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George R. Lunn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

George R. Lunn
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from New York’s 30th district
In office
March 4, 1917 – March 4, 1919
Preceded byWilliam B. Charles
Succeeded byFrank Crowther
Lieutenant Governor of New York
In office
January 1, 1923 – December 31, 1924
GovernorAl Smith
Preceded byClayton R. Lusk (acting)
Succeeded bySeymour Lowman
Mayor of Schenectady
In office
January 1, 1912 – December 31, 1913
In office
January 1, 1916 – March 4, 1917
In office
March 4, 1919 – January 1, 1923
Personal details
Born(1873-06-23)June 23, 1873
Lenox, Iowa, U.S.
DiedNovember 27, 1948(1948-11-27) (aged 75)
Del Mar, California, U.S.
Political partySocialist (before 1916)
Democratic (1916–48)

George Richard Lunn (June 23, 1873 – November 27, 1948) was an American clergyman and politician from New York. He was the first Socialist mayor in the state of New York, a U.S. Representative from 1917 to 1919, and the lieutenant governor of New York from 1923 to 1924.

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  • Avoid It by Lynn G. Robbins

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>>WHAT A THRILLING LIFE AWAITS YOU. >>THE ACQUISITION OF KNOWLEDGE IS A SACRED ACTIVITY. >>A TRULY EDUCATED MAN NEVER CEASES TO LEARN. >>THE FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS. THE OUTCOME IS UP TO YOU. >>THIS BYU DEVOTIONAL ADDRESS WITH ELDER LYNN G. ROBBINS WAS GIVEN ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2013. ♪♪ >>GOOD MORNING, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, AND WELCOME TO OUR DEVOTIONAL. THIS MORNING WE WILL HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF HEARING FROM ELDER LYNN G. ROBBINS, A MEMBER OF THE SEVENTY. WE ESPECIALLY WELCOME SISTER ROBBINS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS WHO HAVE JOINED US TODAY. ELDER ROBBINS HAS SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE SEVENTY SINCE APRIL 1997. HE PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS PRESIDENT OF SEVERAL AREAS OF THE CHURCH. SOUTH AMERICA SOUTH, CENTRAL AMERICA, THE NORTH AMERICA WEST. AS A YOUNG MAN, ELDER ROBBINS SERVED IN THE ARGENTINA NORTH MISSION. ELDER ROBBINS RECEIVED A BACHELORS DEGREE FROM UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY AND EARNED HIS MBA IN WORLD BUSINESS FROM THE AMERICAN GRADUATE SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT. IN HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER, ELDER ROBBINS WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF FRANKLIN QUEST, WHICH LATER BECAME FRANKLIN COVEY. HE FINISHED HIS CAREER THERE WHEN HE WAS CALLED TO PRESIDE OVER THE URUGUAY MONTEVIDEO MISSION IN 1994. ELDER ROBBINS AND HIS WIFE, JAN NIELSON, ARE THE PARENTS OF SEVEN CHILDREN AND HAVE FIFTEEN GRANDCHILDREN. AND NOW WE WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY OF HEARING FROM ELDER LYNN ROBBINS. >>THE FOCUS OF MY MESSAGE TODAY IS BASED ON A PROVERB FROM SOLOMON, WHO WAS GIVEN, ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF FIRST KINGS, A GIFT FROM GOD OF EXCEEDING WISDOM. HIS FAME WAS IN ALL NATIONS ROUND ABOUT, AND THERE CAME OF ALL PEOPLE TO HEAR THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON. EVEN 3000 YEARS LATER, WHEN WE READ SOLOMON'S PROVERBS WE OFTEN NOD IN AGREEMENT WITH HIS PROFOUND WISDOM BECAUSE LIFE HAS ALSO TAUGHT US THE SAME LESSON OFTEN THROUGH A TRYING OR DIFFICULT EXPERIENCE. IF LIFE HASN'T YET TAUGHT YOU THE WISDOM OF THE PROVERB I AM ABOUT TO SHARE, IT WOULD BE MY PRAYER THAT BY THE END OF MY REMARKS IT WILL HAVE ENLIGHTENED YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND TOUCHED YOUR HEARTS SUFFICIENTLY TO MOTIVATE YOU TO MAKE SOME HELPFUL AND WISE CHANGES IN YOUR LIFE. HERE IS THE PROVERB. HE HAD DISCOVERED ONE OF LIFE'S MOST HELPFUL GUIDING PRINCIPLES. IT IS EASIER TO AVOID TEMPTATION THAN IT IS TO RESIST TEMPTATION. LET'S SUPPOSE FOR A MOMENT THAT MY GREAT TEMPTATION IN LIFE IS CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES. IT'S EASIER FOR ME NOT TO HAVE THE COOKIES IN THE HOUSE THAN IT IS TO WALK THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR AND SMELL THEM, WARM AND MOIST AND SMELLING GOOD. AT THAT MOMENT, I'M NO LONGER FIGHTING TEMPTATION, I'M FIGHTING CHEMISTRY. THE AROMA TRIGGERS THE PLEASURE CENTER OF MY BRAIN. MY MOUTH BEGINS TO WATER IN PREPARATION FOR THE COOKIES. WITH EACH TEMPTING WHIFF MY RESISTANCE