Summary: President Hinckley teaches to be kind and respectful to everyone, even if they believe differently than we do. We don’t have to agree with others, but we should still treat them with love. He reminds us that we are all God’s children and should live with kindness and peace.

Source: Hinckley, G. B. (1997). Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley. United States: Deseret Book Company. pp. 661 – 667

Editor’s Note

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Notable Quotes

Teach [your children] tolerance. They need not surrender their own beliefs while extending tolerance to those with other beliefs. Teach them civility toward others. Conflict between the races will fade when all of us recognize that we are all part of one great family.

Each of us is part of a great family, the human family, sons and daughters of God, and therefore brothers and sisters. We must work harder to build mutual respect, an attitude of forbearance, with tolerance one for another regardless of the doctrines and philosophies which we may espouse. Concerning these you and I may disagree. But we can do so with respect and civility.

An attitude of self-righteousness is unbecoming a Latter-day Saint.

There is something of divinity in each of us that is eternal and everlasting, and in the expression of that divinity we ought to stand tall and be clean and good and pure and a happy people.

Tolerance

Excerpts of talks by Gordon B. Hinckley on tolerance

Each of us is an individual. Each of us is different. There must be respect for those differences, and while it is important and necessary that both the husband and the wife work to ameliorate those differences, there must be some recognition that they exist and that they are not necessarily undesirable. There must be respect one for the other, notwithstanding such differences. In fact, the differences may make the companionship more interesting. (“Cornerstones of a Happy Home,” Husbands and Wives Fireside Satellite Broadcast, January 29, 1984.)

Let us as Latter-day Saints cultivate a spirit of brotherhood in all of our associations. Let us be more charitable in our judgments, more sympathetic and understanding of those who err, more willing to forgive those who trespass against us. Let us not add to the measure of hatred that periodically sweeps across the world. Let us reach out in kindness to all men, even toward those who speak evil of us and who would, if they could, harm us.

In a word, let us more nearly live the gospel of the Master, whose name we have taken upon us. Let us move this work forward; let our lives be such as to be worthy of emulation. (“‘Let Us Move This Work Forward,'” Ensign, November 1985, p. 85.)

In many communities where our people are in the majority, accusations are heard that we are intolerant, that we display an attitude of self-righteousness, and that we are uncooperative in advancing causes which are for the common good. . . . It has been reported that some parents, out of a desire to protect their children, have told them that they should not associate in school with those not of their faith.

It seems anomalous that some would keep their sons and daughters from so doing while they are in the elementary schools, and yet make great sacrifice when they grow older to send them into the mission field.

Let us not forget that we believe in being benevolent and in doing good to all men. I am convinced that we can teach our children effectively enough that we need not fear that they will lose their faith while being friendly and considerate with those who do not subscribe to the doctrine of this Church. Let us reach out to those in our community who are not of our faith. Let us be good neighbors, kind and generous and gracious. Let us be involved in good community causes. There may be situations, there will be situations, where, with serious moral issues involved, we cannot bend on matters of principle. But in such instances we can politely disagree without being disagreeable. We can acknowledge the sincerity of those whose positions we cannot accept. We can speak of principles rather than personalities. In those causes which enhance the environment of the community, and which are designed for the blessing of all of its citizens, let us step forward and be helpful. An attitude of self-righteousness is unbecoming a Latter-day Saint. (Regional Representatives Seminar, April 1, 1988.)

There is too much of intolerance in the world. There is too much of it in our own society.

I once listened to a beautiful prayer offered by a Greek-American in the manner in which he had been taught to pray. It was an expression of gratitude to the Almighty and a plea for His favor. It was concluded in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. His phrasing was not as my phrasing might have been, but I recognized his sincerity and told him of my appreciation.

I sat one evening at the table of a Jewish friend. The prayer which he uttered upon his guests and upon the table at which we sat was beautiful and moving. I was grateful for what I heard.

We can be appreciative in a very sincere way. Not only must we be tolerant, but we must cultivate a spirit of affirmative gratitude for those who do not see things quite as we see them. We do not in any way have to compromise our theology, our convictions, our knowledge of eternal truth as it has been revealed by the God of Heaven. We can offer our own witness of the truth, quietly, sincerely, honestly, but never in a manner that will give offense to others.

