Pornography

Mosiah 12:29
  29 And again he said unto them: If ye teach the law of Moses why do ye not keep it? Why do ye set your hearts upon riches? Why do ye commit whoredoms and spend your strength with harlots, yea, and cause this people to commit sin, that the Lord has cause to send me to prophesy against this people, yea, even a great evil against this people?

My Thoughts
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Pornography is spending time with harlots.  It is also spending strength with harlots.

How is pornography spending strength with harlots?

• The Holy Ghost is our strength and pornography removes that strength.
• Pornography is very addictive and addiction interferes with our agency.  Agency is also our strength.
• Pornography takes strength away from family, friends, and work.

Entertainment that is not classified by the world as pornography, but is still put on by those acting like harlots would still be spending our time with harlots.

}

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Pornography, April 2005 General Conference

"Finally, do not patronize pornography. Do not use your purchasing power to support moral degradation. And young women, please understand that if you dress immodestly, you are magnifying this problem by becoming pornography to some of the men who see you."

President Thomas S. Monson, Preparation Brings Blessings, General Conference April 2010

"Our Heavenly Father has counseled us to seek after 'anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.'⁵ Whatever you read, listen to, or watch makes an impression on you.

"Pornography is especially dangerous and addictive. Curious exploration of pornography can become a controlling habit, leading to coarser material and to sexual transgression. Avoid pornography at all costs.

"Don’t be afraid to walk out of a movie, turn off a television set, or change a radio station if what’s being presented does not meet your Heavenly Father’s standards. In short, if you have any question about whether a particular movie, book, or other form of entertainment is appropriate, don’t see it, don’t read it, don’t participate."

Moroni 10:30

 30And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.

Miracles

President Boyd K. Packer, in Conference Report, Oct. 1970, 120
“If you are helpless, he is not. If you are lost, he is not. If you don’t know what to do next, he knows. It would take a miracle, you say? Well, if it takes a miracle, why not?”

Degrees of Glory

2 Corinthians 12:2

 2^aI knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the ^bbody, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the ^cthird ^dheaven.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Fundamental to Our Faith, January 2011 Ensign

"Like other Christians, we believe that when we leave this life, we go to a heaven (paradise) or a hell. But to us this two-part division of the righteous and the wicked is merely temporary while the spirits of the dead await their resurrection and Final Judgment (see Alma 40:11–14). The destinations that follow the Final Judgment are much more diverse, and they stand as evidence of the magnitude of God’s love for His children—all of them."

Paradise

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Fundamental to Our Faith, January 2011 Ensign

"Like other Christians, we believe that when we leave this life, we go to a heaven (paradise) or a hell. But to us this two-part division of the righteous and the wicked is merely temporary while the spirits of the dead await their resurrection and Final Judgment (see Alma 40:11–14). The destinations that follow the Final Judgment are much more diverse, and they stand as evidence of the magnitude of God’s love for His children—all of them."

Luke 23:42-43

  42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

  43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

John 20:17
  17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

My Comments on John 20:17
Jesus had told the thief on the cross that, that day the thief would see Jesus in Paradise.  Then after his resurrection Jesus stated that he had not yet ascended to His Father.  If Paradise is not where His Father is then where is it?  Where did he go?  Paradise must be some place different than the dwelling place of God.

Heaven

2 Corinthians 12:2
 2^aI knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the ^bbody, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the ^cthird ^dheaven.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Fundamental to Our Faith, January 2011 Ensign

"Like other Christians, we believe that when we leave this life, we go to a heaven (paradise) or a hell. But to us this two-part division of the righteous and the wicked is merely temporary while the spirits of the dead await their resurrection and Final Judgment (see Alma 40:11–14). The destinations that follow the Final Judgment are much more diverse, and they stand as evidence of the magnitude of God’s love for His children—all of them."

Education

2 Nephi 9:29
29 But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.


Proverbs 29:18
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.


Elder M Russell Ballard, That the Lost May Be Found, General Conference April 2012
“Equally worrisome is the ever-growing gap between the rich and poor and between those who strive to preserve family values and commitments and those who have given up on doing so. Statistically, those who have less education and consequently lower incomes are less likely to marry and to go to church and much more likely to be involved in crime and to have children outside of marriage. And these trends are also troubling in much of the rest of the world.”
...
“Opposite of what many had thought, prosperity and education seem to be connected to a higher likelihood of having traditional families and values.”


