Television and the Three Degrees of Glory

Television and the Three Degrees of GloryI am a firm believer in the LDS doctrine that “All things can be circumscribed into one great whole.” This got me into trouble as a college student, because I never failed to point out how I saw relationships between otherwise unrelated things. Everything we do, say, or think affects everything else we do, say, or think. In the October 2001 General Conference, Wayne S. Peterson quoted Charles A. Hall as saying:

We sow our thoughts, and we reap our actions; we sow our actions, and we reap our habits; we sow our habits, and we reap our characters; we sow our characters, and we reap our destiny.1

Outside of revelation, our thoughts consist only of what enters our mind through the media of our five senses. Generally speaking, the Spirit can reveal things to us only if we have first done our part to search, study, and ponder2, so that revelation often tends to merely augment our personal collection of gathered data.

Ultimately, then, what enters our mind through the media of our senses is of utmost importance, as it directly determines our destiny.

The five physical senses are sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. For those of us without physical limitations, it is commonly recognized that sight is the most powerful, as evidenced by the phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”3 Tastes, textures, sounds, and smells can be powerful, but they all fade with time; we can retain images for decades. What we look at, then, has an apparent advantage over our other senses in filling our minds and determining our destiny.

This, of course, begs the question, “What are we looking at?” Words and images. The prophets, through scriptural sources4, point to several problem areas: pornography, objects of lust, violence, immorality, blasphemy, and other forms of ungodliness, all mainly accessed via the internet, television, and movies. We know that these are problems even among members of the Church, because, among other things5, the General Authorities continually tell us so during General Conference.

The entire Western world is flooded with worldly propaganda extolling the virtues of non-virtue. The homes of most people these days are filled with the sights and sounds of television and movies from morning ‘til night19; Latter-day Saints are no exception. What is the content of the more popular programs (and, really, nearly allprogramming)? Namely, those things that the servants of the Lord have repeatedly warned us to avoid.

Recently, I gave the lesson during a joint Family Home Evening with a large group of family members. We have a lot of children, all under the age of eleven, so I kept it simple. The topic was obedience, and it was entirely out of the scriptures. This was it:

Why did God create the earth?

And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them (Abraham 3:24-25).

How do I know what God wants me to do?

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps (1 Peter 2:21)

What did Jesus do for me, and how does it help me?

We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. (Articles of Faith 1:3)

…I give unto you directions how you may act before me, that it may turn to you for your salvation. (D&C 82:9)

And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated. (Doctrine and Covenants 130:21)

I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise. (D&C 82:10)

Is it always easy to do what is right?

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered (Hebrews 5:8)

And my people must needs be chastened until they learn obedience, if it must needs be, by the things which they suffer. (Doctrine and Covenants 105:6)

After a brief discussion of each point, I gave everyone a handout I found in the Gospel Art Picture Kit6. This is what it said:

My Gospel Standards

  1. I will follow Heavenly Father’s plan for me.
  2. I will remember my baptismal covenant and listen to the Holy Ghost.
  3. I will choose the right. I know I can repent when I make a mistake.
  4. I will be honest with Heavenly Father, others, and myself.
  5. I will use the names of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ reverently. I will not swear or use crude words.
  6. I will do those things on the Sabbath that will help me feel close to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
  7. I will honor my parents and do my part to strengthen my family.
  8. I will keep my mind and body sacred and pure, and I will not partake of things that are harmful to me.
  9. I will dress modestly to show respect for Heavenly Father and myself.
  10. I will only read and watch things that are pleasing to Heavenly Father.
  11. I will only listen to music that is pleasing to Heavenly Father.
  12. I will seek good friends and treat others kindly.
  13. I will live now to be worthy to go to the temple and do my part to have an eternal family.

I Am a Child of God

I know Heavenly Father loves me, and I love Him.

I can pray to Heavenly Father anytime, anywhere.

I am trying to remember and follow Jesus Christ.

