 BYU 's stated mission " is to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life . " BYU is thus considered by its leaders to be at heart a religious institution , wherein , ideally , religious and secular education are interwoven in a way that encourages the highest standards in both areas . This weaving of the secular and the religious aspects of a religious university goes back as far as Brigham Young himself , who told Karl G. Maeser when the Church purchased the school : " I want you to remember that you ought not to teach even the alphabet or the multiplication tables without the Spirit of God . " 
