trials.

- David A. Bednar

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 The process of proving ourselves is a fundamental part of Heavenly Father’s great plan of happiness. I promise that as we both prepare and press forward with faith in the Savior, we all can receive the same grade on the ultimate examination of mortality: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”

- David A. Bednar

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 The primary purpose for the creation of the earth was to prepare a place where on the Father’s children would be proved to see if they (meaning you and me) would do all things whatsoever “the Lord their God shall command them.” We further learn that those who kept their first estate, meaning those spirits who were faithful in the premortal existence, would have the opportunity to be added upon by obtaining a physical body and through their experiences in mortality—and that those who kept their second estate, meaning those who were faithful in mortality, could have glory added upon their heads throughout eternity … [in the highly] anticipated or third estate.

- David A. Bednar

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 [Some] statements by Joseph Smith and Orson F. Whitney are construed by some members of the Church to mean that wayward children unconditionally receive the blessings of salvation because of and through the faithfulness of parents. However, this interpretation is moderated by the fact that the most complete account of the Prophet’s sermon was not available to Church historians at the time they compiled an amalgamated version of his teachings from the notes of Willard Richards and William Clayton. In the more complete set of notes recorded by Howard and Martha Coray, Joseph Smith is shown to have qualified his statement to make the promised blessings conditional upon the obedience of the children: “When a father and mother of a family have [been sealed], their children who have not transgressed are secured by the seal wherewith the Parents have been sealed. And this is the Oath of God unto our Father Abraham and this doctrine shall stand forever.” This clarification is more consistent doctrinally. Except for the additional information contained in the Coray records, the concept of unconditional salvation for disobedient children would contradict many foundational teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, including the second article of faith that “men will be punished for their own sins” (Articles of Faith 1:2).

- David A. Bednar

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 Learning is central to the plan of salvation, to our happiness in mortality, and to our eternal progress.

- David A. Bednar

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 The Christlike quality of meekness often is misunderstood in our contemporary world. Meekness is strong, not weak; active, not passive; courageous, not timid; restrained, not excessive; modest, not self-aggrandizing; and gracious, not brash. A meek person is not easily provoked, pretentious, or overbearing and readily acknowledges the accomplishments of others. Whereas humility generally denotes dependence upon God and the constant need for His guidance and support, a distinguishing characteristic of meekness is a particular spiritual receptivity to learning both from the Holy Ghost and from people who may seem less capable, experienced, or educated, who may not hold important positions, or who otherwise may not appear to have much to contribute.

- David A. Bednar

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 For example, the eternal importance of gender and of eternal marriage can be properly understood only within the context of our Heavenly Father's plan of happiness. Emphasizing the institution of marriage without linking it adequately to the simple and fundamental doctrine of the plan cannot provide sufficient direction, protection, and hope in a world confused about these vital issues.

- David A. Bednar

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 Protecting a person’s physical health from the coronavirus is, of course, important, but so is a person’s spiritual health. That same state allowed lawyers to meet with people to administer to their legal needs, allowed doctors to meet with people to administer to their health needs, and allowed caregivers to administer food to satisfy nutritional needs. But it did not allow a clergyperson to administer to a person’s religious needs, even when the risk of all these activities was essentially the same.

- David A. Bednar

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 Note how many crucial decisions and life experiences can be influenced by the principle of being willing to let God prevail: dating and marriage, gospel questions and concerns, temptation, personal grooming, what to watch and read, where to spend time, with whom to associate, and many, many more. President Nelson’s inspired questions emphasize a simple principle that provides direction in every aspect of our lives and enables us to govern ourselves.

- David A. Bednar

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 David A. Bednar said: “The precise nature of the test of mortality, then, can be summarized in the following question: Will I respond to the Inclinations of the natural man, or will I yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and put off the natural man?”

- David A. Bednar

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 The peace Christ gives allows us to view mortality through the precious perspective of eternity and supplies a spiritual settledness that helps us maintain a consistent focus on our heavenly destination. Thus, we can be blessed to hush our fears because His doctrine provides purpose and direction in all aspects of our lives.

- David A. Bednar

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 The Christlike quality of meekness often is misunderstood in our contemporary world. Meekness is strong, not weak; active, not passive; courageous, not timid; restrained, not excessive; modest, not self-aggrandizing; and gracious, not brash. A meek person is not easily provoked, pretentious, or overbearing and readily acknowledges the accomplishments of others.