It’s amazing how simple the Gospel can be. I drew attention to lines 10 and 11, explaining that if the things we listen to, read, or watch, violate any of the things the Lord expects of us, then we can know that it is inappropriate. It’s as simple as that.

As a frequenter of Facebook, I often see comments from LDS friends and relatives discussing their favorite television programs, or the latest movie they have seen. I cringe as, more often than not, they contain swearing, blasphemous language (taking the Lord’s name in vain), immodest dress, immoral jokes or behavior, or glorify Word of Wisdom violations. What are people thinking?

I realize that, most of the time, they aren’t thinking, and that’s the problem. I know because I was there once, myself. A series of events brought me to the realization of the things I am writing about in this article, and one of them was the fortunate opportunity I had to stumble upon the Christian website, Hollywood and God7. The main page features a short video where a correspondent interrogates random people outside a famous theater in Los Angeles. He begins by finding out if they are Christian (all of the interviewees included in the video are Christian, due to the nature and purpose of the video). Then, the conversation, without fail, goes like this:

Host: “Do you watch movies where the characters take the Lord’s name in vain?”

Man on Street: “Yeah, it’s in like every movie nowadays”

Host: “Does it bother you when they do that?”

Man on Street: “Not really. I mean, you can’t get away from it; and everyone talks like that, anyway.”

Host: “Would you watch a film where they used your mother’s name as a swear word?”

Man on Street: “…no…”

This made me realize the importance of paying close attention to the media I was consuming. As I paid attention, I noticed that blasphemy is a pervasive problem in our popular culture. Needless to say, I don’t watch too many movies anymore.

The scriptures make it abundantly clear that the most important thing we can do is have the Holy Ghost with us8. They also make it clear that the Spirit is grieved, and leaves us whenever evil things are present9. We can’t have it both ways, living as hypocrites. We must decide, once and for all, to “hate the one and love the other, or… hold to the one and despise the other.”10 The Lord, through John the Revelator, made this crystal clear:

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.11

We must make a firm decision to either follow the Lord, or not, and then live accordingly! Make up your mind! Then, once you have determined that you will follow the Lord with all your heart, don’t worry about the consequences!

What’s that? Your friends are talking about movies and TV shows you’ve never heard of? So what?! You’ll never get to see Goonies ever again? So what?! Is GLEE the price you want to pay for salvation?

Here now (finally!), we lay it all out on the table: our actions determine our future kingdom of glory. We all want to dwell in the Celestial Kingdom for eternity (at least we should!), but Doctrine and Covenants section 88 tells us:

…he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.

And he who cannot abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom cannot abide a terrestrial glory.

And he who cannot abide the law of a telestial kingdom cannot abide a telestial glory; therefore he is not meet for a kingdom of glory. Therefore he must abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory.12

If you want to get there, you must have celestial obedience (i.e., “abide the law” of that kingdom). The only way to enter the Celestial Kingdom is to become like God. The only way to become like God is to become perfect. The only way to become perfect is gradually. The only way to do that is to start doing what you know you should be doing. There is no other way.

Most of the time, we Latter-day Saints are complacent; we hear the words of the prophets, we feel the Spirit testify of truth, we smile, and we… make absolutely no changes in the way we live our lives. This should not be! If, in our humility, we recognize our “wretched state,”13 we will desire to repent, and in doing so we become like God in one way that we previously were not!14

We are told that inheritors of the Telestial Kingdom will be “they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus.”15 “It embraces those who on earth willfully reject the gospel of Jesus Christ, and commit serious sins such as murder, adultery, lying, and loving to make a lie (but yet do not commit the unpardonable sin), and who do not repent in mortality.”16

The Terrestrial Kingdom will consist of mainly two types of people: “honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men.” and “they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus.”17 “Those who did not receive a testimony of Jesus while on earth, but who could have done so except for their neglect, are also heirs to the Terrestrial Kingdom.”18 This group will say, “I like my gay sit-com character, and his buddies, the metropolitan slut, the alcoholic, and the spewer of profanities. I would never emulate their activities, but if I reject them, the world will see me as a bigot. I’d better just do what everyone else is doing.”

