VIRTUE AND CHASTITY

 

 



1. “Sexual relations out of wedlock are tolerated or advocated by many. So is the rapidly expanding culture of pornography. All who have belonged to these cultures of sin must repent and change if they are to become the people of God, for He has warned that “no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom.”

 

-Dallin H. Oaks (October 2003) Repent and Change

 

2.”Everyone is tested. One might think it is unfair to be singled out and subjected to a particular temptation, but this is the purpose of mortal life—to be tested. And the answer is the same for everyone: we must, and we can, resist temptations of any kind.”

 

-Boyd K. Packer “Guided By the Holy Spirit” April 2011

 

3. "Most people in trouble end up crying, 'What was I thinking?' Well, whatever they were thinking, they weren't thinking of Christ. Yet, as members of His Church, we pledge every Sunday of our lives to take upon ourselves His name and promise to 'always remember him' (D&C 20:77). So let us work a little harder at remembering Him."

 

-Jeffrey R. Holland, "Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul" May 2010"

 

4. "You will need [courage] to be chaste and virtuous. You live in a world where moral values have, in great measure, been tossed aside, where sin is flagrantly on display, and where temptations to stray from the strait and narrow path surround you. Many are the voices telling you that you are far too provincial or that there is something wrong with you if you still believe there is such a thing as immoral behavior. Isaiah declared, 'Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness' (Isaiah 5:20). Great courage will be required as you remain chaste and virtuous amid the accepted thinking of the times."

 

-Thomas S. Monson, "May You Have Courage," Ensign, May 2009

 

5. “A wise man once said, ‘Music is one of the most forceful instruments for governing the mind.’ Whether it governs in a positive way or a negative way is determined by what it brings onto the stage of your mind. If you can say that a song is spiritually inspiring or that it urges you to see yourself in a more noble perspective, the music is worthwhile. If it merely entertains or lifts your spirits, then it also has a useful place. But if it makes you want to respond in a carnal, sensual way or to consider unrighteous desires, then that music should be avoided. It is not worthy.”

 

-Boyd K. Packer, “The Message: Worthy Music, Worthy Thoughts,” April 2008

 

6. “Moral discipline is learned at home. While we cannot control what others may or may not do, the Latter-day Saints can certainly stand with those who demonstrate virtue in their own lives and inculcate virtue in the rising generation. . . . Our teaching should draw upon our own faith and focus first and foremost on instilling faith in God in the rising generation. We must declare the essential need to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before Him in soberness, or in other words, with reverence. Each must be persuaded that service and sacrifice for the well-being and happiness of others are far superior to making one’s own comfort and possessions the highest priority.”

 

-D. Todd Christofferson, “Moral Discipline” November 2009

 

7. "Supernal blessings are promised to those who walk in virtue before the Lord and before all men. How wonderful are the ways of our Lord. How glorious His promises."

 

-Gordon B. Hinckley, "A Tragic Evil among Us," November 2004

 

8. “Because sexual intimacy is so sacred, the Lord requires self-control and purity before marriage, as well as full fidelity after marriage. In dating, treat your date with respect, and expect your date to show that same respect for you. Tears inevitably follow transgression. Men, take care not to make women weep, for God counts their tears.”

 

-Thomas S. Monson, “Standards of Strength,” Octoberr 2008

 

9. “You cannot afford in any degree to become involved with pornography, whatever its form. You simply cannot afford to become involved in immoral practices--or to let down the bars of sexual restraint. The emotions that stir within you which make boys attractive to girls and girls attractive to boys are part of a divine plan, but they must be restrained, subdued, and kept under control, or they will destroy you and make you unworthy of many of the great blessings which the Lord has in store for you.”

 

-Gordon B. Hinckley, “A Chosen Generation,” May 1992

 

10. "A quarter of a century ago historian John Lukacs perceptively warned that sexual immorality was not merely a marginal development but, instead, was at the center of the moral crisis of our time (see John Lukacs, The Passing of the Modern Age, New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1970, p. 169). Some thought Lukacs was overstating it, but consider the subsequent and sobering tragedy of children having children, of unwed mothers, of children without parents, of hundreds of thousands of fatherless children, and of rampant spousal infidelity. These and related consequences threaten to abort society's future even before the future arrives! Yet carnalists are unwilling to deny themselves, even though all of society suffers from an awful avalanche of consequences!"

 

-Neal A. Maxwell, “Deny Yourselves of All Ungodliness” May 1995

 

Position Statement:

In this world, it is so refreshing to be reminded of virtue and chastity. We know the Lord “delights in chastity”. I know the peace of conscience that comes when we live a chaste and virtuous life and it is worth it. There is nothing in this world that feels better than that. I am grateful for the Savior who leads us along as we strive to live our lives in such a way.