Position Statement:
The Lord Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to overcome
all things. No matter our circumstances, He asks us to trust that He is the
way. Pornography is a silent evil
spiritual-killer. It destroys families
and loved ones and takes you furthest from where we need to be as a
person. I know that Satan works hard to
make pornography available at the touch of a button, or even in advertisements
around our surroundings. It’s a
difficult time to live in with the media in our pocket and the world upside
down. I think avoiding pornography
starts in the home by avoiding it, but talking about it.
Living
Prophets & Apostles:
1. Pornography, the carrier, is big
business. It is Mafia-spawned. It is contagious. It is addicting. In a study
last year, the FBI estimated that Americans spent 2.4 billion dollars on
hard-core pornography. Other estimates reach as high as 4 billion—a fortune
siphoned away from noble use and diverted to a devilish purpose!
2. “Pornographic or erotic stories and pictures are worse
than filthy or polluted food. The body has defenses to rid itself of
unwholesome food. With a few fatal exceptions, bad food will only make you sick
but do no permanent harm. In contrast, a person who feasts upon filthy stories
or pornographic or erotic pictures and literature records them in this
marvelous retrieval system we call a brain. The brain won’t vomit back filth.
Once recorded, it will always remain subject to recall, flashing its perverted
images across your mind and drawing you away from the wholesome things in
life.”
Reference: Dallin H. Oaks- Pornography- April 2005
3. Those who seek out and use pornography forfeit the power
of their priesthood. The Lord declares: “When we undertake to cover our sins, …
behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and
when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man” (D&C
121:37).
Reference: Dallin H. Oaks- Pornography- April 2005
4. Participation in pornography in any of its lurid forms is
a manifestation of unbridled selfishness. How can a man, particularly a
priesthood bearer, not think of the emotional and spiritual damage caused to
women, especially his wife, by such abhorrent activity?
5. Parents, be aware that the addiction
of pornography can begin with youth at a very early age. Take preventative
action to avoid that tragedy. Stake presidents and bishops, warn of this evil.
Invite anyone you consider captured by it to come to you for help. An individual with foundation standards and
an enduring commitment to obey them is not easily led astray. Someone who is
increasingly repulsed by grievous sin and who exercises self-restraint outside
human influence has character.
6. Pornography will always repel the
Spirit of Christ and will interrupt the communications between our Heavenly
Father and His children and disrupt the tender relationship between husband and
wife. The priesthood holds consummate power. It can protect you from the plague
of pornography—and it is a plague—if you are succumbing to its influence. If
one is obedient, the priesthood can show how to break a habit and even erase an
addiction. Holders of the priesthood have that authority and should employ it
to combat evil influences.
Any
Prophet, Apostle, or General Conference Address:
7. We as parents and leaders need to counsel with our
children and youth on an ongoing basis, listening with love and understanding.
They need to know the dangers of
pornography and how it overtakes lives, causing loss of the Spirit,
distorted feelings, deceit, damaged relationships, loss of self-control, and
nearly total consumption of time, thought, and energy.
8. Priesthood holders carry with them the antidote to remove
the terrible images of pornography and to wash away guilt. The priesthood has
the power to unlock the influence of our habits, even to unchain from
addiction, however tight the grip. It can heal over the scars of past mistakes.
9. My beloved friends, under no
circumstances allow yourselves to become trapped in the viewing of pornography,
one of the most effective of Satan’s enticements. And if you have allowed
yourself to become involved in this behavior, cease now. Seek the help you need
to overcome and to change the direction of your life. Take the steps necessary
to get back on the strait and narrow, and then stay there. May we say, with Joshua of old, “Choose you
this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the
Lord.”
10. There’s a spiritual snare today called pornography,
and many, allured by its provocative messages, enter this deadly trap. Like any
trap, it is easy to enter but difficult to escape. Some rationalize that they
can casually view pornography without suffering its adverse effects. They say
initially, “This isn’t so bad,” or, “Who cares? It won’t make any difference,”
or, “I’m just curious.” But they are mistaken. The Lord has warned, “And he
that looketh upon a woman to lust after her shall deny the faith, and shall not
have the Spirit; and if he repents not he shall be cast out” (D&C 42:23).
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