My dear brethren, I feel great strength in the presence of the priesthood. How thrilling it has been to listen to these young men [Grant Pace and Scott Peterson, whose addresses will be published in the Conference Report].

The Lord must be very pleased about the prospects for his Church in the future, and, of course, the most gratifying aspect of all is the fact that there are hundreds and hundreds of young men—deacons, teachers, and priests—from all over the Church who could have represented their quorums here tonight with sincerity, with ability, and with a fervent testimony that God lives.

What Gives "Spiritual Dimension"?

What causes a boy to think this way? What is it that gives spiritual dimension during teenage years? Certainly, in the eyes of the world, this type of thinking should come much later in life, but we Mormons seem to be different. These two young men have been obviously well-trained. The academic quality of their talks has been superior. How grateful we are to the public schools and to church activity that have made this excellence possible.

However, the thing that has made these talks truly outstanding is their rich spiritual dimension and sincerity. Truly, this has enabled their messages through the Spirit of the Lord to sink deeply into the hearts and minds of those of us who have been privileged to listen.

Sincere Spirit of Testimony

This is the same sincerity and spirit of testimony that makes a Mormon missionary successful in his field of labor. His discussion, his testimony is not a mere communication of words. It is much more than that. It is a transmittal of the Spirit of God into the hearts of those receptive to his message.

Speaking of this spiritual dimension, may we acknowledge the hand of the Primary teachers, the Sunday School, the MIA, priesthood advisers, seminary instructors, and bishops in helping to mold this spiritual image which is such a vital factor among our youth. But may we, most of all, pay tribute to loving and devoted parents who are not too busy, not too preoccupied to teach their children to pray, to worship, to be unselfish, and to study not only the academic requirements but also those things called spiritual.

Spirituality First Taught

When should parents start teaching spirituality? Spirituality is taught in the first hour of the first day of a babe's mortal existence, for the deepest expression of spirituality is love; and when love is expressed as only a parent can express love, there is a real and definite registration made in the heart and mind of the tiniest babe. Everyone here has seen a babe in a high chair, closing his eyes and bowing his head as the blessing is said on the food, even before he is able to walk. We can't start too soon, brethren. We must start on the very first day of life.

What must we do to give this spiritual dimension to our children? Where do we find time? Is ten minutes a day too much? Few stories from the scriptures would take more than ten minutes to retell in the vocabulary of your children, whatever the age might be. Yes, these stories are told and retold in the auxiliaries of the Church but never with quite the same impact that is found as a parent tells the story in the environment of the home and the fireside.

Just this week a fine bishop who has traveled 8,000 miles to this conference, all the way from New Zealand, told of how he had recently read a Book of Mormon story to his children before bedtime. It was the touching story of Nephi as he suffered persecution at the hands of his own brothers. Bishop Palmer described the tears of sympathy streaming down the cheeks of his young son as the story unfolded.

Children's Capacity for Spiritual Teaching

Yes, brethren, our children have an amazing capacity for spiritual teaching at a most tender age, and somehow it becomes extra special when taught by the parents in the home.

Now, may I divert momentarily to tell you of the great spiritual strength Sister Simpson and I felt from two teenage youngsters who stood at the base of the stairs leading to the glistening New Zealand Temple on the eve before its dedication in 1958. Because it was after dark, the temple appeared to be suspended in space as large floodlights bathed it in a fluorescent, bluish glow. It was beautiful to behold.

The youngsters had just completed a long tedious journey in an open truck, and as they arrived, they ran directly from the truck to the temple steps. This was a dream come true. They were looking at a temple of the Lord for the first time in their young lives. After a moment of silence, one of them finally spoke and said, "Let us go up where we can touch it." After a few short moments the other one said, "Do you really think we should?"

Then following a short discussion, both agreed that it would be better to wait until morning after they had had a chance to clean up and put on their finest Sunday clothes before going up to touch the house of the Lord.

As Sister Simpson and I stood there unnoticed by these two young people, our hearts were overjoyed at the thought of parental teaching that had given this spiritual dimension to the youth of Zion, way down in the South Pacific.

On another occasion in far-off New Zealand, a young Maori boy, who was a teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood, came to our elders' quarters, arousing us in the middle of the night. In his hand was a piece of paper, and in his eyes there were tears. "Elder Simpson, will you please keep my teacher's certificate for me for a few days? Will you keep it for me until I can make myself worthy of it once again?"

I am pleased to say that the infraction was not too serious, and things were all right in a very short time, but I was grateful once more for parental teachings that gave this boy a conscience. To him, the privilege of holding the priesthood was sacred and was incompatible with his fleeting moment of weakness during the past day or so.

Incidentally, I might report that he found during this episode that it was not possible to lay aside the priesthood for a few days by simply handing over his certificate. I am certain there are many who wish it were this easy.

