- Never forget Church is a restoration

- Respect other religions- Be true disciples

In his opening address of conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley told Church members Saturday morning they must never forget that the Church "is a restoration of that which was instituted by the Savior of the world. It is not a reformation of perceived false practice and doctrine that may have developed through the centuries.

"There are some of other faiths," the Church president said, "who do not regard us as Christians. That is not important. How we regard ourselves is what is important.

"We acknowledge without hesitation that there are differences between us. Were this not so there would have been no need for a restoration of the gospel.

"I hope we do not argue over this matter," President Hinckley went on. "There is no reason to debate it. We simply quietly, and without apology, testify that God has revealed Himself and His Beloved Son in opening this full and final dispensation of His work.

"We must not become disagreeable as we talk of doctrinal differences," he told the congregation. "There is no place for acrimony. But we can never surrender or compromise that knowledge which has come to us through revelation and the direct bestowal of keys and authority under the hands of those who held them anciently."

President Hinckley said all members can respect other religions, and must do so. "We recognize the great good they accomplish. We must teach our children to be tolerant and friendly toward those not of our faith. We can and do work with those of other religions in the defense of those values which have made our civilization great and our society distinctive."

But, he added, in all of this there is no doctrinal compromise. "There need not be and must not be on our part. But there is a degree of fellowship as we labor together."

As Church members carry forward their distinctive mission, President Hinckley said they work under a mandate given by the Risen Lord who has spoken in this the last and final dispensation.

"This is His unique and wonderful cause. We bear testimony and witness of Him. But we need not do so with arrogance or self-righteousness."

President Hinckley noted that a "holier-than-thou" attitude is not becoming of Church members. "I am in receipt of a letter from a man in our community who is not a member of the Church. In it he says that his little daughter has been ostracized by her schoolmates who are Latter-day Saints.

". . . Let us rise above all such conduct and teach our children to do likewise. Let us be true disciples of the Church, observing the Golden Rule, doing unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us strengthen our own faith and that of our children, while being gracious to those who are not of our faith. Love and respect will overcome every element of animosity. Our kindness may become the most persuasive argument for that which we believe."

He then spoke of a recent visit to Palmyra, N.Y. - where he dedicated two historical buildings. (See April 4 Church News.)

The first was a restoration of the small log home in which the Joseph Smith Sr., family first lived. "It was in this humble home that the 14-year-old Joseph Smith determined to go into the nearby grove to ask of God, and experienced an incomparable vision of the Father and the Son. It was in this home that Moroni, the angel, appeared to the boy Joseph, calling him by name and telling him that God had a work for him to do."

President Hinckley also dedicated the E. B. Grandin Building, where the first edition of the Book of Mormon was printed in 1829 and '30. Holding up a Book of Mormon, the prophet called the undertaking to print 5,000 copies bold, then noting that today more than 88 million copies of the book have been printed.

"I am grateful that we have this old building. Its very presence confirms the validity of the book, this remarkable testament of the Son of God. Who, having read it, can honestly refute its divine origin?"

President Hinckley added, "How grateful I am for the testimony with which God has blessed me of the divine calling of Joseph Smith, of the reality of the First Vision, of the restoration of the priesthood, of the truth of this The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"Let us rejoice together," he told Church members, "as we now celebrate with appreciation, the wondrous doctrines and practices which have come as a gift from the Lord in this most glorious time of His work."