Conference Talk of the Week

The leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encourage us to read and study the talks from the previous General Conference. If you are not aware, the church holds a General Conference every six months in which the leaders of the church--the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and other general authorities speak to the church as a whole.

In order to more fully study and incorporate their teachings into everyday living, I will take on talk every week, post an excerpt from it, and pose a question or two for us to discuss in the comments.

The talk this week is "The Transforming Power of Faith and Character" by Elder Richard G. Scott, a member of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In it, he said this:

"Faith and character are intimately related. Faith in the power of obedience to the commandments of God will forge strength of character available to you in times of urgent need. Such character is not developed in moments of great challenge or temptation. That is when it is intended to be used. Your exercise of faith in true principles builds character; fortified character expands your capacity to exercise more faith. As a result, your capacity and confidence to conquer the trials of life is enhanced. The more your character is fortified, the more enabled you are to benefit from exercising the power of faith. You will discover how faith and character interact to strengthen one another. Character is woven patiently from threads of applied principle, doctrine, and obedience."

And now for the discussion questions:

Elder Scott says that "character is not developed in moments of great challenge or temptation. That is when it is intended to be used." How do we develop our character so that we are prepared for those moments of challenge and temptation?

Mormons tend to think of character as a principle of action, while character seems more like a way of being. How are faith and character related?