Tammy’s Family
Home Evening Lesson
October 5, 2014
Modesty and
Respecting Our Bodies
From For the Strength of Youth pamphlet:
Dress and Appearance
“Know ye not that ye are the
temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? … The temple of God
is holy, which temple ye are.” -- 1
Corinthians 3:16–17
“Your body is sacred. Respect it
and do not defile it in any way. Through your dress and appearance, you can
show that you know how precious your body is. You can show that you are a
disciple of Jesus Christ and that you love Him.
“Prophets of God have continually
counseled His children to dress modestly. When you are well groomed and modestly
dressed, you invite the companionship of the Spirit and you can be a good
influence on others. Your dress and grooming influence the way you and others
act.
“Never lower your standards of
dress. Do not use a special occasion as an excuse to be immodest. When you
dress immodestly, you send a message that is contrary to your identity as a son
or daughter of God. You also send the message that you are using your body to
get attention and approval.
“Immodest clothing is any clothing
that is tight, sheer, or revealing in any other manner. Young women should
avoid short shorts and short skirts, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and
clothing that does not cover the shoulders or is low-cut in the front or the
back. Young men should also maintain modesty in their appearance. Young men and
young women should be neat and clean and avoid being extreme or inappropriately
casual in clothing, hairstyle, and behavior. They should choose appropriately
modest apparel when participating in sports. The fashions of the world will
change, but the Lord’s standards will not change.
“Do not disfigure yourself with
tattoos or body piercings. Young women, if you desire to have your ears
pierced, wear only one pair of earrings.
“Show respect for the Lord and
yourself by dressing appropriately for Church meetings and activities. This is
especially important when attending sacrament services. Young men should dress
with dignity when officiating in the ordinance of the sacrament.
“If you are not sure what is
appropriate to wear, study the words of the prophets, pray for guidance, and
ask your parents or leaders for help. Your dress and appearance now will help
you prepare for the time when you will go to the temple to make sacred
covenants with God. Ask yourself, “Would I feel comfortable with my appearance
if I were in the Lord’s presence?” --For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet
From the teachings of President Joseph Fielding Smith: (Pardon the typos)
“We are living in an evil and wicked world. But while we are in the world,we are not of the world. We are expected to overcome the world and tolive as becometh saints. … We have greater light than the world has, andthe Lord expects more of us than he does of them.
5
“If we are living the religion which the Lord has revealed and which wehave received, we do not belong to the world. We should have no part inall its foolishness. We should not partake of its sins and its errors—errorsof philosophy and errors of doctrine, errors in regard to government, orwhatever those errors may be—we have no part in it.
“The only part we have is the keeping of the commandments of God. Thatis all, being true to every covenant and every obligation that we haveentered into and taken upon ourselves.
6
“Do not get the impression from what I have said that I feel that we shouldkeep aloof from everybody outside of the Church and not associate withthem. I have not said that, but I do want us to be consistent Latter-daySaints, and if the people of the world walk in darkness and sin andcontrary to the will of the Lord, there is the place for us to draw the line.
7
“When we join the Church … , we are expected to forsake many of theways of the world and live as becometh saints. We are no longer to dressor speak or act or even think as others too often do. Many in the worlduse tea, coffee, tobacco, and liquor, and are involved in the use of drugs.Many profane and are vulgar and indecent, immoral and unclean in theirlives, but all these things should be foreign to us. We are the Saints of theMost High. …
“I call upon the Church and all its members to forsake the evils of theworld. We must shun unchastity and every form of immorality as wewould a plague …”
Dressing modestly and keeping the law of chastity
“The Latter- day Saints should not follow the fashions and the immodestyof the world. We are the people of the Lord. He expects us to live clean,virtuous lives, to keep our thoughts clean and minds pure and faithful inthe observance of all his other commandments. Why should we follow theworld, why can we not be modest, why can’t we do the things the Lordwould have us do?
17
“As I walk along the streets on my way to or from the Church OfficeBuilding, I see both young and older women, many of them “daughters ofZion,” who are immodestly dressed [see
Isaiah 3:16–24]. I realize thattimes and fashions do change. … [But] the principle of modesty andpropriety is still the same. … The standards expressed by the GeneralAuthorities of the Church are that women, as well as men, should dressmodestly. They are taught proper deportment and modesty at all times.
“It is, in my judgment, a sad reflection on the “daughters of Zion” whenthey dress immodestly. Moreover, this remark pertains to the men as wellas to the women. The Lord gave commandments to ancient Israel thatboth men and women should cover their bodies and observe the law ofchastity at all times.
“I am making a plea for modesty and chastity and for all the members ofthe Church, male and female alike, to be chaste, clean in their lives, andobedient to the covenants and commandments the Lord has given us. …
“… The wearing of immodest clothing, which may seem like a smallmatter, take[s] something away from our young women or young men inthe Church. It simply makes it more difficult to keep those eternalprinciples by which we all have to live if we are to return to the presenceof our Father in heaven.”
n
Chapter 19: In the World but Not of the World, Teachings
of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, (2013), 240–51
From a talk given by President Gordon B. Hinckley --November 12,
2000:
“What creation is more magnificent than the human body? What a
wondrous thing it is as the crowning work of the Almighty.
“Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, said: “Know ye not that ye
are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for
the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Cor. 3:16–17).
“Did you ever think that your body is holy? You are a child of
God. Your body is His creation. Would you disfigure that creation with
portrayals of people, animals, and words painted into your skin?
“I promise you that the time will come, if you have tattoos,
that you will regret your actions. They cannot be washed off. They are
permanent. Only by an expensive and painful process can they be removed. If you
are tattooed, then probably for the remainder of your life you will carry it
with you. I believe the time will come when it will be an embarrassment to you.
Avoid it. We, as your Brethren who love you, plead with you not to become so
disrespectful of the body which the Lord has given you.
“May I mention earrings and rings placed in other parts of the
body. These are not manly. They are not attractive. You young men look better
without them, and I believe you will feel better without them. As for the young
women, you do not need to drape rings up and down your ears. One modest pair of
earrings is sufficient.
“I mention these things because again they concern your bodies.
“How truly beautiful is a well-groomed young woman who is clean
in body and mind. She is a daughter of God in whom her Eternal Father can take
pride. How handsome is a young man who is well groomed. He is a son of God,
deemed worthy of holding the holy priesthood of God. He does not need tattoos
or earrings on or in his body. The First Presidency and the Quorum of the
Twelve are all united in counseling against these things.”—January 2001 Ensign,
a prophet’s counsel and prayer for youth, President Gordon B. Hinckley
From Susan W. Tanner, Young Women General President--October 2005
General conference, The Sanctity of the Body
“In the premortal realm we learned
that the body was part of God’s great plan of happiness for us. As it states in
the family proclamation: “Spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as
their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a
physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately
realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life” (“The Family: A
Proclamation to the World,”
Liahona, Oct. 2004, 49;
Ensign, Nov.
1995, 102). In fact, we “shouted for joy” (
Job 38:7) to
be part of this plan.
“Why were we so excited? We
understood eternal truths about our bodies. We knew that our bodies would be in
the image of God. We knew that our bodies would house our spirits. We also
understood that our bodies would be subject to pain, illness, disabilities, and
temptation. But we were willing, even eager, to accept these challenges because
we knew that only with spirit and element inseparably connected could we
progress to become like our Heavenly Father (see
D&C
130:22) and “receive a fulness of joy” (
D&C
93:33).
…
“Satan learned these same eternal
truths about the body, and yet his punishment is that he does not have one.
Therefore he tries to do everything he can to get us to abuse or misuse this
precious gift. He has filled the world with lies and deceptions about the body.
He tempts many to defile this great gift of the body through unchastity,
immodesty, self-indulgence, and addictions. He seduces some to despise their
bodies; others he tempts to worship their bodies. In either case, he entices
the world to regard the body merely as an object. In the face of so many
satanic falsehoods about the body, I want to raise my voice today in support of
the sanctity of the body. I testify that the body is a gift to be treated with
gratitude and respect.
“The scriptures declare that the body is a temple. It was Jesus Himself who
first compared His body to a temple (see
John 2:21).
Later Paul admonished the people of Corinth, a wicked city teeming with all
manner of lasciviousness and indecency: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of
God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple
of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye
are” (
1
Cor. 3:16–17).
“What would happen if we truly
treated our bodies as temples? The result would be a dramatic increase in
chastity, modesty, observance of the Word of Wisdom, and a similar decrease in the
problems of pornography and abuse, for we would regard the body, like the
temple, as a sacred sanctuary of the Spirit. Just as no unclean thing may enter
the temple, we would be vigilant to keep impurity of any sort from entering the
temple of our bodies.
“Likewise, we would keep the
outside of our bodily temples looking clean and beautiful to reflect the sacred
and holy nature of what is inside, just as the Church does with its temples. We
should dress and act in ways that reflect the sacred spirit inside us.
…
” In For the Strength of
Youth it says: “Your body is God’s sacred creation. Respect it as a
gift from God, and do not defile it in any way. Through your dress and
appearance, you can show the Lord that you know how precious your body is. …
The way you dress is a reflection of what you are on the inside” ([2001],
14–15).
“Modesty is more than a matter of
avoiding revealing attire. It describes not only the altitude of hemlines and
necklines but the attitude of our hearts. The word modesty means
“measured.” It is related to moderate. It implies “decency,
and propriety … in thought, language, dress, and behavior” (in Daniel H.
Ludlow, ed., Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 5 vols. [1992],
2:932).
“Moderation and appropriateness
should govern all of our physical desires.
…
“The pleasures of the body can become an obsession for some; so too can the
attention we give to our outward appearance. Sometimes there is a selfish
excess of exercising, dieting, makeovers, and spending money on the latest
fashions (see
Alma 1:27).
“I am troubled by the practice of
extreme makeovers. Happiness comes from accepting the bodies we have been given
as divine gifts and enhancing our natural attributes, not from remaking our
bodies after the image of the world. “ – Susan W. Tanner, Young Women General
President, October 2005 General Conference, The Sanctity of the Body.
