The Downfall of Johnny Depp

I actually feel bad about learning so much about Johnny Depp's life.  It feels like an invasion of his privacy.  Which he already didn't have much of, as a celebrity.  But that's the price he was willing to pay for truth.

The post I'm going to do today uses Johnny Depp's life as an example, but it's really not about Johnny Depp.  It's about our society and the times in which we live.

Johnny Depp may be a well-known celebrity who people put on a pedestal, but he is also just a man navigating his way through mortality.  A man who makes mistakes, like all of us, and who is human with real emotions and weaknesses.

The biggest social ill we are facing right now is the destruction of the family.  These are the last days and Satan knows that his time is short to tempt people and get them to fall into misery and endless wo.  So, his most efficient method to bring people misery is to destroy families. Therefore, Satan's best efforts are spent destroying families. And I must say, he is doing an excellent job.   Unfortunately.

I am all-too-familiar with people I know – and those I just know of – falling for Satan's lies and deceits who end up with not only their family being destroyed, but their life ending up in misery.

This is what happened to Johnny Depp.

For 14 years Johnny Depp had a common-law wife, Vanessa, and two kids, Lily Rose and Jack.  For all intents and purposes, they were a happy family.

I've seen several Johnny Depp interviews and without fail he mentions his kids and how becoming a father changed his life.  He talks about playing Barbies with his daughter for hours and watching cartoons with his kids.  He has stated that his greatest goal in life was to be a good father.  And I believe he was the best father he knew how to be to his kids.

Family is central  to God's  plan of happiness.  Satan knows this.   That's why he targets families.  If he destroys families, he destroys happiness.  Which is his goal.  I saw this quote the other day:

"Family life is the best method for achieving happiness in this world."  – Pres. Spencer W. Kimball

Family is what brought Johnny Depp happiness – especially his kids.  There's something innate about our family relationships that connect us as humans, to God, and brings us happiness.

There is also something  innately human  – the natural man – that allows us to easily fall to temptation.

While Johnny Depp had a seemingly perfectly happy family life, he was not immune to temptation.

Johnny Depp met Amber Heard while filming a movie.   She saw an opportunity for fame and fortune, in Johnny Depp, and used her feminine wiles to tempt him and lure him away from his family and into her vicious grasp.

Unfortunately for Johnny Depp – and his wife and kids – he fell into her trap.  

There was a portion of Johnny Depp's testimony which felt uncomfortably personal – but reveals insight into how and why he fell for the evil harlot Amber.

Johnny revealed that during a kissing scene in the movie, that he felt things he shouldn't be feeling.  He mentioned having Vanessa and the kids and Amber also having a "wife".

The fact that he mentioned knowing that he shouldn't be feeling what he was feeling reveals that the Holy Ghost was warning him of the temptation.  But, as many do, the warning went unheeded, and Johnny fell hard.  The natural man is weak and temptation is strong. 

Johnny Depp ended up leaving Vanessa and the kids for the evil harlot, Amber.  A decision he would later regret – infinitely.

Unfortunately, the biggest casualties when families break apart are usually the children.

Johnny's kids wanted nothing to do with the evil harlot that had sunk her claws into their daddy.  They could see right through her. Family usually does see the reality of the cunning, manipulative, evil nature of the floozy/floozer that the smitten one can't.  Johnny even admitted during his testimony that his kids were much more intelligent than he was because they wanted nothing to do with Amber.  Sadly, Johnny's role as a father changed as he was no longer with his children's mother and no longer in their daily lives.  The one thing he wanted to do right in life – fatherhood – was lost.

Everything with his chosen other, Amber, was wonderful at first.  Johnny said the first year or so was great.  But the fleeting happiness found in living Satan's deceptive lies  – never lasts.   After the exciting so-called honeymoon phase,  things deteriorated quickly and nothing short of sheer misery ensued.  Amber started treating Johnny very badly – abusing him physically and verbally, just like his mother did.

Well, the abuse, the bullying, the misery kept escalating until Johnny finally had enough of evil Amber's venom and couldn't take it anymore.  He had reached his breaking point.  He decided to leave the toxic marriage.  He said he stayed so long in the venomous relationship because he didn't want to fail.  But failure was inevitable.  Amber made sure of that. She had broken him.  Relationships built on cheating, lies, and lust, don't usually last very long. 

When asked in the trial what Amber had taken from him, Johnny Depp's answer was "nothing less than everything."  I think that sums up how devastating the relationship was to Johnny.  It's so sad to see a man so hurt and broken.  It's an inevitable consequence of leaving the joy of a family to be with the fleeting excitement of a floozy.

It's hard enough when your family and close friends become aware of your mistakes and subsequent miserable consequences.  But I can't imagine the burden it was on Johnny Depp to have his life scrutinized in front of the entire world. Especially bearing the false accusations of domestic violence on top of dealing with evil Amber's continual escalating abuse against him, his financial losses, his failed marriage, and his mother dying.

To kick him while he was down, Amber filed for divorce the day after Johnny's mother died from cancer.  Then to pour salt into his wounds, she filed for a restraining order against Johnny a few days later.  With false allegations of domestic violence against him.  That's how evil Amber is.

Johnny Depp had to bear those false accusations for six years, until his name was cleared when the verdict came in from the jury in the defamation trial earlier this month.  I'm so happy that Johnny got that monkey off his back.  False accusations are a big enough burden already, let alone with arrows coming at you from all over the world.  Fame is a terrible thing.

Even the strongest, most faithful people are falling.  Families are being destroyed at breakneck speed.  Unfortunately Johnny Depp was one of the many casualties.  I feel sad for him for what he's lost.  I know he has regrets.  And I truly hope that Johnny and all those who have made the same mistakes can find true happiness again.

That true happiness and joy can only be found through the atonement of Jesus Christ and in living His gospel. I hope one day that Johnny Depp finds and embraces the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I feel like I went off on a bit of a tangent but my point in writing this post today is not to drag Johnny Depp through the mud by using him as an example.  After learning so much about his life, his trials, and his character, and despite all his shortcomings – I've grown to really like and respect the man.  My point in using Johnny Depp as an example is to show that despite our mistakes, we can overcome.

Johnny Depp said, "No human being is perfect, certainly not, none of us."  These are wise words from a good man who is human and has made mistakes, like all of us.  But who also recognizes and regrets those mistakes and was willing to "split himself open and tell the truth."

"I don't think anyone enjoys having to split themselves open and tell the truth.  But there are times when one just simply has to, because it's gotten out of control" – Johnny Depp

 Johnny Depp took control of his out-of-control life.  He acknowledged and owned his mistakes.  It wasn't easy for him to open himself up to the world and tell the truth.  At times it was humiliating and painful.  But Johnny did what he had to do for the truth to be told.  Thankfully, truth prevailed.  Johnny Depp got his life back.

All mistakes and bad choices can be remedied through the atonement of Jesus Christ.  I hope we will all use that priceless gift so that we may all attain the joy and happiness that we all desire.

That's my two cents.