Today we spent the morning at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum/Memorial in Jerusalem. It was extremely impacting and sobering. I still cannot comprehend how the Holocaust occured. How on earth did the anti-semitism escalate to such an extreme level? And most of the world just stood by and didn't do anything.
I already had a deep love and respect for the Jewish people, but now I feel like I can appreciate a little better their history and also why Israel is an important place to them, not only for their ancient heritage, but also as a gathering place and refuge.
Here are some thoughts from President Kimball that relates to the Holocaust:
“If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith.
“If joy and peace and rewards were instantaneously given to the doer of good, there could be no evil—all would do good but not because of the rightness of doing good. There would be no test of strength, no development of character, no growth of powers, no free agency, only satanic controls.
“Should all prayers be immediately answered according to our selfish desires and our limited understanding, then there would be little or no suffering, sorrow, disappointment, or even death, and if these were not, there would also be no joy, success, resurrection, nor eternal life and godhood…
“Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self mastery.”
(From President Spencer W. Kimball’s book: Faith Precedes the Miracle. The Chapter is called “Tragedy of Destiny?” This quote comes from page 97-98).
“If joy and peace and rewards were instantaneously given to the doer of good, there could be no evil—all would do good but not because of the rightness of doing good. There would be no test of strength, no development of character, no growth of powers, no free agency, only satanic controls.
“Should all prayers be immediately answered according to our selfish desires and our limited understanding, then there would be little or no suffering, sorrow, disappointment, or even death, and if these were not, there would also be no joy, success, resurrection, nor eternal life and godhood…
“Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self mastery.”
(From President Spencer W. Kimball’s book: Faith Precedes the Miracle. The Chapter is called “Tragedy of Destiny?” This quote comes from page 97-98).
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