It is absurd, of course, to place the determination of our eternal destinations on our choices of television programming and other media.

Or is it? Let’s ask Pres. Monson:

“I’ve lived long enough to have witnessed much of the metamorphosis of society’s morals. Where once the standards of the Church and the standards of society were mostly compatible, now there is a wide chasm between us, and it’s growing ever wider.

“Many movies and television shows portray behavior which is in direct opposition to the laws of God. Do not subject yourself to the innuendo and outright filth which are so often found there. The lyrics in much of today’s music fall in the same category. The profanity so prevalent around us today would never have been tolerated in the not-too-distant past. Sadly, the Lord’s name is taken in vain over and over again. Recall with me the commandment—one of the ten—which the Lord revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” I am sorry that any of us is subjected to profane language, and I plead with you not to use it. I implore you not to say or to do anything of which you cannot be proud.

“Stay completely away from pornography. Do not allow yourself to view it, ever. It has proven to be an addiction which is more than difficult to overcome.”20

 

Footnotes

  1. Our Actions Determine Our Character
  2. D&C 9:8, 88:118; 2 Ne. 32:7, Jacob 4:6; Mosiah 1:7; Mormon 8:23.
  3. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words.html
  4. “Scriptures are revelation, and they will bring added revelation. Consider the magnitude of our blessing to have the Holy Bible and some 900 additional pages of scripture, including the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Then consider that, in addition, the words of prophets spoken as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost in settings such as this, which the Lord calls scripture (see D&C 68:2–4), flow to us almost constantly by television, radio, Internet, satellite, CD, DVD, and in print.” (D. Todd Christofferson, The Blessing of Scripture, April 2010 General Conference
  5. Not long ago, the Church introduced the website, CombatingPornography.org. There have also been many articles in the Church magazines addressing the issues listed, both by members and leaders, for instance: Pornography the Deadly Carrier, by Thomas S. Monson, from the July 2001 Ensign, My Battle With Pornography, from the July 2007 New Era, and I Desperately Wanted to Stop, from the June 2001 Liahona. Please see also, A Conversation on Things of the Spirit, Pornography, and Certain Kinds of Movies, Books, and Magazines, from the May 1971 New Era.
  6. 618 My Gospel Standards, Gospel Art Picture Kit. Numbering added.
  7. www.hollywoodandgod,com
  8. http://lds.org/scriptures/search?lang=eng&query=holy+ghost&book=study-help/tg
  9. Ephesians 4:30; D&C 121:37.
  10. 3 Ne. 13:24; Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:13.
  11. Rev. 3:15-16
  12. D&C 88:22-24
  13. 2 Ne. 4:17
  14. Alma 41:6
  15. D&C 76:82
  16. Telestial Kingdom, Encyclopedia of Mormonism
  17. D&C 76: 75,79
  18. Terrestrial Kingdom, Encyclopedia of Mormonism.
  19. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics claims that the average American age 15 or older watches 2.8 hours per day. Most people I know watch considerably more than that. My grandparents, for instance, never turned theirs off from the hours of 6am until about midnight or 1am the following day.
  20. Priesthood Power, Thomas S. Monson, April 2011 general Conference.

17 thoughts on “Television and the Three Degrees of Glory”

  1. We have stopped reading.
    We no longer create things with our hands like our fathers and grandfathers.
    We are bored. Well fill our days with meaning less entertainment.
    We are being pacified and chained and most carefully dragged down to hell.

  2. I really appreciate your articles and website. This one in particular I would definitely use for OUR FHE! Thank you very much for your insights and knowledge you share to educate about today’s issues with a gospel centered attitude. This platform is very much needed at this the last days.

  3. This is a hard one for me to read (“guilty taketh the truth to be hard” and all that), but necessary. However, the less tv I watch, the less I miss it.

