Sara Penney

“Make the Sabbath a delight by rendering service to others, especially those who are not feeling well or those who are lonely or in need. Lifting their spirits will lift yours as well.”
― Russell M. Nelson, Accomplishing the Impossible: What God Does, What We Can Do

“Theistic forces, be they Islamic, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, or Mormon, teach that there is an absolute right and wrong. Theistic forces have an ethic that reveres the righteous judgments of a loving God and obeys civil and divine law voluntarily. The theistic mind-set instills a conscience to do what is right and obey laws that might be otherwise unenforceable. With such a commitment, you obey a red stop light, even if no other traffic is in sight. As a God-fearing person, you know that even if the police didn’t catch you if you were to steal, murder, or commit adultery, these acts are wrong, and God will ultimately hold you accountable. You know, just as your ancestors knew, that the consequences for not playing by the rules are not only temporal, but also eternal. These theistic forces were part of the shaping of America. From the Book of Mormon, we have learned that this is a “land of promise, . . . choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people.”
― Russell M. Nelson, Accomplishing the Impossible: What God Does, What We Can Do

“Granted, there are people in America who are not religious who also obey unenforceable laws. Why? Because they live in a theistic culture. Although they may try to invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside of God and without acknowledging Him as the ultimate source of true joy, they still draw power from the theism of their ancestors. Their culture is good because the theistic forces them with a rich culture of righteousness. Unfortunately, good culture alone is not strong enough to cause good culture to endure in perpetuity. Additional strength is needed from the power of theistic conviction.”
― Russell M. Nelson, Accomplishing the Impossible: What God Does, What We Can Do

“For this reason, a policy to separate church and state completely could become completely counterproductive. The effect of erasing a theistic culture would allow atheistic forces to flourish unopposed in the public square. If that happens, the theistic and noble concept of “freedom of religion” could be twisted and turned to become an atheistic “freedom from religion.” Such an unbalanced policy could sweep out the theistic forces that have been responsible for our society’s success and leave the field wide open to atheistic ideology, secularism, and huge losses for each of us.”
― Russell M. Nelson, Accomplishing the Impossible: What God Does, What We Can Do