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Several quotes from Church Leaders
ElRay L. Christiansen
"Now, the adversary knows that a little sin will
not stay little, and he welcomes any and all into his kingdom by first trying to
get us to lie a little, then helping us to try to justify ourselves in so doing
or to cheat or to steal. Some folks are indeed induced to desecrate the
Sabbath-day until it becomes habitual with them. Some people begin with the use
of liquor just to 'relax a bit.' Also, drug abuse, evil speaking, disobedience
to parents, or deceiving one's own companions – these are means he has of
getting us to digress from the proper course. He knows full well that, if
continued, such diversions soon result in regrets, sorrows, and losses, because
they lead us into greater sinfulness.
No doubt one of the most infamous snares set
out by the adversary is that of unchastity."
President Gordon B.
Hinckley
"Challenging though it may be, there is a way to
apply traditional moral principles in our day. For some unknown reason, there is
constantly appearing the false rationalization that at one time in the long ago,
virtue was easy and that now it is difficult. I would like to remind any who
feel that way that there has never been a time since the Creation when the same
forces were not at work that are at work today. The proposal made by Potiphar's
wife to Joseph in Egypt is no different from that faced by many men and women
and youth in our day.
"The influences today may be more apparent and
more seductive, but they are no more compelling. One cannot be shielded entirely
from these influences. They are all about us. Our culture is saturated with
them. But the same kind of self-discipline exercised by Joseph will yield the
same beneficial result. Notwithstanding the so-called "new morality," notwithstanding the much-discussed changes in moral standards, there is no
adequate substitute for virtue. God's standards may be challenged everywhere
throughout the world, but God has not abridged his commandments. The violation of his commandments in this, as
in any other age, brings only regret, sorrow, loss of self-respect, and in many
cases tragedy"
President Gordon B. Hinckley
"Pornography is the literature of the devil.
Shun it. Stay away from it. Lift your sights and your minds to the higher and
nobler things of life. Remember, 'wickedness never was happiness' (Alma 41:10).
Sin never brought happiness. Transgression never brought happiness.
Disobedience never brought happiness" (Brigham Young University devotional, 17
Oct., 1995).
President Ezra Taft Benson
"The plaguing sin of this generation is sexual
immorality. This, the Prophet Joseph said, would be the source of more
temptations, more buffetings, and more difficulties for the elders of Israel
than any other" ("Cleansing the Inner Vessel," ENSIGN, May 1986, 4).
President Ezra Taft Benson
"Do not be misled by Satan's lies. 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 for each other, and, therefore, a deep and significant sense
of joy and happiness" ("The Law of Chastity," BYU 1987 – 88 Devotional and
Fireside Speeches [1988], 51).
President Ezra Taft Benson
"Decide now to be chaste. The decision to be chaste
and virtuous need only be made once. Make that decision now, and let it be so
firm and with such deep commitment that it can never be shaken" ("The Law of
Chastity," New Era, Jan. 1988, 6).
President James E. Faust
"The responsibilities involved in the divine
life-giving process, and the functions of our body, are so sacrosanct that they
are to be exercised only within the marriage relationship. Those who do not
accept and meet those responsibilities, for any reason, as well as those who do,
should never depart from the law of chastity if they wish to be truly happy. All
members of this Church seeking eternal joy and peace are expected to and will
wish to come to the marriage altar free from sexual transgressions chaste and
pure" ("The Sanctity of Life," ENSIGN, May 1975, 27).
President Spencer W. Kimball
"Sin is still sin and always will be. We stand for
a life of cleanliness. From childhood through youth and to the grave, we
proclaim the wickedness of sexual life of any kind before marriage, and we
proclaim that every one in marriage should hold himself or herself to the
covenants that were made.
"In other words, as we have frequently said,
there should be total chastity of men and women before marriage and total
fidelity in marriage" ("The Time to Labor Is Now," Ensign, Nov. 1975, 7).
President Spencer W. Kimball
"My beloved youth, he is not your friend who would
rob you of your virtue. She does not love you if she tempts you or yields to
you. Such is your enemy. To require the yielding to passion, and gratification,
yet to profess love, is to lie; for we never exploit one whom we love" (in
Conference Report, Sydney Australia Area Conference, 1976, 54).
