Law of Chastity

Our Father in Heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ have given us the sacred power to generate children. However, they have also established laws that govern the use of this power. Sometimes people think that Adam and Eve’s transgression was a sexual transgression, but this is a mistake. Our Heavenly Father told Adam and Eve to have children after they were married and this implies that sexual relations among married people are proper and good.

The purpose of having children is to provide physical bodies to the spirit children of God. In Mormonism the physical body is considered one of the greatest gifts that God has given us, since our Father in Heaven has a perfect body of flesh and bones, and He wants His children to become more like Him.

This Mormon belief is sometimes misunderstood by other Christian denominations. The teachings of many other Christian denominations have been influenced by certain aspects of Greek philosophy that promote a vision of body and spirit as opposite elements and tend to consider a physical body as “unworthy” of a perfect being like God. However, Mormons believe in the literal physical resurrection of Jesus Christ, and know that a body is a great blessing coming from God and not something “inferior” or “evil” by itself. Therefore, to say that God has a perfect resurrected body doesn’t diminish His power and glory.

Since the body is so important in God's plan, the power to have children is very sacred, and God has given us a law that tells us how and when we can use this power. This law is called the law of chastity in Mormonism. This law states that we should have sexual relations only with the person to whom we are legally married and with nobody else. This implies that we can’t have sexual relations with anybody before we are married, and after we are married we can only have sexual relations with our legal husband or wife.

The physical relationship between a husband and a wife is ordained of God for the procreation of children and for the expression of love within a marriage: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh" (Genesis 2:24). Homosexual and lesbian activities are sinful and an abomination to the Lord (Romans 1:26–27, 31) and people who have same-sex attraction are commanded to learn to control those feeling and do not act on them in the same way as married people need to avoid infidelity. (See Evergreen International)

Under the Law of Chastity, Mormons are held to Christ's higher law set out in the New Testament.

27 ¶ Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit aadultery:

 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever alooketh on a bwoman to clust after her hath committed dadultery with her already in his heart.

Mormons are told to avoid all thoughts, intents, and actions that arouse improper sexual conduct. They are comanded not to arouse any emotions that can only be expressed between a husband and wife. Things such as pornography and masturbation are against the Law of Chastity. Mormons are told to learn to control their thoughts and not to arouse sexual feelings before or outside of marrage. Mormon youth are taught to avoid petting, passionate kissing, and improper touching.

It is important to mention that, according to Mormonism, victims of rape, incest, or other sexual abuse are not guilty of sin and they need to be helped to overcome the unwanted consequences of someone else's sin. The scriptures confirm these teachings:

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.... Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:16–17, 19–21).

The Mormon law of chastity in our modern world may seem out of fashion, but it is a very important commandment from God, and breaking it constitutes one of the most grievous sins, second only to murder. For those who may think that these are harsh words, Mormons like to remember that, especially for those who didn’t understand this principle correctly before, and were misled by false teaching of the world, there is always the possibility of being forgiven through sincere repentance.