The Law of Chastity

The Law of Chastity

The Family Proclamation: 

"We declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife."

Good grief, if there is one issue where the world's standards are clearly in opposition to the Lord's, it is SEX!   Turn on the TV any given night and you are likely to see shows and even commercials that are blatantly sexual.  Lyrics to popular songs leave nothing to the imagination, it's hard to find a movie that is "safe" to see in the theaters any more and  let's not forget the mortifying performance at the recent MTV Music Awards.  Even Sister White knows what "twerking" is now! Could someone please send Miley Cyrus a copy of the For The Strength of Youth pamphlet? 

Speaking of the FTSOY pamphlet, let's see what it has to say about sexuality:

"Physical intimacy between husband and wife is beautiful and sacred. It is ordained of God for the creation of children and for the expression of love between husband and wife. God has commanded that sexual intimacy be reserved for marriage.

When you are sexually pure, you prepare yourself to make and keep sacred covenants in the temple. You prepare yourself to build a strong marriage and to bring children into the world as part of an eternal and loving family. You protect yourself from the spiritual and emotional damage that come from sharing sexual intimacy outside of marriage. You also protect yourself from harmful diseases. Remaining sexually pure helps you to be confident and truly happy and improves your ability to make good decisions now and in the future.

The Lord’s standard regarding sexual purity is clear and unchanging. Do not have any sexual relations before marriage, and be completely faithful to your spouse after marriage. Do not allow the media, your peers, or others to persuade you that sexual intimacy before marriage is acceptable. It is not. In God’s sight, sexual sins are extremely serious. They defile the sacred power God has given us to create life. The prophet Alma taught that sexual sins are more serious than any other sins except murder or denying the Holy Ghost (see Alma 39:5)."

Does popular media make sex seem "beautiful and sacred?" NO, not at all! Why do you think this is? I believe it is because the Adversary doesn't have a body and so he tempts us  to misuse ours any way he can think of. The world we live in sure does seem a lot like "Babylon", wouldn't you say?   Prophets and Apostles in Biblical times and in our times have had plenty to say about sexual immorality.  

Check out Paul’s Teachings on Sexual Immorality in

1 Corinthians 6:13,15,18-20

13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for ^afornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

 15 Know ye not that your bodies are the ^amembers of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

  18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

 19 What? know ye not that your ^abody is the ^btemple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your^cown?

 20 For ye are ^abought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’

 Watch this short clip from Elder Bednar. What does he say obedience to the Law of Chastity will bring to us?

Elder Bednar's talk

Now, look back up at 1 Corinthians 6:19.  I think this verse holds one of the main clues that can help us understand why we need to keep our bodies, minds and spirits pure.  Our body is not our own.  It is the temple for the Holy Ghost to dwell in and belongs to God.  In one of my classes this year, we read an amazing talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. My Seminary students can tell you that I NEVER miss the chance to share a Jeffrey R. Holland talk! I found a video of him giving it at BYU and have posted it here.  Please don't skip this! Make sure you have your journal ready and prepare to be taught powerfully.  I wish every young man and woman could see this.  It is THAT good.

There are so many great resources on this topic, I don't want to leave any of them out!  Here is an awesome episode from the Mormon Channel by John Hilton III.  You might have heard of him, or even seen him speak at EFY.  I like this one because it is geared more towards your age. (But I still learned a lot!) 

The Law of Chastity

We know we need to remain sexually pure.  But, I know what you are thinking: "Sister White...how far is going TOO far?  Is it okay to (fill-in-the-blank)? or what about (fill-in-the-blank)?" Check out this short Mormon Message for Youth that will help you know how to answer these questions.

From the bottom of my heart, I know that committing to stay sexually pure may not be popular or even common these days, but I promise the Lord doesn't require anything of us that is not for our own benefit and blessing.  YOU are a gift that should only be given to someone who is committed to you for time and all eternity.  Please don't shortchange yourself by falling prey to the messages the world would have you believe.  I want to leave you with a quote  from BYU Professor James M. Harper that I think expresses why sex is worth waiting until marriage for beautifully:
"A loving Heavenly Father reserved something divine, the physical union between husband and wife, for the heart of marriage. In the intimate, personal, and often vulnerable space of marriage, God drew bounds around sacred physical union as something to be experienced with each other as husband and wife.  Sex within marriage potentially teaches Heavenly Father's deepest truths about oneness.  In this sense, sex within marriage is sanctified and serves great spiritual and temporal purposes..."