President Hinckley Speaks to BYU Alumni, President Monson to Students

President Gordon B. Hinckley recently told a gathering of Brigham Young University alumni he hoped their testimonies were still burning brightly.

“I hope that as the years have passed, there has been no dimming of [your] testimony. I hope it shines brighter than ever before. I hope that it is your strength in every circumstance,” he said, speaking to some 3,000 BYU alumni and friends at a 12 September devotional in the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

During the devotional, organized by the Great Salt Lake Chapter of the BYU Alumni Association, President Hinckley also emphasized the importance of the Relief Society. “You women who are with us today I hope have carried on with the activities of the Relief Society, your own incomparable organization. There is nothing else like it in all the world,” he said.

“This remarkable organization affords sociality, tremendous service opportunities, enlightenment and education, administering to the wants of those in need, and many other opportunities,” he continued. “You women have two alma maters, the school which you attended and the Relief Society of which you are members. The Relief Society is your dear and caring mother. In sickness or in health it will bless your life. It will afford you opportunities for growth and development. It will provide you with the friendship of the best women in the world. It will comfort you in times of sorrow, bless you in times of distress, and give unto you the inimitable joy of association with those of your own kind.”

President Hinckley also urged all alumni to appreciate and respect people of differing beliefs, races, and backgrounds. “I hope that your university experience has given you an enlarged sense of tolerance and respect for those not of your faith,” he said. “The true gospel of Jesus Christ never led to bigotry. It never led to self-righteousness. It never led to arrogance. The true gospel of Jesus Christ leads to brotherhood, to friendship, to appreciation of others, to respect, kindness, and love.”

On the same day, President Thomas S. Monson, First Counselor in the First Presidency, addressed BYU students at Provo.

He counseled them to prepare well for the future in the “classrooms” of home, school, and the Church.

In the home, “we cannot truly honor our parents without serving God, and we cannot serve God without honoring our parents,” said President Monson.

At school, students should assess their capacities, choose the field in which they can do best and are needed most, and then put all their efforts into it.

The Church provides schooling that “commenced before you were born and will continue into eternity. Our Heavenly Father will never fail you in your learning; neither will His Beloved Son,” said President Monson. “The curriculum of this classroom is found in … the holy scriptures.”

In closing, President Monson said that with the “help and with the preparation about which we have spoken, you can go forward in this great race of life and achieve.”

President Hinckley emphasized the importance of testimony, the Relief Society, and tolerance as he spoke to BYU alumni. (Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News.)