Quote:
Originally Posted by Archaea
Was the purpose of the teaching to say, we will be considered sinners for every thought we entertain, or was it to say, "be careful, guard your thoughts, for men do not sin, unless they give it some forethought?"
Have our teachings expounded upon the original intent so as to blur it beyond recognition?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Archaea
Example.
Is it sin to see a person of your selection, think, wow, she's hot, and i bet ... and then go about your day, as opposed to, "wow, she's hot, it's time to put my game face on, and let's make a move. I'm going to do this and that, and thereafter we'll be swimming horizontal refreshment?"
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I'm going to decline the Where Does This Rate On The Sliding Sin Scale game because I think it's a fruitless exercise.
Generally speaking, I believe we will be judged not just on what we have done, but on who we have become. I again reference Bednar's
talk on clean hands and a pure heart.
Quote:
Brothers and sisters, it is possible for us to have clean hands but not have a pure heart. Please notice that both clean hands and a pure heart are required to ascend into the hill of the Lord and to stand in His holy place.
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Our sincere desire should be to have both clean hands and a pure heart—both a remission of sins from day to day and to walk guiltless before God. Clean hands alone will not be enough when we stand before Him who is pure and who, as “a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19), freely spilled His precious blood for us.
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The portion I have omitted goes into a discussion of the difference, with illustrations from Benjamin's speech. He ends with Moroni's invitation to " deny yourselves of all ungodliness."
To me that sounds like more than simply making sure you don't sin. It sounds like attempting to excise the
desire to sin.