2 Nephi 15:20

[pam]

Reference Search: 2 Nephi 15:20

20 Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Quotes for Discussion

Evil Good and Good Evil

Always when these destructive lifestyles are debated, “individual right of choice” is invoked as though it were the one sovereign virtue. That could be true only if there were but one of us. The rights of any individual bump up against the rights of another. And the simple truth is that we cannot be happy, nor saved, nor exalted, without one another.

The word tolerance is also invoked as though it overrules everything else. Tolerance may be a virtue, but it is not the commanding one. There is a difference between what one is and what one does. What one is may deserve unlimited tolerance; what one does, only a measured amount. A virtue when pressed to the extreme may turn into a vice. Unreasonable devotion to an ideal, without considering the practical application of it, ruins the ideal itself.

Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, Nov. 1990, 85

Many modern professors of human behavior advocate as a cure to an afflicted conscience that we…change the standard to fit the circumstances so that there is no longer a conflict, thus easing the conscience. The followers of the divine Christ cannot subscribe to this evil and perverse philosophy with impunity. For the troubled conscience in conflict with right and wrong, the only permanent help is to change the behavior and follow a repentant path.

The prophet Isaiah taught, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isa. 5:20).

James E. Faust, Ensign, Nov. 1986, 10

Satan offers a strange mixture of just enough good to disguise the evil along his downward path to destruction….He forges a Rembrandt-quality representation by calling evil good and good evil. He has confused many people, even nations and leaders, to the point of an immoral approach to moral issues….

First, he says individual agency is justification for the destruction of a human life through abortion; second, same-gender intimate associations and even marriages are acceptable; and third, chastity and fidelity are old-fashioned and narrow-minded—to be sexually active with free expression is acceptable.

At this very moment, international heroes in sports, music, and movies not only live immoral lives but teach that immorality around the world through the powerful influence of the media. They are idolized and accepted by millions worldwide. The world in general seems to have lapsed into a coma of unrighteousness.

Durrel A. Woolsey, Ensign, Nov. 1995, 84

In the summertime one of our responsibilities was to haul hay from the fields into the barn for winter storage….One day, in one of the loose bundles pitched onto the wagon was a rattlesnake! When I looked at it, I was concerned, excited, and afraid. The snake was [lying] in the nice, cool hay. The sun was glistening on its diamond back. After a few moments the snake stopped rattling, became still, and I became very curious. I started to get closer and leaned over for a better look, when suddenly I heard a call from my father: “David, my boy, you can’t pet a rattlesnake!”…

I would like to talk to you about the dangers of petting poisonous snakes…today’s popular entertainment often makes what is evil and wrong look enjoyable and right. Let us remember the Lord’s counsel: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil” (Isa. 5:20).

Pornography, though billed by Satan as entertainment, is a deeply poisonous, deceptive snake that lies coiled up in magazines, the Internet, and the television. Pornography destroys self-esteem and weakens self-discipline. It is far more deadly to the spirit than the rattlesnake my father warned me not to pet.

David E. Sorensen, Ensign, May 2001, 41

Across the desk from me sat a handsome nineteen-year-old boy and a beautiful, shy, but charming eighteen-year-old girl….They admitted they had broken the moral code and thus gone contrary to some standards, but they quoted magazines and papers and speakers approving premarital sex and emphasizing that sex was a fulfillment of human existence….

Finally, the boy said, “Yes, we yielded to each other, but we do not think it was wrong because we love each other.” I thought I had misunderstood him. Since the world began there have been countless immoralities, but to hear them justified by a Latter-day Saint youth shocked me. He repeated, “No, it is not wrong, because we love each other.”…

The savior said that if it were possible the very elect would be deceived by Lucifer. He uses his logic to confuse and his rationalizations to destroy. He will shade meanings, open doors an inch at a time, and lead from purest white through all the shades of gray to the darkest black.

This young couple looked up rather startled when I postulated firmly, “No, my beloved young people, you did not love each other. Rather, you lusted for each other.”…As far back as Isaiah, deceivers and rationalizers were condemned: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isa. 5:20).

Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball, [salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982], 278-79

I speak of the importance of keeping covenants because they protect us in a world that is drifting from time-honored values that bring joy and happiness. In the future this loosening of moral fiber may even increase. The basic decency of society is decreasing. In the future our people, particularly our children and grandchildren, can expect to be bombarded more and more by the evils of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Too many families are being broken up. Good is called evil, and evil is called good. In our present “easiness of the way,” have we forgotten the elements of sacrifice and consecration that our pioneer forebears demonstrated so well for us?...

Today the modern counterparts of Babylon, Sodom, and Gomorrah are alluringly and explicitly displayed on television, the Internet, in movies, books, magazines, and places of entertainment.

In the last general conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley warned us about moving too far toward the mainstream of society in some areas such as Sabbath day observance, family disintegration, and other matters….

In our society many sacred values have been eroded in the name of freedom of expression. The vulgar and the obscene are protected in the name of freedom of speech….Of course, as individuals and as a people we want to be liked and respected. But we cannot be in the mainstream of society if it means abandoning…righteous principles….

All forms of evil are being masked. I speak of sexual immorality. I speak of wagering for money, which in many places is called gaming rather than gambling. This is typical of how many other evils are masked to make them more acceptable….

The breakdown of parental authority erodes the most indispensable institution of society—the family….

Many voices tell our children and grandchildren that evil is good and good is evil….Daily scripture study, daily prayer, regular family home evening, obedience to priesthood authority in the home and in the Church constitute a great insurance policy against spiritual deterioration.

James E. Faust, Ensign, May 1998, 21-22

[a mustard seed]

Not to get too much into a current events discussion but I really like how a lot of these quotes bring up the confusion and twisting of rationale to make sin seem like a good thing. There have been a lot of studies about this but I recently watched a video of a speech by Anne Marie Waters where she talked about the breakdown of language to become subjective, so that objective truth has all but disappeared. That is what I'm strongly reminded of, the way that objective truth is not only vanishing, giving way to people's feelings and personal opinions all having equal validity, but the way that truth is reviled and considered offensive, tantamount to a physical attack in some cases. Especially relating to the culture of sin.

"You cannot tell me how to live my life because 1. I'm not hurting anybody and 2. my view of what is right is just as valid as yours. How dare you!"

[Vort]

10 hours ago, a mustard seed said:

my view of what is right is just as valid as yours

This is it. This is really the core of 21st-century American morality. Ultimately, what's right and what's wrong is fully determined by the individual.

[a mustard seed]

19 minutes ago, Vort said:

This is it. This is really the core of 21st-century American morality. Ultimately, what's right and what's wrong is fully determined by the individual.

How scary that moral code would be to rely entirely on ourselves for guidance and understanding.

I also wonder what Isaiah must have thought, having visions of our time. At first, I thought he might be surprised by how twisted and deceitful sin has become, but if the scriptures he wrote also had application to the people in his time...then maybe not. He might have been saddened to know that people in future generations would also and again and again try to romanticize sin, to erroneously trust their own judgements above the Lord's.