GROWS WEAKER, AS MY CRAVING GROWS STRONGER AND MY APPETITE BEGINS TO OVERPOWER MY REASON AND RESOLVE. MY OTHER SELF, THE ONE THAT IS CARNAL, ARGUES IN FAVOR OF THE COOKIES, YOU KNOW, DIETING DOESN'T HAVE TO MEAN DEPRIVATION. IT'S YOUR OVERALL EFFORT THAT COUNTS, AND ONE COOKIE CERTAINLY ISN'T GOING TO BLOW YOUR DIET. WITH MY PLEASURE CENTER ACTIVATED, I DON'T NEED MUCH CONVINCING, AND I YIELD TO THE COOKIE'S ENTICING AROMA. HOW EASY IS IT TO STOP WHEN THAT FIRST COOKIE ONLY INTENSIFIED YOUR APPETITE RATHER THAN SATISFIED IT? THAT SAME VOICE SAYS, WELL YOU'VE BLOWN IT NOW. YOU MAY AS WELL ENJOY YOURSELF, AND RECOMMIT TO YOUR DIET TOMORROW. SO AFTER I'VE EATEN ABOUT SIX COOKIES, MAYBE WITH A GLASS OF MILK, I BEGIN TO FEEL REMORSEFUL ABOUT BREAKING MY RESOLUTION AND DIET. I HOPE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THE METAPHOR AS I NOW APPLY IT TO A FAR STRONGER DESIRE. THE LORD HAS BLESSED EACH OF US WITH POWERFUL HORMONES, WHICH ALSO LINK TO THE BRAIN'S PLEASURE CENTER. IT IS A VERY DESIRABLE ATTRACTION THAT BEGINS TO OCCUR IN ADOLESCENCE TOWARDS THE OPPOSITE SEX. ALONG WITH THE MANY SPIRITUAL REASONS WHICH INSPIRE A PERSON TO GET MARRIED, THE LORD HAS ALSO BLESSED US WITH THIS POWERFUL PHYSICAL DRIVE, WITH THIS INTENSE CHEMISTRY, TO ALSO MOTIVATE US TO GET MARRIED, TO BE FATHERS AND MOTHERS, TO HAVE CHILDREN AND A FAMILY OF OUR OWN, AND TO STRENGTHEN THE LOVING BONDS BETWEEN HUSBAND AND WIFE. WHY? BECAUSE ACCORDING TO THE FAMILY A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD, THE FAMILY IS CENTRAL TO THE CREATOR'S PLAN FOR THE ETERNAL DESTINY OF HIS CHILDREN. THE PROCLAMATION ALSO STATES, THAT GOD HAS COMMANDED THAT THE SACRED POWERS OF PROCREATION ARE TO BE EMPLOYED ONLY BETWEEN MAN AND WOMAN, LAWFULLY WEDDED AS HUSBAND AND WIFE. THE BOOKLET, FOR THE STRENGTH OF YOUTH, WHICH COULD ALSO BE CALLED, FOR THE STRENGTH OF YOUNG SINGLE ADULTS, STATES THAT, PHYSICAL INTIMACY BETWEEN HUSBAND AND WIFE IS BEAUTIFUL AND SACRED. IT IS ORDAINED OF GOD FOR THE CREATION OF CHILDREN AND FOR THE EXPRESSION OF LOVE BETWEEN HUSBAND AND WIFE. YOUTH OFTEN GROW UP WITH AN INCORRECT UNDERSTANDING OF INTIMACY, AND AN UNHEALTHY ATTITUDE TOWARDS IT, BECAUSE IT IS OFTEN TREATED AS A TABOO TOPIC RATHER THAN A SACRED ONE. BECAUSE INTIMACY IN MARRIAGE IS BEAUTIFUL, SACRED AND ORDAINED OF GOD, IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT SEXUAL SIN ISN'T THE USE OF SOMETHING INHERENTLY BAD, BUT THE MISUSE OF SOMETHING INHERENTLY GOOD AND BEAUTIFUL. IN THE BOOK OF MORMON, ALMA TAUGHT HIS SON CORIANTON, THAT THE MISUSE OF THE SACRED PROCREATIVE POWERS OUTSIDE THE BONDS OF MARRIAGE WAS "MOST ABOMINABLE ABOVE ALL "SINS SAVE IT BE THE SHEDDING "OF INNOCENT BLOOD OR DENYING THE HOLY GHOST." ALMA CAUTIONED HIS SON TO GO NO MORE AFTER THE LUSTS OF YOUR EYES, A PHRASE THAT COULD EASILY APPLY TO PORNOGRAPHY IN THESE LATTER-DAYS. IN THE OLD TESTAMENT WE READ THE STORY OF DAVID WHO DID GO AFTER THE LUSTS OF HIS EYES. ARISING FROM HIS BED AT EVENING TIDE HE WALKED UPON THE ROOF OF THE KING'S HOUSE. AND FROM THE ROOF HE LOOKED DOWN AND SAW A LOVELY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE, OUT OF ITS WRAPPING. THE COOKIE WAS VERY BEAUTIFUL TO LOOK UPON AND SMELLED REALLY GOOD. DAVID WAS NOT SIMPLY DEALING WITH TEMPTATION NOW, BUT ALSO WITH POWERFUL CHEMISTRY AND HE SUCCUMBED TO THE ENTICING POWER OF THE COOKIE. CONVERSELY WE HAVE THE STORY OF JOSEPH WHO WAS IN POTIPHAR'S HOUSE WHEN HIS MASTER'S WIFE BEGAN TO SEDUCE HIM. HE WAS IN THE KITCHEN WITH THE COOKIES. WHAT DID JOSEPH DO? WELL, HE DIDN'T STICK AROUND TO SMELL THE COOKIES. HE LEFT HIS GARMENT IN HER HAND AND FLED AND GOT HIM OUT. HE GOT OUT OF THE KITCHEN. IT IS EASIER TO AVOID TEMPTATION THAN RESIST IT. A HUMOROUS BUMPER STICKER STATES, LEAD ME NOT INTO TEMPTATION. I CAN FIND IT MYSELF! WHAT THE LORD'S PRAYER ACTUALLY STATES, ACCORDING TO THE JOSEPH SMITH TRANSLATION IS, THE SAVIOR'S COUNSEL IN THIS PHRASE IS TO PRAY FOR HELP IN AVOIDING TEMPTATION. HERE ARE SEVERAL ADIDTIONAL AVOID SCRIPTURES. THIS ONE IS FROM ALMA 5. AND THIS ONE FROM DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS 90: AND THIS ONE FROM SECTION 87: THIS ONE YOU MAY RECOGNIZE AS THIS YEAR'S YOUTH THEME. IN TEACHING PRAYER, AVOIDING TEMPTATION WAS ONE OF THE FOREMOST PRINCIPLES TAUGHT BY THE SAVIOR. SUCH AS IN THIS COUNSEL WHICH HE REPEATED IN MANY SCRIPTURES. THIS ENTREATY BY THE SAVIOR TO AVOID TEMPTATION CONSISTS OF TWO ACTS OF FAITH, TO WATCH AND PRAY. THE GUIDE TO THE SCRIPTURES