Chapter 17 – The Media
Chapter 18 – The Word of Wisdom
Chapter 19 – Responsibility
Chapter 20 – School and Learning 
Chapter 21 – Friends and Peer Pressure
Chapter 22 – Stewardship
Chapter 23 – Idolatry
Chapter 24 – Consecration
PDF VersionChapter_18.htmlChapter_19.htmlChapter_20.htmlChapter_21.htmlChapter_21.htmlChapter_22.htmlChapter_23.htmlChapter_24.htmlhttp://scriptorium-blogorium.freehostia.com/pdf_version.htmshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3shapeimage_2_link_4shapeimage_2_link_5shapeimage_2_link_6shapeimage_2_link_7shapeimage_2_link_8shapeimage_2_link_9
Chapter 9 – Chastity
Chapter 10 – Obtaining Joy and Satisfaction
Chapter 11 – Fashion  and Modesty
Chapter 12 – Rebellion 
Chapter 13 – Church Meetings
Chapter 14 – Hypocrisy (Sunday-only Mormons)
Chapter 15 – The Sabbath
Chapter 16 – PornographyChapter_9.htmlChapter_10.htmlChapter_10.htmlChapter_11.htmlChapter_12.htmlChapter_13.htmlChapter_14.htmlChapter_14.htmlChapter_15.htmlChapter_16.htmlshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2shapeimage_3_link_3shapeimage_3_link_4shapeimage_3_link_5shapeimage_3_link_6shapeimage_3_link_7shapeimage_3_link_8shapeimage_3_link_9
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1 – Understanding Isaiah
Chapter 2 – Leaders and Role Models
Chapter 3 – Gangs
Chapter 4 – Fasting
Chapter 5 – Victims of bullying
Chapter 6 – Bullying
Chapter 7 – HomosexualitY
Chapter 8 – DatingPreface.htmlIntroduction.htmlChapter_1.htmlChapter_2.htmlChapter_3.htmlChapter_4.htmlChapter_5.htmlChapter_6.htmlChapter_7.htmlChapter_8.htmlshapeimage_4_link_0shapeimage_4_link_1shapeimage_4_link_2shapeimage_4_link_3shapeimage_4_link_4shapeimage_4_link_5shapeimage_4_link_6shapeimage_4_link_7shapeimage_4_link_8shapeimage_4_link_9
 

The Temptation to Sin Because Everybody (on TV, in Movies, in Music, in Magazines, in Books, on the Internet, in Video Games) Seems to Be Doing It


21 How is the faithful city

     become an harlot! 

It was full of judgment;

righteousness lodged in it;

     but now murderers.

22 Thy silver

     is become dross,

thy wine

     mixed with water:

23 Thy princes

     are rebellious,

     and companions of thieves:

     every one loveth gifts,

     and followeth after rewards:

     they judge not the fatherless,

     neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.     

(Isaiah 1:21-23)


     Based upon everything Isaiah was seeing around him, it seemed to him that everyone was doing immoral, unjust, rebellious, dishonest, mean things.

     There’s an interesting thing that happens when all you see or hear is people doing wrong things.  When you think everyone is doing it, you start to think it is okay for you to do it too.  You LDS teens most likely see the same wicked things going on all around you at school that Isaiah saw in his day.  You may think that seeing the same icky stuff in a movie or hearing the same profanity in music will be harmless.  I wrote a limerick about this:


We should not let ourselves view

The actions we should never do

There’s enough all along

(people doing what’s wrong)

Without media’s oar in there too!


     You must learn to be extra cautious about your media choices.  Clean movies, books, music, magazines, and internet sites ARE out there, but you must search for them, and you have to be careful, because Satan really wants to snare you in his net of iniquity.

     You must choose media that agree with your high standards, not attack them.  It is a wonderful thing to read a clean book. It is so nice to see a clean movie.  It is so nice to hear upbeat, clean music with a good message.  It strengthens the inner resolve to be good.  It makes your inner world a righteous one.  Yes, it is a challenge to find these clean things, but it is worth it! 

     How will you know the difference between good, clean entertainment and bad entertainment?  “But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God. . . .But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him”  (Moroni 7: 13, 17).  It is true that the more careful you are, the number of options decrease, however it also feels like the world is a better place. 


