White is the Ultimate Shade of Love

Real Love

My son and his beautiful wife of almost 3 years

I felt a myriad of emotions this week as Valentine's Day approached and the new movie Fifty Shades of Grey (based off a book of the same name) was released. While I had a beautiful night celebrating with my Valentine husband, I was disturbed by the many people I saw on social media "celebrating" Valentine's Day by going to see this movie, which I find ironic since it is nothing about true love - in fact quite the opposite.  I have not read the book or seen the movie, nor do I plan to, but have heard enough about it to know of its contents.  I am saddened about the message it sends and that people, mostly women, are flocking to see it.

The name is perfectly befitting since keeping us in the "grey" is how Satan disguises the stark reality of sin and degradation. If we could reveal the "true wizard" by pulling back the flashy, silky, grey curtain of glamor and glitz on this movie, people would clearly see that "grey" is really one shade - black: pornography, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and degradation of women. The only reason it is being deemed acceptable and even embraced is because the main character is charismatic and rich, the actors are beautiful people, and it is portrayed in a high class society.  I even overheard a couple of teenagers talking about it the other day saying that Christian Grey was "hot" and "rich" and they would do anything he says if they had the chance. As if all of the above things mentioned are OK as long as good looks, charm, and money are involved.

I wonder how alluring the movie would have been - keeping all the other content the same - had the main male character been a poor gang banger from the hood holed up in a ratty, dilapidated apartment seeking out prostitutes. Satan is far too clever for that. He knows that would have been too stark and "black," and people would have deemed it awful, evil, and abusive, but by keeping it in the "grey," and by wrapping it up in sparkly rich packaging and high flying jets, makes it more enticing, enigmatic, and alluring.  He can reach more people this way - more mainstream people - if he disguises it as "grey." But no matter how its packaged, the effects are the same - black. Even the stars of the movie intimated that they felt dirty and ashamed of  being associated with the movie. Jamie Dorman, who played the male lead, compared it to "Hitler" and said he had to take a shower before he could touch his wife and baby, and Dakota Johnson, who played the female lead, said she didn't want her family or brother's friends to see it "because it's inappropriate." Does that sound like something they're proud of? https://www.lifesitenews.com/static/even-the-co-stars-think-50-shades-of-grey-is-awful-rubbish-and-maybe-even-a.html

 LURED by CHICKEN NECKS 

In his BYU Devotional entitled "Constructing Spiritual Stability," Elder Dale G. Renlund relates a story about the way crabs are sometimes caught. He explained that fishermen often use chicken necks - the cheap, unwanted and meatless part of a chicken to lure crab.  When cooked, it smells like chicken and looks like chicken, so it is basically disguised as chicken. Unsuspecting crab thinking they are in for a scrumptious treat and scurry after the chicken necks as they unknowingly end up in the fisherman's net. There are no hooks or reels needed. The crab follow willingly thinking it's chicken and a delicious dinner. This is a perfect analogy as to how Satan works.  He dresses filth, pornography, and abuse up in dazzling clothes to make it seem tempting and exciting and then sits back in delight as millions of people "swim up" to it. Easy as pie - he doesn't even have to work for it. But just like the crab who are caught and eaten, the results of swimming up to Satan will always be the same trap: pain, sorrow, depression, anger, loneliness, frustration, and devastation. It will never vary and he will always pull the rug out from under us once he's lured us in. 

You can watch/read Elder Renlund's devotional here:  http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=2205

TEACHING OUR DAUGHTERS TO LOVE AND VALUE THEMSELVES AND OUR SONS TO RESPECT AND REVERE WOMEN AS DAUGHTERS OF GOD

I work at a residential treatment center for teenage girls. They are there for a myriad of reasons from cutting, to anorexia, to drug abuse. Many have tried to commit suicide - some of them several times. Feeling empty, lost, used, and worthless are some of their main explanations about wanting to end their lives. Many have been sexually active and been used and abused by young men they thought "loved" them, when in reality it became very clear they were only using them.  The result was always the same. The end of their encounters and relationships left them feeling degraded, worthless, and abandoned.  Now more than ever, we need to be fervent in teaching our children they are children of God and that he intended for them to have a beautiful, loving relationship someday with someone who will love, cherish, and value them above all else.  Women should save themselves for men who will love her like Christ loves his church. He would never do anything to hurt it and will always protect it. When I tell my students I have been married 28 years to the SAME man, many of their mouths drop to the ground is shock. They are further astounded when I tell them I believe in complete abstinence before marriage and total fidelity afterwards.  Many have never witnessed this kind of love and don't even have an idea what it looks like, so those of us who share these values need to counter Satan's tactics by showing young women and young men their worth.

SAPPY is BETTER than FILTHY

50 Shades of Purity

As many were buying tickets to 50 Shades of Grey, my husband and I bought tickets to another movie called "Romance in the Outfield." This was a locally-made movie that won't be winning any academy awards, but was rated PG and had the exact opposite message as 50 Shades.  It was about a single man in his 20s who had never kissed a girl because he wanted to wait until he loved someone enough to kiss her.  There were some corny and sappy moments in the movie, and it was predictable, but as we were leaving, my husband said, "I liked it. It was clean and uplifting. I would would rather watch a sappy, B-movie about a decent, integral young man than a movie degrading women and glamorizing pornography." Me too.

Here's the trailer for "Romance in the Outfield." It's clean and has a good message. Go see it! Support movies where men respect women!