Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Agency as a Gift from God to Mankind



We have a right to liberty—that was a right God gave to all men . . . (John Taylor | JOD 23:63, April 9, 1882)

God has given to all men an agency and has granted to us the privilege to serve Him or serve Him not, do to that which is right . . . (Joseph Smith | JOD 24:175, April 8, 1883)

With regard to the rights of the human family, I wish to say that God has given unto all of His children of this dispensation, as He gave unto all of His children of previous dispensations, individual agency. (Wilford Woodruff, Millennial Star 51:642, September 1, 1889)

Men may believe what they will believe. They are free to believe as they choose. God has given to every soul the free agency to choose the good or the evil, and His children have been given a knowledge of good and evil. No man ever came to a state of perfection without the knowledge and love of God and the love of his neighbor. (Joseph F. Smith, Improvement Era 21:358, November 11, 1917)

Go has given us our agency. He will not take it from us, and if I do that which is wrong and get into the devil’s territory, I do it because I have the will and power to do it. (George Albert Smith, Conference Report, p. 27, October, 1932)