And Now, My Brethren and Sisters...

PRESIDENT DAVID O. McKAY ¶

And now, my brethren and sisters, just a word in parting. ¶

This has truly been a great conference. We have met during a critical time in the history of our own great country and the history of the world. I have been impressed with the answer that you have given through the Brethren here and through your acceptance, to some of the false ideologies and teachings that are rampant in the world. One of those is, that man is not a spiritual being, but that he is just as any other animal, subject to his passions, subject to his yearnings, desires, and justified in achieving his ambitions no matter how many others may suffer in that achievement. ¶

You have said today and yesterday and the day before, in your testimonies that man is a dual being — he is physical, has his appetites, passions, desires, just as any animal has, but he is also a spiritual being, and he knows that to subdue the animal instincts is to achieve advancement in his spiritual realm; that a man who is subjected to his physical appetites and passions only, who denies any reality of a spirit, is truly of the animal world; that man is a spiritual being, and his real life is the spirit that inhabits his body. ¶

Ex-President Adams was right, when he was accosted on the streets of Boston one day and was asked, "How is John Quincy Adams today?" and he answered, as he tottered along with his cane, "John Quincy Adams is well, thank you, quite well. But the house in which he lives is tottering on its foundations, the windows are shaking, the roof is leaking, the doors are not hanging straight, and so on, and I think that John Quincy Adams will have to move out of it soon. But John Quincy Adams himself is quite well, I thank you, quite well." He sensed that the real John Quincy Adams was an immortal being, a son of a Father in heaven. ¶

That is one great truth to which you have borne testimony in this conference — that man is spirit, the son of his Father, and has within him that which will cause him to yearn and to aspire to become dignified as a son of God should be dignified. The dignity of man, not the degradation of man, has been emphasized throughout this conference. ¶

Another false ideal which has been mentioned as rampant by a small group of men, controlling millions now, is the denial of the existence of a Creator, that there is no God. The man who represents that group was recently entertained in this nation. Just before he came he declared over his own signature that he is still an atheist and will continue to be, and will fight religion as an "opiate" to the human mind. ¶

Every man who stood at this pulpit, I think without exception, has borne witness that God lives, and he knows that he lives. And there has been quoted the evidence of men who have lived through the ages who have borne that same testimony. And they are honorable men. They are honest men. They would not lie. They sent their written messages to people whom they loved, as you and I love our loved ones, our children, our husbands, and our wives. ¶

Paul sent his letter saying, "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ¶

"And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: ¶

"And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: ¶

"After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present," [as much as to say, "You can see them and converse with them"] "but some are fallen asleep. ¶

"After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. ¶

"And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ¶

"For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." (I Cor. 15:3-9.) ¶

But he bore his testimony and gave his life for this testimony and was happy in doing it. ¶

One of the Brethren quoted him today, from his last letter to Timothy: ¶

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. ¶

"Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." (II Tim. 4:7-8.) ¶

Thank heaven there are hundreds and thousands who believe that testimony and repudiate the claims of the atheists who boast that man is his own god, and have already poisoned the minds of a generation of young men and women. They started this, as some of you will remember, forty years ago, and during that forty years they have poisoned those young boys and girls with the thought that there is no God. ¶

At the conclusion of this session today, I wish to emphasize the fact that this great conference has testified to the hundreds of thousands listening in, and all the world — for these testimonies will be printed — that God lives and furthermore, that Jesus is his Beloved Son, the Savior of the world, and those who have seen Jesus, who walked with him, who testify of him, as I have narrated, heard him say, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father." ¶

You remember during the Last Supper, Philip said to Jesus, "Lord shew us the Father." And his answer was, "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? . . . and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?" (John 14:8-9.) ¶

We have given an answer to the world. I think it is glorious. ¶

Furthermore, you have given an answer to the false teachings that man is not a free individual, that he is a creature of the state, that the state is supreme, that the state can tell what you should do, what you should not do. Man is a spiritual being and has within him as a gift from God, his Creator, the power of choice. Part of man's divinity, part of his spirit-being, is the power to choose — the only creature on earth that has that power. It is God-given. Men who will deny him that, take from him part of his divinity. You have answered that. Your testimonies are now on record. ¶

