President Boyd K. Packer focused his talk on children.

"Children are the past, the present, and the future all blended into one," he said. "Every time a child is born, the world is renewed in innocence."

Parents have a strict responsibility to raise their children and to not ignore their needs, he said.

"There is nothing in the scriptures, there is nothing in what we publish, there is nothing in what we believe or teach that gives license to parents or anyone to neglect or abuse or molest our own or anyone else's children," President Packer said.

He said the strictest punishments in the scriptures are in relation to mistreating children.

President Packer briefly compared new members to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to children.

He said members need to make sure to teach new members and help them along, but to not give them more than they can handle.

"We must be careful lest we make that first step too high or design it for those with strong, long legs and leave the others without someone to lift them," he said.

Copyright Brigham Young University 6 Apr 2002