My First Lesson to Adults...

I am soooooo "lucky."  My first lesson to adults is on Chapter 39 of the Gospel Principles book.

Just an aside-I got this book as a 28 year old single mom from the missionaries (along with 5 other books and 4 DVDs because I had sooooo  many questions) and THIS is the first lesson I read.  I will say this.  I absolutely have a STRONG testimony of the law of Chastity (God has commanded us that only in marriage between a man and a woman are we to have sexual relations. This commandment is called the law of chastity).  There is no doubt about this.  I sure as heck am nervous about this lesson though and would love your input.

Here are some things I am thinking:

Little children come to earth pure and innocent from Heavenly Father. As parents pray for guidance, the Lord will inspire them to teach children at the right time and in the right way.

The Power of Procreation •

• Why should parents teach their children about procreation and chastity?
  
  How can they appropriately do this?
  
   I contend if a parent doesn't do it, someone else will and it may not be what is right/good
  
  Being open and honest, not embarrassed or ashamed

The Law of Chastity

• • What is the law of chastity?
  

The First Presidency warned young people of other sexual sins:

“Before marriage, do not do anything to arouse the powerful emotions that must be expressed only in marriage. Do not participate in passionate kissing, lie on top of another person, or touch the private, sacred parts of another person’s body, with or without clothing. Do not allow anyone to do that with you. Do not arouse those emotions in your own body” (For the Strength of Youth [pamphlet, 2001], 27).

Oh, that will be fun to talk about...

Like other violations of the law of chastity, homosexual behavior is a serious sin. Latter-day prophets have spoken about the dangers of homosexual behavior and about the Church’s concern for people who may have such inclinations. President Gordon B. Hinckley said:

I will be skipping this section entirely, I feel way too uncomfortable condemning people I know (I do not know a single LDS or former LDS person in this category) who is gay and does not have the same religious views I do.  

Satan Wants Us to Break the Law of Chastity

• • What are some ways Satan tempts people to break the law of chastity?
  

Satan’s plan is to deceive as many of us as he can to prevent us from returning to live with our Heavenly Father.  Satan attacks the standards of modesty.   Heavenly Father wants us to keep our bodies covered so that we do not encourage improper thoughts in the minds of others.

Hmmm.... hmmmmm..... hmmmmmmmmmmmm..... While I agree that it is important to love and respect ones'self, I believe THAT should be our motivation to dress appropriately, NOT to worry about whether some guy is getting turned on because Betsy's knee is showing. 

In the 60's-70's shoulders in dresses were ok, what happened to change that and why? I love halter-styles and tank tops, why, exactly are they immodest for children/young women who are not endowed? Also... how on earth are bathing suits exempted from these rules if they are so important to one's salvation?

I also think that little girls being treated like they even have the capacity to be sexy is so absolutely 100% wrong. If someone judged my 5 year old non-LDS niece as immodest because of her sundress, I am not even kidding.  I would flip out on them.  If a person has a problem with a little girl in a sundress or tank top, I think they have majorly BIG problems, indeed. 

Satan not only encourages us to dress immodestly, but he also encourages us to think immoral or improper thoughts. He does this with pictures, movies, stories, jokes, music, and dances that suggest immoral acts. The law of chastity requires that our thoughts as well as our actions be pure. The prophet Alma taught that when we are judged by God, “our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God” (Alma 12:14).

I actually agree with this- I think that all the sexy dancing (Salsa, especially) that I saw at Singles' Dances was really oogie and I did not like it one bit, it was a very creepy pseudo-sexual thing happening that kept me from ever, ever, EVER going to another one again.  

I also think talking lewdly, and music (that ET song!!) can be so damaging to our youth, particularly

Jesus taught, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

“But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27–28).

President Gordon B. Hinckley warned: “You live in a world of terrible temptations. Pornography, with its sleazy filth, sweeps over the earth like a horrible, engulfing tide. It is poison. Do not watch it or read it. It will destroy you if you do. It will take from you your self-respect. It will rob you of a sense of the beauties of life. It will tear you down and pull you into a slough of evil thoughts and possibly of evil actions. Stay away from it. Shun it as you would a foul disease, for it is just as deadly. Be virtuous in thought and in deed. God has planted in you, for a purpose, a divine urge which may be easily subverted to evil and destructive ends. When you are young, do not get involved in steady dating. When you reach an age where you think of marriage, then is the time to become so involved. But you boys who are in high school don’t need this, and neither do the girls” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1997, 71–72; or Ensign, Nov. 1997, 51).

