When Abinadi was calling King Noah and his priests to repentance he made an profound statement.
11 And now I read unto you the remainder of the commandments of God, for I perceive that they are not written in your hearts; I perceive that ye have studied and taught iniquity the most part of your lives. (Mosiah 13:11)
This raises two questions:
– What do you have written in your heart?
– What do you study?
Most of us have difficulty remembering the words of the Lord. That is why we are told to read the scriptures every day. What we read, watch, and listen to goes into our spirit and into our hearts the same way that the food we eat affects our physical body. This is why it is important that we study the best books. Remember these words:
7 And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom, seek learning even by study and also by faith; (D&C 109:7)
If you study iniquity and teach iniquity, then iniquity will be written in your heart. The same goes for what you watch and listen to. Because books were the media of Joseph Smith’s day, it is reasonable that the church members would be directed to seek learning out of the best books. In our day that scripture could say “seek ye out of the best media”. Or perhaps the Lord would direct one of his apostles to proclaim:
“If we do not make good choices, the media can devastate our families and pull our children away from the narrow gospel path. In the virtual reality and the perceived reality of large and small screens, family-destructive viewpoints and behavior are regularly portrayed as pleasurable, as stylish, as exciting, and as normal. Often media’s most devastating attacks on family are not direct or frontal or openly immoral. Intelligent evil is too cunning for that, knowing that most people still profess belief in family and in traditional values. Rather the attacks are subtle and amoral—issues of right and wrong don’t even come up. Immorality and sexual innuendo are everywhere, causing some to believe that because everyone is doing it, it must be all right. This pernicious evil is not out in the street somewhere; it is coming right into our homes, right into the heart of our families.” (M. Russell Ballard, “Let Our Voices Be Heard”, October 2003 LDS General Conference)