No suicides permitted here, and no smoking in the parlour. It is easy for us to lose ourselves in details in endeavoring to grasp and comprehend the real condition of a mass of human beings. We often forget that each unit in the mass is a throbbing human soul. To be a person is to have a status and worth that is unlike that of any other kind of being: it is a purpose or goal desired for its own sake with dignity. And the only response that is appropriate to such a being is respect. Respect (that is, moral recognition respect) is the acknowledgement in attitude and conduct of the dignity of persons as ends in themselves. Respect for such beings is not only appropriate to such a being, but also morally required: the status and worth of persons is such that they must always be respected. Because we are all too often inclined not to respect persons, not to value them as they ought to be valued, one formulation of the categorical imperative, which is the supreme principle of morality, commands that our actions express due respect for the worth of persons: Acts in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or the person of any other, as something that is valued and important. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7

Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in Heaven and on Earth, believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in Heaven and in Earth; believe that humans do not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. And again, believe that you must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask insincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that you do them. Our fundamental moral obligation, then, is to respect persons; morally right actions are thus those that express respect for persons because they are worthy of life and love, while morally wrong actions are those that express disrespect or contempt for persons by not valuing them as being worthy of life and love. As ideas of reason, God, freedom, and immortality are endless tasks for human activity. Alma 37.16 reports: if you keep the commandments of God, and do with these things which are sacred according to that which the Lord does command you (for you must appeal unto the Lord for all things whatsoever you must do with them) behold, no power of Earth or Hell can take them from you, for God is powerful to the fulfilling of his words. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7

In affirming the existence of God, the subject also affirms its own being, the innermost character of its own existing. The affirmation of God within human existence that constitutes the human subject cannot be a merely transitory relationship and that immorality is therefore the logical extension of the interior objectivity. Humans are allowed to maintain both their freedom and the efficacy of grace. Given the fact of God’s foreknowledge, although God knows infallible what an individual will do, such an infallible knowledge in no way determines the will of the will of the individual. The term person means a being whose rational nature already marks them out as being worthy of dignity and an object of respect. God wishes all people to be saved and he extends his grace to all. The value or worth of a person is, as of all other things, one’s price—that is to say, so much would be given for the use of one’s power—and therefore is not absolute, but a thing dependent on the need and judgment of another. However, the Spirit enlightens and gives understanding of the eternal purpose of life. A human being regarded as a person that is, as subject of morally practical reason, is exalted above all price as being worthy of love and life and possesses a dignity by which one exacts respect for oneself from all others beings in the World. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7

God foresees that some will cooperate with his grace and faith continues to have many supporters. Our great responsibility is to see that each is remembered and nourished by the good word of God, that each has opportunity for growth and expression and training in the work and ways of the Lord. It is our divine mission to assist in being to pass the immortality and eternal life of human beings. We must hunger and thirst after righteousness before we can be filled. We need to cultivate spiritual strength within ourselves before we can ever hope to engender it in others. Simply knowing about God and Jesus Christ is not enough, we must have personal, spiritual experiences to anchor us. These come through seeking them in the same intense, single-minded way that a starving person seeks food. The gaining of a strong and secure testimony is the privilege and opportunity of every individual member of the Church. Service in behalf of other, study, and prayer lead to faith in this work and then to knowledge of its truth. This has always been a personal pursuit, as it must always be in the future. I am happy about the future because that is where I live. We must fortify ourselves before we can ever hope to offer spiritual nourishment to others. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7

Dignity is in comparable worth: it cannot be compared with, exchanged for, nor replaced by any other value, whereas the very purpose of a price is to establish comparative value. And dignity is absolute or objective worth, which means that it is a value that everyone has compelling reason to acknowledge, regardless of their antecedent desires, interest, or affections. We must always treat people as they are the supremely valuable beings that they are. We could not get along in life if we could not make use of the talents, abilities, service, and labor of other people. What we must not do is to treat persons as they are a commodity for our exploitation and personal pleasure, as if the only value they have is what derives from their usefulness to us. We must respect others and regard them as absolutely, unconditionally, and incomparably valuable and we must acknowledge in a practical way that their dignity imposes absolute constraints on our treatment of them. While creation is primarily an act of the divine will, so that things exist and are good because God wills them, creation is also a rational act based on the divine intellect. Our ultimate end consists in love of, rather than in knowledge of, God, for it is the will and not the intellect that is the superior power in a human. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7

If we are obedient to the Savior’s commands, we will focus our attention on the spiritual growth and development of those for whom we are responsible. We must away our interest to others. It is important to have an enthusiastic and dynamic love for our Heavenly Father’s children. He asks us to see the spiritual hunger around us and to respond by willingly sharing our abundance. No power on Earth can accomplish as much as one righteous man or woman or boy or girl. The home and family have vital roles in cultivating and developing personal faith and testimony. The family is the basic unit of society; the best place for individuals to build faith and strong testimonies is in righteous homes filled with love. Love for our Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ is greatly enhanced when the gospel is taught and lived in the home. True principles of eternal life are embedded in the hearts and souls of young and antiquated alike when scriptures are read and discussed, when prayers are offered morning and night, and where reverence for God and obedience to him are modeled in everyday conduct. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7

Human intellect has a direct, intuitive knowledge of the singular material object, no merely indirect knowledge of it gained by reflecting upon the material image. You should understand that these things are not without a shadow. There is no home for the soul where dwells a shadow of untruth. Alma 37.21 & 22 reports: The mysteries and the works of darkness, and their secret works, or the secret works of people who have been destroyed, may be made manifest upon this people; all their murders, and robbings, and their plunderings, and all their wickedness and abominations, may be made manifest unto this people; and that you preserve in the face of these intruders. For behold, the Lord saw that his people began to work in darkness, work secret murders and abominations; therefore the Lord said, if they did not repent they should be destroyed from off the face of the Earth. The characteristics of religious life are an environment and expression of the higher life, they are of deep interest to the children of God, both socially and psychologically. The relationship with God still remains the most original and beautiful expression of human life and longing born on Earth. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7