- David A. Bednar

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 Meekness is a defining attribute of the Redeemer and is distinguished by righteous responsiveness, willing submissiveness, and strong self-restraint.

- David A. Bednar

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 A gospel doctrine is a truth of salvation revealed by a loving Heavenly Father.  Gospel doctrines are eternal, do not change, and pertain to the eternal progression and exaltation of Heavenly Father's sons and daughters.  Doctrines such as the nature of the Godhead, the plan of happiness, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ are foundational, fundamental, and comprehensive. Gospel doctrines answer the question "why?" For example, the doctrine of the plan of happines answers the questio of why we are here upon the earth. . . . A gospel principles is a doctrinally based guideline for the righteous exercise of moral agency. Principles provide direction. Correct principles always are based upon and arise from doctrines, do not change, and answer the question of "what?"  Many principles can grow out of and be associated with a single doctrine. . . A principle is not a behavior or a specific action. Rather, principles provide basic quidelines for behavior and action. 

- David A. Bednar

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 When we believe or say we have been offended, we usually mean we feel insulted, mistreated, snubbed, or disrespected. And certainly clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean-spirited things do occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense. However, it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.

- David A. Bednar

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 To believe that someone or something can make us feel offended, angry, hurt, or bitter diminishes our moral agency and transforms us into objects to be acted upon. As agents, however, you and I have the power to act and to choose how we will respond to an offensive or hurtful situation.

- David A. Bednar

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 Clearly, the rigorous requirements that lead to the perfecting of the Saints include assignments that test and challenge us.

- David A. Bednar

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 If a person says or does something that we consider offensive, our first obligation is to refuse to take offense and then communicate privately, honestly, and directly with that individual.

- David A. Bednar

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 I find it both noteworthy and troubling that in the dispensation of the fullness of times…many members are exasperatingly engaged in creating ever longer lists of detailed and disconnected gospel applications.” These “lengthy ‘to do’ lists” receive “disproportionate and excessive attention.” This is why our Sunday School classes at times devolve into stories about two pairs of earrings, condemnations of R-rated movies, or debates over whether Coca-Cola is against the Word of Wisdom rather than, say, the relational nature of salvation and the abiding need to practice empathy and develop deep, meaningful connections with each other. An overemphasis on applications can distort fundamental doctrines and confuse principles and applications as ends in themselves rather than means to an end.

- David A. Bednar

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 If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and physically from things as they really are. In essence, he encourages us to think and act as if we were in our premortal, unembodied state. And, if we let him, he can cunningly employ some aspects of modern technology to accomplish his purposes. Please be careful of becoming so immersed and engrossed in pixels, texting, earbuds, twittering, online social networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss the richness of person-to-person communication.

- David A. Bednar

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 "The account of the first Christmas in the Book of Mormon helps us to learn and more fully understand that Jesus Christ is the “light which shineth in darkness” (see D&C 10:57–61). In every season of our lives, in all of the circumstances we may encounter, and in each challenge we may face, Jesus Christ is the light that dispels fear, provides assurance and direction, and engenders enduring peace and joy. "Many of our memorable and enduring Christmas traditions include different kinds of lights — lights on trees, lights in and on our homes, candles on our tables. May the beautiful lights of every holiday season remind us of him who is the source of all light."

- David A. Bednar

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 One of the greatest indicators of our own spiritual maturity is revealed in how we respond to the weaknesses, the inexperience, and the potentially offensive actions of others.

- David A. Bednar

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 As disciples of the Savior, we are commanded to “prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.” We also are promised that “if ye are prepared ye shall not fear. “And that ye might escape the power of the enemy, and be gathered unto me a righteous people, without spot and blameless.” These scriptures provide a perfect framework for organizing and preparing our lives and homes both temporally and spiritually. Our efforts to prepare for the proving experiences of mortality should follow the example of the Savior, who incrementally “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man”—a blended balance of intellectual, physical, spiritual, and social readiness.

- David A. Bednar

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 President Ezra Taft Benson described an important pattern the Redeemer employs in bringing “to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”16 He said: “The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.”17

- David A. Bednar

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 Ordinances that are received worthily and remembered continually open the heavenly channels through which the power of godliness can flow into our lives. We do not come to the temple to hide from or escape the evils of the world. Rather, we come to the temple to conquer the world of evil. As we invite into our lives the “power of godliness”19 by receiving priesthood ordinances and making and keeping sacred covenants, we are blessed with strength beyond our own20 to overcome the temptations and challenges of mortality and to do and become good.

