May We Love Everybody

President Sheffield shared this message in
Stake Conference on Saturday, March 9, 2024.

All individuals are children of God and part of His divine family. Because we are children of God it means we are all brothers and sisters. Because we're family and brothers and sisters, he commanded us to love one another! As his children, we all have divine potential and we are all precious in his eyes.

Now listen to this doctrine, God hath made one blood of nations of men, meaning we all come from the same source, Adam and Eve. All are alike unto Him. He does not love one race or culture more than another. Our standing with God depends on our devotion to Him and His commandments, not on the color of our skin, our ethnicity, or other physical attributes.

Now listen to what Muhammad taught in his last sermon. All humans are descendants of Adam and Eve, same blood. There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab or a non-Arab over an Arab. There is no superiority of a white person over a black person, or a black person over a white person, except on the basis of personal piety and righteousness.

A few years ago, President Nelson gave a talk that said that we should root out racism and he announced an alliance with the NAACP, and it's been healthy since then. He told us that if we were participating in racism, we need to repent. And he had soem rather strong comment comments to make. Since then. we've had Elder Oaks give a talk at a BYU devotional about the eternal principle of Black Lives Matter, and how we should have reverence and respect for all of our brothers and sisters. Then Elder Suarez gave a General Conference a year and a half ago on the same subject. Elder Christofferson gave a talk. Elder Renlund gave a talk. Elder Gong alluded to it.

And then, our Utah Area Presidency, to eliminate any ambiguity that racism only applies to people outside of Utah had a special broadcast recently where we were asked as church leaders to discuss it with our members. There was a refrain, that was repeated several time times, “It stops here. It stops now. And it stops with me.” We’ve been encouraged to discuss this in our quorums, our classes, and with our families. We’ve been encouraged to discuss this in family counciles how this could be an issue.

I called a local school administrator recently to better understand how much of an issue this is … how pervasive is racism in our Utah high schools? How much bullying is going on? The response is that this is pretty significant, and they have to talk to students regularly about this. The official indicated that sometimes people think it is funny and they are trying to be humorous. Sometimes they pick up phrases and slogans from songs, media, or TV shows, or from their family, and then they come to school and repeat it. The administrator said that often times it seems to come from the family. Yet, when they bring the parents in and explain what has been happening the parents get upset and can’t believe their child participated. So I think parents don’t realize the kids are taking cues from what is happening in the household, comments that are made when they're watching the news, maybe a selection of certain political candidates, maybe with social media sites they frequent. The parents are usually too savvy and careful to not repeat those things in public, or not say them at all. But the kids think, well, I heard it in my home so it must be okay at school. And that's a shame.

So when that refrain says “It stops here. It stops now. And it stops with me.” I think they're saying this might be multigenerational, and some of us have parents with family members who may be more racist than we are. I think they're saying hey, it can stop now with me. Future generations don't have to have this.

In the Book of Mormon, it says “For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.” (2 Nephi 26:33)

In the seminary program this next week all the students are invited to have a special supplemental lesson to talk about this and to watch this talk by a member of the Utah Area Presidency, and to discuss it and to be introspective.

When we were baptized we made a covenant to “mourn with those that mourn”, to “comfort those that stand in need of comfort” and “bear one another’s burdens” (Mosiah 18:8-9). I think that direction applies to us with regard to everybody.

In current events, it might mean that we're sympathetic or we comfort or we mourn with the Jews when Hamas crossed the border and tormented them the way we did. Similarly, our hearts should be full and we should be mourning with the decimation, with the revenge, with the retribution that Israel has brought upon Gaza. You think about the devastation, and all the deaths, we should be mourning with them. It seems quite logical that we should mourn with our black brothers and sisters when we saw that George Floyd was killed. We would mourn with him. We would mourn with the black community. And to be calloused and say that not all black lives matter, and just all lives matter is being insensitive, and not acknowledging that, not mourning with those that mourn.

It doesn't mean if you mourn with somebody, or comfort somebody that you necessarily agree with all of the underlying principles and statements. Similarly, there's an increase in LGBTQ and transgender activity. And in our church, we teach, and will always teach, that this lifestyle is wrong. We live the law of chastity by having relations only with somebody of the opposite sex to whom we are married. So that doesn't change.

But if somebody chooses to follow that direction, and feels like that's what's right with them, we don't embrace that doctrine that they choose. But we would mourn with them if they want that, and seek to understand them and comfort them because they're a child of God.

We should be mourning with those in Ukraine. We should be mourning with those in Russia. We should be mourning for the parents of those who are losing soldiers. I think maybe there are some exceptions here and there. But I think we should mourn with everybody that is oppressed, everybody that's hurting. Even if they sin, even if they chose some behavior and brought these consequences upon themselves, we can still mourn with them. We can still love them. That's what God has directed us to do. We love God and we love our neighbor as ourselves. Not just those who have the same political background or the same understanding of which commandments to follow. We love all of our fellow men.

In the Book of Moses, when God was weeping Enoch said, Why are you weeping? You are all-powerful. You're eternal. You're everything. How can you weep? And he said I gave them life. I gave them agency. I gave them knowledge. I taught them what to do. But they didn't keep the commandments. They did not love their fellow man. And that made God cry.

Let me refer to 4 Nephi. It says there was no disputation, no contention for 110 years. Imagine that joyous people. The opposite of God weeping is what happened in that regard because there was no disputation. They were one people. There was no black, no white, no bond, no free. They were all one. I'm sure, I've no doubt they were all very different from each other. But they were all one in unity, in how they treated one another. And it was because of the love of God that was in their heart.

And I think maybe when they referred to the love of God, it was the opposite of God weeping, that it was God’s love for them that was in their heart. And that happiness for them because of the choices they were making He didn’t weep for them. He rejoiced in them. And consequently, they lived after the manner of happiness. There could not have been a happier people among all of God’s creations.

May we strive to be a people like that. May we strive to love everybody, mourn with everybody, comfort everybody, bear everybody's burdens, even if we don't necessarily agree with them. May you all go back and have these discussions with your children, and with your grandchildren.

I asked this high school administrator, does it matter? Look how many talks we heard about this and you're still having students come in. Does it matter that we talk about it? This person said it matters. When people talk about it, they understand it better, and it makes a difference in their lives.

May it make a difference in our lives. May we become a Zion people. May we love everybody. May we mourn with everybody. May we comfort everybody. May we strive to bear everybody’s burdens I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.