Mormon Leaders on Playing Cards

Ezra Taft Benson

We should refrain from card playing, against which we have been counseled by the leaders of the Church. (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 460)

Spencer W. Kimball

We hope faithful Latter-day Saints will not use the playing cards which are used for gambling, either with or without the gambling. As for the gambling, in connection with horse racing or games or sports, we firmly discourage such things. (Opening Address General Conference October 1974 “God Will Not Be Mocked”)

Harold B. Lee

Elder Lee was classified by many as being a conservative or a fundamentalist. Certainly one manifestation of this was his contempt for card playing. Once while setting up a new mission in Billings, Montana, he was inspired to preach on this subject and put to flight a nest of bridge-playing sisters. He taught his daughters to totally avoid face cards, which sometimes were used for evil purposes, and to even avoid the appearance thereof. At the beginning of the New Year in 1947, he went with Sister Lee to a dinner party at the home of a dear friend, but left promptly after dinner when he learned that the entertainment for the evening was to play Rook, which he regarded as a substitute for regular playing cards and a complete waste of time. (Harold B. Lee: Prophet and Seer by Brent L. Goates, 211)

Joseph Fielding Smith

Card playing and all other games of chance should be avoided as the gate of destruction. All such practices have been discountenanced by the Authorities of the Church from the beginning of our history. When the Mormon Battalion was called into the service of the country, President Brigham Young addressed the volunteers and said that he wished them to prove themselves to be the best soldiers in the service of the United States. He admonished the captains to be fathers to the men in their companies and to manage the officers and men by the power of the priesthood. They should keep themselves clean, teach chastity and gentility. There was to be no swearing, and no man was to be insulted. They were to avoid contention with Missourians—their enemies —and all other persons. They were to take their Bibles and copies of the Book of Mormon with them and study them but not impose their beliefs on others. They were to avoid card playing, and if they had cards with them, they were to burn them. If they would follow this instruction, he promised them that they would not be called on to shed the blood of their fellow men. (Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol. 1, 193)

Heber J. Grant

I want to say that we expect every president of a stake and every bishop of a ward to teach the people the truth. We want them to tell the people that they are expected to obey the Word of Wisdom, to be honest tithe-payers, to remember the covenants that they make in the temples of God, and not mutilate their garments: that we expect them to quit playing cards; and that we expect them to do their duty as saints, and to preach the Gospel by living it. (General Conference April 1929)

By the way, I hear that card playing is becoming very, very popular, and that the Church must be in favor of card playing because the Church authorities never say anything against it. From the time I was a child and read the Juvenile Instructor, published for the benefit of the people, I have read nothing except condemnation of card-playing and the wasting of your time in doing something that brings no good, bodily, intellectually, or in any way, and sometimes leads your children to become gamblers, because they become expert card-players. The Church as a Church requests its members not to play cards. I hope you understand me, and I want you to know that I am speaking for the Church when I ask the people to let cards alone. (General Conference April 1926)

Joseph F. Smith

How can a man or a woman as a teacher in the Sunday school or as one occupied in any other ecclesiastical duty, who is in the habit of playing cards, say to the children, "You must not do it, because it is a waste of time and it may result in your ruin?" Who can give such advice who is in the habit of doing it himself? . . . . It cannot be done, or, if it is done, it will be without force and without effect, except, perhaps, to brand with hypocrisy any such parent who gives such advice to his children and it breeds contempt in the minds of the children when the parents undertake to teach them to be better than they are themselves, or not to do things which they themselves indulge in. (General Conference October 1903)

I have been grieved with the knowledge that persistent card playing is gaining an alarming foothold among the people. The Saints have been often warned against the evil in the past. President George Q. Cannon has spoken strongly and written clearly against this immoral habit; and President Snow, also with voice and pen, has set the seal of his condemnation upon it. I wish, too, to declare against card-playing with all the force and influence at my command, and to place myself on record as being opposed to it in any and all forms and under any and all conditions. I warn the Saints, and especially the young people, that it is a dangerous practice, and urge all to leave it alone, repent of the evil, and turn to profitable and healthful pastimes and recreations. (Improvement Era Editorial 1903)

Some seven years ago card-playing was extensively indulged in by the people. Through the efforts put forth against it, at that time, many abandoned the game, and for several years card-playing was tabooed. But evidently it was not completely killed, for recent reports have come that the evil is being revived among the people. I hope a hint to the Saints on this matter is enough, and that every member of the Church will determine to leave card playing alone hereafter. At present I desire only to repeat and emphasize what I said in the ERA at that time, and trust it will have the desired effect. (Improvement Era Editorial 1911)

Dallin H. Oaks

One type of gambling that has been vigorously criticized by our leaders is card playing. Cards may, of course, be played without playing for money, but the relationship between card playing and gambling is so close and the practice of card playing itself partakes of so many of the disadvantages of gambling that card playing has come under condemnation regardless of whether or not gambling is involved. (Ensign November 1972)

William H. Bennett

We should not use playing cards because the prophets of God have counseled against it. That in itself should be sufficient reason to leave them alone. (Questions and Answers, New Era, Sept. 1974, 12)