- David A. Bednar

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 Freedom of religion stands as a bulwark against unlimited government power. It safeguards the right to think for oneself, to believe what one feels to be true, and to exercise moral agency accordingly. It secures the space necessary to live with faith, integrity, and devotion. It nurtures strong families. It protects communities of faith and the rich and sacred relationships they make possible.

- David A. Bednar

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 Religious freedom is fragile. As we have just experienced, religious freedom can quickly be swept aside in the name of protecting other societal interests. Despite COVID-19 risks, North American jurisdictions declared as essential numerous services related to alcohol, animals, marijuana, and other concerns. But often religious organizations and their services were simply deemed nonessential, even when their activities could be conducted safely.

- David A. Bednar

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 Thus, the birth, life, and atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ are the greatest manifestations of God's love for His children...The fruit on the tree is a symbol for the blessings of the Atonement. Partaking of the fruit of the tree represents the receiving of ordinances and covenants whereby the Atonement can become fully efficacious in our lives.

- David A. Bednar

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 But we cannot deny and we should not forget the speed and intensity with which government power was used to shut down fundamental aspects of religious exercise. These decisions and regulations were unprecedented. For nearly two months, Americans and many others throughout the free world learned firsthand what it means for government to directly prohibit the free exercise of religion.

- David A. Bednar

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 First reflection: Government power can never be unlimited. In our political system, the government “derives its just powers from the consent of the governed,” to quote the Declaration of Independence. But the “just powers” of government cannot be unlimited, because they exist most fundamentally to secure the God-given rights of life and liberty, so that each of us can exercise our moral agency—the ability “to act for [ourselves] and not to be acted upon”[xiii]—and be accountable before God for our choices and actions.

- David A. Bednar

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 Understanding that the Church is a learning laboratory helps us to prepare for an inevitable reality. In some way and at some time, someone in this Church will do or say something that could be considered offensive. Such an event will surely happen to each and every one of us—and it certainly will occur more than once.Though people may not intend to injure or offend us, they nonetheless can be inconsiderate and tactless. You and I cannot control the intentions or behavior of other people. However, we do determine how we will act. Please remember that you and I are agents endowed with moral agency, and we can choose not to be offended.

- David A. Bednar

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 In Elder Bednar’s book Increase in Learning,[8] he distinguishes between doctrines, principles, and applications. Doctrines, he explains, are the why: eternal truths that “pertain to the eternal progression and exaltation of Heavenly Father’s sons and daughters.” Principles are the what: “doctrinally based guideline[s] for the righteous exercise of moral agency.” Applications are the how: “the actual behaviors, action steps, practices, or procedures by which gospel doctrines and principles are enacted in our lives.”

- David A. Bednar

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 Proclaiming the gospel is not an activity in which we periodically and temporarily engage. And our labors as missionaries certainly are not confined to the short period of time devoted to full-time missionary service in our youth or in our mature years. Rather, the obligation to proclaim the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is inherent in the oath and covenant of the priesthood into which we enter. Missionary work essentially is a priesthood responsibility, and all of us who hold the priesthood are the Lord's authorized servants on the earth and are missionaries at all times and in all places—and we always will be. Our very identity as holders of the priesthood and the seed of Abraham is in large measure defined by the responsibility to proclaim the gospel.

- David A. Bednar

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 The fundamental truths of the restored gospel were not delivered to the Prophet Joseph Smith all at once in the Sacred Grove. These priceless treasures were revealed as circumstances warranted and as the timing was right.

- David A. Bednar

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 He who authored the plan of salvation described the very purpose of our mortal probation using the words prove, examine, and try in ancient and modern scripture. “And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.”

- David A. Bednar

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 Our efforts to prepare for the proving experiences of mortality should follow the example of the Savior, who incrementally “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man”7—a blended balance of intellectual, physical, spiritual, and social readiness.

- David A. Bednar

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 Though the loss of a dear loved one was heart-wrenching and difficult, the members of this valiant family spiritually were prepared to prove that they could learn lessons of eternal importance through the things that they suffered.

- David A. Bednar

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 Faithfulness is not foolishness or fanaticism. Rather, it is trusting and placing our confidence in Jesus Christ as our Savior, on His name, and in His promises. As we “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men,”15 we are blessed with an eternal perspective and vision that stretches far beyond our limited mortal capacity. We will be enabled to “gather together, and stand in holy places”16 and “be not moved, until the day of the Lord come.”

