Stand firm, LDS urged

LDS Church leaders urged their members to seek spiritual safety by keeping the covenants they have made with God, standing firm in their testimonies of truth and being peaceable followers of Christ.

Conference summaries LDS Church News General Conference section

A few LDS Church members jawed with vociferous street preachers outside the Conference Center throughout the weekend, and on Sunday the spats grew into two minor confrontations. Yet President Gordon B. Hinckley closed the 173rd Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday with a petition for civility.

"I pray each of us will be a little more kind, a little more thoughtful, a little more courteous. I pray that we will keep our tongues in check and not let anger prompt words which we would later regret. I pray that we may have the strength and the will to turn the other cheek, to walk the extra mile in lifting up the feeble knees of those in distress."

Several speakers during the two-day conference noted that the LDS Church will continue to stand firm on moral positions, despite societal pressure to the contrary.

In his Sunday morning address, President Hinckley said it is the mission of the church to stand as an ensign to nations and a light to world.

"There are forces all around us that would deter us from that effort. The world is constantly crowding in on us. From all sides we feel the pressure to soften our stance, to give in, here a little and there a little. We must never lose sight of our objective."

President Hinckley lauded church-owned KSL-TV's recent decision not to air the new NBC series "Coupling," though he did not refer to the program by name.

The sitcom revolves around the sex lives of six friends — three male, three female. It has been described as one of the most "adult" shows ever scheduled by a broadcast network.

"Life is better than that which is so frequently portrayed. Nature is better than that. Love is better than that. This kind of entertainment is only an evil caricature of the good and the beautiful."

President Hinckley noted that a station in South Bend, Ind., home to the University of Notre Dame, also chose not to broadcast the program. "It is comforting to know that there are others who feel as strongly as we feel and are willing to do something about it."