Alma did as a good father should do: He chastised and corrected his son and commanded him to repent, for his good (compare the Old Testament priest Eli, whose “sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not”; 1 Samuel 3:13). He told him to “cross” himself in the lusts of his eyes, that is, to refrain or abstain from the lusts of the flesh. Joseph Smith’s translation of Matthew 16:26 says, “For a man to take up his cross, is to deny himself of all ungodliness, and every worldly lust, and keep my commandments.”
The basic issue is control. We came into this life not just to obtain a physical body but to learn to control it. And “life” is really at the heart of the matter. The three “greatest” sins mentioned by Alma all have something to do with life: murder—the unauthorized taking of life; immorality—the unauthorized use of the sacred force of life; and denying the Holy Ghost—the purposeful rejection of the spiritual component of life. The secret is to love the things of the Spirit, to be constantly filling ourselves with spiritual things, so that the spiritual stimulation will be more appealing and satisfying than giving in to the passions of the body. As another great missionary, Paul, taught, “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
The Church’s For the Strength of Youth booklet gives frank, direct counsel to all youth regarding the sacred law of chastity:
“Do not have any sexual relations before marriage, and be completely faithful to your spouse after marriage. Satan may tempt you to rationalize that sexual intimacy before marriage is acceptable when two people are in love. That is not true. In God’s sight, sexual sins are extremely serious because they defile the power God has given us to create life… .
“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.
“In cultures where dating or courting is acceptable, always treat your date with respect, never as an object to be used for your lustful desires. Stay in areas of safety where you can easily control your physical feelings. Do not participate in talk or activities that arouse sexual feelings.”24
Self-control and self-mastery must continue after marriage. President Thomas S. Monson explains: “Choose a companion carefully and prayerfully; and when you are married, be fiercely loyal one to another. Priceless advice comes from a small framed plaque I once saw in the home of an uncle and aunt. It read, ‘Choose your love; love your choice.’ There is great wisdom in those few words. Commitment in marriage is absolutely essential.”25
“The Lusts of Your Eyes” (Alma 39:9)—The Destructive Nature of Pornography
While serving as president of Brigham Young University, Elder Dallin H. Oaks warned about the damage caused by pornography: “We are surrounded by the promotional literature of illicit sexual relations, on the printed page and on the screen. For your own good, avoid it. Pornographic or erotic stories and pictures are worse than filthy or polluted food. The body has defenses to rid itself of unwholesome food. With a few fatal exceptions bad food will only make you sick but do no permanent harm. In contrast, a person who feasts upon filthy stories or pornographic or erotic pictures and literature records them in this marvelous retrieval system we call a brain. The brain won’t vomit back filth. Once recorded, it will always remain subject to recall, flashing its perverted images across your mind and drawing you away from the wholesome things in life.”26
President George Albert Smith taught:
“My grandfather [George A. Smith, a counselor in the First Presidency to Brigham Young] used to say to his family, ‘There is a line of demarkation, well defined, between the Lord’s territory and the devil’s. If you will stay on the Lord’s side of the line you will be under his influence and will have no desire to do wrong; but if you cross to the devil’s side of the line one inch, you are in the tempter’s power, and if he is successful, you will not be able to think or even reason properly, because you will have lost the spirit of the Lord.’
“When I have been tempted sometimes to do a certain thing, I have asked myself, ‘Which side of the line am I on?’ If I determined to be on the safe side, the Lord’s side, I would do the right thing every time. So when temptation comes, think prayerfully about your problem, and the influence of the spirit of the Lord will enable you to decide wisely. There is safety for us only on the Lord’s side of the line.”27
President Thomas S. Monson taught: “Constantly before us is the [temptation] of immorality. Almost everywhere we turn, there are those who would have us believe that what was once considered immoral is now acceptable… .
“The evil one … would have us believe that the viewing of pornography really hurts no one… .
“Some publishers and printers prostitute their presses by printing millions of pieces of pornography each day. No expense is spared to produce a product certain to be viewed, then viewed again. One of the most accessible sources of pornography today is the Internet, where one can turn on a computer and instantly have at his fingertips countless sites featuring pornography. President Gordon B. Hinckley has said: … ‘It is vicious. It is lewd and filthy. It is enticing and habit-forming. It will take [you] down to destruction as surely as anything in this world. It is foul sleaze that makes its exploiters wealthy, its victims impoverished’ [Ensign, Nov. 2000, 51].
“Tainted as well is the movie producer, the television programmer, or the entertainer who promotes pornography. Long gone are the restraints of yesteryear. So-called realism is the quest, with the result that today we are surrounded by this filth.
“Avoid any semblance of pornography. It will desensitize the spirit and erode the conscience.”28
Referring to the Internet, President Monson warned: “On one hand, it provides nearly limitless opportunities for acquiring useful and important information. Through it we can communicate with others around the world. The Church itself has a wonderful Web site, filled with valuable and uplifting information and priceless resources.
“On the other hand, however—and extremely alarming—are the reports of the number of individuals who are utilizing the Internet for evil and degrading purposes, the viewing of pornography being the most prevalent of these purposes. My brothers and sisters, involvement in such will literally destroy the spirit. Be strong. Be clean. Avoid such degrading and destructive types of content at all costs—wherever they may be! I sound this warning to everyone, everywhere. I add—particularly to the young people—that this includes pornographic images transmitted via cell phones.
“My beloved friends, under no circumstances allow yourselves to become trapped in the viewing of pornography, one of the most effective of Satan’s enticements. And if you have allowed yourself to become involved in this behavior, cease now. Seek the help you need to overcome and to change the direction of your life. Take the steps necessary to get back on the strait and narrow, and then stay there.”29