(4/13/97)
The word of the Lord is truth. You ask, What is truth? It is the truth that God lives. What more is truth? It is the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world; that he atoned for the sin of Adam, and that through our repentance and obedience to him we shall receive a forgiveness of our own sins, and shall be cleansed therefrom, and exalted again in the presence of God, from whence we came. It is truth that God has revealed to the world that except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of heaven. It is eternal truth that except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. These are the Almighty's truths that he has revealed to the children of men, and upon these we will stand. We propose to bear our testimony to these truths, and to declare these principles to the children of men, as long as God will give us his Spirit, and we are entrusted with this mission to declare Jesus Christ and him crucified and risen from the dead, and Joseph Smith raised up by the power of God to restore the fulness of the everlasting Gospel and the authority of the Holy Priesthood to the earth in the dispensation of the fulness of times. We bear this testimony to the world, and we know that our testimony is true; for we have received of that Spirit of truth which is of God, and of which Jesus speaks here through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Therefore, our testimony is in force upon the world. Especially is it in force upon those who have yielded obedience to the message of salvation as it has been restored to the earth and declared unto you. — President Joseph F. Smith, as quoted by Elder B. H. Roberts in The Mormon Doctrine of Deity, p. 293

(4/14/97)
The Gods organized and gave life to man and placed him on the earth. This is absolute. It cannot be disproved. A million brilliant minds might conjecture otherwise, but it is still true. And having done all this for his Father's children, the Christ mapped out a plan of life for man -- a positive and absolute program whereby man might achieve, accomplish, and overcome and perfect himself. Again, these vital truths are not matters of opinion. If they were, then your opinion would be just as good as mine, or better. But I give you these things, not as my opinion -- I give them to you as divine truths which are absolute….
Any intelligent man may learn what he wants to learn. He may acquire knowledge in any field, though it requires much thought and effort. It takes more than a decade to get a high school diploma; it takes an additional four years for most people to get a college degree; it takes nearly a quarter-century to become a great physician. Why, oh, why do people think they can fathom the most complex spiritual depths without the necessary experimental and laboratory work accompanied by compliance with the laws that govern it? Absurd it is, but you will frequently find popular personalities, who seem never to have lived a single law of God, discoursing in interviews on religion. How ridiculous for such persons to attempt to outline for the world a way of life! — President Spencer W. Kimball, Absolute Truth, Ensign, Sept. 1978, pp. 3-5

(4/15/97)
Gospel truth stands as a pillar of peace, security, and freedom for all who would avail themselves. And I further attest that the ultimate in revealed truth, light, and eternal assurance is inseparably connected with the temple. Those sacred buildings are reverently and accurately referred to as the House of the Lord. —Elder Robert L. Simpson, General Conference, October 1980

(4/16/97)
With the rapid changes that are taking place today in every phase of our lives, it is very important that we recognize the eternal nature of principles of truth. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first great eternal principle of the gospel and is indeed a very vital factor in our lives. To me it is one of the most interesting and inspiring principles to contemplate. — Elder Franklin D. Richards, General Conference, April 1966

(4/17/97)
The acquisition of knowledge is a sacred activity, pleasing to our Father in Heaven and favored by him and his servants. Speaking on this campus about forty years ago, President J. Reuben Clark declared: God made clear that the gaining of knowledge is not to be like the commonplace work of earning a livelihood. He who invades the domain of knowledge must approach it as Moses came to the burning bush; be stands on holy ground; he would acquire things sacred; he seeks to make his own the attributes of Deity, the truth which Christ declared he was (John 14..6), and which shall make us free (John 8:32). . . . We must come to this quest of truth--in all regions of human knowledge whatsoever, not only in reverence, but with a spirit of worship. [Remarks given at the inauguration of BYU President Howard S. McDonald, 14 November 1945 (Inauguration Speeches, BYU Archives)] — Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Counsel for Students¸ BYU Speeches of the Year, 18 September 1984