Malachi 2

 

The curse of defiling the priesthood is a pretty terrible one, "I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces." Actually, the curse for defiling the priesthood is worse today, "whoso breaketh this covenant after he hath received it and altogether turneth therefrom shall not have forgiveness of sins in this world nor in the world to come" (D&C 84:41). The curse for our generation makes a little dung in the face sound good.

 

Our heavenly Father is more liberal in His views, and boundless in His mercies and blessings, than we are ready to believe or receive; and, at the same time, is more terrible to the workers of iniquity, more awful in the executions of His punishments, and more ready to detect every false way, than we are apt to suppose Him to be. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 257)

 

 

"Since every priesthood holder has a special right to invoke the name of the Lord, he should be particularly concerned about how he takes the Master's name on his lips. Likewise, every member-man and woman, young and old alike-needs to use the Lord's name with care. Our spiritual power as members of his Church-indeed, our very salvation-depends on our reverence toward God. We simply must resist the tide of profanity." (John S. Tanner, "Sin-On the Tips of Our Tongues," Ensign, Feb. 1991, 32)

 

 

"In the summer of 1939, two friends and myself, all of us teachers in the Aaronic Priesthood, were hired at a packing shed in Mesa, Arizona. As we worked we talked and laughed a great deal; but, sad to say, the language was usually rough and the jokes unwholesome. There was a fourth young man on our crew, though, who did not join in the swearing and the jokes, and during a breakdown on the conveyor, I asked him why. His answer was like a hit between the eyes. He said, 'I belong to the Pentecostal Church. We don't believe it's right to do those things.'

 

"The rest of the morning was rather quiet, and at lunch time three ashamed Mormon boys sought a quiet place apart from the others. The general feeling was, 'Here we are, holders of the priesthood of God, and it takes someone else to set a good example for us. What are we going to do about it?' We agreed then and there that if any one of us used a bad word, the other two would punch him on the arm." ("Comment," Ensign, July 1981, 73)

 

Even among our young people, there is an evil and growing habit of profanity and the use of foul and filthy language. I do not hesitate to say that it is wrong, seriously wrong, for any young man ordained to the priesthood of God to be guilty of such. The taking of the Lord's name in vain is a most serious matter. . . .

 

In our dialogues with others we must be an example of the believer. Conversation is the substance of friendly social activity. It can be happy. It can be light. It can be earnest. It can be funny. But it must not be salty, or uncouth, or foul if one is in sincerity a believer in Christ. (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], 494)

 

 

The basic idea of our religion is the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, with the love of God and the love of fellow men as basic principles. This philosophy was partially envisioned, of course, by Plato, Aristotle, and others, but it was proclaimed with inspiring clarity by Jesus the Christ as a religion. After the crucifixion of Christ and the death of His apostles, it became watered down almost to the point of insipidity during the attempt to Christianize the pagans, which resulted largely in paganizing Christianity. Hence there was a need for a restoration and for continued revelation, and that in essence is our message to you this morning.

 

Millions have believed in this message and have borne witness that it is true, and that witness has come as they believe and as we know from the Holy Spirit. If it is true it is of transcendent importance, as it involves the salvation of the human family. (The Abundant Life [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965], 93)

 

Only the comprehension of the true Fatherhood of God can bring full appreciation of the true brotherhood of man. That understanding inspires desire to build bridges of cooperation instead of walls of segregation.

 

Our Creator decreed "that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another." (Mosiah 18:21)

 

Intolerance seeds contention; tolerance supersedes contention. Tolerance is the key that opens the door to mutual understanding and love. ("Teach Us Tolerance and Love," Ensign, May 1994, 70-71)

 

When we are guided by the Spirit, I find that our conversations will often lead to the subject of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. We need to assure people that we are all God's spirit sons and daughters. All of us, regardless of race, color, or creed, belong to the family of our Heavenly Father. Our understanding and knowledge of this basic truth should compel us to love all of our brothers and sisters and to share the eternal plan of salvation with them. To those who are interested, it might be well to explain our belief that the brotherhood of man includes our teaching that we all existed premortally as spirit children of God, our Heavenly Father, where we learned and accepted His plan for us to come to earth to gain a mortal body and be tested. Our deep-rooted respect for all mankind is enhanced by our understanding of our premortal life and experiences together. ("Building Bridges of Understanding," Ensign, June 1998, 63)

 

 

"Malachi spoke then of the covenant of Israel with God as if it were a covenant of marriage of a man with the wife of his youth, against whom he has dealt treacherously even though she is his companion and the wife of his covenant. The metaphor reflected both the infidelity of individual men and the apostasy of Israel." (Ellis T. Rasmussen, A Latter-day Saint Commentary on the Old Testament [Salt Lake City: Deseret, 1993], 696)

 

 

"Marriage to non-Israelites had proven to be the seedbed of apostasy; for this reason the Lord had forbidden it. In Malachi's day, the men of Judah and Levi had turned to foreign women and taken them as wives (Mal. 2:11, 13-15). Many had divorced their Israelite wives in order to accommodate their unrighteous desires. Malachi expressed well the Lord's hatred for this practice and its result: the rejection of all offerings made to him and the forfeiture of the consequent blessings (Mal. 2:12, 16-17)." (Kent P. Jackson, ed., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 4: 1 Kings to Malachi [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1993], 367)

 

Every man ought to regard his wife as a daughter of God, a daughter who is his equal, with whom he walks side by side. Marvelous is that concept that does not place a woman in an inferior position. One great man said a father can do nothing better for his children than to let them see that he loves their mother. Brethren, treat your wives with love and respect and kindness. (Ensign, July 1997, 72)

 

Treat your wives with kindness. One of the great sorrows of this world which has been among people for generations in all lands has been the abuse of wives. No man is worthy of the priesthood who abuses his wife, the mother of his children. Extend to her your love, your respect, your appreciation. You cannot enter the highest degree of glory in the kingdom of heaven unless you go there walking hand in hand with your companion at your side. The Lord has made that clear. ("Inspirational Thoughts," Ensign, Aug. 1997, 4)

 

Treat your wives with kindness. You will never have a greater asset in all of this world than the woman with whom you joined hands over the altar in the temple and to whom you pledged your love and loyalty and devotion for time and all eternity. (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], 311)