Morality

Talks

Quotes

If you misuse the power of procreation here on earth, you may lose that power for eternity.

First Comes Love – Brinley/Ogletree pg 102-103

Too many couples have adopted the twin notions that “everyone else is doing it” before marriage and “you can repent later.”  Both of these ideas are satanic in origin, and the father of all lies would have you believe them.  The truth is that there are no successful sinners. Transgressions do not make you a well-rounded person; you do not need to experience the bad and the wicked to appreciate the good and the righteous. President Kimball explained, “That man who resists temptation and lives without sin is far better off than the man who has fallen, no matter how repentant the latter may be. …How much better it is never to have committed sin!” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 357; emphasis added). He added, “Your focus should be on preventing sin rather than being faced with the much more difficult task of curing it.”

Do not experiment with things that are forbidden by the Lord.

The soul is comprised of the body and spirit.  When you mess with someone’s body, you mess with their very soul.

It is better to prepare and prevent than it is to repair and repent.

Steps to never fall (how to prepare and prevent)

1. Decide now to be chaste and virtuous (only need to decide once)

2. Control thoughts (seeds of immorality are sewn in the mind)

3. Always pray for power to resist temptation

4. Positive and construction activities planned for a date so you’re not bored.

A kiss means “I love you” not “thank you.”  They should be short, sweet and sacred. 

No matter what your past has been you have a spotless future.

THOU SHALT NOT:

1. Try to redefine dating.  It counts even if you are just meeting somewhere.  Do not date until you’re 16.  90% of high school marriages end in divorce.  Early marriages come from early dating.

2. Don’t steady date until you are socially, mentally, and physically ready and your missionary work is done.   Don’t have a missionary come home early because of you.

3. Don’t date unworthy nonmembers or members.  Don’t play Russian roulette with your eternal life.

4. Thou shalt not park in an automobile – no necking or petting.  Satan knows our limits and will push us over the edge.  Satan knows that in the perfect atmosphere, even the good will fall.

5. Never be home alone or in a bedroom with a member of the opposite sex.

6. Thou shalt not stay out after curfew.

7. Thou shalt not take physical privileges with another person’s body.

8. Don’t be immodest.  Husbands want wives who will be examples to his daughters.  All gentlemen respect modesty.

9. Don’t attend unwholesome activities.  Be careful with movies, music, books.  You can never get them out of your mind.  Be careful how you dance.

10. You are not the exception to the rule.

Don’t premeditate sin.

Jacob 2:28 – I the Lord delight in the chastity of women

Psalms 24:4 H that hath clean hands and a pure heart

Matt 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart

1 Corinthians 6:19 The body is a temple of the Holy Ghost

Galatians 5:16 Walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh

1 Nephi 10:21 No unclean thing can dwell with God

Alma 7:21 He does not dwell in unholy temples

D&C 88:86 Entangle not yourselves in sin, but let your hands be clean

Guys – when you are on a date, you should keep yourself worthy to give a blessing at anytime.

Homosexuality – “Battle is Within” Church News week ending September 29, 2007 pg 11

“This plan is centered on the continuation of families.  In the end, “the reward is so great, and eternity is so long, that a union between a man and a woman is worth waiting for, even if it is not imaginable, attractive, or possible at present.  It is not conceivable that Heavenly Father would dictate these requirements as part of the plan without the positive assurance that in a time of His choosing all the proper inclinations will exist so that this family life will be a complete joy to all family members…..if you are struggling to be the master of same-gender inclinations, talk to God about it, but do not let it become an obsession or the sole subject of your prayers.

Pamphlet on Lds.org called God Loveth His Children is wonderful for those with same gender attraction

A beautiful, gracious, modest virtuous woman is creation’s masterpiece. 

-David O McKay

Don’t wait until you’re under the influence of hormones to decide if you want to go further.  That’s like a drunk deciding if he should have another drink or a drug addict who’s high trying to decide if he should inject more drugs.  Make that decision ahead of time.

The following quotes come from First Comes Love by Brinley/Ogletree pg 102-117

Sexual Immorality: The Plaguing Sin of this Generation

As we have entered a new millennium, we find that we are deluged with more and more immoral messages from the media. Images, plots, and dialogues that were once thought to be scandalous now fill prime time television, the Internet, and magazines. Movies that were rated R in the ’70s and ’80s are rated PG today. We see a definite correlation between media presentations and a low threshold of moral behavior. Time magazine reported the sad tale: “By the time they are 20, three-quarters of young Americans have had sex.” Moreover, a 1988 study found that “25 percent of females have had sexual relationships by age 15 and 80 percent by age 19. A 1988 National Survey of Young Men found that by age 15, 33 percent of males have had sexual relationships and by age 19 the number had risen to 86 percent.”4 According to the Janus report (a comprehensive study on sexuality in recent times) religion does not seem to greatly deter early sexual behavior; 71 percent of the very religious had sexual relations before marriage, compared to 93 percent of those who were not religious.

