My Dear Brethren And Sisters I Realize...

My dear brethren and sisters, I realize my weakness and the need of your faith and prayers and the help of the Spirit of the Lord. I am grateful for the nature of the remarks made by President McKay in the opening session of this conference and for the prayer that has just been offered by President Pugmire in which a plea to our Father in heaven was made in behalf of the faith of the young people of the Church. ¶

I, too, am concerned over the faith of our young people, for that matter, of all the members of the Church in this day when there are so many prevailing notions, ideas, and philosophies. ¶

I have realized for a long time the need of spiritual protection, protection in the teachings that we give to our young people in our organizations, to save them from the false doctrines and teachings of the world. ¶

About three days ago I received a letter from one of my very dearest friends, a brother who is a teacher and who has been a teacher for nearly a half century, one who sat in the councils of the Church in stakes of Zion and in whom I have a great deal of confidence. He expressed in his letter his solicitation for our young people, and in fact, for all the members of the Church and the need of giving them proper protection and guidance in the teachings that are placed before them. ¶

I copied from his letter one paragraph, and asked him if I might use it. ¶

He said I might, and I am going to read it to you: ¶

"There are in our community, and I suspect in other places, men who are instructing in our quorums and other organizations who teach false doctrine, and the craziest imaginations, and almost invariably they are brethren who are not in line. They have brilliant, trained minds, sometimes with pleasing, influential personalities, but lacking the spirit of truth that comes by obedience. You cannot give what you do not possess. In my humble opinion only those who believe in, and can prove their teachings by their works, should be instructing in our quorums and other organizations." ¶

That remark of his I fully endorse, and so I am expressing these thoughts particularly to our bishops, presidents of stakes, superintendents of Sunday Schools and Mutuals, and those who have charge of priesthood quorums, and the other organizations of the Church, to see to it that in the choosing of teachers they use wisdom and seek for the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord that these men spoken of here in this communication, brilliant, outstanding personalities, but without faith, are not called to teach in our Sunday Schools, our Mutual Improvement Associations, and in the priesthood quorums of the Church. We want men who are trained in the principles of the gospel and who have faith and a testimony of the truth. ¶

We have them. ¶

Because a man has great schooling, is educated according to the ideas of the world, is not sufficient reason why he should be called to take charge of a class in any of the organizations or priesthood quorums within the Church. ¶

Now, if he has scholastic ability and training, and along with it has faith in the principles of the gospel and in the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Prophet Joseph Smith, all well and good. But if he is filled with all kinds of philosophy and notions and cannot accept the doctrines in the standard works of the Church, we do not want him, whether it is in our auxiliaries or the priesthood, or in our seminaries or institutes, that are given for the teaching of religious principles and to instil faith in the hearts of our young people. ¶

"Remember," the Lord has said, "the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; "For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. ¶

"And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance. ¶

"And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth! "Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people. ¶

"And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!" (D. & C. 18:10-15.) In the early days of the Church men came out of the world and received the testimony of the gospel, but they had been trained in the traditions of the world, the religious world, and they brought in with them some of those religious notions. The Lord had to correct them, and he said: ¶

"Let us reason even as a man reasoneth one with another face to face. ¶

"Now, when a man reasoneth he is understood of man, because he reasoneth as a man; even so will I, the Lord, reason with you that you may understand. ¶

"Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question — unto what were ye ordained? ¶

"To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth. ¶

"And then received ye spirits which ye could not understand, and received them to be of God; and in this are ye justified? ¶

"Behold ye shall answer this question yourselves; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto you; he that is weak among you hereafter shall be made strong. ¶

"Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the spirit of truth or some other way? ¶

"And if it be by some other way it is not of God. ¶

"And again, he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way? ¶

"If it be some other way it is not of God. ¶

"Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth? ¶

"Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together. ¶

"And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness." (Ibid., 50:11-23.) It makes no difference who the teacher is, if he teaches false doctrine, if he teaches that which has been condemned by the Lord, that is contrary to what is written in the revelations given to the Church, then he should not teach. ¶

In the forty-second section of the Doctrine .and Covenants the Lord declares that he who hath not the Spirit shall not teach. I call upon you brethren in the stakes and in the wards to be alert to find men who have faith in their hearts and a love of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and do not choose men simply because they have a personality or worldly wisdom. ¶

Find if they have in their hearts a love of divine truth. If a man cannot accept the revelations in the Bible, in the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, which we have received as standards, if he has reservations in his mind in regard to the things that are there recorded, which have come to us by the word of the Lord, then he ought not be teaching in any organization, any class, anywhere in the • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ¶

May the Lord bless us one and all, guide us in righteousness, help us through the study of the scriptures to know his will, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