Conference Address

• In the prayer that was offered this afternoon, mention was made of the temptations that come to us through the amusements and the entertainments that enter into the lives of men and women and cause them to disregard the commandments of the Lord. Those words brought ¶

to my mind this thought about the Sabbath day. This day which has been given to us as a day of worship, a day when we shall enter into the house of the Lord and there offer up our prayers and our sacraments, is at the present time more loosely regarded by members of the Church than at any other time in our history. I know that we can not go into very definite detail about some of the minor things and say, this is right and this is wrong on the Sabbath day. As soon as we get very technical we immediately become mixed up and we arrive at general conclusions that are in opposition to each other and to the word of the Lord. ¶

However, there should be some standard fixed by revelation and so encouraged by those in leadership that there would be no debate or argument as to whether certain things are right or whether they are wrong. In the days of Moses, when the law was given in the Ten Commandments, the Lord said we should "remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." Because some of the people did not regard the Sabbath day just as they should have done the Lord caused certain retributions to come upon them and they were severely punished. In our day many people feel that the punishment was too severe. Those who do not believe in the Lord will bring this severity up as an argument against our scripture and against God. ¶

In the days of the Puritans their law regarding the Sabbath was severe and very few things could be done on that day. If one whistled or 'one played music or any similar thing, there was some penalty attached. The very strictness of the laws governing the Sabbath in the past is now being used as an argument in favor of making the present observance so open and so loose that we can do almost anything. Therefore, on our Sabbath day we have practically everything being done. If a man or a girl is an athlete and they are in any way capable of reaching the higher levels in competition, it almost necessitates playing at least the finals upon the Sabbath day. If they are not willing to do this, they are just naturally eliminated from participation in things that are usually desired by young people. ¶

In our Church, in a way we have encouraged certain things on the Sabbath. Perhaps at times we have overdone our Fathers' and Sons' Outing on this day. ¶

Picture shows occur on the Sabbath day. Whether we should say we should or shouldn't attend is quite a debatable question among many people. The general argument is that if we go to our places of worship on the Sabbath day we are justified in going to picture shows or places of athletic amusements the rest of the day. ¶

When we get to looking at it from every angle we find we are losing out by using such arguments. The attitude that if we do a few things that are right on the Sabbath day it makes the others all right only confuses the question and hurts us. Such an attitude places no restriction on what we as a people shall do on the Sabbath provided we have been to meeting. ¶

Now, just this thought. Though we can not tell about all the details, there are enough landmarks, large landmarks, that we could at least hew ¶

to and hold to, and if we would do that, it would enable us to pass over some of the minor things that are now affecting us in our lives. It isn't a matter of conscience entirely as to what we shall do on the Sabbath day. It may be to the individual. He or she decides what they shall do. But the things that individuals do collectively does not necessarily reflect the conscience of the Church or its attitude in regard to right or wrong. ¶

We are given a revelation in the 59th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants. There the Lord speaks of various commandments and then he reiterates that one commandment about worshipping the Lord on the Sabbath day and going to his house to partake of the sacrament and to offer up our prayers. ¶

To me it seems that attending the sacrament meeting is one thing that the Latter-day Saints should do if they shall in any way feel that they are worshipping God Almighty on the Sabbath day and are remembering the day to keep it holy. This thing we can do, and there is no argument, there is no reason, there is no way of getting away from this commandment. In order to do one thing in the worship of God "with a broken heart and a contrite spirit" we ought to attend our sacrament meeting. ¶

In conclusion may I mention just this one thing. I hope I am understood in it. There are certain people who use some of the fine things we have in the Church for eliminating other things that we have in the Church. For example, we have wonderful Sunday Schools, — something we couldn't do without, the backbone of religious training and worship for our young people. But because of the sacrament being administered in our Sunday Schools there is a sentiment among our people that if they go to Sunday School that takes care of the sacrament and they feel no obligation to attend the sacrament meeting, which is presided over by the priesthood of the Lord and which the Lord has specified as one of the meetings his saints should attend. ¶

In the abundance of our auxiliary meetings on the Sabbath day, one after another, even in the cause of righteousness, we become tired and weary with the day's labor and at the end of the day we fail to worship the Lord in the meeting that he has specified as one way of honoring the Sabbath day and keeping it holy. ¶

May the Lord bless us and guide us and help us to live finer and better lives and to understand more clearly what we should do to worship him in spirit and in truth, I pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. ¶

The Choir and congregation sang the hymn, "O Say, What is Truth?" after which the Choir sang an anthem, "The King of Glory," (Parks). ¶