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LDS Mission President Dr. Allan Pratt. Zone Conference November 4, 2003. France Toulouse Mission.
Pratt is an OB/GYN physician from Florida who was called to be president of the Toulouse Mission in France in 2002. After serving his time as a mission president, Pratt returned to Florida where he was called to be Stake President of the Hunter’s Creek Stake.
The above video and following transcript is taken from a Zone Conference where President Pratt MD is chastising the missionaries under his charge for masturbation and violation of the guidelines of proper internet use and communication.
Transcript:
…It doesn’t work that way. You have to bring forth fruits meet for repentance.
Now, let’s just get ugly here if I can – it’s not ugly. But I want to talk to you about masturbation. Okay. Let’s just be quite frank – that is a problem in the mission. It is. Some of you have been smart enough and wise enough to come forth and talk to me about that. And we’ll do anything in the world to help you overcome that. Some of you have not. Some of you think that you can overcome that by yourself and you don’t need to say anything to anyone and it’s okay and you’re okay. Brethren, that is a lie.
Let’s sit down.
Internet – Now I want to read you some scriptures about self abuse here. The brethren call that “self abuse” instead of masturbation. It’s a little softer word. It’s more dignified. But brethren if you’ve got problems with that, let’s get rid of it because it will keep you from getting the blessings as a missionary. The minute that happens my young friends the spirit of the Lord is gone – like that. Period. I don’t care who you are or what you do – it’s gone. Like that. Boom. And I know that there’s at least 30 or 40 percent of missionaries in this mission that have that problem because that’s the church average, it’s amazing, of missionaries, full time.
Satan is wise – and I will tell you why he is wise in just a second.
Let me talk to you about the internet. Every now and again I get emails from missionaries who have gone home. And we love them. And alot of them are doing very well – some of them are struggling. But not only do they send me emails – they send you emails also. Now what’s the instruction for emails brethren, what website do you use?
[missionaries respond]myLDSmail
myLDSmail – Why in the world am I getting missionaries that are serving right now with Hotmail.com? An email sent to elder so-and-so at Hotmail.com? Or at Yahoo.com? Why am I getting that? Why?
Why do I have missionaries that go to the internet place and click on pornographic sites? Why do I have that? Where’s your brain? Where is your love of obedience? Brethren if you cannot stay on myLDSmail.com PERIOD. Period period period period. Then don’t use it. Don’t use the internet.
A Missionary called me, three days ago. “President. Problem with self abuse.” Okay. We talked about it. Talked and talked and talked. “Elder. Tell me what happened. How did Satan get to you? What tempted you?” “Well President, I’m on the internet. And I decided to check an internet site from my old [garbled]to see if any of my friends wrote me.”
Now brethren, I can tell you these pop-ups are just absolutely incredible. Incredible. They are so gross, and so pornographic and you don’t even have to be on any site what so ever to get them to come up. We had one in our house the other day that just [garbled] My wife, checking her internet. It was just the most [garbled] thing you have ever seen. Absolutely filthy!
So what happens? This elder decides to check his other – other website. I said “Elder, what other website do you have as a missionary?” And guess what happens? He gets a pornographic site – he has to go home and masturbate.
Now give me a break brethren – give me a break. Why are we having 2 baptisms a month in the France Toulouse Mission? Look at me.
I apologize for being upset. But dogonit – scratch is winning! Were not going to let him have it.
Now I have got plenty of scriptures for those of you who want to know if the Lord talks about self abuse. Let me just give them to you, we’re not going to take time to read it. We all study. Romans 6:12, Romans 8:5-8, Romans 8:13
Observations
- The mission president is blaming the low number of baptisms on the tendency of 19-21 year old males to “self-abuse”
- The communications of missionaries are controlled to the extent that they are only allowed to use a church owned system for contacting friends and family. This is done under the auspices of preventing exposure to immoral media, but has the effect of controlling freedom of expression and communication much like the letters sent into and out of a prisoner of war camp.
- Porn pop-ups generally do not occur on computers that have not accessed questionable sites at some point. The MP may want to interview members of his household or look in the mirror.
- Attributing normal human sexual experiences with the influence of Satan sets these young men up to view their normal impulses as unhealthy and evil, which may negatively effect their self-image and self-worth when they are unable to suppress or stop those normal processes. This may lead to intense cycles of guilt, depression or even suicide.
