The views expressed in this document are the author’s and do not reflect the opinions of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense or the Federal Government.
Let’s do a thought experiment. Imagine the following four situations:
- A husband and wife kidnap a child. Other than the kidnapping, they do not physically abuse the child, but they work hard to make sure the child is never found.
- A con man preys on an elderly couple and swindles them of their retirement savings. The couple loses the home they’ve lived in for 40 years.
- A man has a short temper and regularly hits his wife and children. But he always hits them where they won’t bruise to ensure he’s never convicted.
- A young couple is madly in love. One night, the man proposes to his girlfriend; she says yes; they make love
Now, rate these from one to four by their moral depravity with one being the worst and four being the least.
Most people would place them something like 1, 3, 2 and 4. Most people would also wonder why 4 made the list. But if you’re a Mormon, and believe what Mormon leaders often teach, you would place number 4 at the top of the list. This is because premarital sex is the sin next to murder. (Guided by the Holy Spirit, Boyd K. Packer, General Conference, April 2011; For the Strength of Youth, standards.lds.org) This means having sex before you’re married is worse than any other item on the above list.
In the remainder of this article, I will explain why this idea that is commonly held within Mormonism is both an incorrect reading of Alma 39 and needs to go the way of Adam God, polygamy, the priesthood and temple ban for people of African descent and other misfit doctrines.
Alma 39 — A misunderstood Text
The idea that sex outside of marriage — and the corollary that all sexual acts not with a spouse are equally egregious — comes from Alma chapter 39. In this chapter, Alma is upset at his son, Corianton, and gives him a strong counseling. Corianton was supposed to be on a mission to the Zoramites when he got a little distracted.
But before we dig into the text, I want to discuss a common pitfall of reading a text, proof texting. Many of you already know what this is. But for those who don’t, simply put, it’s like this: If you read this chapter thinking it says sexual sin is the sin next to murder, you’ll read that into it every time, regardless of what it actually says. This is a common problem everybody can fall into. It’s important to read the text – not the chapter headings which are not part of the text – to see what it actually says. So let’s break down what is actually written here, not what we bring to it.
Alma starts off by reprimanding Corianton for not following his brother’s example, and boasting in his own strength and wisdom (Alma 39:1-2). After reprimanding him for boasting in his own strength and wisdom, Alma lists some additional sins in verse Corianton is guilty of (Alma 39:3):
– Forsaking the ministry
– Going after a harlot
Now a harlot is just an old-school name for a prostitute, so what is Alma angry about? At this point, we don’t really know. Maybe it’s sex outside of marriage? Maybe it’s paid sex? In fact, if you want to focus on the harlot, you could read this entire chapter and conclude paying for sex is the sin next to murder.
However, there is evidence in the text that sexual sin was not what had Alma upset. In verse 4, Alma puts emphasis on leaving the ministry, not a lack of chastity. In other words, Corianton visits a prostitute, and his dad is mad that he left his mission, not that he had sex, or even had to pay for it.
Then in verse 5, Alma says these things are an abomination next to “shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost.” These, a plural determiner, refer to multiple things. Which things? Those listed in the previous verses: abandoning the ministry and going after a harlot. If you leave off abandoning the ministry, you’re reading into it what you already expect to find — sexual sin (or buying sex) being next to murder.
But that’s not what Alma defines as the sin next to murder. He defines it as both leaving the ministry and going after the harlot. It’s as if the two acts – leaving the ministry and chasing after a harlot – are connected. And to Alma they likely are connected because they have the same affect: Setting an example that leads people – the Zoramites – away from the faith.
As you keep reading, Alma doesn’t focus on sexual sin and its consequences to Corianton, but rather the consequences it had on the Zoramites. He talks about the need to repent and work hard in the ministry. In other words, he needs to work at getting people back into the faith. (Alma 39:11-13)
So why does Alma compare leaving the ministry, setting a bad example and leading the Zoramites away from believing as the sin next to murder? Because when the Zoramites didn’t believe they lost their salvation. (Alma 39:11-13) Losing your salvation, especially in Book of Mormon theology, is somewhat like murder because the Book of Mormon leaves no room for post-mortal salvation. There is no redeeming the dead in the Book of Mormon. If you die after rejecting the faith, you’re damned. It’s spiritual death. Murder kills people physically; leading people away from belief kills people spiritually. Therefore, according to Alma in the Book of Mormon, causing people to suffer spiritual death is the sin next to murder.
