Media

"But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not."   -Mosiah 4:30

"We should avoid 'adult' entertainment. These are certainly some sobering thoughts for you men: I agree with the wife who said, 'You men must put for adult only movies out of your life. You men must put adults only magazines out of your life. You must put adult humor only out of your life. These three things alone will destroy you. Remember what the Lord said, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart . . . and with all they strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself' (Luke 10:27)."   -President Harold B. Lee, "Teachings of Harold B. Lee", p. 232

I really don't think there's much I can say which hasn't already been said by church leaders on the matter of today's media. Because the church doesn't publish a list every year of acceptable movies and unacceptable ones, it's sometimes hard to judge what is okay to watch (or read or listen to) and what isn't. Pondering on this, I have come to realize that the lack of solid "okays" and "not okays" is a sign of Heavenly Father's trust in us. He has given us the tools and resources we need to know what is acceptable and what isn't. He has given us the Holy Ghost who can act as the ultimate source to turn to when determining if something is okay or not. Ultimately though, God trusts us to make the right choice. He believes in us and our ability to make the right choice. When we are faced with temptation to watch media we know is inappropriate we should remember that He will help us resist the temptation because He believes in us, and that we should believe in ourselves too.