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I've got to ask. Did you fall in love with a girl on you mission? I adored a girl I met in Kentucky where I served. I did not flirt or date her though. We had lock your hearts too. I didn't like it, at first and when a few years after that mission was over I moved, with my family to start a buisiness in missouri, not so far away. I really regretted not making sure that I met that girl 'another way' which would have not been very different from what I did anyway. Although I really wanted too I didn't find anyone to marry in missouri anyway and I'm still single.
written by Jadegreen 525 days ago
Thinking about Lock Your Hearts more; questions come to my mind that really challenge Lock Your Hearts as a legitimate doctrine or practice. For Starters, The Book of Mormon says that where there is no punishment there is no law. Lets just say for theory that a missionary met a girl, decided he liked her, finished his mission and then found a way to meet her after his mission was over. Fortunately for him she decides she likes him and they want to get married in the temple. In the recommend interview, he tells the whole story to his bishop. His bishop knows that he fell in love with the girl while he was a missionary. Will that bishop deny him a temple recommend. Will the RM be excommunicated, disfelloshipped, put on probation, chastised: no. He'll be given a temple recommend, congradulated and invited to participate in the blessings of eternal marrige. Thats not a punishment. It's a reward.

What the Elder could get punished for, up to dismissal from missionary service is flirting and dating. The exact wording of the White Handbook, at least when I served was "flirting and dating is not tolerated". Jesus when he's teaching the nephites (3 nephi 11:40) says 'that those who teach more or less than what he teaches come of evil. The White Handbook does not require any less than, sexual purity, and complete abstinece from flirting and dating. But it doesn't require any more than that either. If someone by extension of the White Handbooks rule forbids marriage. You may know that man is evil because the scriptures say (D&C 49:15-16) "that whosever forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God". Occasionally some RMs end up in circumstances where it is hard to find someone to marry, and if there is a way to meet and marry someone from their mission. Why not? Its better than trying to live the Gosple as a single. The Lord has forgiven people and allowed them to attend the temple for committing sins a lot more serious than that.

That being said. The scriptures have a lot of things to say about the Heart. Locking them is not one of them(D&C 93:30). However He is in the buisiness of changing the hearts of men(all over the scritures). If a missionary can't pray about his feelings for someone and forget them in a mighty stupor of thought (D&C 8:9) Then something needs more prayer, investigation and probably action.
written by Jadegreen 525 days ago

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