To be chaste and
virtuous is to stand apart from the world. The society as a whole has become
callous partly due to the complete disregard for the divine gifts afforded man
by Father in Heaven to create life. The physical bodies given to us are divine
places where the Spirit of God can dwell when clean. As the world continues to
slip down Satan slope of sleaze, those who do hold the “old fashioned” ideals
of abstinence before marriage and complete fidelity after will be ridiculed and
put-down. However, as we strive to stay chaste and virtuous by wholesome
activities and pure hearts, he who is our Redeemer will lift us up. KW
"Chastity and virtue are now, always have been, and always will be 'most dear and precious above all things'(Moroni 9:9)."
~Elder David A. Bednar, "We Believe in Being Chaste" General Conference 4/2013
"In forsaking the great principle of modesty, society has
paid a price in the violation of a greater but related principle—that of
chastity. The purveyors of the concept of irresponsible sexual relations that
degrade and brutalize the participants have grossly masqueraded and completely
missed the purpose of these divine gifts. Chastity before marriage and faithfulness after marriage are
cardinal ingredients for the full flowering of sacred love between husband and
wife. Chastity nurtures and builds feelings of self-worth and indemnifies
against the destruction of self-image."
~Elder James E. Faust, "The Dignity of Self" General Conference 4/1981“Virtue is akin to holiness—an attribute of godliness. A priesthood holder should actively seek for things that are virtuous and lovely and not that which is debasing or sordid. Virtue will ‘garnish [his] thoughts unceasingly.’ (D&C 121:45.)”
~President Ezra Taft Benson, "What Manner of Men Ought Ye We to Be?" General Conference 10/1983
"I turn next to the courage you will need to be chaste and virtuous. You live in a world where moral values have, in great measure, been tossed aside, where sin is flagrantly on display, and where temptation to stray from the strait and narrow path surround you. Many are the voices telling you that you are far too provincial or that there is something wrong with you if you still believe there is such a thing as immoral behavior. ... Great courage will be required as you remain chaste and virtuous amid the accepted thinking of the times."
~President Thomas S. Monson, "May You Have Courage" General Conference 4/2009
"There is in each of us that sense of modesty and morality …
To the young men who are here tonight I wish to say that the Lord has made it
clear, and the experience of centuries has confirmed it, that happiness lies
not in immorality, but rather in abstinence. The voice of the Church to which
you belong is a voice pleading for virtue. It is a voice pleading for strength
to abstain from that which is evil. It is a voice declaring that sexual
transgression is sin. It is contrary to the will of the Lord. It is contrary to
the teachings of the Church. It is contrary to the happiness and well-being of
those who indulge in it."
~President Gordon B. Hinckley, "Reverence and Morality" General Conference 4/1987
"I do not want anything coming into my mind that does not have some useful purpose or some value that makes it worth keeping. i have enough trouble keeping the weeds down that sprout there on their own without permitting someone else to clutter my mind with things that do not edify."
~President Boyd K. Packer "The Balm of Gilead" General Conference 10/1977
"Peter goes on to say that we must add to our faith virtue. A priesthood holder is virtuous. Virtuous behavior implies that he has pure thoughts and clean actions. He will not lust in his heart, for to do so is to “deny the faith” and to lose the Spirit (D&C 42:23)—and there is nothing more important in this work than the Spirit. You’ve heard me say that many times."
~President Ezra Taft Benson, "Godly Characteristics of the Master" General Conference 10/1986
“If we seek things that are virtuous and lovely, we surely will find them. Conversely, if we seek for evil, we will find that also. Lucifer understands how to tempt and drag many of our Heavenly Father’s children down to where he and his followers are. He rebelled and was cast out; he wants to make us as miserable as he is. (See 2 Ne. 2:18).”
~Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Seeking the Good" General Conference 4/1992
"Our physical bodies make possible a breadth, a depth, and an intensity of experience that simply could not be obtained in our premortal existence. Thus, our relationships with other people, our capacity to recognize and act in accordance with truth, and our ability to obey the principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ are amplified through our physical bodies."
~Elder David A. Bednar, "We Believe in Being Chaste" General Conference 4/2013
"Whenever a priesthood holder departs from the path of virtue
in any form or expression, he loses the Spirit and comes under Satan’s power.
He then receives the wages of him whom he has chosen to serve. As a result,
sometimes the Church must take disciplinary action, for we cannot condone or
pardon unvirtuous and unrepentant actions. All priesthood holders must be
morally clean to be worthy to bear the authority of Jesus Christ."
~President Ezra Taft Benson, "Godly Characteristics of the Master" General Conference 10/1986
"The commandment to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force today. Thus, marriage between a man and a woman is the authorized channel through which premortal spirits enter mortality. Complete sexual abstinence before marriage and total fidelity within marriage protect the sanctity of this sacred channel.
"The power of procreation is spiritually significant. Misuse of this power subverts the purposes of the Father's plan and of our mortal existence."
~Elder David A. Bednar, "We Believe in Being Chaste" General Conference 4/2013