President Harold B. Lee
"To some it may seem old-fashioned to speak of
virtue and chastity, honesty, morality, faith, character, but these are the
qualities which have built great men and women and point the way by which one
may find happiness.... These are the qualities which are the anchors to our
lives" (Stand Ye in Holy Places [1976], 3-4).
Elder Neal A. Maxwell
"The world seeks to control the diseases flowing
from sexual immorality but without honoring the principles of fidelity and
chastity. The world in its wisdom constantly seeks to accommodate the natural
man, while gospel
wisdom constantly urges us to put off the natural
man. (See Mosiah 3:19.) This is a pivotal point, and it makes all the
difference!"
Elder Neal A. Maxwell
"Do not, my young friends, expect the world to
esteem the seventh commandment – chastity before marriage and fidelity after.
Some people in the world will fret genuinely over the consequences of its
violation, such as staggering and unprecedented illegitimacy and marital
breakdowns. However, sexual immorality per se will still not be condemned by the
secular world, as long as the violators have any commendable qualities at all,
or as long as they are, in some respect, politically correct. We will have to
keep the seventh commandment because it is spiritually correct, not because we
will get much support from society's other institutions" ("The Pathway of
Discipleship," address given at Brigham Young University, 4 Jan. 1998).
President David O. McKay
"No one can transgress the laws of chastity and
find peace" (Gospel Ideals [1976], 473).
President David O. McKay
"Infidelity and sexual immorality are two principal
evils that threaten to weaken and to wreck present-day civilization" (Gospel
Ideals [1976], 487).
President Thomas S. Monson
"Some find it difficult to withstand the mockings
and unsavory remarks of foolish ones who ridicule chastity, honesty, and
obedience to God's commands. But the world has ever belittled adherence to
principle. When Noah was instructed to build an ark, the foolish populace
looked at the cloudless sky, then scoffed and jeered – until the rain came" (in
Conference Report, Apr. 1967, 5).
Elder Dallin H. Oaks
"The power to create mortal life is the most
exalted power God has given his children. Its use was mandated in the first
commandment, but another important commandment was given to forbid its misuse.
The emphasis we place on the law of chastity is explained by our understanding
of the purpose of our procreative powers in the accomplishment of God's plan.
"The expression of our procreative powers is
pleasing to God, but he has commanded that this be confined within the
relationship of marriage. President Spencer W. Kimball taught that 'in the
context of lawful marriage, the intimacy of sexual relations is right and
divinely approved. There is nothing unholy or degrading about sexuality in
itself, for by that means men and women join in a process of creation and in an
expression of love.' "Outside the bonds of marriage, all uses of the
procreative power are to one degree or another a sinful degrading and perversion
of the most divine attribute of men and women" ("The Great Plan of Happiness,"
ENSIGN, Nov. 1993, 74).
Elder Russell M. Nelson
"When you marry, you and your eternal companion may
then invoke the power of procreation, that you may have joy and rejoicing in
your posterity. This divine endowment is guarded by your Creator's law of
chastity" ("Self-Mastery," Ensign, Nov. 1985, 31).
President Boyd K. Packer
"The rapid, sweeping deterioration of values is
characterized by a preoccupation – even an obsession – with the procreative act.
Abstinence before marriage and fidelity within it are openly scoffed at –
marriage and parenthood ridiculed as burdensome, unnecessary. Modesty, a virtue
of a refined individual or society, is all but gone" ("Our Moral Environment,"
ENSIGN, May 1992, 66).
President Marion G. Romney
" 'Thou shalt not commit adultery.' ... The
violator of this commandment suffers a loss second only to the loss suffered by
him who kills. With the loss of the Spirit of the Lord, which always accompanies
adultery, comes a diminution of the power to choose between right and wrong.
Lying, loss of self-respect, and disloyalty are bosom companions of adultery. If
we are seriously interested in being successful in any endeavor, we shall avoid
every type of immorality as we would avoid the plague" ("A Glorious Promise,"
ENSIGN, Jan. 1981, 3).
Elder Richard G. Scott
"Within the enduring covenant of marriage, the Lord
permits husband and wife the expression of the sacred procreative powers in all
their loveliness and beauty within the bounds He has set. One purpose of this
private, sacred, intimate experience is to provide the physical bodies for the
spirits Father in Heaven wants to experience mortality. Another reason for these
powerful and beautiful feelings of love is to bind husband and wife together in
loyalty, fidelity, consideration of each other, and common purpose.
