Teresa of Avila was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1622. She helped me see the Atonement from a perspective other than my own when she taught: "May it please His Majesty (Christ) to give us understanding of how much we cost him . . . and that we must work in order to enjoy his glory . . . Test us, Lord . . . so that we may know ourselves."

From the Catholic nun Maria Celeste to her father, Galileo Galilei, upon hearing of the death of her aunt and Galileo's sister, I was reminded of God's love and our need to trust Him when she wrote: "Father . . . We share deeply in your grief, (and) you would do well to draw even greater comfort from contemplating (that) . . . we are all of us here on Earth like strangers and wayfarers, who soon will be bound for our true homeland in Heaven . . . Be consoled and . . . put yourself in His hands, for, as you know so well, that is what He wants of you."

From the great astronomer himself, I was taught the benefits that come from tribulation. Galileo wrote: "Whatever the course of our life we should receive (it) as the highest gift from the hand of God . . . We should accept misfortune not only in thanks, but in infinite gratitude to Providence, which by such means detaches us from an excessive love for Earthly things and elevates our minds to the celestial and divine."

Gandhi, the great practitioner of non-violent resistance, who led the fight that freed India, put into words his practice and the basis for his success: "Power is of two kinds . . . One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective."

A single phrase from the Koran describes Satan as "the whisperer," and for the rest of my life I will ever have that image of Satan and his minions lurking beside me constantly whispering falsehoods in an attempt to deceive.

When so many people, in times of crisis, choose to blame God, the renowned Christian apologist, C.S. Lewis, reminded me why there is suffering in the world and its source: "The possibility of pain is inherent in the very existence of a world where souls can meet. When souls become wicked they will certainly use this possibility to hurt one another; and this, perhaps, accounts for 4/5ths of the suffering of men. It is men, not God, who have produced racks, whips, prisons, slavery, guns, bayonets, and bombs; it is by human avarice or human stupidity, not by the churlishness of nature, that we have poverty and overwork."

Finally, returning to Joseph Smith, the great prophet of the restoration, who warned: "All the religious world is boasting of righteousness: it is the doctrine of the devil to retard the human mind, and hinder our progress, by filling us with self-righteousness."

We cannot be self-righteous and call ourselves worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Rather, tolerance and respect must be our watchwords.

(Kristine Wardle Frederickson is currently a PhD candidate in modern European, Religious and Women's History at the University of Utah while she teaches in the History, Honors, Women's Studies and Religion Departments at BYU. A California native, she enjoys family, travel, reading, sports and sorely misses the beach. She and her husband, Reid, are the parents of six children.)