The Moral Force of Women

The Moral Force of Women

by: Elder D. Todd Chistofferson of the Quorum of the 

Twelve Apostles

what stood out:

1. Your intuition is to do goo and to be good, and as you follow the Holy Spirit, your moral authority and influence will grow.

2. While certainly not the only positive influence at work in society, the moral foundation provided by women has proved uniquely beneficial to the common good. Perhaps, because it is pervasive, this contribution of women is often under appreciated. I wish to express gratitude for the influence of good women, identify some of the philosophies and trends that threaten women's strength and standing, and voice a plea to women to cultivate the innate moral power within them.

3. Women bring with them into the world a certain virtue, a divine gift that makes them adept at instilling such qualities as faith, courage, empathy, and refinement in relationships and in cultures.

4. A woman's moral influence is nowhere more powerfully felt or more beneficially employed then in the home.

5. In all events, a mother can exert an influence unequaled by an other person in any other relationship, by the power of her example and teaching, her sons to learn to respect womanhood and to incorporate discipline and high moral standards in their own lives.

6. A mother's love and high expectations lead her children to act responsibly without excuses, to be serious about education and personal development, and to make ongoing contributions to the well-being of all around them.

7. Elder Neal A. Maxwell once asked: "When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? the great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in Congresses?

8. Former Young Women general president Margaret D. Naduald taught:

"The World has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender.  There are enough women who are coarse; We need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; We need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity."

9. My Plea to women and girls today is to protect and cultivate the moral force that is within you. Preserve that innate virtue and the unique gifts you bring with you into the world. Your intuition is to do good and to be good, and as you follow the Holy Spirit, your moral authority and influence will grow.

10. Sisters, of all your associations, it is your relationship with God, your Heavenly Father, who is the source of your moral power, that you must always put first in your life. Remember that Jesus' power came through His single-minded devotion to the will of the Father.

11. Strive to be that kind of disciple of the Father and the son, and your influence will never fade.

12. Dear sisters, we rely on the moral force you bring to the world, to marriage, to family, to the Church. We rely on blessings you bring down from heaven by your prayers and faith.

13. Brethren, let us stand with women, share their burdens, and cultivate our own companion moral authority.