In all the furor over social and political correctness, people may be losing sight of values and what is truly good, Elder James E. Faust said at a devotional at Brigham Young University on Tuesday.
"Your generation lives in a day when many things are measured against the standard of social and political correctness," warned Elder Faust, a member of the Council of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "I challenge that false doctrine of human behavior. The influence of Satan is becoming more acceptable."Speaking on "Trying to Serve the Lord Without Offending the Devil," Elder Faust said that he and other LDS leaders hope young people, "unfamiliar with the sophistries of the world, can keep themselves free of Satan's enticements and evil ways."
New York Yankees great Yogi Berra reportedly once said, "If you come to a fork in the road, take it." However, "It doesn't work that way," said Elder Faust during the morning devotional, which was simulcast on both KBYU-FM and KBYU-TV.
By embracing political correctness, unknowing people have been led to accept several actions that could be interpreted as being offenses against God - such as abortion, homosexuality and the so-called "zero population" movement, Elder Faust said.
"Any alternatives to the legal and loving marriage between a man and woman are helping to unravel the fabric of human society," Elder Faust said. "These so-called alternative lifestyles must not be accepted as right because they frustrate God's commandments for a life-giving union of male and female within a legal marriage as stated in (The Old Testament). If practiced by all adults, these lifestyles would mean the end of the human family."
In other cases, the devil "takes some delight every time a home is broken up, even when there is no parent to blame," Elder Faust said. "This is especially so where there are children involved. The physical and spiritual neglect of children is one of the spawning grounds for so many of the social ills of the world."
Also, Elder Faust said that many "broad-minded" people are ignoring God's commandments by taking the guise of "not imposing religious belief" - such as those who are challenging the "sin laws" on gambling, alcohol and drug consumption.
They are ignoring "the health and social costs to society of the vices," Elder Faust said. "They foolishly argue that laws cannot control human behavior. My long legal career has led me to conclude that all criminal laws have a moral basis."
Elder Faust urged those attending and watching the devotional to stick to the "straight and narrow" path to God by deeds that serve him, including prayer and fasting.
"We have heard comedians and others justify or explain their misdeeds by saying, `The devil made me do it,' " Elder Faust said. "I do not really think the devil can make us do anything. Certainly he can tempt and he can deceive, but he has no authority over us that we do not give him."