- David A. Bednar

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 “We are witnessing an ever greater movement toward polarity. The middle-ground options will be removed from us as Latter-day Saints. The middle of the road will be withdrawn. “If you are treading water in the current of a river, you will go somewhere. You simply will go wherever the current takes you. Going with the stream, following the tide, drifting in the current will not do. “Choices have to be made. Not making a choice is a choice. Learn to choose now.”

- David A. Bednar

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 At one point I asked Elder Hales, “You have been a successful husband, father, athlete, pilot, business executive, and Church leader. What lessons have you learned as you have grown older and been constrained by decreased physical capacity?” Elder Hales paused for a moment and responded, “When you cannot do what you have always done, then you only do what matters most.”

- David A. Bednar

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 Of course, liberty has limits. Government has a just role in fostering a moral environment in which people can live good and honorable lives. But whatever else government officials may be called upon to do, we the people must never allow them to forget that their offices and powers exist to secure our fundamental freedoms and the conditions for exercising those freedoms.

- David A. Bednar

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 Second reflection: Religious freedom is paramount among our fundamental rights. This time of restriction and confinement has confirmed for me that no freedom is more important than religious freedom. The freedom of religion properly has been called our first freedom. It is first not only because of its placement as the first right in the First Amendment, but also because of the paramount importance of respecting the moral agency of each person. Living even for a brief few weeks under the restrictions imposed on religious activity by COVID-19 is a stark reminder that nothing is more precious to people of faith than the freedom to “worship Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience”[xiv] and to openly and freely live according to our convictions.

- David A. Bednar

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 But periodic tests absolutely are essential to learning. An effective test helps us to compare what we need to know with what we actually know about a specific subject; it also provides a standard against which we can evaluate our learning and development.

- David A. Bednar

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 Nowhere, anywhere, in the scriptures does it say God's love is unconditional.

- David A. Bednar

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 Meekness often is silent. Do any of us ever want to talk in a meeting not because we have something to say but because we want to be heard and we want some air time. And I'm trying to impress somebody. The most impressive thing that is when you speak you say something that is very relevant and has an impact. Not simply that you are taking up airtime. The only one who knows what's going on with the silence is you and heaven.

- David A. Bednar

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 The Holy Ghost is a revealer of all truth. Truth is knowledge of things as they were, as they will be, and as they really are. Now I would suggest that the natural man or the natural woman in each of us is very good at hiding from things as they really are. And we rationalize, and we justify, and we make excuses, and we hide from stuff that we don't want to know about ourselves. And if we have a real intent to learn, and if we're willing, the Holy Ghost will help us see the way we really are. That's the ultimate in executive development. And the only place it can work is when you have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. And it's brutal, and it's liberating in the same moment. The stuff that we try to hide from, you can't hide from.

- David A. Bednar

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 So, to be submissive is to not impose your own outcome and timeline but to wait upon the Lord.

- David A. Bednar

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 Sometimes we want to have those gifts so we that we can flaunt them. And we want to have those so that other people will think really highly of us. And say wow that's really a spiritual guy. Well, that can't be the reason.

- David A. Bednar

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 "When we fail to give needed correction or counsel, it’s because we’re thinking of ourselves. We normally think, 'Well, you know, I don’t want to hurt this person’s feelings.' No, that’s really not true; you just want to be liked. And the reason I’m not going to tell you what really needs to be said is because I don’t want to be viewed negatively or fall into disfavor."

- David A. Bednar

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 As parents are patient and persistent in loving their children and in becoming living examples of disciples of Jesus Christ, they most effectively teach the Father’s plan of happiness. The steadfastness of such parents bears powerful witness of the redeeming and strengthening powers of the Savior’s Atonement and invites wayward children to see with new eyes and to hear with new ears (see Matthew 13:43).

- David A. Bednar

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 The revelations teach us that “the glory of God is intelligence" (D&C 93:36). We typically may think the word intelligence in this scripture denotes innate cognitive ability or a particular gift for academic work. In this verse, however, one of the meanings of intelligence is the application of knowledge for righteous purposes. As President David O. McKay taught: "True education—the education [or learning] for which the Church stands—is the application of knowledge to the development of a noble and Godlike character" (David O. McKay, “True Education,” The Editor’s Page, Improvement Era 60, no. 3 [March 1957]: 141). We are blessed in mortality with endless opportunities to apply what we learn and know for righteousness—or to increase in intelligence. And learning from experience is one of the primary vehicles provided in the Father’s plan of happiness to accomplish this eternally important outcome. Consequently, we should not equate intelligence exclusively with formal education, academic degrees, or professional success. Some of the most educated people I have ever known had little or no intelligence. And some of the most intelligent people I have ever known had little or no formal education.

