Elder Maxwell Appears on PBS Program

Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared his feelings about God in one part of an eight-part television special, “Searching for God in America.”

During the 30-minute segment, which was taped in 1995 and aired on public television in July 1996, Elder Maxwell spoke with Hugh Hewitt, the interviewer for the eight one-on-one conversations with a variety of religious leaders. Elder Maxwell shared his testimony and several personal experiences, including recollections of the first time he felt the witness of the Spirit in his life.

As a 14-year-old boy, he came home from work one night to find his six-week-old sister desperately ill. “She was lying on the round dining room table and had stopped breathing,” Elder Maxwell recalled. “I watched my father, after the manner of the New Testament, bless her by the power of the priesthood, and I saw her begin to breathe again. I knew then the power of the priesthood was real.”

Elder Maxwell also spoke of his teenage years and the experiences he’d had in his life that had prepared him for his service as an Apostle.

Other subjects covered during the interview included beliefs and doctrines of the Church, differences between the LDS Church and traditional Christian churches, marriage and the sealing power, and family history.

The purpose behind the series was to look at the experiences of various religious leaders to see what had happened in their lives to confirm their faith. Mr. Hewitt thought of the idea for the series as he spoke with religious leaders during his weekly broadcasts in Los Angeles. The interviews conducted for the television series have also been compiled into a book with the same name, Searching for God in America.