Capstone Practicum
Agency
1) “The cost of the Atonement was borne by the Lord without compulsion, for
agency is a sovereign principle. According to the plan, agency must be honored.
It was so from the beginning, from Eden.”
“The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the
workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day
I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency” (Moses 7:32).
“Whatever else happened in Eden, in his supreme moment of testing, Adam
made a choice.
After the Lord commanded Adam and Eve
to multiply and replenish the earth and commanded them not to partake of
the tree of knowledge of good and evil, He said: “Nevertheless, thou mayest
choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee; but, remember that I forbid it,
for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”” (Moses 3:17).
“There was too much at issue to introduce man into mortality by force.
That would contravene the very law essential to the plan. The plan provided
that each spirit child of God would receive a mortal body and each would be
tested. Adam saw that it must be so and made his choice. “Adam fell that men
might be; and men are, that they might have joy”” (2 Ne. 2:25).
Boyd K. Packer – “Atonement, Agency, Accountability”
Apr. 1988 General Conference
2) “One who
exercises free agency by faith grows from challenges, is purified by sorrow,
and lives at peace. In contrast, one who frantically seeks to satisfy appetite
and worldly desire is driven in a downward spiral to tragic depths. Temptation
is the motivating influence in his exercise of free agency.”
“Some of us at
one time or another let the pressures of life or the false teachings of men
cloud our vision, but when we see with clarity, the difference between the plan
of God and that of Satan is unmistakable. Satan would convert divinely
independent spirits into creatures bound by habit, restricted by appetite, and
enslaved by transgression. He has never deviated from his intent to enslave and
destroy. He would persuade us to improperly use the divine gift of free agency.
Through subtle, tempting influence, he encourages us to gratify desire for
personal power and influence or to succumb to appetite. He progressively binds
those that follow carnal desire. Unless they repent, they are effectively
converted into robots who no longer exercise control over their eternal
destiny.”
Richard G. Scott – “The Plan for Happiness and Exaltation”
Oct. 1981 General Conference
3) “All of His
commandments are given to make blessings available to us. Commandments are opportunities
to exercise our agency and to receive blessings. Our loving Heavenly Father
knows that choosing to develop a spirit of gratitude will bring us true joy and
great happiness.”
Dieter F. Uchtdorf – “Grateful in Any
Circustances” Apr. 2014 General Conference
4) “In the grand division of all of God’s
creations, there are things to act and things to be acted upon (see 2 Nephi
2:13 – 14). As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we have been blessed
with the gift of moral agency, the capacity for independent action and choice.
Endowed with agency, you and I are agents, and we
primarily are to act and not just be acted upon. To believe that someone or
something can make us feel offended, angry, hurt, or bitter diminishes
our moral agency and transforms us into objects to be acted upon. As agents, however, you and I have the power to act and to
choose how we will respond to an offensive or hurtful situation.”
David
A. Bednar – “And Nothing Shall Offend Them” Oct. 2006 General Conference
5) “Agency, or the power
to choose, was ours as spirit children of our Creator before the world was.
(See Alma 13: 3; Moses 4:4). It is a gift from God, nearly as precious as life
itself.
Often, however, agency is
misunderstood. While we are free to choose, once we have made those choices, we
are tied to the consequences of those choices.”
“We are free to take drugs or not. But once we choose to use a
habit-forming drug, we are bound to the consequences of that choice. Addiction
surrenders later freedom to choose. Through chemical means, one can literally
become disconnected from his or her own will!”
Russell M. Nelson – “Addiction or Freedom”
Oct. 1988 General Conference
6) “My spiritual
prescription includes six choices which I shall list alphabetically, A through
F, and then comment about each:”
“1. Choose to Be Alive. Seek beloved
family, friends, and physicians. Plead for their help. Your precious life is at
stake. Cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for
yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.”
(See 2 Ne. 10:23.)
“2. Choose to Believe. Believe in God.
Accept yourself as His child, created in His image. He loves you and wants you
to be happy. He wants you to grow through life’s choices and become more like
Him. He pleads that you will “reconcile [yourself] to the will of God, and not
to the will of the … flesh.”” (2 Ne. 10:24.)
“3. Choose to Change. “How long will ye
suffer [yourself] to be led by foolish and blind guides? Yea, how long will ye
choose darkness rather than light?” (Hel. 13:29.) Choose to change—today!”
“4. Choose to Be Different. Distinguish
yourself from worldly crowds. Defenders do not resemble offenders. Among them
are clever merchandisers who plot to link beer with sports, tobacco with charm,
and drugs with fun. Scripture warns of those who so deceive:”
“5. Choose to Exercise. Exercising the
body and the spirit will aid in the climb toward recovery. Appropriate physical
activity helps to combat depression, which so often accompanies addiction.”
“6. Choose to Be Free. Break “bands of
iniquity.” (Mosiah 23:12; see also 1 Ne. 13:5.) Leave behind “an iron yoke, …
handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell.”” (D&C 123:8.)