The strength of our position as we understand it will become the clearer and more precious as we allow others the same privilege of conscience that we so highly prize. We must learn to accord appreciation and respect for others who are as sincere in their beliefs and practices as are we. (“Out of Your Experience Here,” BYU 1990–1991 Devotional and Fireside Speeches, October 16, 1990, p. 30.)

Teach [your children] tolerance. They need not surrender their own beliefs while extending tolerance to those with other beliefs.

Teach them civility toward others. Conflict between the races will fade when all of us recognize that we are all part of one great family.

Teach them respect—respect for others, respect for property of others, respect for the opinions of others, respect on the part of men for women and women for men. (“Teach the Children,” Southern Utah University Baccalaureate Address, June 3, 1994.)

We are of various doctrinal persuasions. While recognizing our theological differences, I think we are of one mind in our awareness of the evils and problems of the world and the society in which we live, and of our great responsibility and opportunity to stand united for those qualities in public and private life which speak of virtue and morality, of respect for all men and women as children of God, of the need for civility and courtesy in our relationships, and of preservation of the family as the divinely ordained basic unit of society.

While there are doctrinal differences, there is much of similarity among us. All of us carry in our hearts a desire to assist the poor, to lift the distressed, to give comfort, hope, and help to all who are in trouble and pain from whatever cause.

We recognize the need to heal the wounds of society and replace with optimism and faith the pessimism of our times. We must recognize that there is no need for recrimination or criticism against one another. We must use our influence to still the voices of angry and vindictive argument.

An article of the faith to which I subscribe states: “We claim the privilege of worshipping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may” (Article of Faith 11). I hope to find myself always on the side of those defending this position. Our strength lies in our freedom to choose. There is strength even in our very diversity. But there is greater strength in the God-given mandate to each of us to work for the uplift and blessing of all His sons and daughters, regardless of their ethnic or national origin or other differences. . . .

May the Lord bless us to work unitedly to remove from our hearts and drive from our society all elements of hatred, bigotry, racism, and other divisive words and actions. The snide remark, the racial slur, hateful epithets, malicious gossip, and mean and vicious rumor-mongering should have no place among us.

May God bless us all with the peace that comes from Him. May He bless us with thankful hearts and with the will to mingle together with respect one for another, uniting our efforts to the blessing of the communities where we are fortunate to live. (National Conference of Christians and Jews Interfaith Services, November 20, 1994.)

[All people, regardless of their religious backgrounds, are] made of one blood, all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the Earth. We all believe in the fatherhood of God; that we are all part of a great family . . . therefore, we are all brothers and sisters. We may disagree on our interpretation of God, but we can do so with respect and civility. (National Conference of Christians and Jews Banquet, February 21, 1995.)

How very heavy is the burden of human suffering, the suffering that comes of war, of so-called ethnic cleansing, of conflict in the name of religion, of foolish ideas of racial superiority, of intolerance, bigotry, and egotism.

When I was a small boy of perhaps seven or eight, I was sitting on the front porch of our home with some friends. A black family came walking down the street—a father, a mother, and two or three children. We boys made some disparaging remarks concerning them. I think they did not hear us. I hope they did not. But my mother did hear us. She marched us into the house, sat us down, and talked to us about respect and tolerance. I have never forgotten the lessons of that day.

I think often of Longfellow’s couplet: “There is so much of bad in the best of us, and so much of good in the worst of us, that it ill becomes any of us to talk about the rest of us.”

My heart has resonated with Paul’s declaration to the men of Athens: “And [God] hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26).

Each of us [from various religious denominations] believes in the fatherhood of God, although we may differ in our interpretations of Him. Each of us is part of a great family, the human family, sons and daughters of God, and therefore brothers and sisters. We must work harder to build mutual respect, an attitude of forbearance, with tolerance one for another regardless of the doctrines and philosophies which we may espouse. Concerning these you and I may disagree. But we can do so with respect and civility.

To those who are members of the church of which I am a member, I call attention to these words of Joseph Smith spoken in July of 1843: “If it has been demonstrated that I have been willing to die for a ‘Mormon,’ I am bold enough to declare before heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist, or a good man of any other denomination; for the same principle which would trample upon the rights of the Latter-day Saints would trample upon the rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination…” (History of the Church, vol. 5, pp. 498.) This, I hope, can be my standard. . . .

Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, Greek Orthodox, Muslims, and people of various racial backgrounds and ethnic origins: Thank you for the respect you exemplify and cultivate, for the tolerance you nourish, for the spirit of forbearance and civility which you demonstrate. We must continue, even more vigorously, to work unitedly for the common good, teaching our children to do likewise, so that the world, at least in some small measure, may be healed of its wounds and spared the scars of further conflict. (National Conference of Christians and Jews Banquet, February 21, 1995.)

I plead with our people everywhere to live with respect and appreciation for those not of our faith. There is so great a need for civility and mutual respect among those of differing beliefs and philosophies. We must not be partisans of any doctrine of ethnic superiority. We live in a world of diversity. We can and must be respectful toward those with whose teachings we may not agree. We must be willing to defend the rights of others who may become the victims of bigotry. (“This Is the Work of the Master,” Ensign, May 1995, p. 71.)

We recognize the good that other churches do, and they do great good. I hope they recognize the good that we do. We have points of difference, very substantial differences concerning our theology, our doctrine, our ordinances. Such important matters as that we can disagree on without being disagreeable. We can be civil and gracious and kind and decent toward them. . . . There will be differences, as there have always been. But I think we have a good relationship. . . . We must recognize there are many wonderful people in other churches. That doesn’t mitigate for one moment the impact of our message concerning the restoration of the gospel and the fact that the Lord has brought this Church forth in this dispensation for the blessing of His sons and daughters of all generations of time. (Anchorage Alaska Regional Conference, priesthood leadership session, June 17, 1995.)

Unfortunately, people can’t seem to be tolerant and respectful of the views of others in so many cases. We must cultivate in this land an attitude of tolerance and respect for the beliefs and rights of others. We must cultivate an increased spirit of civility among people in their expressions one to another, and toward the beliefs and practices of others. We can disagree with people without being disagreeable. We can disagree without raising our voices and becoming angry and vindictive in our ways. We must learn to do so. We as a Christian community must practice a greater spirit of Christ in our lives, of love one for another, and extend that to all people regardless of whom they worship or how they worship, so long as they do not infringe upon the rights of others. (Interview with Gus Niebuhr of New York Times, July 17, 1995.)

As we move into another century, we must resolve to live together in a society of men and women of diverse backgrounds, interests, and cultures. We must live with respect and tolerance and understanding one for another. We can and should retain our individuality, and respect that of others, while nurturing together a great society dedicated to the blessing of all who reside here.

We must work cooperatively to maintain and enhance those elements of our common culture, those expressions of the arts which refine and elevate the human spirit. (Utah Centennial Statehood Day Celebration, January 4, 1996.)

We respect all other churches. We do not stand out in opposition to other churches. We respect all men for all the good that they do, and we say to those of all churches, we honor the good that you do and we invite you to come and see what further good we can do for you. We think that we have some significant things to offer which are not found in other churches, but I repeat, we respect all men. We believe in worshipping God according to the dictates of our conscience and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. (Seoul Korea Press Conference, May 22, 1996.)

The first Article of our Faith reads: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” That is our basic foundation belief. God is our Eternal Father—that is not in some philosophical sense, it is in a very real sense. God is the father of our spirits, and if He is the father of all people across the earth, then it follows naturally that we are all brothers and sisters and we ought to treat one another as brothers and sisters, with kindness and respect and love, with an implementation of the golden rule: “Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12). God is our father. We are His children. We sing, “I am a child of God.” We do not think very much of what that means. It means so very much, that you and I, my dear brothers and sisters, have a divine birthright. There is something of divinity in each of us that is eternal and everlasting, and in the expression of that divinity we ought to stand tall and be clean and good and pure and a happy people. (Manila Philippines Fireside, May 30, 1996.)

Mr. Wallace: “How do you view non-Mormons?”

Response: “With love and respect. I have many non-Mormon friends. I respect them. I have the greatest of admiration for them.”

Question: “Despite the fact that they haven’t really seen the light yet?”

Reply: “Yes. To anybody who is not of this Church, I say we recognize all of the virtues and the good that you have. Bring it with you and see if we might add to it.” (“‘This Thing Was Not Done in a Corner,'” Ensign, November 1996, p. 51.)