Our latter-day prophets have warned us of the consequences of this permissive attitude. President Joseph F. Smith, at the turn of the century, forewarned the saints that sexual immorality would become the plaguing sin of this generation and that it would challenge the elders more than any other vice (see Journal of Discourses 8:55). That prophecy is being fulfilled in our time. President Ezra Taft Benson in more recent years taught that “sexual immorality is a viper that is striking not only in the world, but in the Church today. Not to admit it is to be dangerously complacent or is like putting one’s head in the sand” (EzraTaft Benson, God, Family, Country [1975],239).

The Influence of Satan

On one occasion, President Marion G. Romney declared, “I know that God lives. Through my own experiences I have come to know of his spirit and his power. I know also that Satan lives. I have detected his spirit and felt of his power” (“Satan- The Great Deceiver,” Emign, June 1971,36). We are not used to hearing people “bear testimony” of Satan in a Latter-day Saint context. Nevertheless, there is a devil and he seeks to destroy our lives. He can keep you from accomplishing your earthly mission if he can trap you in the snare of immorality. Satan will do everything in his power to cause you to stumble, fall, and ultimately fail during your engagement if you are not on guard. Immorality is one of his prime tools. He does not want you to be worthy to attend the temple, much less have a temple marriage, for therein is power and protection to you. Once you are behind the walls of the holy house of the Lord, it will be more difficult for Satan to influence you. He knows that the dating and engagement period will be one of the best times to destroy you because you are already focusing on feelings of affection and love. You and your fiance may become an easy target- like deer in the head- lights-on the opening day of hunting season!

The reason Satan is the master of “Life Destruction 101” is because he knows you well; he knows exactly where to tempt you, where the weak spots are in your armor. President Spencer w. Kimball explained:

Many engaged couples are unaware of Satan’s intentions. Perhaps they feel that he can have no influence over them. Maybe they even know other couples who have fallen, and yet they think they are immune to sexual transgression. They may feel that immorality is a temptation that others must contend with, but not themselves. However, immorality is no respecter of persons; infidelity is an equal- opportunity employer. No one, without the armor of the Lord, is exempt from such temptations and possible errors. It doesn’t matter who you are, what your position in the Church is, your grade point average, or whether or not you teach at the Missionary Training Center. All of us are susceptible to fall if we become careless.

“David” means beloved, or beloved son. He was the King of Israel who began as a humble shepherd and rose to become king of the Israelites. He was a true friend to the Lord in his early days. His early life was exemplary, and he was a “type” of Christ.

Bathsheba was a chosen daughter of Israel. In fact, her name means daughter of the covenant (see 2 Sam. 11, footnote 3a, 439). Here were two strong, stable individuals. Surely neither one would have suspected that he or she would ever yield to such a serious transgression. But we learn from this account that even the very best individuals can fall if they put themselves in a compromising situation.

 Perhaps no one has addressed the “why” of purity and chastity more candidly or effectively than Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. He cited three reasons why personal purity is so important.

His first reason to remain chaste is that our bodies are not ours- they belong to the Savior who bought them with His atoning blood. Our body is an intricate part of our individual soul. We have no right to tamper with our own soul or with the soul of another individual, for our souls do not belong to us; therefore, we have no right to “do with them as we please.” It is that simple.

Second, Elder Holland taught that physical intimacy between a man and wife is a symbol of total union and oneness in marriage. To give yourselves to each other outside of that bond creates a moral schizophrenia, which Elder Holland defines as having a sexual relationship (the welding of two lives) without a personal relationship (the weld itself). For example, “not to eat or live or cry or laugh together, not to do the laundry and the dishes and the homework, not to manage a budget and pay the bills and tend the children and plan together for the future” and yet be sexually intimate does not work without serious emotional consequences. ( On Earth As It Is In Heaven, “Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments” [1989],190). Victor L. Brown, J r. called the resulting problem “sexual fragmentation” (Human Intimacy: Illusion & Reality [1981],6).

Third, sexual intimacy is a type of sacrament where we unite our will with God’s will and take upon ourselves part of His divinity in the life-creating process ( On Earth As It Is In Heaven, “Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments,” [1989], 194). We literally become part- ners with God in the divine plan of salvation.

Just as there are many tragic consequences for immoral behavior, there are also many blessings for remaining chaste: enjoying peace of mind, spiritual happiness, trust of self and another, freedom of conscience, wholeness, purity, and strength of character. Chastity before marriage serves as the basis for any healthy marriage.

Common-Sense Guidelines

As an engaged couple, set common-sense guidelines to ensure that wisdom prevails in being together. A good rule to follow, for example, is that the two of you never go into a bedroom alone or lie down on a bed or couch together. Be careful about sitting in hot tubs or jacuzzis. A wise mother we know teaches her children that it is smart never to be alone as a couple late at night. Instead of sitting in the car and talking, or visiting in a bedroom or in a quiet area, it makes more sense to be in public places where you would feel awkward acting inappropriately. Talk together in a quiet restaurant, in a crowded building on campus, or in a lighted park area. Good counsel! Also, be sure to discuss and set time limits as to when you will be home at night. Eleven or eleven-thirty is a good time to be back in your own place.

