I enjoy the history of times and placed and especially the history of people. I love the history of Laie and particularly the more recent history of Church College, Polynesian Cultural Center, and Brigham Young University Hawaii. Sister Barker and I have now been serving here for seventeen months, and we have loved every minute of our experiences. As we have become somewhat knowledgeable regarding the vision, missions and goals of the University and the Cultural Center, and more particularly as we have become acquainted with you wonderful students and the University Community, our love for everything and everybody has increased many fold.
I am especially fond of historical biographies of the great men and women, who have left a legacy of struggle, sacrifice, service, and accomplishment during the many centuries of the history of mankind. I embrace the philosophy expressed in the words of a prominent educator George Fisher, as he bestowed a prestigious award on one of his colleagues in 1924. In part he said, “ Great Men and Women are the Landmarks of Humanity.” (Fisher G. J., 1924, American Physical Education Review, V. 29, p 476) In our day it is you students to whom Fisher’s words apply: to you who have made the sacrifice of time, money and effort to educate and prepare yourselves for the future, You will be the doers; you will be the trench workers: yes, you will be the leaders of tomorrow. Your greatness will be manifest in your giving, helping, serving, caring, loving, and staying true to the covenants you have made as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, in other words as you “ perfect and purify your souls.” We salute you and express our gratitude to you now, and for what you have the potential to become as you determine your own destiny as the Great Men and Women that will be the Landmarks of Humanity.
As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints we are given three comprehensive responsibilities to qualify for our destiny of Eternal Life: (1) Redeeming the Dead, (2) Proclaiming the Gospel, and (3) Perfecting the Saints. With the recent opening of Laie Temple much has been said on the subject of Redeeming the Dead and I know we are all conscious of the importance and urgency of Proclaiming the Gospel. In fact my heart swells with pride at every Devotional as Pres. Wheelwright announces the program and adds and he/she served their mission in: and then identifies the mission.
Today I have elected to center my remarks on our third challenge ie. Perfecting the Saints or another way of expressing the challenge is Purifying our Souls. This subject suggests a myriad of qualities, attributes, and doctrines that are noble, true, and necessary for perfection, but time allows us to only touch on a few of them. Some of these we will just reference and others we will expand upon through examples, experiences, stories, and literary references.
The Human race seems to always be motivated by mottos, slogans, themes, oaths, or concise declarations that we often refer to as Mission statements.. May I get us started by reciting a few of my favorites that identify many of these qualities, attributes and doctrines?
- Thirteenth Article of Faith: “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous,, and in doing good to all men. Indeed we may say we follow the admonition of Paul: We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and we hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things” (Pearl of Great Price; pg. 60, Joseph Smith)
- Young Women’s Theme, 2007: “Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God.” (D & C:121:45)
- Young Women’s Theme, 2009: “Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12)
- Quote on “Word of Honor” by Karl G. Maesar“ (Founder of BYU Provo) “I have been asked what I mean by word of honor. I will tell you. Place me behind prison walls: walls of stone ever so high, ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground: There is a possibility that in some way or another I may escape; but stand me on the floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can I get out of the circle? No! Never! I’d die first.” (Plaque in Foyer of Smith Fieldhouse, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah)
- The Boy Scout Oath: “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” (Boy Scouts of America Handbook)
- The First Scout Law: A scout is trustworthy! A scout’s honor is to be trusted. If he should violate that honor by telling a lie, or by cheating, or by not doing exactly a given task when trusted upon his honor - he may be directed to hand over his scout badge.” (Boy Scouts of America Handbook)
And now, I have but a relatively short time to express something of worth concerning the “Perfecting and Purifying our Souls.” My challenge: not taken lightly: is to say the things I have prepared in a clear and understandable way and to be in tune with the Spirit of the Lord. Your challenge is to also be in tune with the Spirit of the Lord and listen, ponder, interpret, remember and apply : and I hope your challenge will not be taken lightly as well.
