The Spirit of the Law

[God] hath made us able ministers of the new [covenant]; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.  --2 Corinthians 3:6

As members of the LDS church, we have been taught that scripture from our youth.  Usually our leaders point it at us in the sense that we shouldn't make everything black and white.  The gospel is not just a checklist to pass off.  That was the problem the Corinthians were facing when Paul wrote about the Spirit of the Law versus the Letter of the Law.

Unfortunately, I think some members of the church tend to take the "Spirit of the Law" concept to the extreme.  That is, they use it as an excuse to get away with more than they would otherwise.  A prime example of this is the R-rated movie debate.  In the 70s or 80s, church leaders counseled us not to see R rated movies.  This exact guideline hasn't been repeated by more recent prophets (i.e. President Monson, President Hinckley, etc.)  The booklet For the Strength of the Youth advises "Do not attend, view, or participate in entertainment that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way. Do not participate in entertainment that in any way presents immorality or violent behavior as acceptable" (pg 17).  There is no mention of specific movie ratings, just an exortation to avoid movies with unacceptable content as described in this quote.


The problem with this approach is that oftentimes individuals take advantage of its flexibility.  Over the years I've heard countless people argue that the counsel nowadays is to follow the spirit rather than movie ratings, and that it's okay to watch R rated movies if you feel okay with it.  I have noticed that often the people who argue this point are using the "spirit of the law" to rationalize how much they can get away with.  Such skewed reasoning always makes me cringe.  We've been counseled not to watch movies that are violent, immoral, pornographic, or full of profanity.  Please explain to me how a movie could be R rated and not contain violence, immorality, pornography, or profanity!  Isn't that the point of an R rating.  I've heard of movies being rated PG-13 for mature content, but not R rated.  R ratings generally mean there is something strongly objectionable in the movie.  I believe that the reason modern prophets haven't specified which ratings are "acceptable" or "unacceptable" is because they want us to be more selective about what we watch, not less selective.  Even PG and PG-13 movies often contain inappropriate content.  It's important to be educated about movie content so we can avoid inappropriate movies.  


I am sure that some of my readers will disagree with me.  You may even want to write vehement disagreements in my comments.  But, I stand by my words.  We need to seek out those things that are virtuous, lovely, of good report, and praiseworthy.  If you're feeling bothered by my strong words about media, remember:
"the issue is not earrings" (or movies or anything else).  The issue is following the prophet, and I intend to follow his advice to watch only uplifting movies.  I hope you'll find it in your heart to do the same.

Haircut time!

I just got a haircut!  I meant to post the pictures here, but I accidentally posted them to my family's blog instead.  Check them out!

http://wilsonwatch.blogspot.com/2011/01/its-new-me-daisy.html

Who Wants to be Skinny???

The Truth About Spencer Vaughn Fields

No, I'm not divulging any of Spencer's deep dark secrets.  ;)  I'm just giving you the long-awaited (I hope) answers to my quiz about Spencer


1.  Like me, Spencer loves carrots
A: FALSE!!!!!  Spencer is allergic to carrots and only eats them if they're cooked well.  Which is okay with me-- all the more for me to enjoy!

2.  Spencer taught me how to tie balloon animals
A: True!  Our last date before I broke things off with him was tying balloon animals at a barbecue.  He invited me to come keep him company and I asked him to teach me.  We've made balloon animals for that same barbecue every year since then.  (We're currently open to requests for parties, as long as you pay well, either in money or in dark chocolate!)

3.  Our first date was to a play at BYU
A: False.  Our first date was to a date night at the BYU Museum of Peoples and Cultures.  We enjoyed a variety of activities there, including a sculpture activity that got our picture (page 5) in the BYU Newspaper.

4.  Spencer's hero is Spiderman.  When he was little, he dressed up as Spiderman every day for at least a year.
A: False.  Spencer's hero is Superman.  As a child he dressed up as Superman every day for at least a year.

5.  I am #2 in Spencer's life.
A: True!  The Lord is #1 in Spencer's life and I hope (and know) it will always be that way.

6.  Spencer hopes we'll have twins.
A: Trick Question.  I accidentally worded this question wrong and as a result neither answer was correct.  Spencer informed me that he would be okay with it whether we had twins or not.  The correct question would have been "Spencer thinks we'll have twins."  In which case the answer would be no.  There are twins on both sides of his family (his dad and his maternal grandma), but he insists that twins are only hereditary from the mother, not the father.  I guess only time will tell . . .

7.  Spencer works at Helaman halls and we are living in the dorms
A: True.  I admit, at first I was not excited to move back into the dorms, but I actually love our setup.  We have free rent, 20 meals a week at the Cannon center, cheap laundry, good maintenance, and a nice apartment.  I'm happy (which is good since we'll probably be here for quite a while)!

8.  Spencer talks in his sleep.
A: True!  Usually I can't make out specifics, but he babbles a lot right after he first drops off.  I just need to figure out how to get him to actually speak coherently so I can find out all his deep dark secrets!

9.  Spencer loves teaching/giving talks in church
A: True.  Spencer's dream calling would probably be Gospel Doctrine.  He looooooooooooooves teaching.  He also gives great talks and his friends all say they think he's going to be a general authority some day. 

10.  Spencer does not like yogurt
A: FALSE!!!  If Spencer has to go for more than a day without yogurt, he goes through yogurt withdrawal.  Good thing the Cannon center has a neverending supply!

11.  Spencer loves history
A: True.  He especially has a passion for Early American/Revolutionary War and LDS history.

12.  Spencer enjoys watching chick flicks
A: True!  I have never known any guy to like Anne of Green Gables as much . . . except maybe Dad!

13.  Spencer was afraid to ask me out, so I had to make the first move.
A: False.  Spencer asked me out all on his own.  However, I did have to give him some not-so-subtle encouragement to ask me out again.  Good thing he was a quick learner!

14.  Spencer loves photography
A: True.  Just check the number of photos on his computer/camera/website/external drives.  He has oodles of them.

15.  Spencer can drive our new car
A. True!  We just got a Neon with automatic transmission, so Spencer can help drive.  Except during snowstorms and after dark.  His vision prevents him from driving after dark and we still need to find a good parking lot during a snowstorm to teach him how to do donuts.  We'll have to call Jordan next time we get a big snowstorm!

I hope you have enjoyed learning about Spencer.  I know I have-- especially during the last eight months.  Happy 8 month anniversary this week, Spencer!