Common Sense
However, even if I’m wrong – Even if I’m reading this backwards and Alma really does think sex out of wedlock (or being a John) is next to murder. Does that make any sense?
It would mean two people having sex is worse than purposefully paralyzing someone as long as you knew the person would not die. Worse than any imaginable child abuse – Worse than kidnapping – Worse than throwing acid in a baby’s face and leaving her disfigured for life. Worse than anything you can think of… except murder. It’s asinine!
It’s time we get rid of this idea. Not only do the scriptures not support it, but common sense doesn’t support it. And, if that’s not enough, it is terribly damaging, especially towards our youth who are just learning to understand their sexuality. I can imagine a poor young girl who listened to a chastity talk thinking it’s up to her to keep boys one step from becoming near-murdering scoundrels. Or a young boy thinking he is serial attempted next-to-murderer, so to speak.
We, Mormons, are great at letting go of bad theological ideas. We’ve let go of Adam God Doctrine, the priesthood and temple ban for people of African descent, polygamy, the Council of Fifty with the prophet being ordained King of the World and many others. It’s time we let this one go and stop believing sex outside of marriage is the sin next to murder.
Sex is many things to many people – expression of love, pleasure, procreation, fun – but it’s nowhere near murder.
Bradley Henderson
Born and raised in Northern California, Brad served his LDS mission from 1997-1999 in Culiacan, Mexico. He received his education at Ricks College and BYU with a BA in International Studies and a minor in Latin American Studies; then got a J.D. from William & Mary. Brad lives in Wyoming with his wife and three children. In the past he blogged under the name Atticus.
All posts by Bradley Henderson
Great post, sound logic. Why didn't you include adultery in the discussion?
Don’t forget that Alma himself compared his own previous activities to murder when talking to Helaman a few chapters earlier: “Yea, and I had murdered many of his children, or rather led them away unto destruction”
I’m a little confused. Is it just the language, “premarital sex is a sin next to murder” that is offensive to you? Or are you suggesting that the Church change its stance on premarital sex being a sin at all?
Regardless, your examples are pretty disingenuous, to say the least. You’re suggesting the average Mormon would be more horrified by premarital sex than extreme violence against another person as long as the victim doesn’t die; something you know to be false. Or, you want a laundry list of sins and their “rank,” as though the Lord would find it prudent to have you consult a list to see how bad your sin really is. “Premarital sex is #6, but paralyzing someone is #3 so what I’m doing isn’t as bad as other people!” I don’t see how ranking sins (which could easily be used to justify them) is a positive thing. You also don’t acknowledge the difference between the world’s values and the Lord’s. The procreative power is sacred to God and it’s anything but sacred to the world. So no, I don’t believe the Lord or His Church could learn a thing or two from the world.
the narrator,
Excellent point. Thank you.
Completely agree with the post. Many make the same kind of reading of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. If you go into the Sodom story looking for homosexuality, you’ll find it and you can certainly interpret it that way. But there’s nothing in the text that constrains us to that interpretation.
Another problem with misreading Alma 39 is that members, especially youth, will equate not only premarital sex as the sin next to murder, but pornography and masturbation, and even impure thoughts, as well (based on yet more misreadings of Matt. 5:28). It’s kind of messed up.
But even if we concede that Alma was primarily concerned with sexual sin, what if Alma was just wrong? Or what if he grossly exaggerated Alma’s sins? If the Book of Mormon is a true account of real people with real feelings, it might enlighten us to inject into the text the feelings Alma most likely had while chastising his wayward son: frustration, anger, dismay, disappointment–emotions that often lead fathers to hyperbolic ranting. Maybe we should shout the text instead. My dad exaggerated all kinds of pecadillos I committed as a teenager, such as yelling at me that I would “regret the day” that I accidentally downloaded a virus to his computer. He was (understandably) irate. At the time, sure, I probably felt like what I did was the worse possible thing I could have done at that time. Now we laugh about it.
However, people are understandably worried that this line of thinking will lead us to justify sin. But that’s the kind of black and white thinking that so often gets us into trouble. Reducing sexual sin from the sin next to murder is not the same as full acceptance of a prohibited practice, neither is it a compromising of our standards Rather, it’s applying the appropriate punishment to fit the crime. Alma said that he wouldn’t “harrow up” his son’s soul if it wasn’t “for his good.” Maybe we should take this as a call against unnecessary shaming.
Great post!