- David A. Bednar

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 And the man or woman of Christ turns out instead of in.

- David A. Bednar

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 In the grand division of all of God’s creations, there are things to act and things to be acted upon (see 2 Nephi 2:13–14). As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we have been blessed with the gift of moral agency, the capacity for independent action and choice. Endowed with agency, you and I are agents, and we primarily are to act and not just be acted upon.

- David A. Bednar

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 I also pose “two questions for consideration in your personal pondering and prayerful studying” about using these technologies properly. “Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life? Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve in meaningful ways?”

- David A. Bednar

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 “As you strive to learn the gospel of Jesus Christ and perform the work you have to do, I specifically exhort you to be wise in your use of contemporary technological tools. Innovations such as artificial intelligence [can] both (1) assist you in receiving magnificent blessings and (2) diminish and suffocate your moral agency. Please do not allow the supposed accuracy, speed, and ease of modern technologies to entice you to avoid or circumvent the righteous work that invites into your life the blessings you will need. My beloved brothers and sisters, there are no spiritual shortcuts or quick fixes.”

- David A. Bednar

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 AI also has the potential to obscure our true identity as sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father, distract us from the eternal truths and righteous work necessary for spiritual growth, engender pride and a diminished acknowledgment of our dependence upon God, and distort or replace meaningful human interaction.

- David A. Bednar

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 “This personalization creates a sense of connection and understanding, making interactions with these virtual companions highly appealing. The allure is further heightened by their 24/7 availability and the absence of the complexities often found in [authentic] human relationships. From remembering important dates to responding in a consistently understanding manner, these AI [companions] are programmed to fulfill idealized companionship roles, making them [especially] addictive” and distorting perceptions of “things as they really are” in human relationships.

- David A. Bednar

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 Furthermore, virtual companions specifically designed to appeal to and evolve with a person’s emotional needs may wreak havoc in previously safe relationships. Like carbon monoxide, such virtual relationships may become the “invisible killer” of real relationships. Counterfeit emotional intimacy may displace real-life emotional intimacy—the very thing which binds two people together. A person may find comfort and solace in a virtual companion in a way that erodes mutual dependence between a husband and a wife. And some individuals may fall into this trap without realizing it is a violation of the exclusive commitment to a spouse because a virtual companion is not “real” and does not count as another person.

- David A. Bednar

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 Always remember that an AI companion is only a mathematical algorithm. It does not like you. It does not care about you. It does not really know if you exist or not. To repeat, it is a set of computer equations that will treat you as an object to be acted upon, if you let it. Please, do not let this technology entice you to become an object.

- David A. Bednar

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 The term moral agency is instructive. Synonyms for the word moral can include “good,” “honest,” “virtuous,” and “honorable.” Synonyms for the word agency can include “action,” “activity,” and “work.” Hence, moral agency can be understood as the ability and privilege to choose and to act for ourselves in ways that are good, honest, virtuous, and honorable.

- David A. Bednar

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 Please note, the fundamental purposes for the exercise of agency are to love one another and to choose God. Consider that we are commanded—not merely admonished, urged, or counseled—but commanded to use our agency to turn outward, to love one another, and to choose God.

- David A. Bednar

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 The adversary’s selfish scheme was to strip away from the sons and daughters of God the gift to become “agents unto themselves” who could act in righteousness. His intent was that all of Heavenly Father’s children become objects that could only be acted upon.

- David A. Bednar

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 Now beware. The ease of use, perceived accuracy, and rapid response time that characterize artificial intelligence can create a potentially beguiling, addictive, and suffocating influence on the exercise of our moral agency. Because AI is cloaked in the credibility and promises of scientific progress, we might naively be seduced into surrendering our precious moral agency to a technology that can only think telestial. By so doing, we may gradually be transformed from agents who can act into objects that are only acted upon. And we may unwittingly help Lucifer to achieve in mortality what he was unable to accomplish in premortality.

- David A. Bednar

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 Truth is knowledge of things as they really are. Artificial intelligence cannot simulate, imitate, or replace the influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives. No matter how sophisticated and elegant AI technology ultimately may become, it simply can never bear witness of the Father and the Son, reveal the truth of all things, or sanctify those who have repented and been baptized.

