2 Nephi 13:9

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Reference Search: 2 Nephi 13:9

9 The show of their countenance doth witness against them, and doth declare their sin to be even as Sodom, and they cannot hide it. Wo unto their souls, for they have rewarded evil unto themselves!

Quotes for Discussion

Countenances—

Every person who lives in this world wields an influence, whether for good or for evil. It is not what he says alone, it is not alone what he does. It is what he is. Every man, every person radiates what he or she is…It is what we are and what we radiate that affects…people.

David O. McKay, in Conference Report, April 1963, 129

While attending a youth fireside with Elder Richard G. Scott, I noticed five youths scattered among the congregation whose countenances or body language almost screamed that something was spiritually amiss in their lives. After the meeting, when I mentioned the five youths to Elder Scott, he simply replied, “There were eight.” Isaiah prophesied, “Their countenance doth witness against them, and doth declare their sin to be even as Sodom, and they cannot hide it” (2 Nephi 13:9; see also Isaiah 3:9; see also Isaiah 3:9).

Elder Spencer V. Jones, “Overcoming the Stench of Sin,” Ensign, May 2003, 88

Perhaps you can judge a book by its cover, at least to some degree. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “You will always discover in the first glance of a man, in the outlines of his features something of his mind” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 299). It seems that, over time, one’s behavior eventually shows up on one’s face. Goodness also shows up on one’s face, which is why Alma asked, “Have ye received [the Savior’s] image in your countenances?” (Alma 5:14).

John Bytheway, Isaiah for Airheads, p. 80

Sodom—

What is the reason for Judah’s destruction? She had sinned openly and flagrantly before the eyes of God, just as the Sodomites did when they proclaimed their unnatural lust directly and unabashedly to Lot’s face. (Gen. 19:5.) Also, Judah had degenerated to a condition of sin not unlike Sodom’s (though not as depraved), in that she had perverted sexuality through misusing it in the idolatrous fertility rituals of the Canaanites. Though this was done to insure productivity in the land, Isaiah warns that the wicked participants will reap only destruction.

Victor L. Ludlow, Isaiah: Prophet, Seer, and Poet [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982], 105-106

There is a plague of fearsome dimensions moving across the world….

The Surgeon General of the United States has forecast an AIDS death toll of 170,000 Americans in just four years. The situation is even more serious in some other areas of the world….

Unfortunately, as in any epidemic, innocent people also become victims….The observance of one clearly understandable and divinely given rule would do more than all else to check this epidemic. That is chastity before marriage and total fidelity after marriage.

Prophets of God have repeatedly taught through the ages that practices of homosexual relations, fornication, and adultery are grievous sins….We reaffirm those teachings….

Each of us has a choice between right and wrong. But with that choice there inevitably will follow consequences. Those who choose to violate the commandments of God put themselves at great spiritual and physical jeopardy.

Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, May 1987, 46-47

The Savior…made reference to the wickedness “in the days of Lot.” (See Luke 17:26-30.) Lot was warned to flee the gross perversion of Sodom and Gomorrah, where immorality, including homosexuality, was the accepted way of life. (See Gen. 19; see also JST, Gen. 19.) The Apostle Paul foresaw these same conditions in the last days: “In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves,…without natural affection,…lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.” (See 2 Tim. 3:1-4; italics added.)…

In order to give homosexuality a semblance of legitimacy, this violation of God’s laws is depicted as an “alternative lifestyle” with no moral or legal consequences. Great effort has gone into portraying one’s so-called sexual preference as a civil right, and those who oppose this lifestyle are branded as “homophobic” or “prejudiced.”

In essence, the rights of moral people are trampled upon to accommodate the lifestyles of the immoral minority. Even the Boy Scouts of America, who have long required members to pledge that they will be “morally straight,” have been denied funding, harassed, and sued because the organization has refused to alter its membership and oath requirements.

Hoyt W. Brewster Jr., Behold, I Come Quickly: The Last Days and Beyond [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1994], 39-41

[Danite]

Thanks For the reminders