1
Ne 18:12 the compass, which had been prepared of the
Lord, did cease to work
So
it is with us. When we begin to harbor unclean thoughts or exhibit a spirit of
rebellion, the Holy Ghost, our personal Liahona, will leave us to ourselves.
The
sin which brought this punishment to Lehi’s family was the rebellious spirit
and exceeding rudeness that they exhibited. This term, “exceeding rudeness,”
may be unusual to us but probably conveys a disrespect for God, a lewdness of
speech and action, and a selfish, indulgent spirit. In this context, it could
be used to accurately describe the tone and content of many recent TV programs and movies—“exceeding rudeness,”
with respect to God. We must be careful, therefore, that we don’t force the
Spirit to leave us because of the things we watch in our homes. If we fill our
minds with the “exceeding rudeness” of
today’s entertainment, our spiritual compass will cease to work.
H.
David Burton
“A
loving stake presidency helped their youth have a better understanding of the
pitfalls of being continually bombarded by the degrading lyrics of many of
today’s popular songs and the indecent images portrayed in some movies and
videos. They were taught these mediums can produce much that is positive,
inspiring, uplifting, and attractive; or they can also desensitize the mind and
make what is wrong and evil look normal, exciting, and acceptable. Many of the
young people hearkened to their stake presidency and courageously destroyed
their tapes, discs, and videos which were not ‘virtuous, lovely, or of good
report or praiseworthy’ (A of F 1:13) Young people, please don’t listen to
music that promotes Satanism or other evil practices, encourages immorality,
uses foul and offensive language, or drives away the Spirit” (For the
Strength of Youth pamphlet as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the
Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p.57)