Paul taught, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Alma emphasized that we will “not be tempted above that which [we] can bear” as we “humble [ourselves] before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually” (Alma 13:28).

This is such an important point.  I plan to start off by saying "What can we do to impress the importance of respect and embrace of the Law of Chastity for our SONS?"   I think about this often, and I plan to really make this a point of emphasis on Sunday. 

Breaking the Law of Chastity Is Extremely Serious

The prophet Alma grieved because one of his sons had broken the law of chastity. Alma said to his son Corianton, “Know ye not, my son, that these things are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost?” (Alma 39:5). Unchastity is next to murder in seriousness.

If a man and a woman break the law of chastity and conceive a child, they may be tempted to commit another abominable sin: abortion. 

So sad, so true, and these women are much more likely to become addicted to alcohol, hard drugs or attempt suicide.  That is the cold, hard truth.

“When a man and woman conceive a child out of wedlock, every effort should be made to encourage them to marry. When the probability of a successful marriage is unlikely due to age or other circumstances, unwed parents should be counseled to place the child for adoption through LDS Family Services to ensure that the baby will be sealed to temple-worthy parents” (First Presidency letter, June 26, 2002, and July 19, 2002).

I am not sure I agree with that at all- I would never have known my brothers or biological family if my mother had followed that counsel!  It also suggests that people not sealed in the temple are not worthy to adopt. 

It is extremely important to our Heavenly Father that His children obey the law of chastity. Members of the Church who break this law or influence others to do so are subject to Church discipline.

Amen

Those Who Break the Law of Chastity Can Be Forgiven

Peace can come to those who have broken the law of chastity. The Lord tells us, “If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, … all his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him” (Ezekiel 18:21–22). Peace comes only through forgiveness.

President Kimball said: “To every forgiveness there is a condition. … The fasting, the prayers, the humility must be equal to or greater than the sin. There must be a broken heart and a contrite spirit. … There must be tears and genuine change of heart. There must be conviction of the sin, abandonment of the evil, confession of the error to properly constituted authorities of the Lord” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 353).

For many people, confession is the most difficult part of repentance. We must confess not only to the Lord but also to the person we have offended, such as a husband or wife, and to the proper priesthood authority. The priesthood leader (bishop or stake president) will judge our standing in the Church. The Lord told Alma, “Whosoever transgresseth against me … if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also” (Mosiah 26:29).

But President Kimball warned: “Even though forgiveness is so abundantly promised there is no promise nor indication of forgiveness to any soul who does not totally repent. … We can hardly be too forceful in reminding people that they cannot sin and be forgiven and then sin again and again and expect repeated forgiveness” (The Miracle of Forgiveness, 353, 360). Those who receive forgiveness and then repeat the sin are held accountable for their former sins (see D&C 82:7; Ether 2:15).

I so agree with this, it seem harsh, but it is really important.  The consequences of breaking the Law of Chastity really are dire, spiritually speaking and must be treated as such on this earth.  I do feel that for young girls, there needs to be a way for them to speak to a priesthood leader with a parent present.  It seems like a young girl would be incredibly vulnerable in the situation of confessing such sins, instead, often times, those sins are never dealt with or the girl is traumatized from it afterward.  I have looked at this, so I can provide some resources about it, but I doubt anyone will want to talk about it except the person in the RS leadership who has already expressed her similar concerns with me.  

Those Who Keep the Law of Chastity Are Greatly Blessed

• • What blessings do we receive as we keep the law of chastity?
  

When we obey the law of chastity, we can live without guilt or shame.  

I will add that curiosity, etc is nothing to be ashamed of.  It is an interesting quandary how LDS adults are expected to go from celebate to totally immersed and comfortable with sexual intercourse after sealing. On the one hand, for most LDS couples, this process only takes a few months ;-) but for those in a more normal (by the world's standards) relationship, if they have followed all the rules, this is really, really such a strange and sudden transition!  It is a little scary, for sure... and I had been married for EIGHT YEARS and knew what to expect.  I was still scared to tremors... Anyway, that is all I will say about that.

 And with that, I will be talking about THIS (amazing) book

Aren't you so jealous YOU aren't teaching on this subject on Sunday?