We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul – We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
Honesty is an essential characteristic of any who wishes to promote the Gospel. Deception, guile, and secrecy in any area of life and especially in expressions of religious life cast suspicion upon the person engaged in them, any authority that the person may hold, and organizations which the person serves. In this the information age, people are bombarded with both good and bad ideas constantly; expressions of faith and fact are often viewed as mere opinion or worse yet propaganda. We as Latter Day Saints must work ever harder to foster a culture of both honesty and tact, for our own sakes, for the good of the church, and in the hope of a far less contentious and rude society than we are currently experiencing. Honesty must not become an excuse for cynicism, and tact must not become an excuse for putting our proverbial lights ‘under a bushel.’ We all need to respect this balance to foster the Kingdom of God
The counterpart to speaking and writing honestly is being true. I need to be true to my ideals and my faith by living and working according to them. It is said that actions speak louder than words and I hope the way I act bears witness to the things which I say I believe. If I sanctify my life and my work, then my words should reflect that. If I am not sanctifying my life than whatever protests I make to how you should live and work are hollow. God honors the man who acts and prays more than the one who merely prays. I hope that as you and I become closer that you find I am true to my words.
My own failings in the area of chastity make me ill-suited to preach on the subject. My oldest son was born out of wedlock, and I still struggle with the promiscuousness that is so often celebrated in our society. I regard several things as essential to chastity and continue to develop my own ability to live up to these ideals. For sex to be chaste it must be consensual, respectful, and done out of love. Consent is enforced by law where I live, but even if it were not I cannot imagine how lack of consent could somehow still be considered chaste. Respectful sex is when partners acknowledge the inherent spiritual value of their bodies and what they do with them (in other words, “that ye are a temple of God” (1Cor 3:16)). Finally, all aspects of love (unconditional, familial, and erotic) must be present in sex for it to be chaste. Again, these are ideals by which I seek to live rather than an area of life that I have mastered.
Benevolence is both the inclination to do good and charitable action. Inclining ourselves to do good is in my opinion almost as important as doing good itself. If we only do what is correct out of fear or because we are being forced to obey, then we are not acting out of faith. Developing the faith to act appropriately should always come before those acts so that we will not later regret or resent the time and energy spent on them. Charitable action is important, but a spirit of charity should come first. In this sense, being benevolent is both internal (faith) and external (works). “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (Jam 2:17) Benevolence is the balancing of the two.
Being virtuous is a broader category of thought. All of the above qualities are virtues and so are many more that have not been named. Virtue is probably most succinctly described in the Golden Rule, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matt 7:12). That is the best first approach to others. As I learn more about another person and grow in love towards them I can better tailor my actions to their specific needs and the requirements of correct action. Learning to be virtuous requires that I develop both faith and discernment, so that I can willingly and effectively help others. I suspect this is true for anyone who wants to develop virtue, but different people are called in different ways.
To seek after those things that are virtuous, lovely, of good report, and praiseworthy is a lifelong endeavor. There is much good in the world and I am determined to find, understand, and promote it. Jesus told us to “seek, and ye shall find” (Matt 7:7). If we spend our time and our energy seeking after unclean things we are certain to find them. So we must focus our attention on what is good and not cease in praising it. Doing so makes the world a better and brighter place and is doing God’s will.
The admonition of Paul (1Cor 13:7) to love so that we can believe, hope and endure all things is central to the Gospel. As I said earlier when I was being taught by our missionaries before my conversion, I was told that enduring to the end was the unofficial fifth principle and ordinance of the Gospel. Where the fourth article of faith tells Latter Day Saints how to begin our journey, this one tells us what the ends are. I have been very blessed that I have not suffered persecution the way the early Saints did, but living up to the ideals taught by the LDS Church has and will continue to be an internal struggle for me. To endure to the end means overcoming temptation and putting off the old man, and I’m certain that I can only do this through God’s love for me. I witness that he loves you too, and I will do what I can to help you too endure to the end.
Latter Day Sinner 