President Oaks says avoid contention, be peacemakers – Church News

In a time of toxic communication and hostility in public and personal relationships, President Dallin H. Oaks taught that followers of Jesus Christ need to avoid contention and be peacemakers.

President Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, concluded the Saturday morning session of October 2024 general conference by re-emphasizing what he described as “one of Christ’s best-known commandments — most revolutionary and most difficult to follow” and yet “a most fundamental part of His invitation to follow Him.”

Quoting familiar Bible language, President Oaks said: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

Jesus also taught, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

“As followers of Christ,” President Oaks told the worldwide audience of Latter-day Saints and their friends, “we teach and testify of Jesus Christ, our perfect role model. So, let us follow Him by foregoing contention.

“As we pursue our preferred policies in public actions, let us qualify for His blessings by using the language and methods of peacemakers. In our families and other personal relationships let us avoid what is harsh and hateful.”

‘Following Christ’

At the beginning of his remarks — titled “Following Christ” — President Oaks explained that following the Savior is not a casual or occasional practice. “It is a continuous commitment and way of life that should guide us at all times and in all places,” he said.

God’s commandments provide the guiding and steadying force in one’s life, President Oaks said.

He compared experiences in mortality to a boy and his father flying a kite on a windy day. When the boy proposed to cut the connecting string so the kite could rise higher, his father explained that the string holds it in place against the wind. Losing hold on the string would cause the kite to be carried away and inevitably crash to the earth.

“That essential string represents the covenants that connect us to God, our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ,” President Oaks said. “As we honor those covenants by keeping Their commandments and following Their Plan of Redemption, Their promised blessings enable us to soar to celestial heights.”

Re-emphasizing the Savior’s teachings

President Oaks said the Lord gives two types of commandments — permanent, like the doctrine of Christ, and temporary, like leading the pioneer exodus west. Temporary commandments are those necessary for the needs of the Lord’s Church in temporary circumstances and are set aside when the need has passed.

Some permanent commandments have taken time to be generally observed and need re-emphasis because of circumstances faced by the Church and its members, he said. One example is President Russell M. Nelson’s recent call for the Church to be known by its revealed name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Another of the Savior’s teachings that seems to require re-emphasis in present circumstances is avoiding contention, President Oaks said.

“This is a time of many harsh and hurtful words in public communications and sometimes even in our families. Sharp differences on issues of public policy often result in actions of hostility — even hatred — in public and personal relationships,” he said.

President Oaks noted that avoiding contention was among the first principles Jesus taught when He appeared to the Nephites.

“While He taught this in the context of disputes over religious doctrine, the reasons He gave clearly apply to communications and relationships in politics, public policy, and family relationships,” President Oaks said.

Avoid content, be peacemakers

Re-emphasizing the Savior’s closely related teaching about peacemakers, President Oaks quoted President Nelson, who recently urged all to choose to be a peacemaker. “True disciples of Jesus Christ are peacemakers,” President Nelson said in April 2023 general conference.

“To follow our perfect role model and His prophet,” President Oaks said, “we need to practice what is popularly known as the Golden Rule: ‘all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets’” (Matthew 7:12).

President Oaks continued: “We need to love and do good to all. We need to avoid contention and be peacemakers in all our communications. This does not mean to compromise our principles and priorities, but to cease harshly attacking others for theirs.

“That is what our perfect role model did in His ministry. That is the example He set for us, as He invited us to follow Him.”