Avoid pornography like the plague. We are astounded by the number of men we have met, often returned missionaries, who struggle with this problem. Pornography is easily accessed these days. No longer do individuals need to leave home to find trouble; they can find it right in the privacy of their own rooms through the Internet. President Kimball declared: “That person who entertains. ..pornographic pictures and literature records them in his marvelous human computer, the brain, which can’t forget this filth. Once recorded, it will always remain there, subject to recall” (“Be Ye Therefore Perfect,” Speeches of the Year, 1974-1975 [1975], 241) .Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin taught, “Pornography in all its forms. ..constitutes a spiritual poison that is addictive and destructive. Every ounce of pornography and immoral entertainment will cause you to lose a pound of spirituality. And it will only take a few ounces of immorality to cause you to lose all of your spiritual strength, for the Lord’s Spirit will not dwell in an unclean temple” (“The Message: Little Things Count,” New Era, May 1988,7).

First Comes Love – Brinley/Ogletree pg 116

 Because intimacy is God-ordained, the enjoyment of sexual relations is not a matter of good versus evil, but of the timing and context, which always includes marriage. This is because intimacy is a sacrament that connects you to each other, and to God and His eternal purposes. Simply put, sex before marriage is wrong, and sex after marriage is good because you are authorized by Deity, for the first time in your existence, to use your gender to further God’s purposes. You may now use your reproductive powers not only to bless each other but to bring your own children, members of the Father’s family, to mortality.

End of First Comes Love by Brinley/Ogletree quotes

The following quotes come from President Benson’s RS manual 2015 Chapter 17

The moral code of heaven for both men and women is complete chastity before marriage and full fidelity after marriage.”

He further taught: “We must be in the amoral and immoral world, … but not of it. We must be able to drop off to sleep at night without having to first sing lullabies to our conscience.”

Immorality … always brings with it attendant remorse. A person cannot indulge in promiscuous relations without suffering ill effects from it. He cannot do wrong and feel right—it is impossible. Anytime one breaks a law of God, he pays a penalty in heartache, in sadness, in remorse, in lack of self-respect, and he removes himself from contact with the Spirit of God.

Most people fall into sexual sin in a misguided attempt to fulfill basic human needs. We all have a need to feel loved and worthwhile. We all seek to have joy and happiness in our lives. Knowing this, Satan often lures people into immorality by playing on their basic needs. He promises pleasure, happiness, and fulfillment.

Control your thoughts. No one steps into immorality in an instant. The first seeds of immorality are always sown in the mind. When we allow our thoughts to linger on lewd or immoral things, the first step on the road to immorality has been taken. I especially warn you against the evils of pornography. Again and again we hear from those caught in deep sin that often the first step on their road to transgression began with pornographic materials. The Savior taught that even when a man looks upon a woman to lust after her, or in other words, when he lets his thoughts begin to get out of control, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart (see Matt 5:28; D&C 63:16).

Those who think clean thoughts do not do dirty deeds. You are not only responsible before God for your acts but also for controlling your thoughts. So live that you would not blush with shame if your thoughts and acts could be flashed on a screen in your church. The old adage is still true that you sow thoughts and you reap acts, you sow acts and you reap habits, you sow habits and you reap a character, and your character determines your eternal destiny. “As a man thinketh so is he.” (See Prov 23:7.)

There is no temptation placed before you which you cannot shun. Do not allow yourself to get in positions where it is easy to fall. Listen to the promptings of the Spirit. If you are engaged in things where you do not feel you can pray and ask the Lord’s blessings on what you are doing, then you are engaged in the wrong kind of activity.

For those who are single and dating, carefully plan positive and constructive activities so that you are not left to yourselves with nothing to do but share physical affection. … This is the principle of filling one’s life with positive activities so that the negative has no chance to thrive.

There may be some for whom the counsel to prepare and prevent is too late. You may already be deeply entangled in serious sin. If this is the case, there is no choice now but to repair your lives and repent of your sins. To you I would suggest five important things you can do to come back to a state of moral purity. Flee immediately from any situation you are in that is either causing you to sin or that may cause you to sin. Plead with the Lord for the power to overcome. Let your priesthood leaders help you resolve the transgression and come back into full fellowship with the Lord. Drink from the divine fountain and fill your lives with positive sources of power. Remember that through proper repentance, you can become clean again.

There is no lasting happiness in immorality. There is no joy to be found in breaking the law of chastity. Just the opposite is true. There may be momentary pleasure. For a time it may seem like everything is wonderful. But quickly the relationship will sour. Guilt and shame set in. We become fearful that our sins will be discovered. We must sneak and hide, lie and cheat. Love begins to die. Bitterness, jealousy, anger, and even hate begin to grow. All of these are the natural results of sin and transgression.

On the other hand, when we obey the law of chastity and keep ourselves morally clean, we will experience the blessings of increased love and peace, greater trust and respect for our marital partners, deeper commitment to each other, and therefore a deep and significant sense of joy and happiness.

End of President Benson’s RS manual 2015 Chapter 17 Quotes