It seems appropriate to begin by briefly discussing the importance of the human body, the role of the body in our existence, and our responsibility to properly care for our bodies, as doctrinally this subject falls under the title of Perfecting the Saints and Purifying Our Souls:
King David, in writing the eighth Psalm posed a most intriguing question. “What is man that thou are mindful of him?” ( Psalms 8:4) For many centuries the Theologians of the world theorized and hypothesized answers to King David’s query, but their answers always fell short of “ what is truth.” In the early ninetieth century the Prophet Joseph Smith, the prophet of the Restoration, figuratively, but truthfully answered the question with one stroke of his pen, as it were, when he taught that, “ Man is God in Embryo” ( Talmage, Gen. Conf., April. 1915), and wrote that “the body and the spirit make up the soul of man” ( D & C 88:15) and , “ that the worth of the soul is great in the sight of God.” ( D & C 18:10) This revealed truth gives added meaning and clarity to the Apostle Paul’s declaration in I Corinthians when he stated, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him will God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” ( ICor. 3:16-17)
On a beautiful plaque in the foyer of the Richards Building on the Brigham Young University, Provo, campus is a most definitive quotation expressed by Elder Stephen L. Richards, formerly of the Council of Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (1917-1951, and for whom the Richards Building is named). It reads:
“The Human body is sacred - the veritable tabernacle of the Divine Spirit which inhabits it. It is a solemn duty of mankind to develop, protect, and preserve it from pollution, unnecessary wastage, and weakness.”
When I was serving as a member of the faculty of the Exercise Sciences Department at Brigham Young University, Provo, we took it upon ourselves to rewrite our Mission Statement so it would conform more directly to what we were about, and more closely adhere to the doctrine of the Restored Gospel. Using Elder Richard’s quote as a reference, and after a great deal of deliberation, writing and rewriting, we developed the following succinct statement:
“The Mission of the Exercise Sciences Department is to assist individuals in their quest of perfection and Eternal Life, emphasizing the truth that, the human body is sacred, the veritable tabernacle of the Divine Spirit’” Perhaps we can combine the two statements and make a Mission Statement applicable to every institution, ecclesiastical unit, and member of the Church. It could read, “
Our Mission is to strive for perfection and Eternal Life, emphasizing the truth that, the human body is sacred, the veritable tabernacle of the Divine Spirit which inhabits it. It is our solemn duty to develop, protect, and preserve it from pollution, unnecessary wastage, and weakness.”
When we consider the role of our bodies in the Eternal Plan, the following quotation by Herophilus, an ancient Greek Anatomist, seems applicable:
“When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied.” (
Peter, A. S., “The Greatest Quotations of All Time” Lib. Of Cong. 2010916376)
Approximately 25 years ago, I listened to a stirring and powerful address in Conference entitled. “Shall The Youth of Zion Falter?” based on the hymn of that same title. ( In the more recent hymnal the title has been changed to “True to the Faith” pg. 254) Now, 25 years later we are still asking the same question: “Shall the youth of Zion Falter”? Unfortunately or realistically the answer today is the same now as it was then: Some will and some won’t!
The lyrics of that hymn follow the theme of war, contention, or conflict. Unfortunately this theme always seems popular and acceptable. The war we face seems to be a series of never ending battles between good and evil: between God and Satan and more personally between Satan and ourselves. This conflict began in our pre-mortal life. From the 12th Chapter in the Book of Revelations we read, “And there was war in Heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found anymore in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” ( Rev. 12:7-9)
We do not know what kind of war it was. It may have been a war of words, of allegiance, emotion, devotion: how do spirits fight? We do know however, that the battle on earth is all of the above and everything else that Satan can think of: pride, shame, guilt, popularity, selfishness, media attention, greed, riches, clothes, money, substance abuse, pornography, and even the internet. Verse 11, in the same chapter in Revelations, explains how we defeated Satan in the War in Heaven: “And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimonies... ” The Blood of the Lamb has been shed: resulting in the resurrection and the free gifts of the Atonement for us all. However, the “word of our testimonies” is our destiny to control. The strength of our testimonies is derived from our conviction of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that must be taken very seriously. We do, however, have many weapons in our arsenal of arms that can and do fortify our testimonies. ie. Honesty, love, integrity, work ethic, scriptures, prayer, charity, gratitude, forgiveness, service, obedience, patience, moral agency, even the influence of our heroes and heroines, etc., but one quality that seems to encompass all the others, or perhaps it would be more correct to say it is necessary to make all the others operable and more efficient, is Moral Purity, -- the goodness of mankind; the gracious heart; the honest soul.