Elder David A. Bednar, Learning to Love Learning, Ensign February 2010

"On the landmark sign located at the entrance to Brigham Young University, the following motto is found: 'Enter to learn; go forth to serve.' This expression certainly does not imply that everything necessary for a lifetime of meaningful service can or will be obtained during a few short years of higher education. Rather, the spirit of this statement is that students come to receive foundational instruction about learning how to learn and learning to love learning. Furthermore, students’ desires and capacities to serve are not 'put on hold' during their university years of intellectual exploration and development."

Teachings: Brigham Young, 193

“Not only does the religion of Jesus Christ make the people acquainted with the things of God, and develop within them moral excellence and purity, but it holds out every encouragement and inducement possible, for them to increase in knowledge and intelligence, in every branch of mechanism, or in the arts and sciences, for all wisdom, and all the arts and sciences in the world are from God, and are designed for the good of his people.”

John 14:26
26 But the ^aComforter, which is the ^bHoly Ghost, whom the Father will send in my ^cname, he shall ^dteach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.


Moroni 10:5
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may ^aknow the ^btruth of all things.


Doctrine and Covenants 130:18-19

18 Whatever principle of ^aintelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the ^bresurrection.

19 And if a person gains more ^aknowledge and intelligence in this life through his ^bdiligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the ^cadvantage in the world to come.

Revelation

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff (2004), 49
"Every man or woman that has ever entered into the church of God and been baptized for the remission of sins has a right to revelation, a right to the Spirit of God, to assist them in their labors, in their administrations to their children, in counseling their children and those over whom they are called upon to preside. The Holy Ghost is not restricted to men, nor to apostles or prophets; it belongs to every faithful man and woman, and to every child who is old enough to receive the gospel of Christ.”

Elder Richard G Scott, How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life, April 2012 General Conference
“There are some practical principles that enhance revelation. First, yielding to emotions such as anger or hurt or defensiveness will drive away the Holy Ghost. Those emotions must be eliminated, or our chance for receiving revelation is slight.
Another principle is to be cautious with humor. Loud, inappropriate laughter will offend the Spirit. A good sense of humor helps revelation; loud laughter does not. A sense of humor is an escape valve for the pressures of life.
Another enemy to revelation comes from exaggeration or loudness in what is stated. Careful, quiet speech will favor the receipt of revelation.”
...
“...spiritual communication can be enhanced by good health practices.”
...
“It is important that our daily activities do not distract us from listening to the Spirit.”

Discourse given by Joseph Smith about July 1839 in Commerce, Illinois; reported by Willard Richards, in Willard Richards, Pocket Companion, pp. 75, 78–79, Church Archives
“It is the privilege of the children of God to come to God and get revelation. … God is not a respecter of persons; we all have the same privilege.”

Dallin H. Oaks, Fundamental to Our Faith, Ensign January 2011
"Personal revelation—sometimes called 'inspiration'—comes in many forms. Most often it is by words or thoughts communicated to the mind by sudden enlightenment or by positive or negative feelings about proposed courses of action. Usually it comes in response to earnest and prayerful seeking. Jesus taught, 'Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you' (Matthew 7:7). Revelation comes when we keep the commandments of God and thus qualify for the companionship and communication of the Holy Spirit."

President Dieter F Uchtdorf, Your Potential, Your Privilege, April 2011 General Conference

“A sure testimony of Jesus Christ and of His restored gospel takes more than knowledge—it requires personal revelation, confirmed through honest and dedicated application of gospel principles.”
...
"If we are not seeking to use this channel of revelation, we are living beneath our priesthood privileges."

Dallin H. Oaks, "The Lord's Way", P50, Last partial paragraph
"The source of the ancient conflict between (1) reason or intellect and (2) faith or revelation is the professor's rejection of revelation, not the prophet's rejection of reason."

BOYD K. PACKER, "I Say unto You, Be One", devotional address was given at Brigham Young University on 12 February 1991
"Each of us must accommodate the mixture of reason and revelation in our lives. The gospel not only permits but requires it. An individual who concentrates on either side solely and alone will lose both balance and perspective. History confirms that the university environment always favors reason, and the workings of the Spirit are made to feel uncomfortable. I know of no examples to the contrary. "

"The fusion of reason and revelation will produce men and women of imperishable worth."