The Temptation to Accept the Messages the Media Sends About the Consequences of Sin


5 They. . .weave the spider’s web. . . .

6         Their webs shall not become garments,

     neither shall they cover themselves with their works:

(Isaiah 59:5-6)


     You’ve seen this scripture before, but there’s more to get from it.

     They. . .weave the spider’s web - People who make mass media full of wickedness are like spiders; they are predators.  Just like spiders work long and hard to make their webs, these people work long and hard making their “webs” attractive to their prey.  But they do more than just wait for an unsuspecting victim to walk by, like the spider does.  They go out and advertise their media as the best in the world and try to draw as many of us into it as possible.  A victim that gets caught gets all the spirituality sucked out of them, just like a spider sucks the juices out of a bug it has caught with its web.

     Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works - Are spider webs good to wear in a snowstorm?  Um, I think not.  Too many holes.  In fact, a web is nothing but holes that have been attached to each other.  (Hole-y media, Spiderman!)  The media’s webs are decorated with hype.  They dress up ugly sin’s sticky threads with as much as they can of the following: soft lights, romantic music, attractive faces, cool clothes, flashing lights, flashing images, bright colors, millions of sequins, lots of makeup, action, adventure, comedy, a cool beat, a catchy tune, clever lyrics, and the excitement of carnal desires.  But hype is not substance.  They use hype to try to conceal emptiness, so next time you see something getting hyped with lots of flash and glitz, you’ll know there’s nothing important there.  Don’t let the mass media pull the cobwebs over your eyes. 


The Temptation to Immerse Yourself In the Media Constantly


12 And the harp,

and the viol,

the tabret,

and pipe,

and wine are in their feasts;

     but they regard not the work of the Lord,

     neither consider the operation of his hands. 

13                   Therefore, my people are gone into captivity,

because they have no knowledge;

          and their honorable men are famished,

          and their multitude dried up with thirst. 

(Isaiah 5:12-13)


     And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine are in their feasts; but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands - Have you noticed that in the last few years it is hard to find anyplace that doesn’t have speakers somewhere nearby piping out music?  It’s in restaurants, inside stores at the mall, outside stores in the mall, outside gas stations at the pumps, at airports.  In my hometown, I was even shocked to discover that the city had installed speakers to pipe music outside throughout the entire downtown area.

     Lately, it is TVs that are showing up everywhere.  They are at airports now.   They are in large department stores like Wal-Mart.  I’ve seen them in some grocery store checkout lanes.  They are in schools too, as a daily dose of Channel 1 news, complete with commercials.  They are in cross-country travel buses, and in airplanes.  There’s video iPods.  There are DVD players in cars for cross-country trips.

     Then there’s the proliferation of mp3 players with high amounts of storage, which make it possible to go throughout one’s entire day listening to music.  Apple’s iPod makes it possible for a music lover to listen to 10,000 songs, if their first advertisements are to be believed.  If each song is an average of 3 minutes long, that’s 2.98 weeks of music, or almost 3 weeks, if you listen to music 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

     There’s only one problem with listening to music 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or watching TV everywhere you go.  It keeps you from thinking deeply about the consequences of your actions and feeling by the Spirit whether the Lord approves of what you are doing or not. 

     Your spirit needs time to ponder in silence with no lyrics or instrumental interruptions or visual distractions.  You need extra time besides during scripture study and prayer in which to ponder how your life is going, make goals, ask yourself doctrinal questions, and think about the deep things of life, because that’s how you gain wisdom.  It’s also when you can feel peace that indicates whether the Lord is pleased with you, or feel the need to repent.  If you don’t ever have an opportunity to sense that, how can you know whether you need to repent of something?  Elder Richard G. Scott said:


Have you noticed how Satan works to capture the mind and emotions with flashing images, blaring music, and the stimulation of every physical sense to excess?   He diligently strives to fill life with action, entertainment, and stimulation so that one cannot ponder the consequences of his tempting invitations.1


     I would add to this that Satan also wants us to get so used to having media everywhere to entertain us that we feel uncomfortable if we happen to find ourselves in a quiet place alone.  He wants us to think it is unnatural to sit quietly and ponder in silence.  He wants us to “regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.”  In direct contrast to this, the temple has plenty of opportunities to sit quietly and ponder in silence.  It’s also supposed to be perfectly quiet during the sacrament.