Tennyson’s legendary Sir Galahad stated: “My strength is the strength of ten because my heart is pure.” ( Alfred Lord Tennyson, Wikipedia)
Let us set the stage upon which you and I must play. Continuing in the Book of Revelations, verse 12; “Woe unto the inhabitants of the earth ... ! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”
It is in this context that Elder M. Russell Ballard warned, “Lucifer is waging a vicious war for the souls of young and old alike and the casualty count is climbing. The standards of the world have shifted like the sands of a windblown desert. That which was once unheard of or unacceptable is now commonplace.” (Ballard, “ Like Flame Unquenchable”, Ensign, May, 1999)
We began this discussion with reference to a hymn: a fight song if you will. As I looked through my hymnal, I read the titles of a goodly number of such songs: the lyrics of which are worthy of review, and I entreat you to do just that. They all seem to have a call to action and suggest that personal purity and a stout and gracious heart with faith in our Savior are essential for victory. As I read a few of the titles, please let the power and dignity of the respective messages touch the depths of your souls and encourage personal commitment.
- Onward Christian Soldiers (pg 246)
- We Are All Enlisted (pg 250)
- Behold A Royal Army (pg 251)
- Battle Hymn of the Republic (pg 60)
- True to the Faith (pg 240)
- Called to Serve (pg 249)
- Hope of Israel (259)
- Carry On (pg 255)
Please allow me to share a few lines of one of my favorite “fight songs”. It is Sigmund Romberg’s great call to arms: “Stout Hearted Men”
Give me some men who are stouthearted men.Who will fight for the right they adore.Start me with ten, who are stouthearted men,And I’ll soon give you ten thousand more.Shoulder to shoulder and bolder and bolder,They grow as they go to the foe.Then there’s nothing in the world can hurt or mar a plan.When stouthearted men can stick together, Man to Man.
My dear young friends you are the precious souls referred to in Romberg’s progressive narrative. You are the brightest, the smartest, the strongest, and perhaps even the best looking cadre of soldiers the Lord has to battle the forces of the Adversary. You qualify as the Lord’s “stouthearted men and women”. To be of worth to the Master and to achieve the destiny you want for yourselves and your families you must be Personally Pure: morally, physically, and spiritually.
As you enter the workforce, continue your education, or become home makers there will be many decisions to make. Elder Richard G. Scott identifies two patterns for making decisions that seem very appropriate for our discussion. (1) Decisions based on circumstance; (2) Decisions based on Eternal Truths. The significance of decisions based on circumstance is making choices according to the outcome desired rather than upon what is right or wrong. Elder Scott explains: “In time, one who makes decisions based upon circumstance is virtually assured to commit serious transgressions. There is no iron rod of truth to keep that person in the right way. He or she will continually be faced with subtle temptations to make deviations from the commandments.” Making decisions based upon Eternal Truth is God’s pattern. Elder Scott continues his counsel, “It will always lead you to make decisions guided by His plan of happiness. Such decisions are centered in doing what is right, not in first deciding the result desired.” (Scott, “The Power of Righteousness”, Ensign, Nov., 1998)
Elder Ballard’s admonition seems appropriate at this point. “One thing is certain,” he states, “The commandments have not changed. Let there be no mistake about that. Right is still right, wrong is still wrong, no matter how cleverly cloaked in respectability or political correctness.” ( Ballard, Like a Flame Unquenchable”, Ensign, May, 1999)
Earlier we discussed mottos, slogans, themes etc. I suggest each of you select one or two personal mottos, slogans, or themes to use as a guide for your life. “One of mine is a New Testament scripture ie. Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.” If you were to ask my children what their Dad’s favorite saying was, they would tell you Matthew 5:9 and then quote that scripture to you. That passage has served me well for many years and has often guided my actions and reactions. The ones you choose will do the same for you and will affect who you are and what you will become.