TEACHES US THAT TO WATCH MEANS TO BE VIGILANT. TO BE ON OUR GUARD WHICH IS WISE ADVICE IN DEFENDING OURSELVES AGAINST A VERY REAL AND LURKING ENEMY. AND THE CORRELARY TO THE SAVIOR'S WISE ADVICE TO PRAY TO AVOID TEMPTATION IS THAT WITHOUT PRAYER WE WILL NOT HAVE THE SPIRITUAL STRENGTH OR STAMINA TO WIN THIS BATTLE ON OUR OWN. HOW CAN WE PRAY THAT WE ENTER NOT INTO TEMPTATION IF WE DON'T PRAY IN FAITH, OR IN OTHER WORDS, DO ALL IN OUR POWER TO MAKE THE PRAYER COME TRUE? THE FIRST STEP WE SHOULD TAKE, IF WE HAVE PRAYED IN FAITH TO AVOID TEMPTATION, WOULD BE TO CLOSE THE DOOR ON IT AND AVOID IT COMPLETELY. IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT, TEMPTATION USUALLY COMES IN THROUGH A DOOR THAT HAS BEEN DELIBERATELY LEFT OPEN. MANY PRAY TO BE DELIVERED FROM TEMPTATION, BUT THEY LEAVE THE DOORWAY TO TEMPTATION CRACKED JUST A BIT, CONVINCING THEMSELVES THAT NIBBLING ISN'T PARTAKING, AND THAT THE LORD WILL JUSTIFY IN COMMITTING A LITTLE SIN. AN AGE-OLD PROVERB STATES, AN OPEN DOOR MAY TEMPT A SAINT. MOSES WARNED OF THE DANGER OF LEAVING THE DOOR AJAR, "SIN LIETH AT THE DOOR, "AND SATAN DESIRETH TO HAVE THEE." ALL SATAN NEEDS TO GAIN ACCESS TO YOUR PLEASURE CENTER IS A CRACKED DOOR AND A SWEET AROMA. FROM THERE, THE KEY IS NOT TO LEAVE THE DOOR CRACKED OPEN. SATAN CANNOT OPEN THE DOOR FROM OUTSIDE. OF A TRUTH SAID, ELDER NEAL A. MAXWELL, THE FOLLOWING ARE EXAMPLES OF THINGS WE MIGHT DO TO CLOSE THE DOOR ON TEMPTATION AND ACT IN FAITH TO FULFILL OUR PRAYER TO AVOID TEMPTATION, FOR DIETERS, IT WOULD BE WISE TO GET RID OF THE JUNK FOOD IN THE CUPBOARD AND NOT GO GROCERY SHOPPING WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY. FOR INTERNET JUNKIES, IT MAY MEAN DELETING THE GAME ON YOUR SMARTPHONE THAT YOU ARE ADDICTED TO. MANY MARRIED PEOPLE UNWISELY CRACK THE DOOR TO TEMPTATION BY FRIENDING OLD BOYFRIENDS OR GIRLFRIENDS ON THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA SITE. AVOIDING TEMPTATION WOULD MEAN TO UNFRIEND THEM BEFORE SATAN CUNNINGLY DESTROYS THEIR MARRIAGE. AVOIDING TEMPTATION MAY MEAN PUTTING A FILTER ON YOUR COMPUTER THAT BLOCKS THE MATERIAL WHICH IS OFFENSIVE TO THE SPIRIT. IT MAY MEAN PROGRAMMING YOUR TELEVISION TO BLOCK CERTAIN CHANNELS, OR EVEN UNSUBSCRIBING TO A CABLE OR STREAMING SERVICE THAT IS ENTICING YOU WITH INAPPROPRIATE OFFERINGS. AND IT MAY MEAN BREAKING UP WITH THAT BOYFRIEND OR GIRLFRIEND WHO HAS NOT DEMONSTRATED VIRTUOUS THOUGHTS OR BEHAVIOR. I INVITE YOU TO THINK ABOUT YOUR GREATEST TEMPTATIONS, AND THEN PONDER AND PRAY ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO AVOID THEM IN THE FUTURE. I THEN INVITE YOU TO WISELY FOLLOW THROUGH ON THE AVOIDANCE REVELATION THAT COMES TO YOU. WHEN THE PEOPLE OF AMMON WERE CONVERTED TO THE LORD, THEY DIDN'T HANG THEIR SWORDS ABOVE THE MANTEL; THEY BURIED THEM. THAT'S AVOIDING TEMPTATION. IT IS ALSO PUTTING REMINDERS OF THEIR PAST BEHIND THEM IN A SPIRIT OF TRUE REPENTANCE. WE ARE TAUGHT TO NOT TOUCH THE UNCLEAN THING AND TO AVOID THE VERY APPEARANCE OF EVIL. OUR PRAYER SHOULD BE AS NEPHI'S, "WILT THOU MAKE ME THAT "I MIGHT SHAKE AT THE VERY APPEARANCE OF SIN." ANOTHER NUGGET OF WISDOM AND COUNSEL ON AVOIDING TEMPTATION COMES FROM PRESIDENT BOYD K. PACKER, PRESIDENT OF THE QUORUM OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES. YOU'LL HAVE TO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO CAPTURE THE DEEPER MEANING OF THIS ONE SENTENCE SERMON, THE WISDOM OF THIS INTRIGUING PRINCIPLE ALERTS US TO THE DANGER OF TRAPS THAT ARE SO AFFECTIVE THAT THEY DON'T NEED A SECOND CHANCE TO ENSNARE THEIR VICTIMS. THINK OF A SPIDER WEB. SATAN WOULD HAVE YOU BELIEVE THAT THERE IS LITTLE, OR NO LASTING HARM IN JUST TRYING SOMETHING JUST ONCE. BUT YIELDING TO SATAN EVEN ONCE HAS TRAPPED MANY CURIOUS VICTIMS IN A LIFELONG BATTLE AGAINST THAT PARTICULAR VICE. GEORGE ALBERT SMITH CAUTIONED, WHEN WE YIELD TO TEMPTATION JUST ONCE, WE GIVE SATAN AMMUNITION IN THE FORM OF A MEMORY. WHAT MAKES SATAN THE TEMPTER IS HIS ABILITY TO PLANT THOUGHTS IN OUR MIND. IN A MOMENT OF WEAKNESS, HE CAN TEMPT US WITH THE MEMORY OF OUR EXPERIENCE, WHICH MULTIPLIES THE POTENCY OF THE TEMPTATION, LIKE THE MOUTH-WATERING MEMORY OF ENJOYING A DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE-CHIP COOKIE. FOR THE CURIOUS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO YIELD TO TEMPTATION TO ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE OF THE VICE. