A man may have a wonderful education and not be on the road to salvation. It matters not if a man is acquainted with the principles of science, history, literature, and all the branches of education as they are taught in the schools of our land; these truths, of themselves, will not save him in the kingdom of God. (D&C 88:77-78) He must have in his heart the spirit of faith in the mission of Jesus Christ by which the remission of sins may be obtained, which is baptism by immersion by one having authority, in fact, he must understand all of the first principles of the gospel and obey them. These truths are fundamental to salvation. If a man has not complied with these principles and received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and obtained entrance into the kingdom of God, he is not on the road to salvation, not matter what else his knowledge may be. (D&C 33:11-16) The great learning he obtains in the world will not save him. [Cited in Roy W. Doxey (ed.) Latter-day Prophets and the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. IV. (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1965), pp. 77-78]
Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1 (Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1954).
There was a council held in heaven, when the Lord called before him his spirit children and presented to them a plan by which they should come down on this earth; partake of mortal life and physical bodies; pass through a probation of mortality, and then go on to a higher exaltation through the resurrection which should be brought about through the atonement of his Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. The thought of passing through mortality and partaking of all the vicissitudes of earth life in which they would gain experiences through suffering, pain, sorrow, temptation and affliction, as well as the pleasures of life in this mundane existence, and then, if faithful, passing on through the resurrection to eternal life in the kingdom of God, to be like him, filled them with the spirit of rejoicing, and they "shouted for joy." The experience and knowledge obtained in this mortal life they could not get in any other way. (p. 58)
The inspiration of the Lord has gone out and taken hold of the minds of men, though they know it not, and they are directed by the Lord. In this manner he brings them into his service that his purposes and his righteousness, in due time, may be supreme on the earth.
Now let me say briefly that I do not believe for one moment that these discoveries have come by chance, or that they have come because of superior intelligence possessed by men today over those who lived in ages that are past. They have come and are coming because the time is ripe, because the Lord has willed it and because he has poured out his Spirit on all flesh. (p. 183)
I will give you a key for your guidance. Any doctrine, whether is comes in the name of religion, science, philosophy, or whatever it may be, that is in conflict with the revelations of the Lord that have been accepted by the Church as coming from the Lord, will fail.
And whenever you find any doctrine, any idea, any expression from any source whatsoever, that is in conflict with that which the Lord has revealed and which is found in the holy scriptures, you may be assured that it is false; and you should put it aside and stand firmly grounded in the truth in prayer and in faith, relying upon the Spirit of the Lord for knowledge, for wisdom, concerning these principles of truth. (p. 321)
There is no knowledge, no learning that can compensate the individual for the loss of his belief in heaven and in the saving principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. An education that leads a man from these central truths cannot compensate him for the great loss of spiritual things. (p. 321-322)
Let that great temple of learning--the Brigham Young University, and all that is associated with it--be prospered to the full. Let thy enlightening power rest upon those who teach and those who are taught, that they may "seek learning, even by study and also by faith." . . .
May those who teach and study in all academic fields have their souls enlightened with spiritual knowledge so they will turn to thy house for blessings and knowledge and learning that surpass all that may be found elsewhere.
Dedication of the Provo Temple, February 9, 1972. [Quoted in Ernest Wilkinson, Brigham Young University: The First One Hundred Years, Vol. 4, p. 223.]