President Gordon B. Hinckley addressed the topic of "Why we do some of the things we do" during his Saturday evening priesthood session address.

Noting that the Church is an ecclesiastical organization "concerned primarily with worship of the Lord Jesus Christ," President Hinckley acknowledged: "Our great mission is to testify of His living reality. We should not be involved with anything not in harmony with this major objective. We should be involved with whatever is in harmony with this objective."

Brigham Young University

Among things which "on the surface do not appear to be associated with this overriding pattern" is the operation of BYU, President Hinckley said.

"People ask why we sponsor such a large and costly institution that is basically concerned with secular education. The question is appropriate. The sponsorship has a doctrinal root."

He cited D&C 88:78-80 containing the Lord's decree that His servants teach diligently and His grace shall attend them that they may be instructed more perfectly in a variety of matters.

"It is apparent that we are obligated not only to learn of ecclesiastical matters but also of secular matters," he said.

He added that the Church has a tradition of doing so, and referred to the School of the Prophets in Kirtland, Ohio; the Seventies Hall in Nauvoo, which was used for educational purposes; the university that was projected for Nauvoo; and the academies and institutions of higher learning established by the Church after the Saints reached the valleys of the West.

"Brigham Young University came along later, outlasting most of the Church academies," he noted. "It has grown until its present enrollment numbers more than 27,000. That is a large number of students, but it is a very small fraction of the young people of the Church worthy of a university education. We can accommodate only a relatively few. If we cannot give to all, why should we give to any? The answer is that if we cannot give to all, let us give to as many as we can. The number who can be accommodated on campus is finite, but the influence of the university is infinite. Tremendous efforts are being made to enlarge and extend that influence."

President Hinckley said the Church would continue to support BYU and its Hawaii campus and Ricks College. "We are not likely to build other university campuses," he said. "But we shall keep these as flagships testifying to the great and earnest commitment of this Church to education, both ecclesiastical and secular, and while doing so prove to the world that excellent secular learning can be gained in an environment of religious faith."

He also spoke of institutes of religion and seminaries far and wide. "It is hoped," he said, "that through these our youth, wherever they may be, may experience some of the good to be had at BYU."

Involvement in business

"We have a few business interests," President Hinckley acknowledged. "Not many. Most of these were begun in very early days when the Church was the only organization that could provide the capital that was needed to start certain business interests designed to serve the people in this remote area. We have divested ourselves long since of some of these where it was felt there was no longer a need."

Businesses the Church retains directly serve the needs of the Church, President Hinckley noted.

"For instance, our business is communication. We must speak with people across the world. We must speak at home to let our stand be known, and abroad to acquaint others with our work. And so we own a newspaper, the Deseret News, the oldest business institution in Utah.

"We likewise own television and radio stations. These provide a voice in the communities which they serve. I may add that we are sometimes embarrassed by network television presentations. Our people do the best they can to minimize the impact of these."

The Church also has a real estate arm designed primarily to ensure the viability and attractiveness of properties surrounding Temple Square, President Hinckley said.

The businesses are operated for profit, he said, and from that profit comes the money used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Foundation to help with charitable and humanitarian causes locally and abroad. He explained that the businesses contribute one-tenth of their income to the foundation for its charitable work.

Political issues

Regarding issues that come before lawmakers and the electorate, President Hinckley said: "We deal only with those legislative matters which are of a strictly moral nature or which directly affect the welfare of the Church. We have opposed gambling and liquor and will continue to do so. We regard it as not only our right but our duty to oppose those forces which we feel undermine the moral fiber of society."

Much of the Church's efforts is in association with others whose interests are similar, he noted. "We have worked with Jewish groups, Catholics, Muslims, Protestants and those of no particular religious affiliation in coalitions formed to advocate positions on vital moral issues."

That is currently the case, he said, with regard to an effort in California to support a measure intended to safeguard traditional marriage from forces in society attempting to redefine that institution.

"God-sanctioned marriage between a man and a woman," he said, "has been the basis of civilization for thousands of years. There is no justification to redefine what marriage is. Such is not our right, and those who try will find themselves answerable to God.

"Some portray legalization of so-called same-sex marriage as a civil right. This is not a matter of civil rights, it is a matter of morality. Others question our constitutional right as a church to raise our voice on an issue that is of critical importance to the future of the family. We believe that defending this sacred institution by working to preserve traditional marriage lies clearly within our religious and constitutional prerogatives. Indeed, we are compelled by our doctrine to speak out."

He emphasized, nevertheless, that the Church's opposition to attempts to legalize same-sex marriage "should never be interpreted as justification for hatred, intolerance or abuse of those who profess homosexual tendencies, either individually or as a group. . . .

"Our hearts reach out to those who refer to themselves as gays and lesbians. We love and honor them as sons and daughters of God. They are welcome in the Church. It is expected, however, that they follow the same God-given rules of sexual conduct that apply to everyone else, whether single or married."

Counsel to young men

President Hinckley concluded by expressing his love for the priesthood of the Church.

Emphasizing his words with hand gestures, he admonished young Aaronic Priesthood holders to remain worthy.

"Observe the Word of Wisdom," he urged. "It is not difficult and it will bring you promised blessings. Avoid drugs. They will utterly destroy you. . . .

"Stay away from pornography. It, too, will destroy you. It will cloud your minds with evil and destroy your capacity to appreciate the good and beautiful.

"Avoid alcohol as you would a loathsome disease. Beer will do to you what hard liquor will do. Each contains alcohol in varying amounts.

"Shun immorality. It will blight your life if you indulge in it. . . .

"As you look forward and plan your lives, include a mission. You have an obligation to do so. It may be a difficult experience, but it will enrich and give balance to your life, and it will bless the lives of others in a way beyond your power to comprehend.

"So much depends on you, my dear young friends. May God bless you as you go forward with your lives, walking in obedience to His commandments."