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WISELY COUNSELED, "A WISE MAN LEARNS BY THE "MISTAKES OF OTHERS, A FOOL BY HIS OWN." OBSERVING THE LIFE-SHATTERING EFFECTS THAT SIN AND ADDICTIONS HAVE HAD ON THE LIVES OF OTHERS SHOULD TERRIFY YOU OF EVER GETTING NEAR THAT VICE, EVEN ONCE. TIS EASIER TO PREVENT BAD HABITS THAN TO BREAK THEM, FRANKLIN SAID. FOR AN ALCOHOLIC, WHICH OF THE THOUSANDS OF GLASSES DRUNK OVER YEARS AND DECADES WAS THE MOST DANGEROUS? NUMERO UNO. IT IS EASIER TO AVOID THE FIRST GLASS THAN RESIST THE THOUSANDS THAT WILL LIKELY FOLLOW. NOT DOING SOMETHING THE FIRST TIME IS AVOIDING, THE SECOND TIME AND BEYOND IS RESISTING. PRESIDENT PACKER'S COUNSEL IS PROFOUND, NEVER MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE ONCE. ANOTHER CUNNING STRATEGY USED BY SATAN TO TRICK GOOD PEOPLE INTO TEMPTATION WAS FORESEEN BY NEPHI, "AT THAT DAY, MEANING OUR DAY, "WILL HE PACIFY, "AND LULL THEM AWAY "INTO CARNAL SECURITY, "AND LEAD THEM AWAY CAREFULLY DOWN TO HELL." THE WORDS PACIFY AND LULL IN THIS VERSE ARE SYNONYMOUS WITH THE WORD DESENSITIZE. ON THE SCREEN IS A PICTURE OF A MORMON-AD OF A FROG JUMPING FROM HOT WATER. IF SATAN WANTED TO BOIL A FROG, HE WOULDN'T PUT IT IN A PAN OF HOT WATER. IT WOULD INSTICTIVELY JUMP. HIS STRATEGY WOULD BE TO PUT IT IN COLD WATER BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THE FROG IS USED TO. HE WOULD THEN TURN ON THE HEAT UNBEKNOWNST TO THE FROG. SATAN WOULD THEN RAISE THE TEMPERATURE SO GRADUALLY THAT THE FROG WOULD NEVER NOTICE IT FIRST CHANGE FROM COLD TO COOL, FROM COOL TO TEPID, FROM TEPID TO WARM, OR FROM WARM TO HOT. FROM HOT TO ENERGY SAPPING HOT AND FROM THERE TO BOILING. HOW MANY OF YOU WOMEN HAVE GONE INTO A DEPARTMENT STORE TO PURCHASE A BOTTLE OF PERFUME? WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR NOSE AFTER YOU SMELL ABOUT FIVE OR SIX BOTTLES OF PERFUME? YOUR NOSE BECOMES DESENSITIZED FROM OVER EXPOSURE TO TOO MUCH STIMULI. WIKIPEDIA DEFINES DESENSITIZATION AS, DIMINISHED EMOTIONAL RESPONSIVENESS TO, STIMULUS AFTER REPEATED EXPOSURE TO IT. AVOIDING TEMPTATION PROTECTS US FROM BECOMING DESENSITIZED TO IT. BUT IF WE TOLERATE IT, WHILE STRIVING TO RESIST IT, WE CAN GRADUALLY BECOME DESENSITIZED WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING IT. LET'S TAKE MOVIES AS AN EXAMPLE. WE KNOW THAT THE LORD CANNOT LOOK UPON SIN WITH THE LEAST DEGREE OF ALLOWANCE, BUT HOLLYWOOD CAN AND DOES! AND MANY GOOD MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH ALLOW THEMSELVES TO LOOK UPON SIN IN MOVIE THEATERS WITH A GREAT DEGREE OF ALLOWANCE OR TOLERANCE, JUSTIFYING IT IN THE NAME OF GOOD ENTERTAINMENT WITH JUST A FEW BAD PARTS. LET'S ASSUME THAT THE TWO ENDS OF THE BASKETBALL COURT HERE AT THE MARRIOTT CENTER REPRESENT THE TWO EXTREMES OF MOVIES THAT HOLLYWOOD PRODUCES. WE WILL HAVE THIS EXTREME TO MY RIGHT REPRESENT G-RATED MOVIES. AT THE OTHER EXTREME TO MY LEFT, HOLLYWOOD CALLS ADULT ENTERTAINMENT. IN BETWEEN THE TWO EXTREMES THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA GIVES MOVIES RATINGS OF PG, PG-13. WE WILL HAVE THIS PULPIT REPRESENT R-RATED, THEN NC-17 AND ADULTS ONLY. IN BETWEEN THESE TWO EXTREMES WHERE DO WE DRAW THE LINE OVER WHICH IT WOULD BE DANGEROUS TO CROSS? IT IS RISKY FOR THE CHURCH TO DRAW A LINE. IF THE SPEED ON THE FREEWAY IS 65 MPH, HOW FAST WILL PEOPLE DRIVE? WELL, THEY WILL FEEL FREE TO DRIVE AS FAST AS THE LIMIT. IF THE CHURCH WERE TO DRAW A LINE WITH MOVIES, THAT WOULD BE LIKE GIVING PERMISSION TO WATCH EVERYTHING UP TO THE LINE. PRESIDENT HINCKLEY NEVER DREW A LINE. NEITHER HAS PRESIDENT MONSON. BUT THE PROPHETS HAVE TAUGHT US PRINCIPLES FOUND IN FOR THE STRENGTH OF THE YOUTH, SUCH AS, PRESIDENT HINCKLEY TAUGHT US "TO AVOID PORNOGRAPHY "LIKE A PLAGUE. THAT IT WILL DESTROY YOU." DID YOU NOTICE HIS USE OF THE WORD AVOID? PRESIDENT MONSON HAS TAUGHT, "AVOID ANY SEMBLANCE "OF PORNOGRAPHY. "IT WILL DESENSITIZE THE SPIRIT AND ERODE THE CONSCIENCE." FOR THE STRENGTH OF YOUTH STATES: IT CAN DAMAGE YOUR ABILITY TO HAVE A NORMAL RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR FUTURE SPOUSE. THAT ISN'T MERELY CONJECTURE. THOUSANDS OF CASES BEAR WITNESS OF THE DESTRUCTIVE IMPACT ON THE MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP. IN 1986 PRESIDENT EZRA TAFT BENSON WARNED MEMBERS OF THE DANGER OF ANYTHING R-RATED OR BEYOND. THE MEMBERS THOUGHT HE HAD DRAWN A LINE. I KNOW THAT BECAUSE I HAVE HEARD MANY MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH SAY, OH, WE CAN WATCH THAT MOVIE, IT'S ONLY A PG-13, THE PROPHET GAVE US PERMISSION. THEY DON'T SAY THAT LAST PART, BUT THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE THINKING, BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT HE POSTED A SPEED LIMIT, SO TO SPEAK. BUT WHAT WOULD A MOVIE GIVEN AN R-RATING IN 1986 BE RATED TODAY? WOULD YOU AGREE THAT HOLLYWOOD HAS RELAXED ITS STANDARDS? IT IS REFERRED TO AS RATINGS CREEP. HOLLYWOOD HAS GRADUALLY ALLOWED MORE VULGARITY, PROFANITY, NUDITY, VIOLENCE, SEX, ETC. OVER THE DECADES WHILE MAINTAINING THE SAME RATING. DOES THE WORD, CREEP REMIND YOU OF, THE SERPENT THAT WAS MORE SUBTLE THAN ANY BEAST OF THE FIELD, AS WE READ IN BOTH GENESIS AND THE BOOK OF MOSES? WELL, YOU DON'T NEED A STUDY TO VERIFY THE REALITY OF RATINGS-CREEP. IF YOU ARE UNAWARE OF THIS CREEPING PHENOMENON, IT'S LIKELY GOOD EVIDENCE THAT YOU HAVE BECOME DESENSITIZED YOURSELF TO THIS DANGEROUS TREND AND ARE IN A POT OF WATER WITH THE TEMPERATURE ON THE RISE. THE CUNNING RESULT OF THIS CREEPING TREND IS THAT THE 1986 R-RATED MOVIE HAS DECEPTIVELY BECOME A PG-13 OR PG MOVIE IN 2013. THE SHIFTING OR CREEPING OF THE LINE COULD BE COMPARED TO THE MISTS IN LEHI'S DREAM THAT BLIND THE EYES AND HARDEN THE HEARTS OF THE CHILDREN OF MEN, AND LEADETH THEM AWAY INTO BROAD ROADS, THAT THEY PERISH AND ARE LOST. AS MEMBERS JUSTIFY THE VIEWING OF SUCH MOVIES BASED UPON A DECEPTIVE RATING, THEY BECOME MORE AND MORE DESENSITIZED TO INAPPROPRIATE MATERIAL THAT A PROPHET IDENTIFIED AS DANGEROUS BACK IN 1986. THOSE SO DECEIVED, ARE PACIFIED AND LULLED INTO SATAN'S TERRITORY, HENCE THIS WARNING IN FOR THE STRENGTH OF YOUTH. IF VIRTUE IS TO GARNISH OUR THOUGHTS UNCEASINGLY THEN AS WE PRAY IN FAITH TO AVOID TEMPTATION, WE ESPECIALLY NEED TO BE WATCHFUL AND ON OUR GUARD WITH TODAY'S MEDIA. WHAT IS ON TV OR ONLINE IT IS PERHAPS THE GREATEST SPOILER OF VIRTUOUS THINKING. THE MOVIE RATING OR PRINCIPLE WE SHOULD USE IS ACTUALLY A PRINCIPLE FROM ARTICLE OF FAITH 13. WE WATCH OR VIEW THAT WHICH THAT IS VIRTUOUS, LOVELY, OR OF GOOD REPORT OR PRAISEWORTHY. THE HOLY GHOST SHOULD BE OUR INTERNET, MOVIE, OR TV GUIDE. LET'S SHIFT THE SPECTRUM WE ARE CONSIDERING FROM MOVIES TO DATING. THIS TIME WE WILL LET MY FAR RIGHT REPRESENT HOLDING HANDS, AND TO MY FAR LEFT, FORNICATION. BETWEEN THESE TWO EXTREMES WHERE DO WE DRAW THE LINE OVER WHICH WE SHOULD NOT CROSS? FOR EXAMPLE, CAN A YOUNG MAN AND A YOUNG WOMAN KISS? I'M SURE THERE ARE MANY IN THE AUDIENCE WHO ARE THINKING, I SURE HOPE SO! I'M NOT GOING TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION WITH A LINE, BUT RATHER WITH A PRINCIPLE FROM FOR THE STRENGTH OF YOUTH, WHEN MY OLDEST DAUGHTER WAS DATING I TAUGHT HER THIS SAME PRINCIPLE IN THIS WAY, WHEN A PERSON DOES ANYTHING ON PURPOSE, OUTSIDE THE BONDS OF MARRIAGE, TO SEXUALLY AROUSE ANOTHER PERSON, HE OR SHE IS CROSSING OVER A LINE INTO SACRED TERRITORY. SHE SAID, DAD, THAT CAN'T BE ENTIRELY TRUE, BECAUSE A MAN MAY SEE A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN WALKING DOWN THE STREET AND BECOME AROUSED. I RESPONDED, BUT DID SHE DO ANYTHING ON PURPOSE TO AROUSE HIM? IF SHE WAS DRESSED MODESTLY SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG. BUT IF SHE WAS DRESSED IMMODESTLY THEN SHE CROSSED OVER THE LINE IN THE WAY SHE DRESSED. WHEN YOU PONDER ON THIS PRINCIPLE, YOU WILL REALIZE THAT A PERSON CAN CROSS OVER THAT SACRED LINE IN THE WAY THEY DRESS, IN THEIR CONVERSATION, IN THE WAY THEY DANCE, AND CLEARLY IN THE WAY THEY ACT AND TOUCH EACH OTHER. WITH THIS PRINCIPLE IN MIND LET ME RETURN TO THE QUESTION OF KISSING. CAN A YOUNG MAN AND A YOUNG WOMAN KISS? WELL THE CORRECT ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS, IT DEPENDS. FOR THE STRENGTH OF YOUTH CAUTIONS YOUNG PEOPLE "TO NOT PARTICIPATE IN PASSIONATE KISSING." WHY? BECAUSE PASSIONATE KISSING PUTS THE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE IN YOUR HAND, WARM AND MOIST AND SMELLING GOOD, AND YOUR BODY BEGINS TO PREPARE ITSELF FOR THE COOKIE. YOU ARE NO LONGER SIMPLY FIGHTING TEMPTATION, BUT ALSO FIGHTING SOME POWERFUL BODY CHEMISTRY AND INVITING TEMPTATION, NOT AVOIDING IT. THAT KIND OF KISSING SHOULD BE RESERVED FOR MARRIAGE. PRESIDENT SPENCER W. KIMBALL SAID, DID YOU NOTICE THAT PRESIDENT KIMBALL USED THE SINGULAR FORM OF THE WORD KISS? KISSES, THE PLURAL FORM WILL LIKELY VIOLATE THE PRINCIPLE WE JUST LEARNED. OF BEGINNING TO AROUSE EACH OTHER. TO HELP YOU KEEP THE SPIRIT OF PRESIDENT KIMBALL'S COUNSEL, LET ME ALSO ADD THAT IT SHOULD BE A BRIEF KISS WHEN COURTING, AS A PROLONGED KISS WILL ALSO SHIFT YOUR BODY'S CHEMISTRY INTO HIGH GEAR. MANY YEARS