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Authority

Moments of emphasis shift

Years when this word’s usage moved sharply against the decade around it.

  • 1840
    ▲  Sharper emphasis2030 per million words
  • 1880
    ▲  Sharper emphasis1852 per million words
  • 1899
    ▲  Sharper emphasis1440 per million words
  • 1968
    ▼  Softer emphasis420 per million words
  • 1985
    ▲  Sharper emphasis719 per million words
  • 2005
    ▲  Sharper emphasis855 per million words

The Spoken Word

Passages drawn from the sermons and published works that carry this theme forward.

  1. 1857·John Taylor·Apostle
    Go back in England to the time of William the Conqueror, and you will find that he was a usurper; he was a Norman and a wholesale robber; and then, when he had subdued the Anglo-Saxons, the priests turned round and anointed him king by the grace of God. That is a fair example of the other European nations, and is all the authority that any of them had.
    The Rights of Mormonism — jod
  2. 1899·James E. Talmage·Apostle
    6. In the period immediately following that of Christ's earthly mission, the ministers of the Gospel were all desig- nated and set apart by unquestionable authority. Even Saul of Tarsus, afterward Paul the apostle, who was con- verted with marvelous signs and wondrous manifestations," had to be formally commissioned for the labor which the Lord desired him to perform; and we are told that the Holy Ghost spake to the prophets and teachers of the Church at Antioch, while they fasted before the Lord, saying, "Separ- ate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.'"'
    The Articles of Faith — apostle_book
  3. 1971·Boyd K. Packer·Apostle
    [ ](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1971/04/the-spirit-beareth-record?lang=eng/study/general-conference/1971/04/sustaining-of-church-authorities-and-officers?lang=eng)[ ](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1971/04/the-spirit-beareth-record?lang=eng/study/general-conference/1971/04/ye-shall-not-fear?lang=eng)
    “The Spirit Beareth Record” — cojc
  4. 1972·Ezra Taft Benson·Apostle
    For centuries, because of the wickedness of men, prophets of God no longer walked the earth, so scripture ended with the last words in the New Testament. Confusion and contention reigned in so-called Christendom, for all they had was the ancient scripture, but they were without the prophets of God to explain it to them and to receive new revelation, new scripture, and to be authorized to direct the work of the ministry.
    Listen to a Prophet’s Voice — cojc
  5. 1983·James E. Faust·Apostle
    Place a high priority on loyalty to each other. The dictionary defines the word loyal as being “constant and faithful in any relation implying trust or confidence; bearing true allegiance to the constituted authority.” ( Britannica World Language Dictionary, s.v. “loyalty.”) If family members are not loyal to each other, they cannot be loyal to themselves.
    Enriching Family Life — cojc
  6. 1991·Gordon B. Hinckley·Apostle
    The tragedy is that some men are ensnared by their own foolishness and their own weakness. They throw to the wind the most sacred and solemn of covenants, entered into in the house of the Lord and sealed under the authority of the holy priesthood. They set aside their wives who have been faithful, who have loved and cared for them, who have struggled with them in times of poverty only to be discarded in times of affluence. They have left their children fatherless. They have avoided with every kind of artifice the payment of court-mandated alimony and child support.
    Our Solemn Responsibilities — cojc

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