"In today's world where Satan's aggression against the family is so prevalent, parents must do all they can to fortify and defend their families." Society has launched campaigns that would destroy the family as God intended it, he said. "Our most basic institution of family desperately needs help and support from the extended family and the institutions that surround us."

Modest dress was another focal point for speakers.

Sister Susan Tanner, general president of the Young Women, emphasized the sanctity of the human body and urged church members to treat their bodies with the respect due their sacred nature, including the choice of apparel. "Modesty is more than a matter of avoiding revealing attire," she said. "It describes not only the altitude of hemlines and necklines but the attitude of our hearts."

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of Twelve echoed her remarks, specifically addressing the young women of the church. He pleaded with them to "make your teenage years a triumph, not a tragedy," and urged LDS women to be mindful of the example they set for girls if they are striving to be a "size 2" when in reality "there is no universal optimum size."

"If adults are preoccupied with appearance — implanting and tucking and nipping and remodeling everything that can be remodeled — those pressures and anxieties will most certainly seep through to children," he said. "At some point the problem becomes what the Book of Mormon called 'vain imagination.' And in secular society, both vanity and imagination run wild."

Thousands took advantage of perfect autumn weather, crowding the Conference Center and other church sites in downtown Salt Lake City to hear the counsel of church leaders. Millions more throughout the world watched or listened to the proceedings via communications technology. The semiannual meetings will continue through 4 p.m. today.

The conference, as always, was a time for spiritual renewal for many Latter-day Saints. Bruce and Sherrie Ann Slack, longtime Las Vegas residents now living in St. George, said it was the first time they had come to the Conference Center for the semiannual meetings.

"We've watched it on TV for years, and you feel the spirit there, but it's something else to be here in the building, to be able to see the general authorities," said Bruce Slack.

"Fabulous. Fantastic. And beautiful," was how his wife characterized the event.

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E-mail: tvanleer@desnews.com