AGO WHILE I WAS SERVING AS A BISHOP I HAD ONE OF MY BEAUTIFUL LAURELS COME INTO THE BISHOP'S OFFICE TO LET ME KNOW THAT SHE AND HER BOYFRIEND HAD BEEN NIBBLING ON THE COOKIES, MEANING PASSIONATE KISSING, WHICH HAD ESCALATED TO EATING THE ENTIRE COOKIE. DURING THE CONVERSATION SHE SAID, BUT BISHOP, WE ARE GOING TO GET MARRIED. I SAID, IF IT IS TRUE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO GET MARRIED, YOU HAVE DEMONSTRATED TO EACH OTHER THAT YOU AREN'T WISE ENOUGH TO AVOID, NOR STRONG ENOUGH TO RESIST THE COOKIES. YOU HAVE DEMONSTRATED TO EACH OTHER THAT YOU CAN'T FULLY TRUST EACH OTHER. AFTER MARRIAGE, WHEN LIFE HAS BECOME ROUTINE, AND LESS GLAMOROUS THAN COURTSHIP, WILL YOU BE ABLE TO FULLY TRUST YOUR HUSBAND, WHEN AN ATTRACTIVE WOMAN AT WORK OR ELSEWHERE, NOT A CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE THIS TIME, BUT A CUTE LITTLE SNICKERDOODLE STARTS FLIRTING WITH HIM. WHAT WILL YOUR LEVEL OF TRUST BE IN HIM WHEN HE HAS DEMONSTRATED TO YOU HIS WEAKNESS WITH COOKIES? AND WILL HE BE ABLE TO FULLY TRUST YOU WHEN LIFE BECOMES A LITTLE HUMDRUM AND SOME OTHER MAN BEGINS TO SHOW INTEREST IN YOU, NOT A CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE THIS TIME, BUT A WHITE CHUNK MACADAMIA. BUT A THE BEST WEDDING GIFT YOU CAN GIVE YOUR FUTURE SPOUSE IS THE GIFT OF TRUST, A GIFT GIVEN BY COVENANT AT THE ALTAR IN THE TEMPLE, BUT CREATED AS YOU MUTUALLY DEMONSTRATE RESPECT, LOYALTY AND STRENGTH OF CHARACTER WITH EACH OTHER DURING COURTSHIP. FOR A MARRIAGE THAT DID NOT BEGIN WITH THIS PRICELESS GIFT, THE TRUST CAN BE EARNED ONLY THROUGH SINCERE REPENTANCE, BUT MAY TAKE TIME. TO HELP YOU DEVELOP THE GIFT OF TRUST DURING COURTSHIP, FOR THE STRENGTH OF YOUTH SHARES THE FOLLOWING AVOID PRINCIPLES. ALL OF THESE ARE AVOID PRINCIPLES THAT WILL HELP YOU AVOID TEMPTING SITUATIONS. AVOIDING TEMPTATION SHOULD BE OUR FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE. HOWEVER, WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE THE WHEAT IS GROWING TOGETHER WITH THE TARES, AND WHEN IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPLETELY AVOID TEMPTATION. BUT IT WOULD BE WISE TO MINIMIZE IT TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE. WHEN WE ARE FACED WITH TEMPTATION WE SHOULD RESIST IT WITH AN AVOIDANCE MENTALITY. GET THEE BEHIND ME WAS THE SAVIOR'S EXAMPLE OF RESISTING WITH AN AVOIDANCE MENTALITY. HE SUFFERED TEMPTATIONS BUT GAVE NO HEED UNTO THEM. WHEN WE ARE FACED WITH TEMPTATION IT WOULD BE WISE TO FOLLOW THE SAVIOR'S EXAMPLE, BY DISMISSING SATAN WITHOUT ANY FURTHER ARGUMENT OR DISCUSSION, IMMEDIATELY AND SWIFTLY. JOSEPH FLEEING FROM THE RAPACIOUS ARMS OF POTIPHAR'S WIFE IS ANOTHER GOOD EXAMPLE OF THIS PRINCIPLE. THERE MAY BE SOME HERE WHO HAVE NIBBLED ON OR YIELDED COMPLETELY TO THE COOKIES, SPEAKING METAPHORICALLY. IF THAT INCLUDES YOU, PLEASE SEE YOUR BISHOP. HE LOVES YOU AND WILL HELP YOU THROUGH THE REPENTANCE PROCESS. IT WOULD BE MY HOPE THAT YOU WOULD LEAVE HIS OFFICE FEELING THE LOVE OF THE SAVIOR THROUGH HIM, AND THE HOPE AND FORGIVENESS THAT COMES FROM THE SAVIOR'S GRACE TO THOSE WHO TRULY REPENT. WHATEVER YOUR WEAKNESS OR TEMPTATION IS, AND WE ALL HAVE THEM, IF YOUR DESIRE IS TO AVOID THAT TEMPTATION IN THE FUTURE, REMEMBER THAT THE SAVIOR WANTS TO HELP YOU. HIS GRACE ACCORDING TO THE GUIDE TO THE SCRIPTURE IS, ALMA THE YOUNGER IS ONE WHO HOW DOES THE SAVIOR KNOW HOW TO SUCCOR THOSE WHO ARE TEMPTED? BECAUSE: ALMA THE YOUNGER IS ONE WHO WAS REFERRED TO AS VERY WICKED, AND WITH THE SONS OF MOSIAH, THE VILEST OF SINNERS. UNLIKE THE SAVIOR WHO NEVER PAID HEED TO TEMPTATION, ALMA HAD. AFTER REPENTING OF HIS SINS, ALMA DESCRIBED THE INCREDIBLE CLEAN FEELING THAT CAME TO HIM THROUGH THE SAVIOR'S LOVE AND GRACE, "THERE CAN BE NOTHING "SO EXQUISITE AND SWEET AS WAS MY JOY." BECAUSE HE KNEW WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO FACE TEMPTATION AND SUCCUMB, ALMA GAVE HIS OWN AVOID, OR WATCH AND PRAY ADVICE TO THOSE WHO ARE IN A SIMILAR SITUATION. MY PARTING PRAYER IS SIMILAR, THAT THE LORD WILL BLESS EACH OF YOU WITH THE SAME WISDOM WITH WHICH HE BLESSED SOLOMON, TO HELP YOU AVOID TEMPTATION RATHER THAN TRYING TO RESIST IT; AND WITH THE STRENGTH TO QUICKLY DISMISS TEMPTATION IN THOSE SITUATIONS WHERE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPLETELY AVOID IT, IT, IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, AMEN. ♪♪ >>THIS BYU DEVOTIONAL ADDRESS WITH ELDER LYNN G. ROBBINS WAS GIVEN ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2013.

