Promiscuity is an epidemic. Virtue is its opposite. The attitude of this “value” is horribly skewed in the world. We focus on the youth as a place to start preaching and teaching, when in reality this is a problem where every age is affected. Unwed births are surging among women ages 25-29 according to some studies. These are women who make a conscious choice to not marry, yet bring a child in the world to raise on their own. They don’t think this is wrong, because they want a child and have the love to raise it; not always the means, but ideally, the love. The idea of forming a sacred covenant of stability and promise doesn’t even occur to them.
Forty percent of births are out of wedlock today. Every movie (and I mean EVERY movie) shows the casual attitude of “sleeping together”, or “testing the waters out first”, or “moving in together” as common and natural as sneezing. Unwed celebrities have popularized the single-mom baby boom and nearly two-thirds of teen girls say it is okay to have a baby out of wedlock. These examples are being accepted and followed as a way of life.
Just last month (March 2009), the Pope visited Africa and made a “very offensive” statement. He said condoms are not the answer to the AIDS epidemic in Africa; abstinence is. The real solution lies in a “spiritual and human awakening”. After hearing that, Belgian parliament passed a resolution calling the comment unacceptable. The Pope continued with, “The traditional teaching of the church has proven to be the only failsafe way to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. Contraception is one of a host of trends contributing to a ‘breakdown in sexual morality’ and church teachings should not be ignored.”
That recalls for me what is said in the Book of Mormon in Alma 31: 5. “And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.” Preaching the word of God will bring people to a righteous understanding better than anything else.
When Korihor wreaks havoc amongst the Nephites, and former Lamanites, it’s important to understand this comparison, in Alma 30: 18-20 And thus he did preach unto them, leading away the hearts of many, causing them to lift up their heads in their wickedness, yea, leading away many women, and also men, to commit whoredoms—telling them that when a man was dead, that was the end thereof. Now this man went over to the land of Jershon also, to preach these things among the people of Ammon, who were once the people of the Lamanites. But behold they were MORE WISE than many of the Nephites; for they took him, and bound him.
With the Young Women’s focus being on Virtue, we should all understand our role in staying pure, strong, and virtuous. The Young Women have been asked to read the Book of Mormon. We, as Senior Young Women, must read the Book of Mormon as well. The Young Women have been asked to focus their attentions on being virtuous, lovely, pure, upright before God, separate from the world. We must focus on these attributes as their examples.
The world should not have a question on our stance. Let this be a Birth of a Movement: that All Mormon Women are Pure and Virtuous in all aspects of their lives.