- “I argue that religion or spirituality encourages philanthropy by explicitly linking givers to the concerns and needs of others,” says Schervish in his essay, “Wealth and the Spiritual Secret of Money.” “My analysis follows a three-step logic: (1) if wealth affords individuals the ability to have what they want (at least in the material realm), and (2) if philanthropy can be understood as the transformation of time and money from a pool of wealth into a disposable gift to other, (3) religion– as it takes form in what I call the spirituality of money-motivates or spurs philanthropy, in amount and type, by shaping the quality of wants or desires among the wealthy. If the wealthy generally can have what they want, it is the realm of spirituality that directs their wants into a bond of care for others.” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 13
- “The real test of any religion is the kind of man or woman it makes.” (David O. McKay, Pathways to Happiness, 246)
- “Lieutenant Nelson also learned something else: that foxholes invite serious introspection. One evening the M.A.S.H. unit where he was working came under attack. He and Dr. Simeone shared a foxhole for most of the night. “Dr. Simeone, devout Catholic, and I, a devout Latter-Day saint, prayed unitedly in our foxhole that our lives might be preserved,” he recalled. Lieutenant Nelson later reflected later how much it meant to face life-threatening danger with a man of faith whose beliefs may have differed from his but looked to the same Source for comfort and strength. Their combined faith was a boon to both that stressful night,” Insights from a Prophet’s Life: Russell M. Nelson, Page 42
- “Every trial a man goes through, if he is faithful in that trial and does honor to God and his religion he has espoused, at the end of that trial or affliction that individual is nearer to God, nearer in regard to the increase of faith, wisdom, knowledge and power, and hence is more confident in calling upon the Lord for those things he desires. I have known individuals who have trembled at the idea of passing through certain ordeals who after they were through the temptation have said they could approach the Lord in more confidence and ask for such blessings as they desired…” Chapter 7: Faithfulness in Times of Trial: “From the Shadows into the Glorious Sunshine”
- “While governments enforce the law written on the books, religion teaches and encourages adherence to the law written in the heart. Those who abide the latter will seldom if ever violate the former. As we read in the Doctrine and Covenants, “He that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land” (58:21).” Religion and Government, Elder Wilford W. Andersen Of the Seventy
- “Civility in society is achieved when the majority of people do what is moral because they believe they should, not because they are compelled by law or by police force.” Religion and Government, Elder Wilford W. Andersen Of the Seventy
- “President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994), a cabinet member under U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, taught this most important distinction: “The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.” Religion and Government, Elder Wilford W. Andersen Of the Seventy
- “May the Lord grant us vision and understanding to do those things which will help our members not only spiritually but also temporally. We have resting upon us a very serious obligation. President Joseph F. Smith said that a religion which will not help a man in this life will not likely do much for him in the life to come (see The Truth about Mormonism, Out West magazine, Sept. 1905, 242).” Manual, Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Gordon B Hinckley, Chapter 13, Peace and Contentment through Temporal Self Reliance