Bruce R. McConkie

Members of the Church should not belong to bridge or other type of card clubs, and they should neither play cards nor have them in their homes. By cards is meant, of course, the spotted face cards used by gamblers. To the extent that church members play cards they are out of harmony with their inspired leaders. Innocent non-gambling games played with other types of cards, except for the waste of time in many instances, are not objectionable. (Mormon Doctrine, 113)

Vaughn Featherstone

Self-indulgence is as addictive in all its forms as are drugs, nicotine, or alcohol. Reading pornography is addictive. To cease reading such material requires great self-control and the suffering of withdrawal symptoms as great as those caused by giving up smoking or drinking. Gambling, watching television to excess, overeating, oversleeping, uncontrolled thinking, lusting, swearing, telling dirty or lewd stories, dressing immodestly, lying, cheating, playing cards—all are addictive. Those with these problems have difficulty changing. They suffer strong withdrawal pains. Conversely, the life of self-denial builds strength of character, integrity, health, self-control, confidence, and self-respect. (Self-Denial, November 1977 New Era)

Are Caffeine and Cola Drinks Against the Word of Wisdom?

Howard W. Hunter

Live the spirit of the Word of Wisdom. We complicate the simplicity of the Word of Wisdom. The Lord said don't drink tea, coffee, or use tobacco or liquor and that admonition is simple. But we confuse it by asking if cola drinks are against the Word of Wisdom. The 89th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants doesn't say anything about cola drinks, but we ask questions that go beyond the simplicity of the lesson that has been taught. We know that caffeine is taken out of coffee and used as an ingredient of cola drinks. It seems to me that if we really want to live the spirit of the law we probably wouldn't partake of that which had been taken from what we were told not to drink. (Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, 105)

Vaughn J. Featherstone

I was over in England a while back and a bishop asked me, “What is the Church’s stand on cola drinks?”

I said, “Well, I can’t remember the exact wording of the bulletin, but I remember seeing the bulletin when I was a stake president. The Church, of course, advises against them.”

He said, “Well, I have read the Priesthood Bulletin, but that isn’t what it says to me.”

And I said, “Would you get your Priesthood Bulletin? Let’s read it together.” And so we found under the heading “Cola Drinks”: “… the leaders of the Church have advised, and we do now specifically advise, against use of any drink containing harmful habit-forming drugs. …” (The Priesthood Bulletin, Feb. 1972, p. 4.)

He said, “Well, you see, that doesn’t mean cola.”

I said, “Well, I guess you will have to come to your own grips with that, but to me, there is no question.” You see, there can’t be the slightest particle of rebellion, and in him there is. We can find loopholes in a lot of things if we want to bend the rules of the Church. (“A Self-Inflicted Purging,” Ensign, May 1975, 68)

N. Eldon Tanner

My nonmember friends seem to know a lot about the Church’s financial system and business interests. They say we own controlling interests in many national companies, some of which manufacture products that are against our standards, like liquor and tobacco companies. What can I tell them?”

Answer/President N. Eldon Tanner

Briefly you could quote the Church’s general policy to your friends. We do not own nor do we seek controlling interest in any major national company. In addition, the Church does not buy securities in any corporation that manufactures products such as cola drinks, publishing companies that print material that is not consistent with our standards, producers of alcoholic beverages, or tobacco companies. (“Q&A: Questions and Answers,” New Era, July 1975, 50)

Staying Healthy: Welfare Services Suggests How

Q. What are the health consequences of drinking caffeine drinks other than coffee? What is the position of the Church regarding their use?

A. The full answer to this question lies in the area of medical opinion and reliance on personal discernment. Cola beverages do contain caffeine and thus may be avoided in accordance with the spirit of the Word of Wisdom. The most current Church literature relating to the question is found in a Priesthood Bulletin statement dated February 1972: Volume 8, number 1, subheaded 6, paragraph 2:

“With reference to cola drinks, the Church has never officially taken a position on this matter, but the leaders of the Church have advised, and we do now specifically advise, against the use of any drink containing harmful habit-forming drugs under circumstances that would result in acquiring the habit. Any beverage that contains ingredients harmful to the body should be avoided.”

There is no current Church policy that would prevent a bishop from issuing a temple recommend to a person who consumes cola beverages. However, cola beverages contain caffeine in amounts that are approximately one-half to one-fourth the amount in a cup of coffee, depending upon the size of the bottle. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that certainly tends to become addictive in its use, with the attendant side effects of nervous system stimulants. Frequent use of cola beverages can lead to an addictive pattern similar to that observed in coffee drinkers. (Tambuli, Sept. 1981, 12)

George F. Richards

Some of our people quibble over the matter of tea and coffee, and say there is no mention of tea and coffee in the Word of Wisdom. I want to say to you that from the beginning of this Church, in the days of the Prophet Joseph, down to the present time, the leaders of this Church have interpreted that Word of Wisdom to include tea and coffee and all drinks that are habit-forming because of the caffeine and drugs they contain. (Conference Report, October 1938)

Rudger Clawson 

Scientific men have told us that in tobacco there is a deadly poison, and in tea there is a poison called tannin, in coffee a poison called caffeine. And we know that such must be the case, because these forbidden things are really and substantially narcotics, and a narcotic is something that is habit-forming. The things that are good for us are not habit-forming. We can take them up or put them down, but these bad habits very often and in most cases become masters of men; the habit is greater and stronger it appears than the individual. (Conference Report, October 1935)