We think “Isabel” is speaking of a specific young woman that has led our young missionary astray…but that’s not the case. The harlot Isabel is one of the dumb idols spoken of in Alma 31:1, which Nibley says is fertility goddess. So what has Corianton done? He visits the temple of the fertility goddess to investigate what was going on over there. He gets caught up in their rather exciting rites of worship and is enticed to have sex with one of the temple hierodules. Notice it is “Those wicked harlots” (plural)….the temple hierodules of Isabel…not a wicked harlot (singular) whose name was Isabel that Alma is talking about. Again, Isabel is just the name of the false goddess and the harlots are her priestesses. You worship and become “one” with the goddess by having sex with one of her priestesses (hierodule) who acts vicariously for and in behalf of the goddess. Alma admits, worshiping Isabel was a popular religion, but Corianton knew better than to worship false gods…even if it did allow you to get naked with a girl…it was still worshiping false idols. And that is the problem, causing the spiritual death of others, (murdering) someone else’s testimony by your bad example.
So what happens to Corianton? He gets excommunicated and gets sent home from his mission in disgrace, right? Nope. He repents…he is forgiven and he stays on his mission. Quite different from what we do today in the Church, isn’t it? Why do you think that is so? Could it be that Alma has it right and we have it wrong? Is it possible that today, we give preference to the precepts of men and not the mercies of God?
You might ask… “Yeah, but what about the sex? Doesn’t he get punished for that?” Well…he had to repent…just like the rest of us have to do when we mess up. “Yeah, but this is serious sex stuff! He should really have to pay, right?”
In Mosiah 26: 29-30, Alma prayed about what to do with the transgressor and got revelation on the matter from the Lord. Alma is told that if the person confesses his sins and repents that Alma is to forgive him. The Lord forgives as soon as the person changes their mind and comes to Christ. It doesn’t say anything there about further church discipline. Further, what was Christ’s response to the woman taken in adultery? “…neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” (John 8:11) I don’t recall Christ asking her to suffer. He calls us to repent….to change our direction…turn to him and ask him for forgiveness. And then he asks us to live a life of actions that show our commitment to him. We do that by listening to the Holy Ghost within us and following the directions we are given. And Corianton does exactly that.
But this idea…this precept of men that we’ve been taught…that any touching of each other before marriage…(think two kids feeling each other up) or touching yourself is the sin next to murder has led many to live in despair, guilt and shame thinking that once they have committed this “horrible wicked sin” in a moment of weakness, that Christ can never love them again. Their board has a hole in it…their cupcake has been licked and their gum chewed or any number of other ridiculous analogies. And that they are forever flawed…sinful, wicked and unworthy of happiness or a good life. And then on top of that… the Church says that, you have to suffer this guilt, shame and self loathing until some leader like a Bishop or a Stake President says you’ve suffered enough guilt, shame and self loathing to satisfy their personal estimate of what constitutes repentance.
Is that what Christ did?
I love this!
I'm assuming because that one is a bit more murky.
Here’s an excellent article that deals with some of the same material–you might find it helpful: https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pdf/143-34-43.pdf
I like your thoughts. I think the issue is a bit more expansive than just the "sin next to murder" thing. I do agree that "pre-marital sex" being a sin next to murder should change. I do wish you could have written it without the jabs at polygamy and the Council of Fifty. Polygamy is even more scriptural than the "pre-marital sex" thing. It seems that if you are going to support one scriptural idea you should likewise support all of them.
Jeremy Nicoll,
It’s because I figured it was part of sex outside of marriage generally.
Nice post. I would simply add: eventually we need to give up ALL sin ("big" or "little") and we're all working at it – more or less. It is quite clear that the more enlightened souls only want to help others, not condemn them. Jesus did not condemn the woman caught in adultery, but gave her good advice: "Go thy way and sin no more."
And finally a story about our friend Alma (yep, the one in the BofM)
Years ago I was teaching a gospel essentials class and we had a visitor from
the High Council. I was talking about the Plan of Salvation and he said,
"Brother Watts, Alma says you can't repent after you die."
I didn't want to embarrass him in front of the class so I just let it go.
But after church I ran into him in the hall. I said, "Brother ___, will you
be perfect when you die?" He replied, "Of course not." And then I said,
"Well you better hope there is repentance after death then." He literally
stopped in his tracks. He was a very good man who later became my Bishop,
but he just hadn't thought it through yet.
