"A mortal body is a valuable component of God's great plan of happiness.
In the premortal world, according to the Bible, spirits awaiting their mortal experience "shouted for joy."
"Why were we so excited? We understood eternal truths about our bodies. We knew that our bodies would be in the image of God. We knew that our bodies would house our spirits. We also understood that our bodies would be subject to pain, illness, disabilities and temptation, But we were willing, even eager, to accept these challenges because we knew that only with spirit and element inseparably connected could we progress to become like our Heavenly Father."
Satan's punishment for rebellion against God is that he was forever denied a body, so he works to tempt mortals to despise the great gift they are accorded. "He tries to do everything he can to get us to abuse or misuse this precious gift."
Respect for the body as a temple housing the spirit would result in "a dramatic increase in chastity, modesty, observance of the Word of Wisdom and a similar decrease in the problems of pornography and abuse. ...
"Modesty is more than a matter of avoiding revealing attire. It describes not only the altitude of hemlines and necklines, but the attitude of our hearts." Susan W. Tanner
Susan W. Tanner and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, discuss MODESTY.
"First of all, I want you to be proud you are a woman. I want you to feel the reality of what that means, to know who you truly are. You are literally a spirit daughter of heavenly parents with a divine nature and an eternal destiny. That surpassing truth should be fixed deep in your soul and be fundamental to every decision you make as you grow into mature womanhood. There could never be a greater authentication of your dignity, your worth, your privileges, and your promise.
Your Father in Heaven knows your name and knows your circumstance. He hears your prayers. He knows your hopes and dreams, including your fears and frustrations. And He knows what you can become through faith in Him. Because of this divine heritage you, along with all of your spiritual sisters and brothers, have full equality in His sight and are empowered through obedience to become a rightful heir in His eternal kingdom, an “[heir] of God, and joint-[heir] with Christ.”
Seek to comprehend the significance of these doctrines. Everything Christ taught He taught to women as well as men. Indeed, in the restored light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, a woman, including a young woman, occupies a majesty all her own in the divine design of the Creator. You are, as Elder James E. Talmage once phrased it, “a sanctified investiture which none shall dare profane.” Jeffrey R. Holland
Jeffrey R. Holland "To Young Women
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