John H. Taylor

We know the fundamental truth of the Word of Wisdom is based on a truth that cannot be eliminated or removed by any type of argument or reason. For instance, in coffee we have caffeine that is harmful, yet we sometimes reason that the same thing that makes coffee objectionable may not be so objectionable when it is used in some other way. It just indicates that we have not proven the thing so thoroughly that we have been able to hold fast to that which is good and make it a part of our lives. (Conference Report, October 1940)

Richard L. Evans

And now on the matter of morality: May I cite two significant sources: "The finest piece of mechanism in all the universe," said Dr. David Starr Jordan, of Stanford University, is the brain man and the mind which is its manifestation. . . . The sober man is the one who protects his brain from all that would do harm. . . . The Twentieth Century . . . will be strenuous, complex . . . [and] will ask for men of instant decision, men whose mental equipment is all in order. . . . No one can afford to look downward for his enjoyments. . . . The pleasures of vice are mere illusions, tricks of the nervous system, and each time these tricks are played it is more and more difficult for the mind to tell the truth. Such deceptions come through drunkenness and narcoticism. In greater or less degree all nerve-affecting drugs produce it: nicotine, caffeine, opium, cocaine, and [all] the rest, strong or weak. Habitual use of any of these is a physical vice. A physical vice becomes a moral vice, and . . . to cultivate vice is o render our mind incapable of normal action. . . . One and all, these various drugs . . . tend to give the impression of a power or a pleasure . . . which we do not possess. . . . One and all their function is to force the nervous system to lie. One and all the result of their habitual use is to render the nervous system incapable of ever telling the truth. . . . Indulgence . . . destroys wisdom and virtue; it destroys faith and hope and love. . . . Whatever you do, count all the cost." (Conference Report, October 1969)

Sterling W. Sill

And one of the most damaging sins and one that gives greatest strength to our death instinct is the violation of that great revelation given 132 years ago called the Word of Wisdom. Some violators of this law tend to excuse themselves because it appears to be such a small thing. It seems like just a little disobedience, a little caffeine a little nicotine, a little friendly indulgence in alcohol. Yet these are the springboards to disease, broken homes, immorality, disloyalty to God, physical death, and the death of many of our eternal interests. (Conference Report, April 1965)

H. Burke Peterson

“Is it against Church standards to drink cola beverages or any other beverage containing caffeine?” Answer/Bishop H. Burke Peterson

This is a very perplexing question to many. Maybe we should lead into its answer by first recounting a true story. Many years ago the ruler of Babylon was King Nebuchadnezzar. There was a war going on between Babylon and Judah. During the war King Nebuchadnezzar’s army was laying siege to Jerusalem. After capturing the city, the king, knowing of the fine quality of the Judean young people, instructed his leaders to capture certain of these young men of Israel who had royal blood in their veins. They were known to be strong of body and of mind and skillful in all wisdom. King Nebuchadnezzar wanted to raise them in his court that they might be a strength to his own people. The king set up a program where they would be given a daily provision of meat and wine—the same quality that he ate and drank. His plan was to have them thus fed and taught for three years and then to have them brought before him to be observed and tested with the thought in mind of then using the best of them as some of his country’s leaders.

Among those captured was a young man named Daniel and his three friends. When Daniel was told what he was to eat and drink, he was disturbed. He did not wish to eat the king’s food nor drink his wine for he knew it would be damaging to his body and mind. Now the Lord had made it possible for Daniel to become a good friend to the king’s chief servant. Daniel asked the chief servant if he could eat and drink something different that he might not defile his body. Daniel told the servant that he knew he and his friends would be stronger and wiser than all the other captured young men if he would allow them to eat proper foods. The servant was afraid the king would take his head if he disobeyed. However, Daniel talked the servant into letting him eat another kind of food and drink only water [page 37] for just ten days. This was to be a test to see if there wasn’t a difference between him and his friends and all the others. The chief servant consented, and at the end of the ten days Daniel said the servant looked upon them and “their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.”

After seeing the results, the chief servant then allowed these four to continue eating and drinking the good food they wished. The scripture says, “As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” (Dan. 1:17.)

At the end of the three years King Nebuchadnezzar had them all brought before him to be questioned and tested. The record says that among them all, none was found like Daniel and his friends. In all matters of wisdom and understanding the king found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in his kingdom. What a tribute and blessing to four courageous young men who would not defile their bodies with food and drink that was not good for them! Even then Daniel understood the Lord’s law of health.

The Word of Wisdom is a guide to strengthening the body and mind and keeping them healthy so the spirit of the individual can function without impairment. If we understand the Word of Wisdom properly, we will do all things necessary to avoid weakening the marvelous temple the Lord has given us to house our spirit.

The revelation in the 89th section of the Doctrine and Covenants says: “And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man.” (D&C 89:10.)

We should notice the word wholesome and always consider the things that we take into our body as to whether they are wholesome or not. The scripture continues, “All these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.” (D&C 89:11.) Consider the word prudence. Would eating a whole apple pie or a cake or watermelon at one sitting be prudent? It is contrary to the principles embodied in the Word of Wisdom to take an excess of anything into our bodies. Two of the tests we can employ as we question the use of any food or beverage are: Is it wholesome? Is it prudent? As we know, some of us need more rest than others. These same principles imply that we should not tax our bodies beyond good judgment. Finally, remember that the Lord has counseled:

“For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.” (D&C 58:26.)

We know that cola drinks contain the drug caffeine. We know caffeine is not wholesome nor prudent for the use of our bodies. It is only sound judgment to conclude that cola drinks and any others that contain caffeine or other harmful ingredients should not be used.

For those who are willing to exhibit the same courage and good judgment as the boy Daniel: “And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.” (D&C 89:18–21.) (“Q&A: Questions and Answers,” New Era, Oct. 1975, 36)

Technology for Family History & Temple Work

W. Jeffrey Marsh

Cars, planes, telephones, computers, and so forth enable us to do so much more than ever before. But they can also distract us from doing what, eternally, really matters most. Susa Young Gates once asked her father, President Brigham Young, how it would ever be possible to accomplish the great amount of temple work that needed to be done. “He told her there would be many inventions of labor-saving devices, so that our daily duties could be performed in a short time, leaving us more and more time for temple work. The inventions have come, and are still coming, but many simply divert the time gained to other channels, and not for the purpose intended by the Lord.” (“Training from the Old Testament: Moroni’s Lessons for a Prophet,” Ensign, Aug. 1998, 10 quoting (Archibald F. Bennett, “Put On Thy Strength, O Zion!” Improvement Era, Oct. 1952, 720))

Boyd K. Packer

As we proceed, we are joined at the crossroads by those who have been prepared to help us. They come with skills and abilities precisely suited to our needs. And we find provisions: information, inventions, help of various kinds, set along the way waiting for us to take them up. It is as though someone knew we would be traveling that way. We see the invisible hand of the Almighty providing for us. Elder LeGrand Richards said: “Brethren, the Lord has inspired men to invent these great tools. Now, if We don’t use them to teach His gospel, Satan will use them to lead the people astray.” We must get the vision of this, for where there is no vision the people perish, and the dead go unredeemed. (The Holy Temple, 239)

Mormons and Beards

Boyd K. Packer

On one occasion when I went to the temple to perform a marriage I found one of the witnesses to be a young man, bearded, and with odd, hippie-type glasses. I felt uneasy. I did also a few days later at another marriage, when the groom wore a beard. Not that there is anything wrong with a beard-not in and of itself. Many of our leaders have worn them. Brigham Young wore a beard, and Lorenzo Snow, and Joseph F. Smith, and George Albert Smith, to name a few. The thing that made me uneasy was just that it is another indication in our day. Here was an indication that this was a young man who apparently wanted to be in the world and to look like the world. It seems so strange to me that young men would come to the temple and in effect say, “We want to experience the most exalted and the highest ordinance in this life,” and yet at once insist on saying, “However, I am part of the world, and I want to be like the world and look like it.” To follow after the pattern of the world is to consent to influences that will erode and weaken and may ultimately destroy a marriage. It is extremely difficult to fight the world in the marriage relationship. So I worry, not about the beard but about what it means. It must mean something, you know. (The Things of the Soul, 226)

Harold B. Lee

Now may I make a personal reference, which I’ll try to treat in such a way as to preserve the confidentiality. It involved a beautiful, young wife and mother from a prominent family. She had gone away from her home and was now in the East. She had gone out into an area where she and her husband had taken up with those in the ghetto, and she wrote me a rather interesting letter, and I quote only a paragraph: "Tomorrow my husband will shave off his long, full beard. Because of the request of the stake president and your direction in the Priesthood Bulletin, he must not have the appearance of evil or rebellion if he is to get a recommend to go to the temple. I have wept anguished tears; the faces of Moses and Jacob were bearded, and to me the wisdom and spirituality of the old prophets reflected from the face of my own spiritual husband. It was like cutting out for me a symbol of the good things my generation has learned." Then the letter concluded with a challenge to me: "We are prepared for clear, specific, hard-line direction as youth. Wishy-washy implications are not heard very well here. We look to you to tell it straight."

I don’t know whether she knew just what she was asking for when she asked me to tell it straight, but these are some things I wrote to her: "In your letter you address me as, 'Dear President Lee,' and in your first sentence you refer to me as the Lord’s prophet. Now, in your letter you tell me that you are saddened because with the shaving off of the beard and the cutting of the hair, which, to you, made your husband appear as the prophets Moses and Jacob, he would no longer bear that resemblance. I wonder if you might not be wiser to think of following the appearance of the prophets of today. President David O. McKay had no beard or long hair; neither did President Joseph Fielding Smith; and neither does your humble servant whom you have acknowledged as the Lord’s prophet. The inconsistency in your letter has made me reflect upon an experience that I had in the mission field when, in company with some missionaries and the mission president, we were at Carthage Jail, where the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph and his brother, Hyrum, took place. In that meeting there were recounted the events that led up to their martyrdom. Then the mission president made some significant comments. He said, 'When the Prophet Joseph Smith died there were many who died spiritually with Joseph.' Likewise there were many who died spiritually with Brigham Young, and so with others of the presidents of the Church, because they chose to follow the man who had passed on, rather than giving allegiance to his successor upon whom the mantle of leadership had been given by the Lord’s appointment."

