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Honesty
We are all familiar with the statement "Honesty is the best policy." For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, honesty is the only policy. We must be honest with our fellowmen. We must be honest with our God. We are honest with God when we honor the covenants we make with Him.
Of all the animals, man is the only one that lies.
Never in the history of mankind or the Church has there been a greater need for honesty in personal lives--honesty with neighbors and integrity in discussions and total commitment on the basis of full trust and respect from those who are about us. Certainly we have reason to be disappointed and concerned when we see too many business and professional associates not adopting honesty as the best policy, but instead asking, What can I get away with without being caught? Or what is expedient? What will be the most profitable? What will be the most rewarding for me without regard to permanence or other people? Integrity must be the foundation of moral life. In school and in daily associations we must teach students and children, as well as adults, that honesty must be 100 percent and not treated as a convenience or escape in some situations. We must fight corruption and graft and return people to the basics of integrity, honesty, and fair play. Achievement and talent without character are hollow.
...We do not believe in honesty merely as a matter of policy. It is far more important than that. Honesty is a principle of salvation in the kingdom of God. Without it there can be no salvation. Just as no man or woman can be saved without baptism, so no one can be saved without honesty. As we cannot advance in the kingdom of heaven without a resurrection, so we cannot move into celestial realms without honesty.
I want to say to you that the punishment that is meted out to those who are dishonest in our day, when they are apprehended and haled before the courts of the land and punished for their crimes, is insignificant when compared with the spiritual punishment that befalls us when we transgress the law of honesty and violate that commandment of God.
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