Church president defends Mormon faith, validity of Book of Mormon

Wishing followers safe travels, peace and harmony in their homes, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints closed a two-day biannual conference Sunday by reminding the faithful to treat each other with care.

"Husbands, love and treasure your wives. They are your most precious possessions. Wives, encourage and pray for your husbands. They need all the help they can get," president Gordon B. Hinckley said. "Parents, treat your children with great kindness. They are the coming generation who will bring honor to your name."

Earlier the 96-year-old Pres. Hinckley told Latter-day Saints he is in good health despite "rumors to the contrary."

"Skillful doctors and nurses keep me on track and some of you may go before I do," the 96-year-old Hinckley said, drawing laughter from those gathered in the downtown conference center near church headquarters.

Pres. Hinckley is the 15th president of the church and has served in its top leadership circle for 49 years, at times acting as the de facto president when his predecessors took ill. He ascended to the presidency in 1995. Members revere the leader of the church as a prophet of God.

The April 2006 conference was underscored by speculation about Pres. Hinckley's health. Then 95 and recovering from colon cancer surgery, he told Latter-day Saints he was in the "sunset" of his life.

On Sunday, Pres. Hinckley repeated a favorite joke, saying that at his age, "the wind is blowing and I feel like the last leaf on the tree."

He then offered followers his testimony of faith, defending the church's central text, the Book of Mormon, as a valid account of Christ's dealings with ancient Americans. Mormons believe church founder Joseph Smith translated the text from a set of gold plates delivered to him by an angel.

"This is all recorded in detail in the Book of Mormon," Pres. Hinckley said. "I would think that every Christian would welcome this second witness of the reality of Jesus Christ. Strangely, they do not."

Some mainline religious faiths discount Mormonism as not being a Christian faith, in part because of its reliance on Smith's text. Doctrinally Mormons also differ from other faiths, believing in a preordained existence and that man can progress to a God-like state in heaven.

The debate is a sore spot for the church which in 1995 even altered its logo to place more emphasis on the inclusion of the words "Jesus Christ" in its name.