The purity of the human soul has been manifest an infinite number of times during the history of mankind. Our hearts thrill and our emotions soar as we read and hear the great stories of love and sacrifice exemplified by our heroes and heroines.
May I briefly share a few of my favorite illustrations with you? As I do so, may we allow these tender examples to foster an increase of perfection and purity to our souls?
Oscar Hammerstein II
The great lyricist, Oscar Hammerstein II (of Rogers & Hammerstein fame) was dying of cancer while
The Sound of Music was in rehearsal for its opening on Broadway. One last lyric was needed for the character of Maria, a lyric which would complete the show. From his bed, Hammerstein penned 35 words which eloquently and succinctly summed up the philosophy of his life and the beauty of his life’s work and set a very lofty standard for all of us. (Oscar Hammerstein II Quotes)
A bell’s not a bell ‘till you ring it.
A song’s not a song ‘till you sing it.
Love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay.
Love isn’t love till you give it away.
Burt Bacharach complemented the importance of “love” in our lives with the following verse:
What the world needs now is love, sweet loveIt’s the only thing that there’s just too little ofWhat the world needs now is love, sweet love, Not just for some but for everyone.
I think I would be amiss if I did not make reference to the attribute of
Forgiveness with respect to
Perfecting and Purifying the Soul, since forgiveness is
such an integral part of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Time allows only one story
on forgiveness. My favorite story is found in the sixty first chapter of Alma in the
Book of Mormon. Very Briefly: Captain Moroni, with his two valiant officers, Lehi
and Teancum found themselves and their army mired down in a war with the
Lamanites. Their defeat and ultimate destruction of their nation seemed
inevitable unless they received provisions and troop replacements from the
Government. The head of the Government was the Chief Judge and Govenor
Pahoran. Repeated petitions for men and supplies from Moroni seemed to have
been ignored or refused from Paharon in the capitol city of Zarahemla. In
frustration and desperation Captain Moroni sent a scathing epistle or letter to
Pahoran. His letter was far from kind. It was a scolding, blaming, accusing, and
demanding letter. It was even a threatening letter, stating that if he didn’t
immediately receive relief, he would bring part of his army back to Zarahemla and
take what he needed by force.
Pahoran was totally innocent of the accusations of Moroni, and had been unable to send any form of relief because of a civil takeover of the Government by the wicked conspiring kingmen. Pahoran had been forced to flee to the city of Gideon with a few men loyal to the Government. A few excerpts from his reply to Moroni demonstrate his loving and forgiving heart and exemplify to all of us how we should use the godly attribute of forgiveness in our lives. Paharon wrote to Moroni, very succinctly stating:
“. . . . in your epistle you have censored me, but it mattereth not, I am not angry but rejoceth in the greatness of your heart. . . . My soul standeth fast in that liberty in the which God has made us free. . . . Therefore, my beloved brother, Moroni, let us resist evil. . . . See that ye strengthen Lehi and Teancum in the Lord; tell them to fear not, for God will deliver them, yea, and also all those who stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free. (Alma 61: 9-21)
Captain Moroni did bring part of his army back to Zarahemla. He joined forces with Pahoran, and together they secured the Government. The armies were strengthened, the Laminates were driven from the land, and peace was restored, because Pahoran had a forgiving heart.
A Handcart Story It was decided that the Martin Handcart Company, with help from the rescue party and some wagons, should move on to find a sheltered place where firewood was procurable. Loaded with the sick and dying, the wagons were to move along the Sweetwater and cross to a depression later to be known as Martin’s Cove, about two and one-half miles from Devil’s Gate. The handcarts moved on November third and reached the river, filled with floating ice. To cross would require more courage and fortitude, it seemed, than human nature could muster. Women shrank back and men wept. Some pushed through, but many were unequal to the ordeal. “Three eighteen-year-old boys belonging to the relief party came to the rescue; and to the astonishment of all who saw, carried nearly every member of the ill-fated handcart company across the snow-bound, ice filled stream. The strain was so terrible, and the exposure so great, that in later years all three boys died from the effect of it. When Brigham Young heard of the heroic act, he wept like a child, and later declared publicly, “That act alone will insure C. Allen Huntington, George W. Grant, and David P. Kimball everlasting salvation in the Celestial Kingdom of God, worlds without end.” ( Hafen and Hafen, Handcarts to Zion, pp. 132-133), (Solomon F. Kimball, Improvement Era, Feb. 1914. P. 288.)