     I went through a stage where I was very interested in big band music and I listened to it almost nonstop for a week.  After a while I noticed that I was having problems saying my prayers, because when I tried to clear my mind and focus on Heavenly Father, the music would pop up and start playing through my mind and distract me.  I learned from this that when we listen to music a lot, when we have free, quiet moments, the music we hear often is going to go playing through our minds.  If we are careful about the music we choose, it is more likely to be appropriate, but sometimes it is nice to not listen to music for a while so that our minds can be de-cluttered.

     Therefore, my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst - Is this talking about physical starvation and thirst?  Not in this context, it isn’t.  It’s spiritual starvation and thirst that Isaiah is describing.  Spiritual starvation is the direct result of not getting enough of the “bread of life” (the gospel of Christ).  Just like you have to feed your body every day, you have to feed your soul every day out of the scriptures and with prayer.  If you ever notice times when your mind starts feeling hungry for something and you can’t put your finger on what it is, that is hunger for the gospel.  When I start feeling that way, I dive for my scriptures and start reading like mad and I soon feel better.


The Temptation to Think It Is Just a Game, So It Is No Big Deal

The Temptation to Think It Is Just a Song, So It Is No Big Deal


3 For your hands are defiled with blood,

and your fingers with iniquity;

     your lips have spoken lies,

     your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

4         None calleth for justice,

     nor any pleadeth for truth. . .

(Isaiah 59:3-4)


     For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity - Might it be possible to defile your fingers with iniquity as you push the video game controller buttons in violent video games?  Do you think the Lord wants us to even pretend to kill people and animals?  Do you think it is good for your spirit to even pretend to do something cruel or wicked?  Surely it is not.  I challenge you to throw those games away.  Find clean games to enjoy instead.

     [Y]our lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness - Do some of the lyrics to songs on the radio with which you sing along contain lies (like about love) or perverseness (deriding that which you know to be good)?  If a righteous song is like a prayer, wouldn’t a wicked song be like a curse?  I challenge you to throw those songs away.  There’s better stuff out there for you to find and enjoy that is perfectly clean and just as catchy.

     None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth - Let me give you some modern examples relating to the media when people don’t call for justice or plead for the truth.How about when it is said “It’s not that bad” about a movie or a song or a game or a webpage or a magazine or a TV show?  I’ll tell you something I realized really fast; anytime someone says “it’s not that bad” should be an automatic tip-off that yes, it is that bad.  No matter who they are, if they feel a need to make any excuses for what is there, then you are better off avoiding it.

     How about when people excuse violence in a historical movie on the grounds that it is required in order for the movie to be historically accurate?  I can recall when I was a freshman in high school the R-rated movie Schindler’s List came out and my history teacher invited us to see it.  One of my LDS friends saw it, and when I pointed out to her that it was rated R, she said that everything bad in it was for historical accuracy, because the Nazis had done all those horrible things depicted in the movie.  I never knew quite what to say until recently, when I found something in The Book of Mormon: “. . . therefore I write a small abridgment, daring not to give a full account of the things which I have seen, because of the commandment which I have received, and also that ye might not have too great sorrow because of the wickedness of this people”  (Mormon 5:9, emphasis added).  If the Lord didn’t think it was important for Mormon to include in his record a full account of all the violent, depraved things the Nephites did, then by golly, historically accurate movies have no excuse for including violence.

     How about when people say “it’s only a movie”, or “it’s not real, so it doesn’t matter”?  The “real” part is that you are making a real choice about what you will allow yourself to read or hear or see or play.  That choice tells the Lord whether you are willing to follow His guidelines or not.  If you choose to depart from those guidelines, then that is a real sin you are committing.  On the other hand, if you choose to follow those guidelines, then that is a real commandment you are keeping. 

     Furthermore, the people who act it out are affected too, though they may not realize it.  Acting is like practicing.  When I was young and got into fights with my brothers and sister, my mom would have us act out what we should have done in order to teach us to be kind to each other.  Getting the chance to act out the right way of doing it made it a little easier next time to do it right.  If this is the case, then the opposite is true that acting it out wrong makes it easier next time to do it wrong.  This is how actors harm themselves when they act immorally and cruelly on camera. 


