Then-Elder, later-President James E. Faust spoke in General Conference in April 1993, giving a talk called “Father, Come Home” (posted at lds.org here). He spoke of family roles, particularly that of fathers. The talk holds up well, I think, and may even be remarkable for 1993, because Elder Faust spoke of “male nurturing” and the heroism of single parents, and acknowledged that “some marriages just fail.” He calls on us to realize that “priesthood is not gender,” and cites Eliza R. Snow approvingly. He spoke of the priesthood’s sealing powers not so much as legalistic rituals, but as the turning of hearts: “This sealing power thus reveals itself in family relationships, in attributes and virtues developed in a nurturing environment, and in loving service. These are the cords that bind families together, and the priesthood advances their development.”

His closing paragraph reads thus:

I so testify that the blessings of the priesthood, honored by fathers and husbands and revered by wives and children, can indeed cure the cancer that plagues our society. I plead with you, Fathers, come home. Magnify your priesthood calling; bless your families through this sacred influence, and experience the rewards promised by our Father and God. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Read that again, to be sure you understand it. It is the blessings of the priesthood that can cure modern ills, and everyone – men and women and children – have a duty to that priesthood: men, to honor it by their actions as priesthood holders; women to revere it for its power for good.

But what do I find as a meme based on this talk, apparently created by someone at mormon.org, but posted at lds.org, here:

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Someone has extracted a line from Elder Faust’s talk, with the words in the right order … but has truncated them and completely, drastically, inexcusably, evilly changed the meaning. It is no longer the priesthood that should be honored and revered by all, but husbands/fathers who should be revered by wives and children!

How is it possible that this meme is posted at lds.org for downloading and sharing by Latter-day Saints? How long has it been there? (It’s been there at least since June 25 – when I checked out someone’s Facebook wall to understand something he had posted in a group I belong to, I find that he posted it on that date. I had not seen it before — but surely many, many Latter-day Saints have seen it.)

Friends, be careful of your quotations and memes. If something doesn’t feel right – as this did not to me – check it out by looking for its source. You’d think you could trust lds.org, but even so, when something doesn’t feel right, check it out.