Early years

George R. Lunn was born June 23, 1873, on a farm located near the small town of Lenox, Iowa.[1] His parents, Martin Adolphus Lunn and the former Martha Bratton, reared 6 surviving children, four boys and two girls, with three others dying in infancy.[2]

The son and grandson of farmers, Lunn was raised in a conservative religious household which strictly observed the Sabbath and regarded the playing of musical instruments in church to be an unacceptable nod to secularity.[3] The family relocated to the city of Des Moines when George was just a boy, and he quit school at the age of 12 to work there as a paperboy.[1]

At the age of 17 Lunn left home and briefly relocated to Council Bluffs, Iowa.[4] He then made his way further west to Omaha, Nebraska, where he worked as the driver of a delivery wagon.[1] As a teenager, Lunn decided to enter the Christian ministry and he began three years of preparatory educational work to make up the high school education that he lacked.[4]

He was accepted to Bellevue College in Bellevue, Nebraska, enrolling in the fall of 1892 and graduating in 1897.[1] In 1893 the 20-year old Lunn was approached by the congregation of a small church in La Platte, Nebraska, located five miles south of Bellevue, and was asked to become their pastor.[5] Although he had never preached before, church parishioners were not aware of this fact and Lunn accepted the position.[5] He would retain the position for several years, paid out of the church's weekly collections.[5]

Lunn was anxious to attend the Princeton Theological Seminary and in the fall of 1897 he enrolled there.[6] However, near the end of his first year at Princeton the Spanish–American War erupted.[6] He returned home to Omaha to take over a Presbyterian pastorate for the summer, where he was convinced to take a position offered him as a chaplain in the United States Army, holding the rank of Corporal as part of the Company A of the Third Nebraska Regiment.[1] He spent the duration of the brief war stationed in Jacksonville, Florida.[7]