Why did Alma say we couldn't repent after we die? Don't know and doesn't matter. "Come let us reason together." And Brad, you've got some great reasoning going on brother!
Good common sense evaluation.
>”As you keep reading, Alma doesn’t focus on sexual sin and its consequences to Corianton, but rather the consequences it had on the Zoramites. He talks about the need to repent and work hard in the ministry. In other words, he needs to work at getting people back into the faith. (Alma 39:11-13)”
I think it’s equally problematic to suppose these sins are anything close to murder either, but at least it’s better supported by the text
As I recall, Nibley wrote about this and maintained that Corianton had followed after a fertility cult. It makes for an interesting reading of the text, combines the immorality with leaving the ministry, and suggests how much more serious overall his conduct was.
“Sin” is an invention of humans. It is used to control the possible bad/not good for the group behaviors.
Mentally healthy individuals know the difference between right and wrong in the society in which they live.
Jonathan Haidt talks about Moral Reasoning – It seemed to Haidt that if people were unable to explain their moral judgments, then evidently they were not reasoning their way toward them. [my words – they were just being obedient]
The observation prompted him to develop a new perspective on how people make moral decisions.
He argued that people make two kinds of moral decisions.
One, which he called moral intuition, comes from the unconscious mind and is made instantly.
The other, moral reasoning is a slower, after-the-fact process made by the conscious mind and is an effortful process engaged in after a moral judgment has been made, in which a person searches for arguments that will support an already made judgment.
Mormons are an obedient people, having been taught that Obedience is the first law of heaven. As a teacher of teens in Sunday School, I asked my students to rate sins with the worst at the top. One that ended up really close to the top was smoking. Smoking is not instinctively ‘wrong’ to mentally healthy people, it is a choice and one that we might be wise to avoid, but these kids did not reason their way to moral choices – they merely obeyed or felt horribly guilty for not doing so.
Mormons are not better than others because they are obedient to rules. There are many Mormons, as there are in the population in general who are scam artists, murderers and child molesters. Mentally healthy people don’t need a god or a church to tell them those things are abhorrent and may lead to a consequence called incarceration.
Two people willingly engaged in sexual activity is no more a sin than secretly picking your nose in the elevator or not wearing stockings. All choices have consequences but that does not make all choices sins.
Do you know who really needs to hear your analysis? Jesus.
So, the take away is that coming home from your mission early is the category of sin next to murder.
Somehow I think that’s going to be more “terribly damaging, especially towards our youth” than identifying the category of sin including rape, adultery, sexual assault, etc.
jpv,
No. I can sort of get how you got that idea if you read it fast and carelessly… but no.
Uhh, it’s very clear that the First Presidency and Presidents of the Church have spoken quite definitively that sexual sin IS next to murder. Though I suppose their teachings only hold weight if one respects their so called “opinion”. . . . http://www.ldsanswers.org/is-sexual-sin-next-to-murder-book-of-mormon-central-fact-check/
Uh,
This post is like 2 years old. Why are you commenting on it now?
The post may be two years old but it is relevant as sexual sin is still touted as the sin next to murder. OBVIOUSLY such a notion cannot be considered correct in light of the many heinous sins one could list which would make sex sin mild by comparison.
The Saviour’s treatment of the woman caught in adultery aught to be our benchmark when considering how to respond to such sin in a Christike manner.
It seems to me that many members of the church and even the church hierarchy are more likely to want to fill their pockets with stones to inflict punishment rather that to exercise mercy.
Ultimately God the Father is our judge. God with His infinite compassion and mercy. It is a pity so many are motivated towards condemnation rather than to emulate the example set by Christ.
Desley Innis.
Yes, the principle regarding sex sins needs to be analyzed. I even remember reading something, I believe it was Joseph F. Smith, which stated that we see a world of difference between an unguarded moment, when a couple unintentionally falls into having sex, and the case of an aggressive, immoral man who conspires to rob a woman of her chastity and virtue! In the case of Corianton, it was a woman doing the conspiring against him!
If we are talking about rape, I think these incidents really are next to murder in seriousness. These crimes are often more about evil, violent power and dominance, with the victims emotionally scarred for life. Many thousands of German women were violently raped by Soviet soldiers at the end of World War 2. Is passive, consensual sex among teens really comparable to the horrible rapes committed in times of war? I think not! I do have to offer my opinion that sexual sin is most applicable to Latter-day Saints who have covenanted in the Temple to obey the Law of Chastity. People in the world often don’t even know what the “higher Law” is!