Oh, what a sad thing it is to see young men compromise their priesthood obligation through the dangerous practice of rationalization. The adversary is quick to help anyone develop the knack of convincing himself that almost anything is okay under certain conditions.

We listened to a good illustration here tonight about the difference between black and white and all the shadings of gray. Sometimes the adversary is sitting there on our shoulder trying to take us into that area of gray just a little farther.

I shall never forget the prime example of rationalization. It was an experience I had during a visit to a prison at the request of the warden. He wanted someone to give a word of encouragement to three boys claiming to be Latter-day Saints. I met these three young men, and found out right away that although they had been baptized, they had not had the benefit of parental teaching. They knew very little about the Church, but they did know they were Latter-day Saints.

An arrangement was made that I might talk to each of them privately. During our discussions, I found out that the first two young men were in prison for stealing. As I turned my attention to the third young man, I said, "I suppose you are in here for stealing?" He stood up to his full stature, and he said, "Elder, I wouldn't steal. My mother taught me never to steal anything from anyone. I wouldn't go into a house or store and take anything that wasn't mine. I'm not in here for stealing. I'm in here for forgery."

Well, now, brethren of the priesthood, how about this gray area? That was pretty dark gray I would say. I think he was over in the black. But I want to tell you we have to be on constant guard for this thing called rationalization.

Father and Son

I see hundreds of fathers in the Tabernacle tonight with their sons. What a glorious sight this is. The Lord must be very pleased, for there are scores of meetinghouses all over this continent with other dads sitting in this priesthood meeting with their sons. Do you realize that there are probably more father-son combinations in this meeting tonight than in any meeting ever held in the history of the world? President McKay has suggested that 70,000 men and boys are assembled all holding the priesthood of our Heavenly Father. Find me the equal to it. It just doesn't exist, for this is his Church, and this meeting tonight is an evidence of it.

We are showing the way to the world, brethren. What more common ground could a father and a son have to start a heart-to-heart talk? You both hold the priesthood of God. You have everything worth having in common so long as you honor it and magnify it.

Means of Motivation

As we preside over the affairs of our homes, dads, it becomes largely a matter of motivating members of the family in the proper direction. I understand from the experts that there are five basic methods of motivation: love, duty, reward, fear, and force. Now fear and force are tools of the adversary and typify organizations of his making. No parent has ever been able to secure a real and long-lasting objective with a child using either of these methods. While the immediate purpose is almost always guaranteed; in terms of eternity, they always fail.

Incentives

Due to the human element in all of us, there is often merit in the reward incentive program. A desire for a Certificate of Achievement, an Individual Award, or a Duty to God recognition has paid handsome dividends through the years in encouraging young people to greater church activity. On the other hand, we see frequent examples of selfishness being built up in the hearts of children as the reward program is carried to excess by unthinking parents who give too freely to their children and keep giving and giving and giving.

All should be sensitive to duty. We are a part of society, a social organization or a religious group, and as such we have an obligation to the group, not always at our personal convenience. We are sometimes moved to good works simply because it is our duty to do so, and a God-given conscience will not let us rest until our duty is done. We should feel very sorry for people without conscience. It is a manifestation of selfishness, in my opinion.

But first and foremost, at the top of the list, second to none, brethren, is that motivation which is love. "If ye love me, keep my commandments"  John 14:15 Obedience will always be the result of love. It is an eternal principle. More love in our hearts increases our capacity for love and, consequently, greater devotion and an even greater degree of obedience. And after we are more obedient, we have greater capacity for love and on it goes like an endless spiral upward, terminating in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

My final plea tonight is to all youth of the Aaronic Priesthood and concerns one of the most important of God's commandments. It was given to the children of Israel and has never been set aside nor altered through the ages. "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee"  Ex. 20:12 This is our duty. Our spiritual Father has spoken out of his love for us. And as we do our duty and keep this commandment the very process of honoring our parents will promote a love and affection that will eventually replace the duty aspect and bring an eternal love into the family circle.

An unkind word of disrespect to a parent is incompatible with the priesthood. If such has been the case, we must seek help from the Lord in fervent prayer to overcome a tendency that, if continued, will assuredly stand between us and the ultimate presence of the Lord.

Now, what about the promise associated with this commandment, ". . . that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee"  Ex. 20:12 This is not only a promise of a maximum mortal span but an eternal promise as well. President Joseph Fielding Smith made it very clear yesterday morning that this earth upon which we live will be celestialized. May we not then logically conclude, brethren, that as we honor our mothers and our fathers, we can also think in terms of living on this goodly land forever and ever, provided the other areas of our lives are worthy of a celestial reward. That we might stay long upon the land that God has given us, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.