Skip to main content

Darkness Begets Dishonesty

photo by Ricardo Chahad

The symbolism and powers of light and darkness are no coincidences. A 2010 study found that people were more likely to be dishonest in dim lighting or when wearing sunglasses than in bright lighting or when wearing clear glasses. I believe it is more than just a result of feeling unwatched or hidden. Darkness is not only the absence of physical light, but also the absence of spiritual light. Darkness is the devil's domain, his prime time for work, which is why we associate all things evil with the dark: sinful places are barely lit; terrible crimes happen at night; criminals usually dress in dark, concealing clothing. I think that is why we are often more shocked and offended when something wicked occurs in "broad daylight."

The findings of this study should prompt us to evaluate our own behavior in darkness and to eliminate it if it affects us. If we find that we are just as likely to commit the sin in light, then we need to take even more careful measures to guard ourselves against it. Either way, we should surround ourselves with as much light--both physical and spiritual--as possible.

Challenge: Stay away from dark places and activities. When feeling tempted, turn on the light--both kinds!

Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
dark acts and dark thoughts never bring forth light -DAD
March 27, 2011 at 11:06 PM
Anonymous said…
Spiritual light is the best light. When we shine this light on the darkness, it illuminates fears, doubts, anger, and sadness. Having this light on us is a protection for us and future generations from the powers of evil.
Constance
January 19, 2014 at 10:18 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Callings

lds.org The Church runs on volunteered time and service, organized through callings. We choose to accept or reject these callings when Church leaders extend them to us. When we are faced with this choice we must remember the following: Church leaders truly are inspired from heaven. They know where we need to serve. We must not doubt them even if it is difficult not to. There are many reasons why a certain calling is right for us. Most obvious, we have the necessary qualities and skills for that position or, conversely, we need to develop the needed qualities and skills. Other reasons may not even be related to the calling. In my case, I needed to meet a certain person, who shared the same calling. We have since become close friends and blessings in each other's lives. When we magnify our callings, everyone benefits. We grow and the ward grows; we learn and the ward learns; we love and the ward loves us back. Every calling in the ward is important. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 e...
3 comments
Read more

Pray Always

Last week I shared powerful scriptures to remember when faced with temptation. However, the devil is very powerful as well. We need a lot more tools than just a scripture to defeat him. The most powerful tool available to us is prayer. Brigham Young said, “Prayer keeps a man from sin. Sin keeps a man from prayer.” Prayer keeps a man from sin The Lord admonishes throughout the scriptures to pray always to avoid sin: “Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38) “Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work” (D&C 10:5) “Therefore let the church take heed and pray always, lest they fall into temptation” (D&C 20:33) “Pray always, lest ye enter into temptation and lose your reward” (D&C 31:12) “Pray always that you enter not into temptation, that you may abide the day of his coming, whether in lif...
3 comments
Read more

See No Evil

I love watching movies! At home on the couch, at the theater, with friends, with family, in sickness or in health--it's all fun! But risky as well. Risky, that is, to my spirituality if I am not careful with what I choose to view. During high school, I used my best friend and a newspaper column as movie screeners. Then a former seminary teacher introduced me to a great Web site and a friend showed me another one. Both are free with a list of movies from about 15 years ago to current releases. [Click on the name for the link to the site.] Screenit : This Web site gives a short and full summary of the movie plot and the content, divided into categories. I like this site because it is very explicit: I know what language is in the movie and how many times it occurs. Note: In order to review movies before the release date, you must become a member. Kids in Mind : This site is similar to screenit, but somewhat less extensive (especially in the movie summary and language departmen...
2 comments
Read more