Heroes and Heroines
Earlier I spoke of heroes and heroines. One of my many heroes was my
Mission President, O. Layton Alldredge. President Alldredge was a great story
teller and he always seemed to have a story to make a point or teach a principle.
Following is one of his classic stories that he often told at mission conferences
and later at our missionary reunions. I think the story’s application will be
obvious as we consider “
Perfecting the Saints and Purifying Our Souls.”
Holding the Fort
Going around the South Coast and on around the East Coast of Africa, you
eventually come to the beautiful seaport of Mombassa, settled by the
Portuguese way back when. It was the Portuguese as you know who first sailed
around the Cape of Good Hope. They built a fort there and named it Fort Gessel.
They garrisoned it and then the fleet sailed back to Portugal. The Arab tribes held
Zanzibar and other ports. The Arabs looked upon the Portuguese as intruders to
their part of the world and they began to attack the Fort. A year went by and
these defenders held out against their Arab attackers. Months of the second
year passed and finally hope ran out and they ran up the white flag. The Arabs
swarmed in and massacred every person in the Fort - every man, woman, and
child - they killed them all. As fate would have it, the very next day the relief
fleet Lisbon sailed into the Port - the very next day. So we learn from the story
that many times all that we have to do to change things is to hold on one more
day. Hold the Fort and be true to what is right.
Sir Winston Churchill, the great English Prime Minister, taught this principle in a
much more exercised manner during the Battle of Britain of World War II,
when he exhorted, “NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP!"
In Gospel language this principle is taught simply and succinctly but yet very profoundly - “Endure to the End.”My time is nearly gone and I want to conclude with an excerpt from my
Favorite poem.
Maud Muller
Whittier, in his poem “Maud Muller” tells the story of a peasant girl: beautiful in homespun, barefooted: out in the field raking hay with her father and mother and younger brothers and sisters. Maud goes to the brook for a drink of water, and as she kneels by the stream, a man on horseback comes over the brow of the hill and stops nearby. Maud Muller looks up, and there astride this horse is the most magnificent man she has ever seen: handsome in his appearance, noble in his bearing: and he asks for a drink. As she ladles the drink and hands it to him, the poem records that he looked down into her bashful hazel eyes and that they exchanged a few pleasantries. And she fain would wish that she might be the wife of such a one and finally, for the lack of an excuse to stay, the rider rode up the hill; but the poem records:
The man looked back as he climbed the hill,
And saw Maud Muller standing still.
A form more fair, a face more sweet,
Ne’er hath it been my lot to meet,
And her modest answer and graceful air,
Show her wise and good as she is fair,
(And in his heart he said)
‘Would she were mine, and I today,
Like her, a harvester of hay.
The poem goes on to record the story of their lives. The princely young man married the nagging, bickering spoiled brat who lives for fashion as he does for power. But all during his life, as he sat on quiet evenings looking into the fireplace in silent reverie, there appeared before him the quiet, bashful, hazel-eyed innocence of Maud Muller. Maud Muller, the poet explains, married the clod, the sloth, the drunkard, the ne’er-do-well, and lived a life in poverty. But often in silent reverie, the walls of her narrow kitchen would vanish, and she would be once more by the brook in the field looking at the face of that handsome man. And then the poet sets down in poignant, piercing, sensitivity:
God pity them both! And pity us all,
Who vainly the dreams of youth recall,
For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: ‘It might have been’.
(
Maud Muller by John Greenlief Whittier)
My closing prayer for all of us is
: “O Youth of a Noble Birthright, Carry On!
Carry On! Carry On! --and may we never have to say:
“It might have been”
Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono!
The life of the land is perpetuated in Righteousness! (No matter where we live)
To all these things I Testify;
In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen