Elder Dale G. Renlund on overcoming contention with the love of Christ

Elder Dale G. Renlund (born November 13, 1952) served in the First Quorum of Seventy starting in 2009, until his call to the Quorum of Twelve in October 2015.

"After the Savior’s visit to the Americas, the people were unified; 'there was no contention in all the land' (4 Ne 1:18).  Do you think that the people were unified because they were all the same, or because they had no differences of opinion? I doubt it. Instead, contention and enmity disappeared because they placed their discipleship of the Savior above all else. Their differences paled in comparison to their shared love of the Savior, and they were united as 'heirs to the kingdom of God' (4 Ne 1:17). The result was that 'there could not be a happier people … who had been created by the hand of God' (4 Ne 1:16).

"Unity requires effort. It develops when we cultivate the love of God in our hearts and we focus on our eternal destiny. We are united by our common, primary identity as children of God and our commitment to the truths of the restored gospel. In turn, our love of God and our discipleship of Jesus Christ generate genuine concern for others. We value the kaleidoscope of others’ characteristics, perspectives, and talents. If we are unable to place our discipleship to Jesus Christ above personal interests and viewpoints, we should reexamine our priorities and change.

"We might be inclined to say,'Of course we can have unity—if only you would agree with me!' A better approach is to ask, 'What can I do to foster unity? How can I respond to help this person draw closer to Christ? What can I do to lessen contention and to build a compassionate and caring Church community?'

"When love of Christ envelops our lives, we approach disagreements with meekness, patience, and kindness. We worry less about our own sensitivities and more about our neighbor’s. We 'seek to moderate and unify.' We do not engage in 'doubtful disputations,' judge those with whom we disagree, or try to cause them to stumble. Instead, we assume that those with whom we disagree are doing the best they can with the life experiences they have."

- Dale G. Renlund, "The Peace of Christ Abolishes Enmity," General Conference October 2021, Sunday morning

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Sadly, we live in a very contentious time. We see anger and bitterness, strong language and violence, all resulting from differences of race, politics, nationalities, sexuality, or any of a large number of beliefs and life approaches. The spirit of contention drives away the spirit of the Lord. We need to learn to control that emotion, to overcome it, to replace it with something better.

That somthing is the love of Christ. Elder Renlund taught that when we focus more diligently on the Savior, the blessings of understanding and unity will follow.

This is a great prophetic call to examine our priorities and ensure we are focused on the things that matter most.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2021)

Elder Quentin L. Cook on finding personal peace in a world of conflict

Elder Quentin L. Cook (1940- ) was called as a Seventy in 1996, then as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 2007.

"One of the most cherished titles of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is 'Prince of Peace' (Isa 9:6, 2 Ne 19:6). Ultimately His kingdom will be established including peace and love. We look forward to the millennial reign of the Messiah.

"Notwithstanding this vision of the millennial reign, we know that world peace and harmony are not prevalent in our day. In my lifetime, I have never seen a greater lack of civility. We are bombarded with angry, contentious language and provocative, devastating actions that destroy peace and tranquility.

"Peace in the world is not promised or assured until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The Savior instructed His Apostles that His earthly mission would not achieve universal peace. He taught, 'Think not that I am come to send peace on earth' (Matt 10:34). Universal peace was not part of the Savior’s initial mortal ministry. Universal peace does not exist today.

"However, personal peace can be achieved despite the anger, contention, and division that blight and corrupt our world today. It has never been more important to seek personal peace....

"While we will never retreat from efforts to achieve universal peace, we have been assured that we can have personal peace, as Christ teaches. This principle is set forth in the Doctrine and Covenants: 'But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come' (D&C 59:23)."

- Quentin L. Cook, "Personal Peace in Challenging Times," General Conference October 2021, Sunday morning

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I love the title "Prince of Peace." What a noble and honorable designation for the only true source of peace! As Elder Cook notes, there is no peace "universal" peace in the world. We live in a time of greater contention, anger, and provocation than ever. How do we confront our challenges in that kind of world? How do we avoid being consumed by those terrible, non-Christian emotions?

We must be seeking always for personal peace. The Messiah has promised us hope and help as we confront the world. If we turn to Him, follow Him, obey Him, worship Him—in other words, do "the works of righteousness"—we will be able to find that inner peace to help us through our lives.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2021)

President Dallin H. Oaks on communicating with love and understanding

President Dallin H. Oaks (born August 12, 1932) served as president of BYU from 1971-1980.  He was then appointed as a justice of the Utah Supreme Court, and resigned when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1984. He became President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and also 1st Counselor in the First Presidency in January 2018.

"The Savior taught that contention is a tool of the devil. That surely teaches against some of the current language and practices of politics. Living with policy differences is essential to politics, but policy differences need not involve personal attacks that poison the process of government and punish participants. All of us should banish hateful communications and practice civility for differences of opinion.

"The most important setting to forgo contention and practice respect for differences is in our homes and family relationships. Differences are inevitable—some minor and some major. As to major differences, suppose a family member is in a cohabitation relationship. That brings two important values into conflict—our love for the family member and our commitment to the commandments. Following the Savior’s example, we can show loving-kindness and still be firm in the truth by forgoing actions that facilitate or seem to condone what we know to be wrong."

- Dallin H. Oaks, "Loving Others and Living with Differences," General Conference October 2014
Click here to read or listen to the full talk

We live in challenging times. Our communication system is far more extensive than it ever has been; we are able to be informed rapidly of events around the world, through a variety of communication media, both formal and informal. In the midst of this "information onslaught" we sometimes are exposed to very strongly voiced opinions from different points of view, and often those opinions are expressed aggressively, harshly, and critically. That seems almost to be expected in political discussions; President Oaks warns that the "personal attacks" now so common in that arena can "poison the process of government." Truly, we can see that "contention is a tool of the devil" that we must learn to avoid.

While the world of political discussion is one area to be concerned about, President Oaks points out that our family settings are far more critical. Differences of opinion will occur in the home; but how we respond to them can tell a lot about the depth of our discipleship. There are fine lines to be drawn between loving acceptance and commitment to God's standards. We must never forget that both are needful. And some have a tendency to forget that love, mercy, and charity are among the greatest qualities of the Savior and His disciples.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)