Russell M. Nelson – “Addiction or
Freedom” Oct. 1988 General Conference
7) “Giving
a man a fish feeds him for one meal. Teaching a man to fish feeds him for a
lifetime. As parents and gospel instructors, you and I are not in the business
of distributing fish; rather, our work is to help our children learn “to fish”
and to become spiritually steadfast. This vital objective is best accomplished
as we encourage our children to act in accordance with correct principles—as we
help them to learn by doing. “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the
doctrine, whether it be of God” (John 7:17). Such learning requires spiritual,
mental, and physical exertion and not just passive reception.”
“Are you and I helping our children become agents
who act and seek learning by study and by faith, or have we trained our children
to wait to be taught and acted upon? Are we as parents primarily giving our
children the equivalent of spiritual fish to eat, or are we consistently
helping them to act, to learn for themselves, and to stand steadfast and
immovable? Are we helping our children become anxiously engaged in asking,
seeking, and knocking?” (See 3 Nephi 14:7.)
David A Bednar – “Watching With All
Perseverance” Apr. 2010 General Conference
8) “Individually we have
been given our agency. It was a blessing granted to man from the very
beginning. The Lord declared to Adam, “And it is given unto them to know good
from evil; wherefore they are agents unto
themselves, and I have given unto you another law and commandment”” (Moses
6:56).
“Given that there must be opposition in all things (see 2 Nephi 2:11),
with agency comes the need to choose good from evil. Moreover, agency also
opens the possibility for sin; that, in turn, creates the need for repentance.
President Kimball has said: “Sin is intensely habit-forming and sometimes moves
men to the tragic point of no return. Without repentance there can be no
forgiveness, and without forgiveness all the blessings of eternity hang in
jeopardy. As the transgressor moves deeper and deeper in his sin, and the error
is entrenched more deeply and the will to change is weakened, it becomes
increasingly nearer hopeless and he skids down and down until either he does
not want to climb back up or he has lost the power to do so”” (The Teachings
of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982] 83
“He then counseled us:”
“Substitute habits, change environment. Change comes by
substituting new habits for old. You mold your character and future by thoughts
and actions.”
““You can change by changing your environment. Let go of lower things, and reach for higher. Surround yourself with the best in books, music, art, and people”” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 172).
““You can change by changing your environment. Let go of lower things, and reach for higher. Surround yourself with the best in books, music, art, and people”” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 172).
L. Tom Perry – “A Year of Jubilee” Oct.
1999 General Conference
9) “Have you noticed how Satan works to
capture the mind and emotions with flashing images, blaring music, and the
stimulation of every physical sense to excess? He diligently strives to fill life with
action, entertainment, and stimulation so that one cannot ponder the
consequences of his tempting invitations. Think of it. Some are tempted to violate the most
basic commandments of God because of seductive actions portrayed as acceptable.
They are made to seem attractive, even desirable. There seems to be no serious
consequence, rather apparent lasting joy and happiness. But recognize that
those performances are controlled by scripts and actors. The outcome of
decisions made is likewise manipulated to be whatever the producer wants.”
“Life is not that way. Yes, moral agency
allows you to choose what you will, but you cannot control the outcome of those
choices. Unlike the false creations of man, our Father in Heaven determines the
consequences of your choices. Obedience will yield happiness, while violation
of His commandments will not.”
Richard G. Scott – “How to Live Well Amid Increasing
Evil” Apr. 2004 General Conference
10) “Brother Romney asked me five questions. He asked me if I
would go on a mission; he asked me if I was worthy; he was concerned about my
17-year-old son, my finances, and my health.”
“I will tell you this, something I learned
long ago: It is a question of free agency. On any one of those five questions,
had I had to give a no I would have lost my free agency. I was financially
able, I was morally able, and I knew the law of consecration and what it meant;
and I appreciated the opportunity.”
Robert
D. Hales – “A Question of Free Agency” Apr. 1975 General Conference
Agency
Back in the Garden of Eden, was
started a wonderful plan.
This lovely world, just created,
was given, a gift, unto man.
And men could choose good, or
choose evil, from the moment the mission began.
For God would force no one to love
him, as that would defeat the whole plan!
I wonder, how long they had
gardened before that first pair was kicked out
To learn through hard work and
frustration, the meaning of sorrow and doubt.
They learned as we all do, through
error to be more completely devout
And told their descendants, “Choose
wisely.” for that’s what this life is about.
When Jesus, alone in the garden,
said “Father, please take back this cup.”
He’d never been forced to be
righteous, and of His free will drank it up.
The Father, who made us free
agents, knows challenges help us grow up.
And lets us elect our own pathway,
full knowing we might be corrupt.
How grateful I am to my Father who
helps me to learn from mistakes.
I know when my own children falter,
in watching, my own heart just breaks.
I hate to be forced by another! What anger coercion awakes!
To choose my own way’s such a
blessing, I’d fight tooth and nail, goodness sakes!
No comments:
Post a Comment