- David A. Bednar

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 One of my great concerns is that overreliance on AI technology will cause us to become spiritually slothful and shallow—and to forfeit the blessings made possible through righteous work.

- David A. Bednar

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 My beloved brothers and sisters, please always remember—we should not sell our spiritual birthright of “know[ing] the joys and glories of creation” for a mess of technological “pottage.”

- David A. Bednar

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 Always remember that becoming a devoted disciple requires focused, sustained, and righteous work. We must strive to become agents who exercise faith in the Savior and act and shun becoming objects that merely are acted upon. Personal revelation requires focused, sustained, and righteous work. We must strive to become agents who exercise faith in the Savior and act and shun becoming objects that merely are acted upon.

- David A. Bednar

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 Absolute truth exists in a world that increasingly disdains and dismisses absolutes.

- David A. Bednar

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 There is a paradox in religious freedom — if I want my religious freedom to be protected, then I must protect the religious freedom of those who believe in a fundamentally different way from my own.

- David A. Bednar

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 We do not build or enter holy temples solely to have a memorable individual or family experience. Rather, the covenants received and the ordinances performed in temples are essential to the sanctifying of our hearts and for the ultimate exaltation of God’s sons and daughters.

- David A. Bednar

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 A principle is not a behavior or a specific action. Rather, principles provide basic guidelines for behavior and action.

- David A. Bednar

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 I have a friend who was a conscientious student in law school. During the course of a semester, Sam invested time every day to review, summarize, and learn from his notes for each course in which he was enrolled. He followed the same pattern for all of his classes at the end of every week and every month. His approach enabled him to learn the law and not merely memorize details. And as final examinations approached, Sam was prepared. In fact, he found the final exam period to be one of the least stressful parts of his legal training. Effective and timely preparation precedes successful proving. Sam’s approach to his legal education highlights one of the Lord’s primary patterns for growth and development. “Thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more.”

- David A. Bednar

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 The Holy Ghost does not become operative in our lives merely because hands are placed upon our heads and those four important words are spoken.

- David A. Bednar

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 The commandments from God we obey and the inspired counsel from Church leaders we follow principally focus upon obtaining the companionship of the Spirit.

- David A. Bednar

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 For example, the orders of one state barred Catholic priests from anointing a parishioner with holy oil in the performance of last rites—even if the person was not sick with COVID-19, even if the priest and parishioner were protected with masks and gloves, and even if the oil was applied with a swab. In the same state, my Church could not perform baptisms even under the safest of conditions.

- David A. Bednar

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 “The central feature in Lehi’s dream is the tree of life—a representation of “the love of God”. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Thus, the birth, life, and atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ are the greatest manifestations of God's love for His children...The fruit on the tree is a symbol for the blessings of the Atonement. Partaking of the fruit of the tree represents the receiving of ordinances and covenants whereby the Atonement can become fully efficacious in our lives.

- David A. Bednar

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 One of the greatest indicators of our own spiritual maturity is revealed in how we respond to the weaknesses, the inexperience, and the potentially offensive actions of others.

- David A. Bednar

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 Nothing government does is more important than fostering the conditions wherein religion can flourish.

- David A. Bednar

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 What I am saying is that we can no more disregard the valid claims of religious freedom in a time of crisis than we can disregard the valid claims of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, or freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. Nor should we prioritize secular interests above religious ones. A health crisis should not become an excuse for a religious freedom crisis.

- David A. Bednar

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 I emphasized that neither digital innovations nor rapid change in and of themselves are good or evil. Rather, I cautioned that the real challenge is to understand both innovations and changes within the context of the eternal plan of happiness. I also pose “two questions for consideration in your personal pondering and prayerful studying” about using these technologies properly. “Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life? Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve in meaningful ways?”

- David A. Bednar

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 If living the gospel for your is a chore, you'll go with other people who feel the same way - because that is the law you are going to love.
- David A. Bednar
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 "The standard is clear. If something we think, see, hear, or do distances us from the Holy Ghost, then we should stop thinking, seeing, hearing, or doing that thing."

- David A. Bednar

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 Godly fear dispels mortal fears.

- David A. Bednar

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 Much of the world anticipates big results quickly. But the Lord builds a sure foundation and incrementally builds upon that foundation line upon line.

- David A. Bednar

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 Going to the temple and having the spirit of the temple go through you precedes effective service as a full-time missionary.

- David A. Bednar

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