And then I asked her, "Are you following, in looks, prophets who lived hundreds of years ago? Are you really true to your faith as a member of the Church in failing to look to those who preside in the Church today? Why is it that you want your husband to look like Moses and Jacob, rather than to look like the modern prophets to whom you are expressing allegiance? If you will give this sober thought, your tears will dry, and you’ll begin to have some new thoughts." (“Be Loyal to the Royal Within You.” Speeches of the Year, Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 1974, pp. 97–98.)

Lost Ten Tribes in Four Quarters of Earth

Joseph Fielding McConkie

Question: Now that Israel has been scattered, do we have any scriptural clues as to the whereabouts of the lost tribes?

Clues, no. Plain statements, yes. On this matter we have the united testimony of the Standard Works.

Enoch in the prophetic description of the last days spoke of "righteousness and truth" sweeping the four quarters of the earth "as with a flood," to gather out the "elect" and bring them to the New Jerusalem (Moses 7:62). In the biblical statements we begin with Moses, the first prophet to prophesy to the nation of Israel. Moses, as we have already seen, prophesied that all the tribes of Israel would be scattered to the ends of the earth should they break that covenant that entitled them to a promised inheritance in the land of Palestine. Yet, he also prophesied of a day of gathering and restoration, the responsibility for which he placed upon the shoulders of the tribe of Joseph, or more specifically, Ephraim and Manasseh. Like the horns of unicorns, he said, they would gather the people from the ends of the earth (Deut 33:17; 30:3). In the New Testament, Christ spoke of gathering the "elect from the four winds" (Matt 24:31) and James addressed his epistle "to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad" (Jas 1:1).

Describing this day of restoration, Isaiah said that the Lord would "assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth" (Isa 11:12). To Ezekiel the Lord said, "I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered" (Ezek 11:17). Again he said: "I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries" (Ezek 34:13). And still again he said, "I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side" (Ezek 37:21.)

Mormon, in like manner, taught: "I write unto all the ends of the earth; yea, unto you, twelve tribes of Israel" (Morm 3:18). In fact, the Book of Mormon tells us that the Three Nephites "shall minister unto all the scattered tribes of Israel, and unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, and shall bring out of them unto Jesus many souls" (3 Ne 28:29). With specific reference to the lost tribes rather than all the house of Israel, Nephi said they had been "scattered upon all the face of the earth, and also among all nations" (1 Ne 22:3, 4, 5). The dispersion of all the tribes of Israel is taught with unquestioned authority in 3 Nephi. Consider, for instance, these words: Yea, and surely shall he again bring a remnant of the seed of Joseph to the knowledge of the Lord their God. And as surely as the Lord liveth, will he gather in from the four quarters of the earth all the remnant of the seed of Jacob, who are scattered abroad upon all the face of the earth. And as he hath covenanted with all the house of Jacob, even so shall the covenant wherewith he hath covenanted with the house of Jacob be fulfilled in his own due time, unto the restoring all the house of Jacob unto the knowledge of the covenant that he hath covenanted with them. And then shall they know their Redeemer, who is Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and then shall they be gathered in from the four quarters of the earth unto their own lands, from whence they have been dispersed; yea, as the Lord liveth so shall it be. Amen. (3 Nephi 5:23 26, emphasis added.)

Indeed, we are told that the very purpose of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon was to "gather in, from their long dispersion" the "house of Israel" (3 Ne 21:1), or as Moroni stated it, "the ancient and long dispersed covenant people of the Lord" (Morm 8:15; cf 3 Ne 21:26, 27).

The Lord told Joseph Smith that the Church had been organized that He might gather the "elect from the four quarters of the earth, even as many as will believe in [him], and hearken unto [his] voice" (D&C 33:5 6). Joseph Smith was also told that the sealing of the one hundred and forty four thousand, twelve thousand out of each tribe, would be high priests, ordained "out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people" upon the earth (D&C 77:11). As Joseph Smith dedicated the first temple of our dispensation, he prayed that "all the scattered remnants of Israel," who he said had "been driven to the ends of the earth," might "come to a knowledge of the truth, believe in the Messiah, and be redeemed" (D&C 109:67). When the Prophet said that John the Revelator was with the ten tribes, he said he was "to prepare them for their return from their long dispersion to again possess the land of their fathers." [History of the Church, 1:176.] (from A Scriptural Search for the Ten Tribes & Other Things We Lost, BYU, Annual Religious Education Faculty Summer Lecture, June 1987.)

Some Children are Taken by God to Escape the Evils of the World

Joseph Smith

The Lord takes many away even in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man and the sorrows and evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live on this earth. Therefore, if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil and we shall have them again. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 196)

Spencer W. Kimball

The only difference between the old and the young dying is, one lives longer in heaven and eternal light and glory than the other, and is freed a little sooner from this miserable world. (Faith Precedes the Miracle, 104)

Premature Death

Spencer W. Kimball

Just as Ecclesiastes (3:2) says, I am confident that there is a time to die, but I believe also that many people die before “their time” because they are careless, abuse their bodies, take unnecessary chances, or expose themselves to hazards, accidents, and sickness.

Of the antediluvians, we read: “Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden? Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood.” (Job 22:15-16.)In Ecclesiastes 7:17 we find this statement: “Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?” I believe we may die prematurely but seldom exceed our time very much. . . . . God controls our lives, guides and blesses us, but gives us our agency. We may live our lives in accordance with his plan for us or we may foolishly shorten or terminate them. (Faith Precedes the Miracle, 104; emphasis added)

Joseph Smith

The Speaker read the 14ch Revelations. And sayes "we have again the warning voice sounded in our midst which shows the uncertainty of human life. And in my leasure moments I have meditated upon the subject, & asked the question Why is it that infants innocent children are taken away from us esspecially those that seem to be most intelligent beings" Answer "This world is a vary wicked world & it is a proverb that the world grows weaker & wiser; but if it is the case the world grows more wicked & corrupt. In the early ages of the world A ritheous man & a man of God & intelligence had a better chance to do good to be received & believed than at the present day. but in these days such a man is much opposed & persecuted by most of the inhabitants of the earth & he has much sorrow to pass through, hence the Lord takes many away even in infancy that they may escape the envy of man. The sorrows & evils of this present world & they were two pure & to lovly to live on Earth, Therefore if rightly considered wo have, instead of morning we have reason to rejoice, as they are deliverd from evil & we shall soon have them again. (The Words of Joseph Smith, 106 (20 March 1842, Wilford Woodruff Journal) emphasis added)

God is not Surprised by Untimely Deaths

Neal A. Maxwell

God is never surprised (fantasy stories to the contrary) by unexpected arrivals in the spirit world because of unforeseen deaths. But we must always distinguish between God's being able to foresee and His causing or desiring something to happen, a very important distinction! (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, 18)

The Familiarity of God

Brigham Young:

If any of us could now see the God we are striving to serve if we could see our Father who dwells in the heavens, we should learn that we are as well acquainted with him as we are with our earthly father; and he would be as familiar to us in the expression of his countenance, and we should be ready to embrace him and fall upon his neck and kiss him, if we had the privilege. And still we, unless the vision of the Spirit is opened to us, know nothing about God. You know much about him, if you did but realize it. And there is no other one item that will so much astound you, when your eyes are opened in eternity, as to think that you were so stupid in the body.
(Journal of Discourses, 8:30)

Ezra Taft Benson:

A few years ago we knew our Elder Brother well, and we knew his, and our, Father in heaven. We rejoiced at the upcoming opportunity for earth life that would make it possible for us to have a fullness of joy like they had. We could hardly wait to demonstrate to our Father and our Brother, the Lord, how much we loved them and how we would be obedient to them in spite of the earthly opposition of the evil one. And now we’re here—our memories are veiled—and we’re showing God and ourselves what we can do. And nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us. And then, President Young said, we’re going to wonder why we were so stupid in the flesh.
(Jesus Christ-Gifts and Expectations, New Era May 1975)

On Keeping Spiritual Confidences

Joseph Smith:

The reason we do not have the secrets of the Lord revealed unto us, is because we do not keep them but reveal them; we do not keep our own secrets, but reveal our difficulties to the world, even to our enemies, then how would we keep the secrets of the Lord? I can keep a secret till Doomsday. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 195)

Brigham Young:

Should you receive a vision or revelation from the Almighty, one that the Lord gave you concerning yourselves, or this people, but which you are not to reveal on account of your not being the proper person or because it ought not to be known by the people at present, you should shut it up and seal it as close, and lock it as tight as heaven is to you, and make it as secret as the grave. The Lord has no confidence in those who reveal secrets, for he cannot safely reveal himself to such persons. (Discourses of Brigham Young, 40-41)

Brigham Young:

The man who cannot know things without telling any other living being upon the earth, who cannot keep his secrets and those that God reveals to him never can receive the voice of his Lord to dictate him. (Discourses of Brigham Young, 41)

Boyd K. Packer:

I have come to believe also that it is not wise to continually talk of unusual spiritual experiences. They are to be guarded with care and shared only when the Spirit itself prompts us to use them to the blessing of others. I am ever mindful of Alma's words: “It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.” (Alma 12:9.) I heard President Romney once counsel mission presidents and their wives in Geneva, "I do not tell all I know. I have never told my wife all I know, for I found out that if I talked too lightly of sacred things, thereafter the Lord would not trust me." We are, I believe, to keep these things and ponder them in our hearts, as Luke said Mary did of the supernal events that surrounded the birth of Jesus. (See Luke 2:19.) (The Candle of the Lord, Ensign January 1983)

Boyd K. Packer:

There are some things just too sacred to discuss. . . . . It is not that they are secret, but they are sacred; not to be discussed, but to be harbored and to be protected and regarded with the deepest of reverence.” (Conference Report, April 1971, Tuesday Morning)

Harold B. Lee:

I bear you that sacred testimony, that I know with a witness that is more powerful than sight. Sometime, if the spirit prompts me, I may feel free to tell you more, but may I say to you that I know as though I had seen, that He lives, that He is real, that God the Father and his Son are living realities, personalities with bodies, parts, and passions—glorified beings. (“Be Loyal to the Royal Within You,” Speeches of the Year, 1973 [Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 1973])

Neal A. Maxwell:

Dear Robbie: You asked whether God gives signs only to those who do not need them. I would put it otherwise. God gives signs only to those who will not misuse or misread them. Brigham Young cautioned about the need for confidentiality in such sacred matters, noting that, if we prove trustworthy, "there is an eternity of them to bestow upon you." But we should learn "to have integrity . . . and know when to speak and what to speak, what to reveal."