The Temptation to Think That You Can’t Make a Difference In the Movies and TV Shows Your Friends Choose to Watch Together as a Group

The Temptation to Think You Can’t Make A Difference In The Kind Of Movies That Are Made


The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,

Prepare ye the way of the LORD,

make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

(Isaiah 40:3)


     Though we may only be a voice “crying in the wilderness” for a clean movie to be prepared, if we are insistent, we can make a difference.

     Believe me, I know what it is like to be the one who is extra picky about what movies one’s group of friends go to see at the movie theater.  My mother was extra careful about what movies she brought home for us to watch.  She made absolutely certain that we saw the very best and cleanest stuff out there.  When I got to my teenage years and found a group of friends with whom I wanted to hang out, naturally we wanted to watch cool movies, and I found out very quickly just how careful my Mom had been.  And I decided that I preferred to avoid that icky stuff completely.  In fact, after seeing one particular PG-13 movie with my friends, I made a firm decision that I wasn’t going to see PG-13 movies again if I could help it, friends or no friends; the worst I would allow myself to watch would be PG.  None of my friends were as particular as I was; I was all alone on the issue, like a voice crying in the wilderness, “Prepare ye a movie that has no icky stuff in it!”  At first I was a little shy to insist upon it, but I learned that I couldn’t whisper in the wilderness.  No, no, I had to be the High Priestess of All Movie Rating Fanatics.  I was the first one to ask “What is it rated?”  Like I said before, that little sentence “It’s not that bad” became an instant tip-off that yes, it really was that bad.  Not only that, I set about learning to judge movies by their movie previews.  If something “icky” was shown or hinted at in the preview, odds were there was a lot more of the same in the movie itself.  Happily, my friends were the good type that wanted me to do what was right, and who were willing to take my scruples into account when choosing movies.  After a while they learned to choose movies for us all to watch to which I would not object, because we all loved to be together and it wasn’t nearly as fun if one of us was missing.  I occasionally sensed that my nonmember friends enjoyed being morally protective when they said, “You wouldn’t want to see this movie”.

     Now, let me tell you, just because I went to college at BYU didn’t mean that I relaxed my vigilance.  If anything, it required more watchfulness and care, because one person’s standards are not always what another person can stand.  Once half of our family home evening group was crammed into a conversion van for a trip, and this van had a TV and VCR in it, so everyone wanted to watch a movie, and the only movie around was something that had “Las Vegas” in the title.  That gave me a very bad feeling inside.  I asked what it was rated.  “PG-13”, they said.  I told them I didn’t want to watch it, because it was going to have bad stuff in it.  They didn’t listen to me.  They put it in the VCR and turned it on anyway.  I felt very uncomfortable.  It’s not fun to be the only voice crying from the wilderness and find that people have decided to ignore your concerns.  So I prepared to have a tantrum at the very first sign of icky stuff.  Title... opening credits... opening scene... Lo and behold, the very first line of dialog of the movie coming out of a character’s mouth contained several obscenities.  “ACK!”  They turned it off immediately.  My judgment had been vindicated.

     The people who were in that van were not my best friends.  We were basically acquaintances who were assigned to be friends with each other every Monday night.  They didn’t care enough about me to care whether the movie was up to my standards or not.  But because I spoke up, they were made extra sensitive to the presence of icky stuff, and when the icky stuff showed itself, they felt obliged to turn it off immediately.

     My point in telling you these two stories is to show you that all it takes is for one person with high standards, consistent and immovable, in a group of best friends to set the viewing standards of the whole group.  Not only that, even in a group of acquaintances, all it takes is one person with high standards “crying in the wilderness” to sensitize the entire group and make them want to avoid objectionable stuff.

     The voice that cries in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord could also be interpreted as a call to moviemakers to prepare clean movies for people to enjoy.  Some of you may decide to start a Mormon movie studio when you are older and make films that tell all the fascinating stories of LDS culture.  Remember, for a story to be refreshing, it must be clean. 


The Temptation to Think That Mass Media Is Always Evil


19 I have not spoken in secret,

in a dark place of the earth:

I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain:

     I the LORD speak righteousness,

     I declare things that are right.

