Profanity

What is profanity?

Usually people just think of swearing, but it means much more.

Here are a few definitions:
1) Something beautiful and holy out of its proper place.
2) Before/outside of the temple.

Some examples are:
-Yelling the Sacrament Prayer in the middle of a sports game.
-Insulting someone's mother.
-Being immoral, not having sexual purity.
-Wearing sacred temple clothing while walking down the street.

So why do we allow immoral things in our homes or minds?
They come in via movies, television, internet, etc.

Hard Hearts and Past Feeling

Elder Ballard has warned about pornography and how it desensitizes the soul.

Here are two scriptures that show the two sides of the story:
D&C 121:45-46
D&C 63:16

In the scriptures it uses the image of a "hard heart" to show desensitization.
1 Nephi 2:18 - "But, behold, Laman and Lemuel would not hearken unto my words; and being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts I cried unto the Lord for them."
Also see 2 Nephi 1:17

"Past feeling" comes after a hard heart.
Moroni 9:20 - "And now, my son, I dwell no longer upon this horrible scene. Behold, thou knowest the wickedness of this people; thou knowest that they are without principle, and past feeling; and their wickedness doth exceed that of the Lamanites."

Terrible New Teen Trend

There is a terrible new trend in the teen world. It is called "sexting" which is when people send indecent pictures to each other on their cell phones (or via emails). This is legally called child pornography in Arizona whether you asked for the image to be sent or not. Receiving one picture counts as a count of sexual exploitation of a minor. Punishment is 17 years in prison per one count.

Children under age 18 are not allowed to have cell phone or internet accounts, they go through their parents' account. Therefore, one image on the computer or cell phone means that the parent/adult will be prosecuted and go to jail. We need to monitor our children.

Pornography

Two common denominators in divorce are debt and the loss of spirit. When a marriage partner looks at pornography it inevitably results in the loss of the holy ghost.

Some ideas to avoid pornography:
-Put a picture of the Savior by your computer screen.
-Put a statue or picture of the Savior by the television.
-Buy a "clearplay" DVD player to filter movies.
-Put an internet filter on every computer

Pornography is like a sword (see Alma 24:15-18). You can't just drop the sword, we need to bury it deep in the earth.

The church sponsors Pornography Addiction Support Groups in many areas (see http://www.lds.org/ website under Provident Living). There is also an Addiction Recovery Program workbook to help overcome addictions.

We can reach the point where we "shake at the appearance of sin" (see 2 Nephi 4:31).

(These thoughts are taken from notes I took at Stake Conference on 2/21/09 in Mesa, AZ in a talk given by Bishop Mark Schilds)