"However, those intimate acts are forbidden by
the Lord outside the enduring commitment of marriage because they undermine His
purposes. Within the sacred covenant of marriage, such relationships are
according to His plan. When experienced any other way, they are against His
will. They cause serious emotional and spiritual harm. Even though participants
do not realize that is happening now, they will later. Sexual immorality creates
a barrier to the influence of the Holy Spirit with all its uplifting,
enlightening, and empowering capabilities. It causes powerful physical and
emotional stimulation. In time that creates an unquenchable appetite that drives
the offender to ever more serious sin. It engenders selfishness and can produce
aggressive acts such as brutality, abortion, sexual abuse, and violent crime.
Such stimulation can lead to acts of homosexuality, and they are evil and
absolutely wrong" ("Making the Right Choices," Ensign, Nov. 1994, 38).
President Joseph F. Smith
"Teach that the law of chastity is one of the most
vital importance, both to children, and to men and to women. It is a vitally
important principle to the children of God in all their lives, from the cradle
to the grave" (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 273).
President John Taylor
"When a man takes to himself a woman that properly
belongs to another, and defiles her, it interferes with the fountain of life and
corrupts the very source of existence.... This thing is not to be trifled with,
but is of the greatest importance; hence the necessity of the sealing powers,
that all things may be pure, chastity maintained, and lasciviousness be rooted
out from among the saints. Why so? That we may have a holy offspring that shall
be great, and clothed with the mighty power of God" (Deseret News Weekly, 8 Apr.
1853, 102).
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
"Live above the curse of immorality that is
plaguing the earth. Rise above the squalor of pornography, obscenity, and filth.
Be virtuous and chaste. Uphold your young sisters in the gospel by respecting
their budding womanhood and protecting their virtue. Always conduct yourselves
according to the commandments of God when you are with them. You want your
girlfriends to remain clean and pure. Just as you surely would protect the
chastity of your own sister in your family, likewise protect the virtue of your
sisters in God's family" ("Live in Obedience," ENSIGN, May 1994, 40).
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
"[A] distinctive characteristic of the gospel is
the adherence to the Lord's law of chastity. From ancient times to the present,
the Lord has commanded his people to obey the law. Such strict morality may seem
peculiar or outdated in our day when the media portrays pornography and
immorality as being normal and fully acceptable. Remember, the Lord has never
revoked the law of chastity" ("Fruits of the Restored Gospel," Ensign, Nov.
1991, 17).
David O. McKay
"Chastity, not indulgence, during
the pre-marital years, is the source of harmony and happiness in the home and
the chief contributing factor to the health and perpetuity of the race. All
virtues that make up a beautiful character – loyalty, dependability, confidence,
trust, love of God., and fidelity to man – are associated with this diadem in
the crown of virtuous womanhood and of virile manhood.”
Gordon B. Hinckley
"While standards generally may
totter, we of the Church are without excuse if we drift in the same manner. We
have standards – sure, tested, and effective. To the extent that we observe
them, we shall go forward. To the extent that we neglect them, we shall hinder
our own progress and bring embarrassment to the word of the Lord. These
standards have come from him. Some of them may appear a little out of date in
our society, but this does not detract from their validity nor diminish the
virtue of their application. The subtle reasoning of men, no matter how clever,
no matter how plausible it may sound, cannot abridge the declared wisdom of
God."
Spencer W. Kimball
"But a warning is sounded for us.
It behooves us to be alert and to listen and. flee from the evil for our eternal
lives. Without help we cannot stand against it. We must flee to high ground or
cling fast to that which can keep us from being swept away. That to which we
must cling for safety is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is our protection from
whatever force the evil one can muster."
Spencer W. Kimball
"Immorality does not begin in
adultery or perversion. It begins with little indiscretions like sex thoughts,
sex discussions, passionate kissing, petting and such, growing with every
exercise. The small indiscretion seems powerless compared to the sturdy body,
the strong mind, the sweet spirit of youth who give way to the first temptation.
But soon the strong has become weak, the master the slave, spiritual growth
curtailed. But if the first unrighteous act is never given root, the tree will
grow to beautiful maturity and the youthful life will grow toward God, our
Father."
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