Pornography

"The onslaught of pornography in all of its vicious, corroding, destructive forms has caused great grief, suffering, heartache, and destroyed marriages. It is one of the most damning influences on earth."

—Richard G. Scott, "To Acquire Spiritual Guidance", Ensign and Liahona, November 2009

"We cannot afford to have those who exercise the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God, waste their strength in pornography or spend their lives in cyberspace (ironically being of the world while not being in the world)."

D. Todd Christofferson, "Brethren, We Have Work to Do" October 2012, General Conference

"At first we scarcely realize we have been infected. We laugh and make light-hearted comment concerning the off-color story or the clever cartoon. With evangelical zeal we protect the so-called rights of those who would contaminate with smut and destroy all that is precious and sacred. The beetle of pornography is doing his deadly task—undercutting our will, destroying our immunity, and stifling that upward reach within each of us.

Can this actually be true? Surely this matter of pernicious permissiveness is not so serious. What are the facts? Let’s look! Let’s listen! Then let’s act!"

     Pornography—the Deadly Carrier                            

Thomas S. Monson
October 1979

Pornography is any material depicting or describing the human body or sexual conduct in a way that arouses sexual feelings. It is distributed through many media, including magazines, books, television, movies, music, and the Internet. It is as harmful to the spirit as tobacco, alcohol, and drugs are to the body. Using pornographic material in any way is a violation of a commandment of God: "Thou shalt not . . . commit adultery . . . nor do anything like unto it" (D&C 59:6). It can lead to other serious sins. Members of the Church should avoid pornography in any form and should oppose its production, distribution, and use. http://www.josephsmith.net/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=31b09daac5d98010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=bbd508f54922d010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

President Boyd K. Packer has said that as we travel through life and probe the water holes around us, we should all be aware of crocodiles that wait to attack. “Not just the big, gray lizards that can bite you to pieces, but spiritual crocodiles, infinitely more dangerous, and more deceptive and less visible, even, than those well-camouflaged reptiles,” he said. “These spiritual crocodiles can kill or mutilate your souls. They can destroy your peace of mind and the peace of mind of those who love you. Those are the ones to be warned against, and there is hardly a watering place in all of mortality now that is not infested with them” (“Spiritual Crocodiles,” Apr. 1976 general conference).

One of the largest spiritual crocodiles to infest the water holes around us today is pornography.

“We live at a time when the adversary is using

every means possible to ensnare us in his web of deceit,

trying desperately to take us down with him.”

 —President Thomas S. Monson

 “Avoid any semblance of pornography. It will
desensitize the spirit and erode the conscience.
We are told in the Doctrine and Covenants, ‘That
which doth not edify is not of God,
and is darkness’


 But I say unto you, That whosoever
 ^alooketh on a ^bwoman to ^clust after
her hath committed ^dadultery
with her already in his heart.
Matthew 5:28

President Gordon B. Hinckley counseled Latter-day Saint young men during the April 1998 general conference to avoid pornography as they would avoid a serious disease. “It is as destructive. It can become habitual, and those who indulge in it get so they cannot leave it alone. It is addictive.”
He said those who produce pornography make it as titillating and attractive as they know how.
“It seduces and destroys its victims. It is everywhere. It is all about us. I plead with you young men not to get involved in its use. You simply cannot afford to”

Regarding pornography, Internet addiction, and
other forms of immorality, Elder Cook said, “As you move toward marriage, you must not
wear any masks that hide inappropriate conduct that will be detrimental to you or your marriage.”


“Pornographic or erotic stories and pictures are worse than filthy or polluted food. The body has defenses to rid itself of unwholesome food. With a few fatal exceptions, bad food will only make you sick but do no permanent harm. In contrast, a person who feasts upon filthy stories or pornographic or erotic pictures and literature records them in this marvelous retrieval system we call a brain. The brain won’t vomit back filth. Once recorded, it will always remain subject to recall, flashing its perverted images across your mind and drawing you away from the wholesome things in life.” ¹ 

 Pornography, Dallin H. Oaks, April 2005

Pornography impairs one’s ability to enjoy a normal emotional, romantic, and spiritual relationship with a person of the opposite sex. It erodes the moral barriers that stand against inappropriate, abnormal, or illegal behavior. As conscience is desensitized, patrons of pornography are led to act out what they have witnessed, regardless of its effects on their life and the lives of others.
Pornography, Dallin H. Oaks, April 2005


                           We must also act to protect those we love. Parents install alarms to warn if their household is threatened by smoke or carbon monoxide. We should also install protections against spiritual threats, protections like filters on Internet connections and locating access so others can see what is being viewed. And we should build the spiritual strength of our families by loving relationships, family prayer, and scripture study.
Pornography, Dallin H. Oaks, April 2005

At first we scarcely realize we have been infected. We laugh and make light-hearted comment concerning the off-color story or the clever cartoon. With evangelical zeal we protect the so-called rights of those who would contaminate with smut and destroy all that is precious and sacred. The beetle of pornography is doing his deadly task—undercutting our will, destroying our immunity, and stifling that upward reach within each of us.“I do not believe the greatest threat to our future is from bombs or guided missiles. I don’t think our civilization will die that way. I think it will die when we no longer care. Arnold Toynbee has pointed out that 19 of 21 civilizations have died from within and not by conquest from without. There were no bands playing and flags waving when these civilizations decayed. It happened slowly, in the quiet and the dark when no one was aware.”
Pornography—the Deadly Carrier                            

Thomas S. Monson
October 1979

"Sexual immorality and impure thoughts violate the standard established by the Savior. We were warned at the beginning of this dispensation that sexual immorality would be perhaps the greatest challenge. Such conduct will, without repentance, cause a spiritual drought and loss of commitment."

—Quentin L. Cook, "Can Ye Feel So Now?" November 2012