President Hinckley, revered as a prophet by the 11 million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, emphasized that despite troubled times, "I do not wish to be an alarmist. I do not wish to be a prophet of doom. I am optimistic. I do not believe that the time is here when an all-consuming calamity will overtake us. I earnestly pray that it may not. There is so much of the Lord's work yet to be done. We, and our children after us, must do it."
His remarks came in the closing moments of the Sunday morning session of the 171st Semiannual General Conference.
Shortly after 11 a.m., as Sister Sharon G. Larsen, second counselor in the Young Women's Presidency was speaking, KSL-TV, Channel 5, switched to the NBC network feed of President Bush announcing the U.S.-led strikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan. A trailer running across the bottom of the KSL screen said that conference could be viewed live on KBYU, Channel 11, where coverage continued uninterrupted. Participants in the Conference Center did not know what had happened.
A little while later, as President Hinckley moved toward the pulpit, a note was handed to him advising him that the promised U.S. attacks on those who perpetrated terrorism against America Sept. 11 had begun. A rapt audience of some 20,000 in the Conference Center, hundreds more in church assembly halls nearby and hundreds of thousands who listened via electronic means around the world mulled his solemn declarations.
War figured largely in the history of the 20th century, he said, and "now we are off on another dangerous undertaking, the unfolding of which and the end thereof we do not know." He urged full support of President Bush. "The terrible forces of evil must be confronted and held accountable for their actions."
At the same time, he admonished church members to be mindful of who the enemy is. "We value our Muslim neighbors across the world and hope that those who live by the tenets of their faith will not suffer. I ask particularly that our own people do not become a party in any way to the persecution of the innocent. Rather, let us be friendly and helpful, protective and supportive. It is the terrorist organizations that must be ferreted out and brought down."
The "vicious and ugly attack" terrorists unleashed on New York and Washington, D.C., were not against the United States alone, President Hinckley said. "It was well-planned, boldly executed, and the results were disastrous. It is estimated that more than 5,000 innocent people died. Among these were many from other nations. It was cruel and cunning, an act of consummate evil.
"Now we are at war. Great forces are being mobilized. Political alliances are being forged. We do not know how long this conflict will last. We do not know what it will cost in lives and treasure. It could impact the church in various ways."
As a global church with members in 150 nations, church administrators could find their work complicated by a long-term and wide-ranging conflict. With war and financial stresses combined, welfare needs, tithing and missionary work all could be affected, President Hinckley said. He pledged that the church would continue to manage its financial resources carefully and prudently, and advised church members to do the same, eliminating debt where possible and saving a little "for a rainy day" — oft-repeated advice from church pulpits for years.
He also reminded LDS members of long-standing counsel to have some food set aside in case of need. "Let us not panic nor go to extremes. Let us be prudent in every respect. And above all, let us move forward with faith in the living God and his beloved Son."
Providing context for the current ugly world situation, President Hinckley noted, "We of this church know something of such groups." The reference was to the Gadianton robbers, identified in the Book of Mormon, as "a vicious, oath-bound and secret organization bent on evil and destruction. In their day, they did all in their power, by whatever means available, to bring down the church, to woo people with sophistry and to take control of the society. We see the same thing in the present situation."
In a voice choked at times with emotion, he said church members and all those involved in "a grave international undertaking . . . must get on our knees and invoke the powers of the Almighty in behalf of those who will carry the burdens of this campaign."
Scriptural promises that America will remain a land of freedom for as long as the people "serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ," are contingent precisely on that obedience, President Hinckley said.
Although trying not to be alarmist, he listed a number of precedents of good times followed by bad, as in the days of Joseph in Egypt. "I cannot forget the great lesson of Pharaoh's dream of the fat and lean kine (cattle) and of the full and withered stalks of corn. I cannot dismiss from my mind the grim warnings of the Lord as set forth in the 24th chapter of Matthew" which foretells calamitous times leading to the end of the world.
The battle between good and evil is not new, but only a continuation of the conflict for men's souls that began in heaven before the world became the home to God's spirit children, President Hinckley said.
"From the day of Cain to the present, the adversary has been the great mastermind of the terrible conflicts that have brought much suffering. Treachery and terrorism began with him. And they will continue until the Son of God returns to rule and reign with peace and goodness among the sons and daughters of God." Death is not the end, even for those who might die in the current war, he assured. "There is life beyond this as surely as there is life here."
"Now, my brothers and sisters, we must do our duty, whatever that duty might be. Peace may be denied for a season. Some of our liberties may be curtailed. We may be inconvenienced. We may even be called on to suffer in one way or another. But God our Eternal Father will watch over this nation and all of the civilized world who look to him. . . Let us be prayerful. Let us pray for righteousness. Let us pray for the forces of good. Let us reach out to help men and women of goodwill whatever their religious persuasion and wherever they live. Let us stand firm against evil. . . Are these perilous times? They are. But there is no need to fear. We can have peace in our hearts and peace in our homes. We can be an influence for good in this world, every one of us."
Many subdued church members left the conference session determined to implement the guidelines offered by the church leader.
For Dale and Frances Veater of Draper, the tenor of the address confirmed what they have learned in recent weeks. Dale Veater was diagnosed with cancer on the day the terrorist attacks came. "Life is fragile. You can't take it for granted. President Hinckley just confirmed what we have found out," he said.
"Living the gospel personally is the only way to face daily challenges and global challenges," his wife added.
For young people, the conference talk was "kind of a wake-up call," said Preston Gilbert of Panguitch, who was in the company of Shasta Archibeque, Morgan. "I could see the worry in the prophet's eyes. We have the promise of protection if we live faithfully. I was very impressed. Everything was well said."
Archibeque found President Hinckley's remarks "good counsel. I'm not afraid (of a future with war in it.) But it makes you think. I'm going to try to live a little better each day."
A benign military presence in the Conference Center was represented by 50 to 55 young Air Force cadets from Colorado Springs, who attended as a group. Both Elva Castelazo of Odessa, Texas, and Justin Hurst of Dodge City, Kan., said they believe the world situation will "work out OK." But, they acknowledged, as freshmen they don't have the immediate concerns some older classmen have.
Col. James Moore, LDS and chaplain at the Air Force Academy, said there was no problem in getting permission for the cadets to attend conference in Salt Lake City. "The church is well-recognized at the academy," said Moore, who is spiritual adviser to cadets of many Christian faiths. "It's a great responsibility and a great opportunity."