Integrity
“I recently attended an outdoor dance. Just before the dance, my friends and I were sitting on the grounds eating pizza. I took my wallet out of my pocket to show my friends some pictures, and then I forgot to put my wallet back as we got up and left for the dance.
“Later that evening I realized what had happened. I proceeded toward what I thought should be the location of my wallet. I quickly realized that my wallet was no longer there. I knelt down right there in the grass and began to pray to my Father in Heaven to help me find my wallet.
“I then returned to my dorm room with a very optimistic attitude. I walked into my room fully expecting the wallet to be sitting right there, but it wasn’t. So I proceeded to check my telephone messages. And there was a message from the Lost and Found saying that someone had returned my wallet and I could pick it up any time.
“I am so grateful to be here at a university where I can trust my fellow students. I never found out who returned my wallet, but I have thanked him or her many times in my prayers. I have thanked them for helping me to have a spiritual experience, one that I will never forget.”
(David A. Bednar, “Be Honest,” New Era, Oct 2005, 4)
“Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.”
(James E. Faust, “Honesty—A Moral Compass,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 41)
“To me, integrity means always doing what is right and good, regardless of the immediate consequences. It means being righteous from the very depth of our soul, not only in our actions but, more importantly, . . . in our hearts.”
(Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Personal Integrity,” Ensign, May 1990, 30)
“To be honest means to be sincere, truthful, and without deceit at all times.”
(“Honesty,” True to the Faith, (2004), 84)
[Sincere. Wanted to kinda change the topic to anything I wanted, but it just kept coming back to something an elephant in the room that I would rather not acknowledge. But this one thought kept coming back, and so I decided that was probably a sign, but keep in mind two things. 1. I am not saying these things as some ‘superior moralist,’ but rather as someone who doesn’t know exactly where the line is. I struggle with doing the right thing all the time, and am sincerely asking the help of my family, my roommates, and the ward to help me and each other to choose the right]
2. I think there is a subtle but very important distinction between the letter of the law and the spirit:
2 Nephi 32: 3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.
2 Nephi 31: 5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do. [Show us the exceptions]
--The latter is as much a responsibility as it is liberty [Not that often is there an exception, but the natural man tendency is to think we are the exception].
As Elder Bednar has said: “the best test of our integrity and honesty is when we personally enforce in our own lives that which ultimately cannot be enforced. There are so many aspects of being honest and of living the gospel that simply cannot be enforced in our lives by anyone else. You and I bear the responsibility to become people of integrity and honesty—people who are true and trustworthy when no one is watching and when no one else is around.”
(David A. Bednar, “Be Honest,” New Era, Oct 2005, 4)
Unethical transfer of digital media:
"For honest Latter-day Saint[s]. . . , [shoplifting a] CD [from a store] isn’t even an option. But in a world with millions of free songs only a mouse-click away, the line between legal and illegal sometimes seems blurry, and some of the same [people] think file sharing is different from everyday stealing… [but] peer-to-peer networks [and other forms of electronic copying] cross legal boundaries when copyrighted material is involved. When a musician releases a song or album as a commercial product, it is copyrighted, so no one can legally use it without paying for it first. If you download a commercially released song from a file-sharing Web site, you are stealing it from the musician just as much as you would be if you shoplifted a CD."
(Janessa Cloward, “It’s Just a Copy, Right?,” New Era, Feb 2008, 34–36)
“Immoral thoughts, words, and deeds always are immoral, even in cyberspace. Deceitful acts supposedly veiled in secrecy, such as illegally downloading music from the Internet or copying CDs or DVDs for distribution to friends and families, are nonetheless deceitful. We are all accountable to God, and ultimately we will be judged of Him according to our deeds…”
(David A. Bednar, "Things as They Really Are," CES Fireside for Young Adults, May 3, 2009, Brigham Young University–Idaho)
[Goes on a lot. So easy to justify ourselves.]
“We forget, sometimes, that we are engaged . . . in establishing righteousness and planting the kingdom of God upon the earth; and we condescend to little meannesses, and become forgetful of the great and glorious calling to which we are called. . . . We forget that God and angels are looking upon us; we forget that the spirits of just men made perfect and our ancient fathers . . . are gazing upon us, and that our acts are open to the inspection of all the authorized agencies of the invisible world.
And, forgetting these things sometimes, we act the part of fools, and the Spirit of God is grieved; it withdraws from us, and we are then left to grope our way in the dark. But if we could live our religion, fear God, be strictly honest, observe his laws and his statutes, and keep his commandments to do them, we should feel very different. We should feel comfortable and happy. Our spirits would be peaceful and buoyant. And from day to day. . . our joys would increase.”