- Apparently there are only 30-40% of male church members who feel compelled to tell the truth.
Did he just blame the lack of baptisms on masturbation? Really? That’s the reason?
This guy is unbelievable. But sadly he’s only spouting the corporate line. The Church just loves to shame young men and young women. It’s what they do.
Guilt, guilt, guilt. You are the problem for no baptisms! You are the sinner! You must be punished! My God! We’ve turned into Catholics! It is a truth that whoever tries to shame you and inflict guilt on you is doing Satan’s work, not God’s.
The problem is that these poor elders and sisters have been brainwashed that they are supposed to confess this stuff, when there is no need to confide anything about your personal life to anyone. This is just more Handbook of Instructions nonsense. Contrary to what Elder Oaks said, the Handbook is not the word of God. They are man-made rules constructed by lawyers to cover the Church’s butt. And they are bad rules to boot.
I used to feel loke I had to confess for every little thing. I was so guilt ridden and full of shame . . . about EVERYTHING! Then on day as I was studying about confession in the scriptures, nowhere did it say you had to confess with “church authorities.” Again and again the scriptures say to confess to the Lord. A Catholic friend of mine one time told me she doesn’t confess to the priest. “Why would I confess to a man when I can confess directly with God from the comfort of my own home?” That made a lot of sense. Then I thought, “Well, why do we teach on Sundays that we have to confess to the leaders of the church?” And then it hit me: because they decide your standing in the CHURCH. If you’re worthy in their eyes to “come to the table” (if you will). From that point on I stopped confessing to my bishop. I do what my friend does and what thescriptures tell us to do—I take it straight to the Lord.
*Facepalm*
Your actually defending masturbation. Seriously!? Wow. I wonder how that sermon on the mount went. No please, spare me your “inspired” interpretation. If it is so important to “beat your meat” I doubt you’ld hear anyone say differently.
I am not defending peoples right to choke the proverbial chicken so much as I am speaking out against the demonization that the church has historically associated with it.
Even people who subscribe to the Mormon theology should be scratching their heads. Self abuse falls under the law of chastity, but the law of chastity is specifically a prohibition against sexual relations with another person to whom you are not legally and lawfully wedded.
Think about that. There are 2 observations to make.
1. Masturbation is not sexual relations with another person in or out of wedlock.
2. None of Joseph Smith’s plural wives were either legal or lawful. Therefore, his sexual relations with them were violations of the law of chastity.
With these paradoxes, the church has poor footing upon which to condemn young men in such a way that destroys their self worth and has driven some to suicide.
Your first point out of the gate was masturbation justification.
Then you pull a left fielder. Stay on topic. There’s a lot of ground to cover without you spreading the poop from here to kingdom come. You think young men that are all sweaty, waiting to get their next “meal” are going to be able to put away the lion and focus on the spirit? Masturbation is feeding an appetite, it’s not satisfying one, it will grow and grow reaching a little further each time.
Who makes the law? Strike that let’s stick to masturbation. Ugh what an ugly topic.
Contrary to Observation #5, practice of masturbation is NOT universal, inside or outside of the church.
Making that assumption is a bit presumptuous. My former husband (who was a “man’s man” kind of guy, and Church member but usually “less active”) told me a neighbor once said to him that any man who says he doesn’t masturbate is lying. He didn’t comment back, but it put him off, since he knew he didn’t masturbate.
It is surely common to experience temptation to masturbate. I imagine most people at least encounter it when their sexuality is first emerging, and potentially face it many, many times during life.
Myself, I had difficulty with masturbation for a fair while, but haven’t for over 25 years now. I’ve also learned that I have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and that made my challenges harder to overcome for me.
But ongoing masturbation isn’t inevitable nor unstoppable.
In my perspective, personal peace comes with facing responsibility to address the challenge, to whatever degree and for whatever reasons we may experience it. Asserting “Everyone does it” isn’t accurate, and doesn’t absolve or resolve problems, and can’t just delete negative effects.
What does bring peace is being loving, accepting & respectful of yourself & your struggles & journey, seeking God’s power for help, and being diligent about practicing preventative actions and resolutions.
Side note: I will forever be touched by the response of one of my bishops when I told him that I thought I had finally resolved my problem with masturbation. He spun around in his chair, weeping tears of joy for me.