C.S. Lewis on Temptation and Sin
“No man knows how
bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that
good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only
those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find
out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in.
You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying
down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know
what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one
sense, know very little about badness — they have lived a sheltered life by
always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us
until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never
yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what
temptation means — the only complete realist” (Mere Christianity).
Parley P. Pratt on the Holy Ghost
“He (mankind) is
an intelligent being, in the Image of God, possessing every organ, attribute,
sense, sympathy, and affection that is possessed by God Himself. But these are
possessed by man, in his rudimental state, in a subordinate sense of the word.
Or, in other words, these attributes are in embryo, and are to be gradually
developed. They resemble a bud, a germ, which gradually develops into a bloom
and then, by progress, produces the mature fruit after its own kind. The Gift
of the Holy Ghost adapts itself to all these organs or attributes. It quickens
all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands and purifies all
the natural passions and affections and adapts them by the gift of wisdom, to
their lawful use. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness,
gentleness and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It
tends to give health, vigor, animation and social feeling. It invigorates all
the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens and gives
tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the
heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being.
“In the presence of such persons (who have been thus affected by It), one feels to enjoy the light of their countenance, as the genial rays of a sunbeam. Their very atmosphere diffuses a thrill, a warm glow of pure gladness and sympathy of Spirit. No matter if the parties are strangers, entirely unknown to each other, each will be apt to remark in his own mind, and perhaps exclaim, when referring to the interview- "Oh, what an atmosphere encircles that stranger! How my heart thrilled with pure and holy feelings in the presence of this person. What confidence and sympathy he inspired. His countenance and spirit gave me more assurance than a thousand written recommendations, or introductory letters." Such is the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and such are it's operations, when received through the lawful channel-the Divine, Eternal Priesthood” (Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, pp. 101- 103).
“In the presence of such persons (who have been thus affected by It), one feels to enjoy the light of their countenance, as the genial rays of a sunbeam. Their very atmosphere diffuses a thrill, a warm glow of pure gladness and sympathy of Spirit. No matter if the parties are strangers, entirely unknown to each other, each will be apt to remark in his own mind, and perhaps exclaim, when referring to the interview- "Oh, what an atmosphere encircles that stranger! How my heart thrilled with pure and holy feelings in the presence of this person. What confidence and sympathy he inspired. His countenance and spirit gave me more assurance than a thousand written recommendations, or introductory letters." Such is the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and such are it's operations, when received through the lawful channel-the Divine, Eternal Priesthood” (Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, pp. 101- 103).
Elder Merrill J. Bateman on the Atonement
“For many years I
thought of the Savior’s experience in the garden and on the cross as places
where a large mass of sin was heaped upon Him. Through the words of Alma,
Abinadi, Isaiah, and other prophets, however, my view has changed. Instead of
an impersonal mass of sin, there was a long line of people, as Jesus felt “our
infirmities” (Heb. 4:15), “[bore] our griefs, … carried our sorrows … [and] was
bruised for our iniquities” (Isa. 53:4–5).
“The Atonement was
an intimate, personal experience in which Jesus came to know how to help each
of us” (“A Pattern for All,” General Conference, Oct 2005).