(John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom, 179)
(As quoted in “Chapter 7: Integrity,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 58)
[My music story: Kazaa/limewire. Deleted all b4 mish. Enjoy music more.]
“The rewards of integrity are immeasurable. One is the indescribable inner peace and serenity that come from knowing we are doing what is right; another is an absence of the guilt and anxiety that accompany sin.
Another reward of integrity is the confidence it can give us in approaching God. When virtue garnishes our thoughts unceasingly, our confidence is strong in the presence of God. (See D&C 121:45.) When we are doing what is right, we will not feel timid and hesitant about seeking divine direction. We will know the Lord will answer our prayers and help us in our need.
The consummate reward of integrity is the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. (See D&C 121:46.) The Holy Ghost does not attend us when we do evil. But when we do what is right, he can dwell with us and guide us in all we do.”
(Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Personal Integrity,” Ensign, May 1990, 30)
Other Relevant Quotes:
“A friend related this experience her husband had while attending medical school. ‘Getting into medical school is pretty competitive, and the desire to do well and be successful puts a great deal of pressure on the new incoming freshmen. My husband had worked hard on his studies and went to attend his first examination. The honor system was expected behavior at the medical school. The professor passed out the examination and left the room. Within a short time, students started to pull little cheat papers out from under their papers or from their pockets. My husband recalled his heart beginning to pound as he realized it is pretty hard to compete against cheaters. About that time a tall, lanky student stood up in the back of the room and stated: ‘I left my hometown and put my wife and three little babies in an upstairs apartment and worked very hard to get into medical school. And I’ll turn in the first one of you who cheats, and you better believe it!’ They believed it. There were many sheepish expressions, and those cheat papers started to disappear as fast as they had appeared. He set a standard for the class which eventually graduated the largest group in the school’s history.’ ” (“Honesty—A Moral Compass,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 41)
The young, lanky medical student who challenged the cheaters was J. Ballard Washburn, who became a respected physician. He also served as a General Authority and as the president of the Las Vegas Nevada Temple. Elder Washburn provides all of us with a powerful example of integrity and honesty with God, of integrity and honesty with himself, and of integrity and honesty with other people.
(David A. Bednar, “Be Honest,” New Era, Oct 2005, 4)
“. . . a basic purpose of your life, as Lehi taught, is '[to] have joy' (2 Nephi 2:25). In order to have joy, you need to understand that, as a child of your Heavenly Father, you inherited divine traits and spiritual needs—and just like a fish needs water, you need the gospel and the companionship of the Holy Ghost to be truly, deeply happy. Because you are the offspring of God (see Acts 17:28), it is incompatible with your eternal nature to do wrong and feel right. It cannot be done. It is part of your spiritual DNA, as it were, that peace, joy, and happiness will be yours only to the degree you live the gospel.
In contrast, to the degree that you choose not to live the gospel, you will be as miserable as a fish out of water (see Mosiah 4:30). As Alma stated to his son Corianton:
'Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.'”
(Marcus B. Nash, “The Great Plan of Happiness”, Ensign, November 2006, 49)
“Often people indicate that they have repented when all they have done is to express regret for a wrong act. But true repentance is marked by that godly sorrow that changes, transforms, and saves. To be sorry is not enough. Perhaps the felon in the penitentiary, coming to realize the high price he must pay for his folly, may wish he had not committed the crime. That is not repentance. The vicious man who is serving a stiff sentence for rape may be very sorry he did the deed, but he is not repentant if his heavy sentence is the only reason for his sorrow. That is the sorrow of the world.
The truly repentant man is sorry before he is apprehended. He is sorry even if his secret is never known. He desires to make voluntary amends. The culprit has not "godly sorrow" who must be found out by being reported or by chains of circumstances which finally bring the offense to light. The thief is not repentant who continues in grave offenses until he is caught. Repentance of the godly type means that one comes to recognize the sin and voluntarily and without pressure from outside sources begins his transformation. Paul put it this way to the Corinthian saints:
Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. (2 Cor. 7:9-10.)”
(Spencer W. Kimball, Miracle of Forgiveness, Ch. 11)
"Integrity," CECIL O. SAMUELSON, 14 September 2004
http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=8407
(Specifically mentions the wrongfulness of stealing copyrighted music)
“Lying is intentionally deceiving others. Bearing false witness is one form of lying. The Lord gave this commandment to the children of Israel: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour" (Exodus 20:16). Jesus also taught this when he was on earth (see Matthew 19:18). There are many other forms of lying. When we speak untruths, we are guilty of lying. We can also intentionally deceive others by a gesture or a look, by silence, or by telling only part of the truth. Whenever we lead people in any way to believe something that is not true, we are not being honest.”
