Elder Neil L. Andersen on showing kindness and love to all men

Elder Neil L. Andersen (born August 9, 1951) served as a Seventy beginning in 1993, and was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 2009.

"Everyone, independent of his or her decisions and beliefs, deserves our kindness and consideration.

"The Savior taught us to love not only our friends but also those who disagree with us—and even those who repudiate us. He said: 'For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? … And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?' (Matthew 5:46–47.)

"The Prophet Joseph Smith warned us to 'beware of self-righteousness' and to enlarge our hearts toward all men and women until we feel 'to take them upon our shoulders.' (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 427, 429.) In the gospel of Jesus Christ, there is no place for ridicule, bullying, or bigotry."

- Neil L. Andersen, "Spiritual Whirlwinds," General Conference April 2014
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How do we treat those around us who have different beliefs, different backgrounds, different cultures, different lifestyles? Even those in our midst, or fellow Church-members or family members who may have other understandings or life choices than those we find preferable or acceptable—do we continue to treat them with "kindness and consideration"? Elder Andersen counsels us on this aspect of true Christianity:

It is often easy to love or to accept those who believe, practice, and behave in ways we find most appropriate or most similar to ourselves. But that does not ever excuse treating others with differing beliefs in ways that are less than kind. A true Christian would never fall into any aspect of "ridicule, bullying, or bigotry." In fact, perhaps one of the greatest marks of true Christian discipleship is how we treat those we disagree with!

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2018)