“The Doctrine of Belonging—Excerpts,” For the Strength of Youth, Nov. 2022.
The Doctrine of Belonging
Excerpts
I would like to speak about what I call the doctrine of belonging in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. …
… We cannot permit any racism, tribal prejudice, or other divisions to exist in the latter-day Church of Christ. …
A sense of belonging is important to our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Yet it is quite possible that at times each of us might feel that we don’t fit in. …
Let us leave judgment in the Lord’s hands and those He has commissioned and be content to love and treat each other the best we can. …
A second facet of the doctrine of belonging has to do with our own contributions. Although we rarely think about it, much of our belonging comes from our service and the sacrifices we make for others and for the Lord. …
The final and most important element of the doctrine of belonging is the central role of Jesus Christ. We don’t join the Church for fellowship alone, important as that is. We join for redemption through the love and grace of Jesus Christ. We join to secure the ordinances of salvation and exaltation for ourselves and those we love on both sides of the veil. We join to participate in a great project to establish Zion in preparation for the Lord’s return.