Following his release from the military, Lunn enrolled at Union Theological Seminary—an institution which he felt was less conservative and constraining than was the Princeton Seminary.[7] He would graduate from Union Theological Seminary in 1901, finally gaining ordination as a Presbyterian minister.[7]

Lunn married in May 1901[7] and upon graduation was called to be the associate pastor of the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn.[8][1] He would remain there until 1904, at which time he was named the pastor of the First Dutch Reformed Church of Schenectady, New York.[1]

Political career

Closely concerned with matters of ethics and poverty, Lunn became a Christian socialist, testifying the social gospel from the pulpit. Seeking to eliminate suffering through structural change, Lunn joined the Socialist Party of America and in 1911 he was elected Mayor of Schenectady at the head of the local Socialist ticket.[1] His term was marked by a commitment to expansion of the city's parks and playgrounds, establishment of city health centers, and improvements in the local system of public schools and in garbage collections—the classic range of practical programmatic interests later known as sewer socialism.[1]

Lunn (left) moments before his arrest during the 1912 Little Falls textile strike

During his first term of office, Lunn was invited to speak in support of a strike then in progress in the town of Little Falls, New York.[1] He accepted the offer but was denied permission to speak by city officials in a public park.[1] Lunn nevertheless attempted to speak, reading from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and wound up as one of four people arrested on charges of "inciting to riot"[9]—charges later dropped when the tension of the situation lessened.[1]

Lunn's first term ran from 1911 to 1913 and he was returned to office for a second two-year term in 1915, again on the ticket of the Socialist Party. During his second term of office, Lunn was approached by officials of the Democratic Party and invited to switch parties for a run for United States Congress.[1]

He was elected as a Democrat to the 65th United States Congress, and served from March 4, 1917, to March 3, 1919.[10] In 1920, he was defeated by Harry C. Walker in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senator from New York.[11]

From 1919 to 1923 he served again as Schenectady's Mayor.[12] He was a Delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, and 1936.[13]

Lunn was Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1923 to 1924, elected on the Democratic ticket in 1922, but defeated for re-election in 1924, even as Democratic Governor Alfred E. Smith was winning reelection.[14] The 1924 election was the last in which the Governor and Lieutenant Governor were elected on different tickets.[15]

In 1925, Lunn was appointed to the New York Public Service Commission, and he served until 1942.[16][17]

He served as Commander-in-Chief of the United Spanish War Veterans from 1931 to 1932.[18]

Death and burial

Lunn retired to Del Mar, California, where he died on November 27, 1948.[19] He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.[20] Together with his first wife, the former Mabel Healy of Brooklyn, Lunn raised a total of 5 children.[1] Made a widower in 1931, Lunn remarried in 1932, wedding Anita Oliver Jensen of California.[1]

Works

See also

Further reading

  • George R. Lunn Gardner, The Schenectadians: The Story of Schenectady's 20th Century and Two Men Who Helped Shape It. Writer's Club Press, 2001.
  • Gurnett, Kate. 'The rise of socialism in Schenectady. Albany Times Union. Monday, June 12, 2006.
  • Kenneth E. Hendrickson Jr., Tribune of the People: George R. Lunn and the Rise and Fall of Christian Socialism in Schenectady, in Bruce M. Stave (ed.), Socialism and the Cities, Port Washington: Kennikat Press. 1975.
  • Kenneth E. Hendrickson Jr., "George R. Lunn and the Socialist Era in Schenectady, New York, 1909-1916," New York History, vol. 47, no. 1 (January 1966), pp. 22–40. In JSTOR
  • George R. Lunn: A Memorial. Rancho Santa Fe, CA: n.p., 1949.
  • United States Congress. "George R. Lunn (id: L000518)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Allen Eddy, "Biographical Notes," New York State Journal, Dec. 8, 1948. Reprinted in George R. Lunn: A Memorial. Rancho Santa Fe, CA: n.p., 1949; unpaginated [pp. 10–13].
  2. ^ George Richard Lunn Gardner, The Schenectadians: The Story of Schenectady's 20th Century, and Two Men Who Helped Shape it. Lincoln, NE: Writers Club Press, 2001; pg. 6.
  3. ^ Gardner, The Schenectadians, pg. 5.
  4. ^ a b Gardner, The Schenectadians, pg. 7.
  5. ^ a b c Gardner, The Schenectadians, pg. 8.
  6. ^ a b Gardner, The Schenectadians, pg. 10.
  7. ^ a b c d Gardner, The Schenectadians, pg. 11.
  8. ^ Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church Archives, Brooklyn Historical Society.
  9. ^ "Lunn Arrested Again: Committed to Jail in Herkimer with Four Companions on Riot Charge", New York Times, October 18, 1912
  10. ^ New York Secretary of State, Manual for Use of the Legislature of the State of New York, 1918, page 338
  11. ^ New York Times, Lunn to Speak for Democrats, September 20, 1920
  12. ^ Peter R. Eisenstadt, Laura-Eve Moss, The Encyclopedia Of New York State, 2005, page 935
  13. ^ Congressional Quarterly Press, Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1996, 1997, pages 1422 to 1423
  14. ^ New York Times, G.O.P. Gets State Offices: Lieut. Governor Lunn and All Other Incumbents Defeated, November 6, 1924
  15. ^ New York Times, Lowman Dies 71: Ex-Lt. Governor, March 14, 1940
  16. ^ Wall Street Journal, Lunn Confirmed for P.S.C., March 19, 1925
  17. ^ New York Times, George R. Lunn Resigns, April 8, 1942
  18. ^ Eugene Beals (ed.), "Commander-in-Chiefs of National Encampments, United Spanish War Veterans," Archived 2009-03-18 at the Wayback Machine Roots Web, www.ancestry.com/
  19. ^ New York Times, Ex-Lieut. Gov. Lunn Dies on Coast, November 28, 1948
  20. ^ Lawrence Kestenbaum (ed.), "George Richard Lunn," Political Graveyard.com

External links

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 30th congressional district

1917–1919
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of New York
1923–1924
Succeeded by
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