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The law of chastity is a moral code defined by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). According to the church, chastity means abstinence from sexual relations before marriage, and complete fidelity to one's spouse during marriage.[1] As part of the law of chastity, the church teaches its members not only to abstain from adultery and fornication, but also to refrain from masturbation and to avoid sexually inappropriate thoughts. The law of chastity is taught to church members of all ages, being introduced simply to young children, and especially emphasized to adolescents.
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General standards [link]
Within the LDS Church, chastity means more than abstinence from sex. It means to be morally clean in "thoughts, words, and actions." It also means sexual relations are only permitted between a husband and wife. The church teaches its members that "no one, male or female, is to have sexual relations before marriage. After marriage, sexual relations are permitted only with our spouse.[1]
Mormons believe that sexuality between man and woman lawfully married is divinely appointed and has two purposes: to "multiply, and replenish the Earth" (Genesis 1:28) as commanded by God to Adam and Eve, and to strengthen the bond between man and woman that they might "become one flesh" (Mark 10:8). A church handbook for leaders states that married couples should be made aware "that sexual relations within marriage are divinely approved not only for the purpose of procreation, but also as a way of expressing love and strengthening emotional and spiritual bonds between husband and wife."[2]
The church has made its views clear in many publications and in recent news releases that "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God".[3] The church does not condone sexual relations within a legally-sanctioned same-sex marriage or sex within polygamous marriages.
Youth teaching [link]
An LDS Church publication targeted at youth states: "Before 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 do anything else that arouses sexual feelings. Do not arouse those emotions in your own body.”[4] Youth are taught in church classes that sexual relations are sacred, and they should avoid "fondling of bodies, one's own or that of others".[5] Masturbation is "not condoned but is not considered homosexual".[6]
Importance [link]
The LDS Church places great emphasis on the law of chastity. Commitment to live the law of chastity is required for baptism,[citation needed] and adherence is required to receive temple recommend.[7]
The Book of Mormon teaches that sexual sins are "most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost" (Alma 39:5). Church leaders have similarly emphasized its importance.
Apostle Spencer W. Kimball, in his book Miracle of Forgiveness, quoted Heber J. Grant as saying, "[t]here is no true Latter-day Saint who would not rather bury a son or daughter than to have him or her lose his or her chastity—realizing that chastity is of more value than anything else in all the world."[citation needed]
Church President Ezra Taft Benson wrote:
| “ | From the beginning of time, the Lord has set a clear and unmistakable standard of sexual purity. It always has been, it is now, and it always will be the same. That standard is the law of chastity. It is the same for all—for men and women, for old and young, for rich and poor. In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Jacob tells us that the Lord delights in the chastity of His children (see Jacob 2:28). Do you hear that, my brothers and sisters? The Lord is not just pleased when we are chaste; He delights in chastity. Mormon taught the same thing to his son Moroni when he wrote that chastity and virtue are 'most dear and precious above all things.' (Moroni 9:9)[8] | ” |
Violation of the law of chastity may result in church discipline, including disfellowshipment or excommuncation.
In Endowment ceremony [link]
The law of chastity is one of the covenants members of the LDS Church promise to keep during the Endowment ceremony of the temple.[citation needed] Participants are bound by oath to obey this law, which is they must have no sexual relations except with their husband or wife to whom they have been legally and lawfully married.[citation needed]
Includes broader transgressions [link]
Activities considered a violation of the law of chastity include not only adultery and fornication. Church President Spencer W. Kimball taught that the law of chastity encompasses "all sexual relations outside marriage—petting, sex perversion, masturbation, and preoccupation with sex in one's thoughts and talking. Included are every hidden and secret sin and all unholy and impure thoughts and practices."[9]
Victims of rape, incest, or sexual abuse are not guilty of sin and are not considered to have broken the law of chastity.[10]
In addition, members are taught to dress modestly, to control their thoughts, and to avoid pornography.[1][10] Dressing immodestly is not a violation of the law of chastity, but "modesty promotes chastity".[10] Members who are married are instructed to "be faithful to your spouse in thought, word, and action. Flirting with others is not appropriate. Stay away from situations where temptation may develop."[10]
According to the church, even though the violation of the law of chastity is considered a serious sin, one who has violated the law of chastity can repent and receive forgiveness from God.[1][10][9]
Homosexuality [link]
The church has stated its view that a person having same-gender attraction is not sinful and no one should be blamed for it,[11] and that LBG members can have a good standing in the church.[12] LBG members are expected to obey the same laws as straight people, including controlling thoughts and not arousing sexual feelings outside of marriage. However, the church actively opposes the extension of marriage rights to same-sex couples.[13] In 2007, the Church produced "God Loveth His Children", a pamphlet whose stated purpose is to help LBG members.
D. Michael Quinn has stated that Spencer W. Kimball, the 12th President of the LDS Church beginning in 1973, did not believe that an individual could be homosexual, asserting that only a person's actions were homosexual.[14] George L. Mitton and Rhett S. James believe this a distortion of LDS history.[15]
In 1987, Apostle Gordon B. Hinckley wrote that "Marriage should not be viewed as a therapeutic step to solve problems such as homosexual inclinations or practices."[16]
See also [link]
- Beliefs and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Chastity
- Sexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
References [link]
- ^ a b c d "Chapter 39: The Law of Chastity". Gospel Principles. LDS Church. p. 247. https://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-39-the-law-of-chastity?lang=eng. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
- ^ Handbook 2: Administering the Church (2010).
- ^ "The Family: A Proclamation to the World". LDS Church. September 23, 1995. https://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,161-1-11-1,00.html. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
- ^ "Sexual Purity" in For the Strength of Youth (LDS Church, 2011).
- ^ "Lesson 41: Sexual Purity", Aaronic Priesthood Manual 1 (LDS Church): p. 147, https://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=ba805f74db46c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=d6877befabc20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1&contentLocale=0, retrieved 2010-11-24
- ^ "Homosexuality". Encyclopedia of Mormonism. BYU Studies, Harold B. Lee Library. https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Homosexuality. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
- ^ "Being Worthy to Enter the Temple", Liahona, August 2010.
- ^ Ezra Taft Benson. "The Message: The Law of Chastity", New Era, January 1988, p. 4.
- ^ a b Spencer W. Kimball, "President Kimball Speaks Out on Morality", Ensign, November 1980.
- ^ a b c d e "Sexual Purity Blesses Our Lives", Liahona, July 2010.
- ^ God Loveth His Children, LDS Church, 2007, https://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?sourceId=3e05c8322e1b3110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=198bf4b13819d110VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD, retrieved 2010-11-24
- ^ Lattin, Don (13 April 1997). "Musings of the Main Mormon". San Francisco Chronicle. https://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1997/04/13/SC36289.DTL. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
- ^ McKinley, Jesse; Johnson, Kirk (14 November 2008). "Mormons Tipped Scale in Ban on Gay Marriage". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/15/us/politics/15marriage.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&hp&oref=slogin. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
- ^ Quinn, D. Michael. Same-Sex Dynamics Among Nineteenth Century Americans: A Mormon Example. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-06958-7.[page needed]
- ^ Mitton, George L.; James, Rhett S. (1998). "A Response to D. Michael Quinn's Homosexual Distortion of Latter-day Saint History". FARMS Review (Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute) 10 (1): 141–263. https://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/review/?vol=10&num=1&id=280. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
- ^ Hinckley, Gordon B. (May 1987). "Reverence and Morality". Ensign (LDS Church) 17 (5): 45–47. https://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?sourceId=969567700817b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
