Elder Perry speaks at regional stake conference

Elder L. Tom Perry, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke at a regional stake conference held in the BYU-Idaho Center May 18.

Along with talks by Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, Sister Jean A. Stevens and Elder Shayne M. Bowen, Elder Perry’s talk was broadcast to stakes throughout Idaho from the BYU-I Center.

Elder Perry began by identifying himself as a member of “the Greatest Generation,” a sociological term describing those who grew during the Great Depression and World War II. (Elder Perry was born in 1922.)

He listed the following three generations — the Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y — noting that each generation has had its own set of challenges.

He said that Christians have been fighting to preserve religious freedom since the founding of Christianity and that that challenge continues into the current generation today.

He said he wanted the audience to pass along their heritage to the next generation by living righteously and teaching their current or future children to be good people. He said a child should be able to admire his or her parents.

He cited the Latter-day Saint scriptures, showing how Adam and Eve passed down the rites of animal sacrifice to their descendants all the way down to Jesus Christ. According to the Bible, those rites passed through 42 generations.

He said people in the world must resist worldly attacks on the family and be an example to the world as the Church continues to attract attention. He said that ancient and modern prophets have warned of the consequences of not living to that ideal.

The last time Elder Perry spoke at BYU-I was in 2012, when he delivered a devotional talk called “Scaffolding for Our Lives.” He also spoke at the campus in 2006, before the BYU-I Center was built.