Here's a question:
Do you believe the strict "codes" we live by (such as the Word of Wisdom) lead us to indulge in other areas or ways that are not healthy for us?
FFH said:
Nutshell said:
I know was indirectly addressing the issue you brought up.
I know exaclly what you're talking about Nutshell, I was trying to avoid the issue until I gathered my thoughts together...
Here's my thoughts on this...
If I were to drink, smoke, do illegal drugs, I'm probably 10 times more likely to indulge in negative behaviors than if I avoided these toxic and spirit numbing substances...
Let me put it another way....
We all indulge in negative behaviors of all kinds, it may be slightly different for each individual, the difference is we know when to say when/stop because we are sober, verses not being in our right minds, because of harmful chemical substances, in the body, like alcohol and meth...
It's 10 times more easy to stay on track, even though we may indulge in bad/negative behaviors, as we all do....
We should not kid ourselves, on one end of the pendulum, or beat ourselves up, on the other...
Sin is sin, and we all succumb to it, in one form or another...
The Word of Wisdom keeps our minds and hearts alert to the pitfalls of negative behaviors, and we are more likely to "catch" ourselves before we are "speedily dragged down to hell" ....
The Spirit can, and does, influence us more than if we were to numb our spiritual senses, with all forms of harmful chemical substances...
Do we indulge in certain sins because we cannot drink, do drugs, etc.???.
No, those are only results of having sinned, I think, because those who do them indulge in them to numb their consciences, to thw point to which they then further indulge in more and more serious negative behaviors....
I can honestly say that I don't know the reason why people indulge in these vices, other than what I have theorized...
My weakness has never been in this area...
The "weakest of saints" can adapt to living the Word of Wisdom...it's no big deal and not being able to indulge in drinking and drugs, is definitely not the reason why an LDS member may indulge in more serious sins..., but rather keeps one more spiritually alert and aware of the dangers of teading into, or too deeply into "dirty waters".
I personally don't sin in other areas because I can't drink or smoke, it's not appealing to me at all, even in the slightest, for some reason...
What we think are serios sins are nothing compared to those who indulge putting various harmful chemical substances in their bodies...
I have an LDS friend who used to sell drugs and he could tell who was hooked on drugs because there was usually an aura of demons around that individual, which he could see in the spiritual realm, because he too was hooked on illegal drugs...
He changed his life after being instantly delivered from drugs, alcohol, smokes, etc...after listening to Book of Mormon tapes In his car over and over while delivering pizzas....
I was doing the same and he asked me to pick up a set of tapes for him at the LDS Distribution Center, and it changed his life...
He came from an extremely disfunctional LDS background, but now he has a very succesful business and he doesn't miss the drugs and drinking...