The October 2024 general conference was just a few weeks ago, and we loved how many messages and moments affirmed the sanctity of life! Did you catch these top 8 pro-life moments?
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square powerfully testified of the divine purpose of every child of God on earth through this beautiful primary song.
My life is a gift; my life has a plan.
My life has a purpose; in heav’n it began.
My choice was to come to this lovely home on earth
And seek for God’s light to direct me from birth.
Elder Neil L. Andersen shared the story of Trey, who was born with life-threatening heart complications but lived a life filled with joy. Our lives on Earth will never be perfect; we may have physical or mental limitations or be born in less than ideal conditions, but our lives have value regardless of these circumstances.
“Trey had heart surgery the first week of his life, and more surgeries followed. As the years passed, it became apparent that Trey would need a heart transplant. Although his physical activities were limited, his faith expanded. He wrote, “I have never felt sorry for myself because I have always known the importance of having faith in Jesus Christ and a testimony of the plan of salvation.”
“I Am He”
Elder Holland reminded us that throughout history, many have been guilty of reducing Christ’s divine qualities of righteousness, justice, and mercy to prudishness, anger, and permissiveness. He testified of Christ’s commandment to “love thy neighbor as thyself” and reminded us that Christ taught us, “if ye love me, keep my commandments.”
“We must not be guilty of such simplistic versions of [Christ] that conveniently ignore teachings we find uncomfortable…
During His mortal mission, Jesus taught that there were two great commandments. They have been taught in this conference and will forever be taught: “Love the Lord thy God [and] love thy neighbor as thyself.” If we are to follow the Savior faithfully in these two crucial and inextricably linked rules, we ought to hold firmly to what He actually said. And what He actually said was, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” On that same evening, He said we were to “love one another; as I have loved you.”
Elder Christofferson reminded us of Paul’s words, “ye are not your own.” We are asked to use our lives to serve and glorify God.
“Forgoing legitimate opportunities for marriage, failing to cleave to and lift one’s spouse, failing to nurture one’s children, or even intentionally avoiding the blessing and responsibility of child-rearing solely for the sake of career advancement can convert laudable achievement into a form of rebellion.”
Elder Karl D. Hirst taught us that Heavenly Father’s love for each of his children is personal and perfect. All of his children are loved by him.
“Our love for each of our children is pure and fulfilling and complete. We could not love any one of them any more than another—with each child’s birth came the most beautiful expansion of our love. I most relate to my Heavenly Father’s love for me through the love that I feel for my children."
In his talk, Elder Takashi Wada testified that as spirit children of God, we were sent to earth to gain a body and use our agency to choose to follow Jesus Christ, to repent, and to eventually receive eternal life.
“By coming to the earth, we would leave God’s presence, forget our premortal life, receive bodies of flesh and bones, gain our own experience, and develop faith.”
Elder Ruben V. Alliaud taught that we are literally spirit children of God. This is core to why we believe each life is valuable and worthy of protection.
“We truly believe that we are all literally the children of God. He is “the Father of [our] spirits,” and because of that, we have the potential to become like Him.”
Elder Brook P. Hales shared that one of the purposes of our lives is to experience challenges that sanctify us and bring us closer to God. Our mortal lives are gifts from God.
“‘I want you to know that mortality works, and I want you to know that I now understand why everything happened [in my life] the way it did—and it is all OK.’”
What did we miss?
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