I believe that our agency is one of the most precious gifts
we have been given. In order to know joy, we must know sorrow and the only way
to know sorrow is if we have a choice to make. We have been blessed with free
agency and the choice to pick good over evil. I am often asked why I am part of
a religion that tells you what you can and cannot do. My reply is always that I
am never told what to do or what to think. Suggestions are made and guidelines
are given and I then choose if I want to follow them or not. For me, choosing
to follow the teaching of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints brings
happiness and peace to my life.
"You may be tired of others trying to run your life—always telling you what to do. After all, you have the right to make your own choices. That is correct. You have that right. It is your agency. The secret to solve problems in your life will be found in understanding and using the eternally beneficial interaction of your agency and His truth."
"Agency is a divine gift to you. You are free to choose what
you will be and what you will do. And you are not without help. Counsel with
your parents is a privilege at any age. Prayer provides communication with your
Heavenly Father and invites the promptings of personal revelation. And in
certain circumstances, consultation with professional advisers and with your
local leaders in the Church may be highly advisable, especially when very
difficult decisions must be made."
"I readily confess that I would find no peace, neither
happiness nor safety, in a world without repentance. I do not know what I
should do if there were no way for me to erase my mistakes. The agony would be
more than I could bear. It may be otherwise with you, but not with me.
An atonement was made. Ever and always it offers amnesty
from transgression and from death if we will but repent. Repentance is the
escape clause in it all. Repentance is the key with which we can unlock the
prison from inside. We hold that key within our hands, and agency is ours to
use it."
"Perhaps it is because we have a revealed knowledge of our
premortal history. We recognize that when God the Eternal Father presented His
plan to us at the beginning of time, Satan wanted to alter the plan. He said he
would redeem all mankind. Not one soul would be lost, and Satan was confident
he could deliver on his proposal. But there was an unacceptable cost—the
destruction of man’s agency, which was and is a gift given by God (see Moses
4:1–3). About this gift, President Harold B. Lee said, “Next to life itself,
free agency is God’s greatest gift to mankind.” Then it was no small thing for
Satan to disregard man’s agency. In fact, it became the principal issue over
which the War in Heaven was fought. Victory in the War in Heaven was a victory
for man’s agency."
"President Faust recognized that we all possess the God-given
gift of moral agency—the right to make choices and the obligation to account
for those choices (see D&C 101:78). He also understood and demonstrated
that, for positive outcomes, moral agency must be accompanied by moral
discipline. By “moral discipline,” I mean self-discipline based on moral
standards. Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the
right because it is right, even when it is hard. It rejects the self-absorbed
life in favor of developing character worthy of respect and true greatness
through Christ like service (see Mark 10:42–45). The root of the word
discipline is shared by the word disciple, suggesting to the mind the fact that
conformity to the example and teachings of Jesus Christ is the ideal discipline
that, coupled with His grace, forms a virtuous and morally excellent person."
Elder D. Todd Christofferson, “Moral Discipline”, October
2009 General Conference
"As we walk the path of spiritual liberty in these last days,
we must understand that the faithful use of our agency depends upon our having
religious freedom. We already know that Satan does not want this freedom to be
ours. He attempted to destroy moral agency in heaven, and now on earth he is
fiercely undermining, opposing, and spreading confusion about religious
freedom."
Elder Robert D. Hales, “Preserving Agency, ProtectingReligious Freedom”, April 2015 General Conference
"We tend to think of agency as a personal matter. If we ask
someone to define “moral agency,” the answer will probably be something like
this: “Moral agency means I am free to make choices for myself.” Often
overlooked is the fact that choices have consequences; we forget also that
agency offers the same privilege of choice to others. At times we will be
affected adversely by the way other people choose to exercise their agency. Our
Heavenly Father feels so strongly about protecting our agency that he allows
his children to exercise it, either for good or for evil."
Elder M. Russell Ballard, “Answers to Life’s Questions”,
April 1995 General Conference
"When we believe or say we have been offended, we usually
mean we feel insulted, mistreated, snubbed, or disrespected. And certainly
clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean-spirited things do occur in our
interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense. However, it
ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me.
Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be
offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon
us by someone or something else."
Elder David A. Bednar, “And Nothing Shall Offend Them”,
October 2006 General Conference
"My beloved brethren, may we be filled with gratitude for the
right of choice, accept the responsibility of choice, and ever be conscious of
the results of choice. As bearers of the priesthood, all of us united as one
can qualify for the guiding influence of our Heavenly Father as we choose
carefully and correctly. We are engaged in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We, like those of olden times, have answered His call. We are on His errand. We
shall succeed in the solemn charge: “Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the
Lord.” That this may be so is my solemn and humble prayer, in the name of
Jesus Christ, our Master, amen."
President Thomas S. Monson, “The Three Rs of Choice”,
October 2010 General Conference
"I believe that moral agency is one of the greatest gifts of
God unto His children, next to life itself."
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Christlike Attributes – TheWind Beneath Our Wings”, October 2005 General Conference
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