“Chapter 31: Honesty,” Gospel Principles, 203
“Later that evening I realized what had happened. I proceeded toward what I thought should be the location of my wallet. I quickly realized that my wallet was no longer there. I knelt down right there in the grass and began to pray to my Father in Heaven to help me find my wallet.
“I then returned to my dorm room with a very optimistic attitude. I walked into my room fully expecting the wallet to be sitting right there, but it wasn’t. So I proceeded to check my telephone messages. And there was a message from the Lost and Found saying that someone had returned my wallet and I could pick it up any time.
“I am so grateful to be here at a university where I can trust my fellow students. I never found out who returned my wallet, but I have thanked him or her many times in my prayers. I have thanked them for helping me to have a spiritual experience, one that I will never forget.”
(David A. Bednar, “Be Honest,” New Era, Oct 2005, 4)
“Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.”
(James E. Faust, “Honesty—A Moral Compass,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 41)
“To me, integrity means always doing what is right and good, regardless of the immediate consequences. It means being righteous from the very depth of our soul, not only in our actions but, more importantly, . . . in our hearts.”
(Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Personal Integrity,” Ensign, May 1990, 30)
“To be honest means to be sincere, truthful, and without deceit at all times.”
(“Honesty,” True to the Faith, (2004), 84)
[Sincere. Wanted to kinda change the topic to anything I wanted, but it just kept coming back to something an elephant in the room that I would rather not acknowledge. But this one thought kept coming back, and so I decided that was probably a sign, but keep in mind two things. 1. I am not saying these things as some ‘superior moralist,’ but rather as someone who doesn’t know exactly where the line is. I struggle with doing the right thing all the time, and am sincerely asking the help of my family, my roommates, and the ward to help me and each other to choose the right]
2. I think there is a subtle but very important distinction between the letter of the law and the spirit:
2 Nephi 32: 3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.
2 Nephi 31: 5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do. [Show us the exceptions]
--The latter is as much a responsibility as it is liberty [Not that often is there an exception, but the natural man tendency is to think we are the exception].
As Elder Bednar has said: “the best test of our integrity and honesty is when we personally enforce in our own lives that which ultimately cannot be enforced. There are so many aspects of being honest and of living the gospel that simply cannot be enforced in our lives by anyone else. You and I bear the responsibility to become people of integrity and honesty—people who are true and trustworthy when no one is watching and when no one else is around.”
(David A. Bednar, “Be Honest,” New Era, Oct 2005, 4)
Unethical transfer of digital media:
"For honest Latter-day Saint[s]. . . , [shoplifting a] CD [from a store] isn’t even an option. But in a world with millions of free songs only a mouse-click away, the line between legal and illegal sometimes seems blurry, and some of the same [people] think file sharing is different from everyday stealing… [but] peer-to-peer networks [and other forms of electronic copying] cross legal boundaries when copyrighted material is involved. When a musician releases a song or album as a commercial product, it is copyrighted, so no one can legally use it without paying for it first. If you download a commercially released song from a file-sharing Web site, you are stealing it from the musician just as much as you would be if you shoplifted a CD."
(Janessa Cloward, “It’s Just a Copy, Right?,” New Era, Feb 2008, 34–36)
“Immoral thoughts, words, and deeds always are immoral, even in cyberspace. Deceitful acts supposedly veiled in secrecy, such as illegally downloading music from the Internet or copying CDs or DVDs for distribution to friends and families, are nonetheless deceitful. We are all accountable to God, and ultimately we will be judged of Him according to our deeds…”
(David A. Bednar, "Things as They Really Are," CES Fireside for Young Adults, May 3, 2009, Brigham Young University–Idaho)
[Goes on a lot. So easy to justify ourselves.]
“We forget, sometimes, that we are engaged . . . in establishing righteousness and planting the kingdom of God upon the earth; and we condescend to little meannesses, and become forgetful of the great and glorious calling to which we are called. . . . We forget that God and angels are looking upon us; we forget that the spirits of just men made perfect and our ancient fathers . . . are gazing upon us, and that our acts are open to the inspection of all the authorized agencies of the invisible world.
And, forgetting these things sometimes, we act the part of fools, and the Spirit of God is grieved; it withdraws from us, and we are then left to grope our way in the dark. But if we could live our religion, fear God, be strictly honest, observe his laws and his statutes, and keep his commandments to do them, we should feel very different. We should feel comfortable and happy. Our spirits would be peaceful and buoyant. And from day to day. . . our joys would increase.”
(John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom, 179)
(As quoted in “Chapter 7: Integrity,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 58)
[My music story: Kazaa/limewire. Deleted all b4 mish. Enjoy music more.]
