James E. Faust was an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this devotional
address was given at Brigham Young University on 10 June 1975.
Being thoughtful students, you are all aware of the cynical statement of Karl Marx, "Religion is the sign of the oppressed creature. The feeling of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of unspiritual conditions. It is the opium of the people." Rather than being like a drug, these gifts of the Spirit work differently. They do not excite; they calm. They do not hallucinate; they strengthen. They do not weaken, but make more powerful. They are not mere escape hatches from responsibilities, but instruments of insight into what life really means. The spiritually liberating life proves itself by moral responsibility, by an awareness of human fallibility, yet reserves, indeed teaches, the ultimate majesty and meaning of life. It is that which spans our horizons, our feelings, our senses, rather than limiting and inhibiting them. It is the learning of the vast difference between saying prayers and praying. Our prayers, like lightning, go into the unseen, and the responses that we receive give us the safest course that can be found
What are some of the spirtually liberating moments of your life?
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