20                   Assemble yourselves and come;

          draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations. . .

(Isaiah 45:19-20)


     I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth - The Lord speaks in public by the mouths of his servants the prophet and the twelve apostles, and we see it on television by satellite broadcast, cable, over the internet, or hear it over the radio.  The Lord writes in public through the pens and word processors of the prophet and apostles twelve times a year and we read what they say in the Ensign and the New Era.  There are also Christmas broadcasts, and Easter broadcasts, and priesthood leadership broadcasts.    Obviously the Lord has more to say to us than ever!  The Lord has made all these means of mass communication so that the voice of the prophet and apostles can cry repentance in the wilderness and be heard across the earth.  If it weren’t so, the message of the gospel wouldn’t be so accessible to all of us.  (Of course, Satan is just as eager to use such efficient methods of mass communication to spread wickedness around the world as quickly as he can.)

     Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations - Modern means of communication fulfill this prophecy because they make things that happen far away seem near.  They make general conference seem like it is happening at our local church building, or even in our living room!

     Modern means of communication are part of God’s plan to bring us to Christ by reaching us from across the world with the message of the gospel.  To be His people we must listen and obey that message, and reject any media that would turn us away from Him.


What have we learned from Isaiah about mass media?

  1. 1)The media makes us think that “everybody is doing it”, and if we are very careful of what we watch or listen to or read or play, we will realize that not everybody is doing bad things.

  2. 2)The media tries to attract us into a web of wickedness using hype.

  3. 3)Satan tries to fill our lives so full of media that we have no quiet time to think.

  4. 4)You can make a difference in the media your friends use around you.

  5. 5)Media is not all bad.  The Lord uses mass media to communicate his message to people through the prophets.


Notes

1 Elder Richard G. Scott, “How to Live Well Amid Increasing Evil”, Ensign, May 2004, p. 100.

 Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1 – Understanding Isaiah
 Chapter 2 – Leaders and Role Models 
 Chapter 3 – Gangs
Chapter 4 – Fasting 
Chapter 5 – Victims of bullying
 Chapter 6 – Bullying 
Chapter 7 – HomosexualitY
Chapter 8 – DatingPreface.htmlIntroduction.htmlChapter_1.htmlChapter_2.htmlChapter_3.htmlChapter_4.htmlChapter_5.htmlChapter_6.htmlChapter_7.htmlChapter_8.htmlshapeimage_6_link_0shapeimage_6_link_1shapeimage_6_link_2shapeimage_6_link_3shapeimage_6_link_4shapeimage_6_link_5shapeimage_6_link_6shapeimage_6_link_7shapeimage_6_link_8shapeimage_6_link_9
 Chapter 9 – Chastity
 Chapter 10 – Obtaining Joy and Satisfaction
 Chapter 11 – Fashion  and Modesty
  Chapter 12 – Rebellion 
Chapter 13 – Church Meetings
Chapter 14 – Hypocrisy (Sunday-only Mormons)
 Chapter 15 – The SabbathChapter_9.htmlChapter_10.htmlChapter_10.htmlChapter_11.htmlChapter_12.htmlChapter_13.htmlChapter_14.htmlChapter_14.htmlChapter_15.htmlshapeimage_7_link_0shapeimage_7_link_1shapeimage_7_link_2shapeimage_7_link_3shapeimage_7_link_4shapeimage_7_link_5shapeimage_7_link_6shapeimage_7_link_7shapeimage_7_link_8
 Chapter 16 – Pornography 
 Chapter 17 – The Media
 Chapter 18 – The Word of Wisdom 
 Chapter 19 – Responsibility
 Chapter 20 – School and Learning 
 Chapter 21 – Friends and Peer Pressure
Chapter 22 – Stewardship
Chapter 23 – Idolatry
Chapter 24 – ConsecrationChapter_16.htmlChapter_18.htmlChapter_19.htmlChapter_20.htmlChapter_21.htmlChapter_22.htmlChapter_23.htmlChapter_24.htmlshapeimage_8_link_0shapeimage_8_link_1shapeimage_8_link_2shapeimage_8_link_3shapeimage_8_link_4shapeimage_8_link_5shapeimage_8_link_6shapeimage_8_link_7shapeimage_8_link_8