  4. I’ve also found this to be true: “Generally speaking, the Spirit can reveal things to us only if we have first done our part to search, study, and ponder2, so that revelation often tends to merely augment our personal collection of gathered data”… true for myself and it also fits many of the experiences of the Prophet Joseph Smith as he would often receive revelation/inspiration after seeking information / asking questions.

    1. Lesli R. Smith-Bird

      I find this to be true. The more I read the scriptures, the easier it is for inspiration to enter into my consciousness and act to guide me. Now I find I am inspired to read more and more.. What a concept!!

  5. While i admit I am not perfect in these areas either, I have notice a great change since I gave up TV and reduced movies. Most of the trash others find entertaining is not so enjoyable to me anymore.

    1. Satan entices us into his realm of influence “line upon line, precept upon precept,” and it is often necessary for us to untangle ourselves from Satan’s snares one cord at a time. As we back away, we begin to realize how right it is! And as we give up the big evil things, the ones that are a little smaller become more obvious! This was my experience, at least, and sounds like it has been your, as well. If we are still watching TV shows and movies that are filled with violence, nudity, and sexual innuendo, how would we ever avoid the sin of blasphemy and the taking of the Lord’s name in vain? This is why we need to follow the Lord’s example in being patient with imperfect people; we are all necessarily imperfect as we strive for perfection, and, being limited by mortality, we can only focus on improving a very few things at a time.

  6. Thanks for all the supportive comments on my first article here at Mormon Chronicle!

    @Paul Olsen: Satan entices us into his realm of influence “line upon line, precept upon precept,” and it is often necessary for us to untangle ourselves from Satan’s snares one cord at a time. As we back away, we begin to realize how right it is! And as we give up the big evil things, the ones that are a little smaller become more obvious! This was my experience, at least, and sounds like it has been your, as well. If we are still watching TV shows and movies that are filled with violence, nudity, and sexual innuendo, how would we ever avoid the sin of blasphemy and the taking of the Lord’s name in vain? This is why we need to follow the Lord’s example in being patient with imperfect people; we are all necessarily imperfect as we strive for perfection, and, being limited by mortality, we can only focus on improving a very few things at a time.

  7. Michelle Klingler

    I am so grateful for your strong testimony and the wonderful example you are setting for your family, and your siblings! This has been on my mind a lot lately, especially since I don’t have cable or even network television in my home. There is still the temptation of Netflix or movies we already own, or music we’ve paid to download…those are more difficult to overcome because we’ve “paid” for them. But, in the end it’s important to remember the who “paid” the ultimate price for us, and the free agency He gave us. We all need to ponder more fully the true consequences of the actions we take in this life.

  8. Hello Mr. Kearney:)
    I would really like to communicate with you privately, I had a few questions but am uncomfortable putting my email on public display. Is there any way to contact you? Thank you mucho, Kimberly

  9. Wow! I came upon one of your articles by a friend’s post. I agree with you wholeheartedly. It is not such a hard decision to leave the world and it’s filthiness behind once the choice has been made. I will never turn back, and have encouraged my children to do the same. I love my brothers and sisters who are of many different religions, sexual orientation, lifestyle choices etc. I feel that by turning away from Babylon I have truly been converted to living the gospel with exactness, and my love for those who do not have the gospel grows intensely. Thank you for expressing my feelings so eloquently and plainly. I look forward to more of your writing.

  10. Excellent article that I concur with 100%…..my wife and I literally watch very little tv anymore – we go weeks at a time not watching it. Movies? Very few that we watch….no R rated or worse. We just refuse to do so. I have sent this article to every LDS person on my email roster……thank you for sharing.

  11. This is an excellent article. Thank you. I don’t watch any movies or TV that is like you stated, which means I watch reruns of The Andy Griffith show and old movies. My favorite fun movie is the ghost & mr chocken. But I do swear. Never the taking the lords name, but just about everything else. I’m going to keep this article at my desk at work and see if it will help. I know my husband would love it if I stopped swearing.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top