On another occasion he waxed introspective on this very topic: “And I will say, as I have before said, if guilt before my God and my brethren rests upon me in the least it is in this one thing that I have revealed too much concerning God and his kingdom, and the designs of our Father in heaven. If my skirts are stained in the least with wrong, it is because I have been too free in telling what God is, how he lives, the nature of his providences and designs in creating the world, in bringing forth the human family on the earth, his designs concerning them, &c.”

Having apparently heard someone who seemed to delight in telling of his, you also asked about spiritual experiences. President Marion G. Romney observed that we would have more spiritual experiences if we did not talk about them so much!

As if having them were more important than benefitting from them, some lust after spiritual experiences rather than desiring the substance of such experiences: "Ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, . . . but that ye will serve the true and living God" (Mormon 9:28).

Perhaps, in recounting their spiritual experiences, some may unconsciously wish to demonstrate their ascendancy; just as some academics, in a sort of intellectual imperialism, enjoy the knowing more than they enjoy utilizing what is known. This illustrates the old problem of the desire for preeminence, which can take many forms.

Brigham Young urged us to keep spiritual confidences, saying: "Just as fast as you will prove before your God that you are worthy to receive the mysteries, if you please to call them so, of the kingdom of heaven that you are full of confidence in God that you will never betray a thing that God tells you that you will never reveal to your neighbor that which ought not be revealed, as quick as you prepare to be entrusted with the things of God, there is an eternity of them to bestow upon you.”

President John Taylor observed that prophets often know more than they are free to say. He noted that Joseph Smith said that "he felt himself shut up in a nutshell . . . it was difficult for him to reveal and communicate the things of God, because there was no place to receive them. What he had to communicate was so much more comprehensive, enlightened, and dignified than that which the people generally knew and comprehended, it was difficult for him to speak; he felt lettered and bound, so to speak, in every move he made, and so it is to the present time.”

Our readiness to receive is gauged by God, but sometimes we are pushy. President Young wisely counseled: "We are like children who want the looking glass to play with, and who cry for the sharp razor and for the moon they see reflected in the water, desiring them for play things. Let us take such a course that God will have confidence in us, and then we shall receive all we need, all we desire and ask for.”

Eternal love,

Grandfather

(That Ye May Believe, 70-72)

Truman Madsen on Spirit Memories

The late President Joseph F. Smith, in speaking of the youth of Jesus, and in speaking of His self-awareness, in a very classic passage called spirit memories, says this as pertaining to the preexistence:

He surely knew who He was before He entered mortality. He would have known beforehand the mission that He had been committed to fulfill. We read that He solemnly and voluntarily gave himself in the Council in Heaven, and that the Plan of Salvation was made in His presence, and that we all sanctioned it. He would have known at least some of those with whom he would live while in mortality, his parents, his forbears. He would have known those who were to be called as his disciples and apostles, and would have anticipated the main events in His life.

And then said Joseph F. Smith,

If He knew, so did we.

And in a measure, therefore, there is locked in us, but far more profoundly in Him, a burgeoning awareness, and we have glimpses of our own potential early on, reinforced by the spirit of prophecy and revelation in those who surround us. So Jesus grew, as the scriptures say, and grew in both wisdom and knowledge, and grew into the likeness of the mission which He had been given. All this came home to me in a vivid way as I stood on the Shores of the Galilee and contemplated the question of how it was that Jesus could stand, look out to two fishermen, call them by name, and say, "Follow me." And says the record, "They straightway left their nets." I was standing there with President Hugh B. Brown, and expressed amazement at this sudden response and explained, as I supposed, that probably the record has been radically telescoped and that likely Jesus would have had to know and teach and work with these men for a long period before that occurred, and made a similar reference to the experience of John who apparently instantly recognized Jesus for whom he was. President Brown smiled and then told the following incident from his own life. He said,

I once was walking down a street in Salt Lake and saw in the distance on the sidewalk another man. He looked familiar to me though I did not know him. And that impression of familiarity grew as we approached. When we were side by side, it was almost like an electric shock. Each of us took a few steps, stopped, turned around and stared at the other, and then went on our way. Years later, I learned that that was Orson F. Whitney, who became a member of the Council of the Twelve as I became a member of the Council of the Twelve.

So his explanation for such familiarity was rooted in premortal considerations. And it was Orson F. Whitney, of whom he spoke, who wrote the following words:

One day, . . . on the subject of spirit memories, I was led to indulge these reflections. Why are we drawn towards certain persons, and they to us, as if we had always known each other? Is it a fact we always have? Is there something after all in the abused term affinity, and is this the basis of it’s claim? We believe that the ties formed in this life will continue in the life to come. Why not believe that we had similar ties before we came, and that some of them, at least, have been resumed in this state of existence? After meeting someone whom I had never met before on earth, I’ve wondered, "Why does that person’s face seem so familiar?" More than once on hearing a noble sentiment expressed though unable to recall that I’d ever heard of it until then, I found myself in sympathy with it, and felt as if I had always known it. The same is true with some strains of music; they are like echoes of eternity. I do not assert pre-acquaintance in all such cases, but as one thought suggests another, these queries arise in the mind. When it comes to the gospel, I feel more positive. Why did the Savior say, "My sheep know my voice?" Did a sheep know the voice of a shepherd it had never heard before? They who love the truth and to whom it most strongly appeals, were they not acquainted with it in a previous life? I think so. I believe we knew the gospel before we came here, and that is what gives to it a familiar sound. And so in other apostle’s words, "By the power of the Spirit, through obedience, we often catch a spark from the awakened memories of the immortal soul which lights up our whole being as with the glory of our former home."

