By Brittany Leonard
Stop in the name of love
Overcoming our physical passions by relying on the Savior is the only way to become like God, said religion professor Randy Bott at a BYU fireside.
'You may get temporary solutions to addictions through other ways - counseling, medication, institutionalization - but you won''t be tough enough to beat them without help from on high, without the interposition of the Savior,' Bott said.
Bott''s fireside, Wednesday night at the Varsity Theatre (Feb. 15, 2006), focused on love, addiction, pornography and the plan of salvation
Although both audience members and Bott himself were a little confused about the overall topic of his speech, he managed to link love, an ever-popular theme at BYU, to the influences in the world that can harm it.
Bott made a powerful comparison between Satan''s abuse of power, including the perversion of love and sex, and Heavenly Father''s use of sacred procreative powers.
'The most powerful urges - you should control them and not let them control you,' he said.
He explained that people cannot expect to have God as an active member of a marriage, as part of the trilateral covenant, if they do things before or after marriage that would offend him.
He also offered encouragement to people who struggle with addictions of any kind, explaining that the control of passions is both critical to becoming like Heavenly Father and antithetical to the plan of the devil. People have two options, he said, either get through the opposition or give up and join the adversary.
'As long as you are a threat to the devil''s kingdom, then you can expect satanic opposition ... so buck up buttercup or start sinning,' Bott said.
The professor, who is inundated with thousands of e-mail requests for advice every year, is not a stranger to the issues of pornography, premarital sex or homosexual attraction. He described how he spends hours each day trying to answer the questions of lost or confused students, trying to pull the right information from scriptures and church leaders to help.
He cited Mosiah, reading scriptures that deal with the wickedness of King Noah and suggesting that students interpret 'bondage' in the verses as 'addiction' of any kind. The scripture explains how if it weren''t for the interposition of the all-wise Creator, the people would still be in bondage. Mosiah counsels that if people humble themselves before the Lord, he can work with all of his power to extend mercy and to deliver them out of bondage, or addiction.
Bott said although some influences and addictions appear to be insurmountable, there is nothing that can''t be overcome with the help of the Lord. He advised people to use the resources that are available, including one Web site that he contributes advice to, knowyourreligion.com.