Another thing — you have borne testimony throughout this conference to the right of the family, its influence and fundamental contribution as a unit to the state. The family is the foundation of the state and should not be broken up. In China where they love their children and where they train them and teach them to be obedient, where the children respect their parents and obey their parents, the family is broken up now, and they have to meet in communistic groups. They will not stand for that very long; they will break away from it. You, during this conference, have borne testimony to the sacredness of the family, the father and the mother and the children. You have borne testimony of the responsibility of the father and the mother to train those children in the ways of the Lord, teach them baptism and repentance, or the responsibility will be "upon the heads of the parents." ¶

Furthermore, you have borne testimony to the world that man is not living for himself, that his selfish desires should be overcome and controlled, and he should render service to others. One of the greatest sayings of Jesus when he was among the Twelve during his two-and-a-half years here, was the one that touched upon that same principle: "He that findeth his life shall lose it. . . ." [that is the selfish part] "and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." (Matt. 10:39.) A paradoxical statement, but oh, how true. You have had an evidence of it here today when Elder Hunter said, "I give my life now for the service," the same with these other apostles, the same with all the General Authorities of the Church, with all the congregation, with thousands and hundreds of thousands throughout the world who have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ. You are willing to lose your life — that is, to devote your time and your talents and your strength for his sake; and in so doing you will find your life. ¶

I often quote a man who was impressed with that great principle, who wrote — ¶

"Supposing today were your last day on earth, The last mile of the journey you've trod; After all of your efforts, how much are you worth? How much can you take home to God? ¶

"Don't count as possessions your silver and gold; Tomorrow you leave these behind; And all that is yours to have and to hold Is the service you've given mankind." ¶

Anon. ¶

Quoted from Gospel Ideals, page 58. ¶

That is true, but to you it is not all that you take home to God, because you take home to him your character, and he will judge you accordingly, and you will take home to him, if you have been through the temple worthily, your loved ones. ¶

Now these are just some of the thoughts that came at the conclusion of this great conference. ¶

Yours is a great mission. Our thanks to God our Father for it. Our membership in his Church, and our privilege of association in the brotherhood of Christ cannot be overstated. Morning, noon, and night, all through our lives our souls are filled with gratitude for the blessings that are ours in our associations in the Church of Jesus Christ. It is a glorious opportunity! ¶

Now, my brethren and sisters, I bless you with increased testimony of God's existence, increased testimony of the divinity of Christ's mission, his life, his death, his establishing of the gospel; with increased testimony of the value of the individual — oh, how important and how glorious — how full of significance are the glorious words, "For behold, this is my work," said the Lord, "and my glory — to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39.) Is not that wonderful? What would this old earth be if there were no human beings on earth, even if there were no animals — only rocks, the barren shores, the rolling seas — no life, no human beings? What a wonderful statement, what a wonderful religious revelation to the human family: "This is my work and my glory — to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life" of each individual. ¶

God help us so to live that we may be found worthy to hear from him the whisperings of his Spirit, the whispering of his voice, as he guides us and warns us and tells us what to do in order to come back and help him crown his glory. ¶

That is a wonderful saying of Peter's, the rough old fisherman, when after two years and more, after he had a testimony in his heart that God lives, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, he wrote to the people over whom he was presiding and used the phrase, which I wish all of you would think about and cherish, that God has made us "partakers of the divine nature." Read it in his epistle. ¶

And I hope you brethren, presidents of stakes, bishops of wards, and you who preside over missions, auxiliaries, priesthood quorums, will some day appreciate, every one of you, just what that means, to be in touch with that divine nature through the Holy Ghost. ¶

God bless you in your homes. Do not be cross. Be courteous. Have the same courtesy in your homes that you have when you are out in society. Thank your wives, thank your children, say, "if you please," "excuse me," — those little things which make life sweet. Let us be kind in our homes. The gospel is the spirit of kindness. Let us be considerate. Let us be true. "We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; . . . If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." ¶

I pray God to sanctify to our good and to the good of all who have listened in this day and to the Church everywhere, the blessings and testimonies of this great conference, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