“The rewards of integrity are immeasurable. One is the indescribable inner peace and serenity that come from knowing we are doing what is right; another is an absence of the guilt and anxiety that accompany sin.
Another reward of integrity is the confidence it can give us in approaching God. When virtue garnishes our thoughts unceasingly, our confidence is strong in the presence of God. (See D&C 121:45.) When we are doing what is right, we will not feel timid and hesitant about seeking divine direction. We will know the Lord will answer our prayers and help us in our need.
The consummate reward of integrity is the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. (See D&C 121:46.) The Holy Ghost does not attend us when we do evil. But when we do what is right, he can dwell with us and guide us in all we do.”
(Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Personal Integrity,” Ensign, May 1990, 30)
Other Relevant Quotes:
“A friend related this experience her husband had while attending medical school. ‘Getting into medical school is pretty competitive, and the desire to do well and be successful puts a great deal of pressure on the new incoming freshmen. My husband had worked hard on his studies and went to attend his first examination. The honor system was expected behavior at the medical school. The professor passed out the examination and left the room. Within a short time, students started to pull little cheat papers out from under their papers or from their pockets. My husband recalled his heart beginning to pound as he realized it is pretty hard to compete against cheaters. About that time a tall, lanky student stood up in the back of the room and stated: ‘I left my hometown and put my wife and three little babies in an upstairs apartment and worked very hard to get into medical school. And I’ll turn in the first one of you who cheats, and you better believe it!’ They believed it. There were many sheepish expressions, and those cheat papers started to disappear as fast as they had appeared. He set a standard for the class which eventually graduated the largest group in the school’s history.’ ” (“Honesty—A Moral Compass,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 41)
The young, lanky medical student who challenged the cheaters was J. Ballard Washburn, who became a respected physician. He also served as a General Authority and as the president of the Las Vegas Nevada Temple. Elder Washburn provides all of us with a powerful example of integrity and honesty with God, of integrity and honesty with himself, and of integrity and honesty with other people.
(David A. Bednar, “Be Honest,” New Era, Oct 2005, 4)
“. . . a basic purpose of your life, as Lehi taught, is '[to] have joy' (2 Nephi 2:25). In order to have joy, you need to understand that, as a child of your Heavenly Father, you inherited divine traits and spiritual needs—and just like a fish needs water, you need the gospel and the companionship of the Holy Ghost to be truly, deeply happy. Because you are the offspring of God (see Acts 17:28), it is incompatible with your eternal nature to do wrong and feel right. It cannot be done. It is part of your spiritual DNA, as it were, that peace, joy, and happiness will be yours only to the degree you live the gospel.
In contrast, to the degree that you choose not to live the gospel, you will be as miserable as a fish out of water (see Mosiah 4:30). As Alma stated to his son Corianton:
'Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.'”
(Marcus B. Nash, “The Great Plan of Happiness”, Ensign, November 2006, 49)
“Often people indicate that they have repented when all they have done is to express regret for a wrong act. But true repentance is marked by that godly sorrow that changes, transforms, and saves. To be sorry is not enough. Perhaps the felon in the penitentiary, coming to realize the high price he must pay for his folly, may wish he had not committed the crime. That is not repentance. The vicious man who is serving a stiff sentence for rape may be very sorry he did the deed, but he is not repentant if his heavy sentence is the only reason for his sorrow. That is the sorrow of the world.
The truly repentant man is sorry before he is apprehended. He is sorry even if his secret is never known. He desires to make voluntary amends. The culprit has not "godly sorrow" who must be found out by being reported or by chains of circumstances which finally bring the offense to light. The thief is not repentant who continues in grave offenses until he is caught. Repentance of the godly type means that one comes to recognize the sin and voluntarily and without pressure from outside sources begins his transformation. Paul put it this way to the Corinthian saints:
Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. (2 Cor. 7:9-10.)”
(Spencer W. Kimball, Miracle of Forgiveness, Ch. 11)
"Integrity," CECIL O. SAMUELSON, 14 September 2004
http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=8407
(Specifically mentions the wrongfulness of stealing copyrighted music)
“Lying is intentionally deceiving others. Bearing false witness is one form of lying. The Lord gave this commandment to the children of Israel: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour" (Exodus 20:16). Jesus also taught this when he was on earth (see Matthew 19:18). There are many other forms of lying. When we speak untruths, we are guilty of lying. We can also intentionally deceive others by a gesture or a look, by silence, or by telling only part of the truth. Whenever we lead people in any way to believe something that is not true, we are not being honest.”
“Chapter 31: Honesty,” Gospel Principles, 203