Surely, if these experiences occur to men, they occurred to the growing teenage Jesus Christ.

(Truman Madsen, Jesus Of Nazareth Vol. 2 cas. 2)

Perspectives on Promised Persecution

Howard W. Hunter:

We stand on the summit of 150 years of Church history; yet there are other summits to climb before the work of God is crowned with victory. There will be tribulations collectively and hardships personally–that resistance so essential to the eternal plan. What makes us imagine that we may be immune from the same experiences that refined the lives of former-day Saints? We must remember that the same forces of resistance which prevent our progress afford us also opportunities to overcome. God will have a tried people! I witness today this truth from a verse of one of our favorite hymns: When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace all sufficient shall be thy supply. The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine (Hymns no. 85). May God bless us to endure well the purpose for which we were sent. (Conference Report, April 1980, Saturday Afternoon)

Brigham Young:

God led this people in different parts of the United States, and the finger of scorn has been pointed at them . . . . The Lord has his design in this. You may ask what his design is. You all know that the Saints must be made pure, to enter into the celestial kingdom. It is recorded that Jesus was made perfect through suffering. Why should we imagine for a moment that we can be prepared to enter into the kingdom of rest with him and the Father, without passing through similar ordeals? (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, pg. 263-264)

Ezra Taft Benson:

Opposition has been and will be the lot of the Saints in the kingdom in any age. The finger of scorn has been pointed at us in the past, and we may expect it in the future. . . . . As the world drifts further away from God and standards of virtue and honor, we may expect opposition to the work of the Church. We may expect to see the time, as the Book of Mormon forecasts, when “multitudes. . . among all the nations of the Gentiles [will gather] to fight against the Lamb of God” (1 Ne. 14:13).The power of God and the righteousness of the Saints will be the means by which the Church will be spared (see 1 Ne. 14:14-15). Never before in our 150-year history has there been greater need for faithfulness among our members. . . . . Brothers and sisters, be faithful to the Church. Be strong in your callings. Keep your covenants, and God will bless you and preserve you in the trying days ahead. (Conference Report, April 1980, Saturday Afternoon)

Brigham Young:

Do I acknowledge the hand of the Lord in persecution? Yes, I do. It is one of the greatest blessings that could be conferred upon the people of God. I acknowledge the hand of the Lord in leveling His people to the dust of the earth, and reducing them to a state of abject poverty. (Journal of Discourses 2:7)

Bruce R. McConkie:

Nor are the days of our greatest sorrows and our deepest sufferings all behind us. They too lie ahead. We shall yet face greater perils, we shall yet be tested with more severe trials, and we shall yet weep more tears of sorrow than we have ever known before. . . . . But what we can see causes us to rejoice and to tremble. We tremble because of the sorrows and wars and plagues that shall cover the earth. We weep for those in the true Church who are weak and wayward and worldly and who fall by the wayside as the caravan of the kingdom rolls forward. We rejoice because of the glory and honor that awaits those who come forth out of all this tribulation with clean hands and pure hearts (seeps. 24:4). . . . . But the vision of the future is not all sweetness and light and peace. All that is yet to be shall go forward in the midst of greater evils and perils and desolations than have been known on earth at any time. . . . . The way ahead is dark and dreary and dreadful. There will yet be martyrs; the doors of Carthage shall again enclose the innocent. We have not been promised that the trials and evils of the world will entirely pass us by. (Conference Report, April 1980, Sunday Afternoon)

Brigham Young:

Well, do you think that persecution has done us good? Yes. I sit and laugh, and rejoice exceedingly when I see persecution. I care no more about it than I do about the whistling of the north wind, the croaking of the crane that flies over my head, or the crackling of the thorns under the pot. The Lord has all things in His hand; therefore let it come, for it will give me experience. Do you suppose I should have known what I now know, had I not been persecuted? (Journal of Discourses 2:8) Gordon B. Hinckley: “We know not what lies ahead of us. We know not what the coming days will bring. We live in a world of uncertainty. For some, there will be great accomplishment. For others, disappointment. For some, much of rejoicing and gladness, good health, and gracious living. For others, perhaps sickness and a measure of sorrow. We do not know. But one thing we do know. Like the polar star in the heavens, regardless of what the future holds, there stands the Redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives. He is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith. In sunshine and in shadow we look to Him, and He is there to assure and smile upon us. (Conference Report, April 2002, Sunday Afternoon)

Robert D. Hales:

In recent decades the Church has largely been spared the terrible misunderstandings and persecutions experienced by the early Saints. It will not always be so. The world is moving away from the Lord faster and farther than ever before. The adversary has been loosed upon the earth. We watch, hear, read, study, and share the words of prophets to be forewarned and protected. (Conference Report, October 2013, Saturday Morning)