President Kimball was the prophet when I was born, and my earliest memories are of him at the pulpit in General Conference. I love his straight-forward style of teaching, and this lesson, #17 and entitled “The Law of Chastity,” is a perfect example of this. He tells us in plain language what God’s will us for us concerning chastity, and I will pass that plainness along today.
The quote that heads this lesson reads:
“The Lord has only one standard of morality—total chastity for both men and women before marriage and complete fidelity afterward.”
President Kimball goes on to say that Satan will do all he can to make justification of breaking this law seem harmless by telling young people that if they are in love, there’s nothing wrong with having intimate relations. But as President Kimball points out, this is not love; this is lust. He says: “At the hour of indulgence, pure love is pushed out one door while lust sneaks in the other.”
Later in the lesson, he clearly illustrates the Church’s stand on homosexuality. He says: “If one has homosexual desires and tendencies, he overcomes them the same as if he had the urge toward petting or fornication or adultery. The Lord condemns and forbids this practice with a vigor equal to His condemnation of adultery and other such sex acts.”
He goes on to say:
“It is overcomable and forgiveable.”
He tells us that sex is approved between married couples, and that there is no teaching that says we should only have relations for the purposes of having children, but he also wants us to understand that life does not revolve around sex.
Close to the end of the lesson, President Kimball presents the importance of modesty. Young men have no need to go shirtless, and young women should not wear tight, form-fitting, or revealing clothing just because it’s in style. Those who dress immodestly are tempting those around them – President Kimball uses the word “exploitation,” and I couldn’t agree more.
He then goes on to talk about pornography. I quote him here, as he says it so well:
“It is ridiculous to imply that pornography has no effect. There is a definite relationship to crime. Murder, robbery, rape, prostitution, and commercialized vice are fed on this immorality.”
He says in the next paragraph:
“Do not be lulled into inaction by the pornographic profiteers who say that to remove obscenity is to deny people the rights of free choice.”
President Kimball draws the line in the sand with this lesson. The Lord’s standards are the same as they have ever been—they’re not old-fashioned, they are right. President Kimball promises peace and joy as we live the law of chastity, and also promises sorrow if we do not.
Related Blogs:
General Conference: Commitment to the Lord
Family Home Evening: Pivotal Choices