No moral turpitude?

A quote from some CLE reading today commenting on the new California Rules of Professional Responsibility:

The ABA abandoned the concept of “moral turpitude” over twenty-five years ago when it adopted the first iteration of the Model Rules. The justification for removing the concept of “moral turpitude” is found in Comment [2] to Model Rule 8.4:

Many kinds of illegal conduct reflect adversely on fitness to practice law, such as offenses involving fraud and the offense of willful failure to file an income tax return. However, some kinds of offenses carry no such implication. Traditionally, the distinction was drawn in terms of offenses involving “moral turpitude.” That concept can be construed to include offenses concerning some matters of personal morality, such as adultery and comparable offenses, that have no specific connection to fitness for the practice of law. Although a lawyer is personally answerable to the entire criminal law, a lawyer should be professionally answerable only for offenses that indicate lack of those characteristics relevant to law practice. Offenses involving violence, dishonesty, breach of trust, or serious interference with the administration of justice are in that category.

I find it funny that "adultery and comparable offenses" are not considered "offenses involving...dishonesty, [or] breach of trust." Sadly, such is the world.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkeness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  -Isaiah 5:20

This seems like an especially good scriptures for lawyers (Christ addressed them not infrequently!):

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.  -Matthew 12:34-35

Sanctified through the Truth

Scripture for today:

And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.  -John 17:19

First things first: consult the dictionary.

sanc·ti·fy /ˈsæŋktəˌfaɪ/ Show Spelled[sangk-tuh-fahy] verb (used with object), -fied, -fy·ing.

1.to make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate.

2. to purify or free from sin: Sanctify your hearts.

3. to impart religious sanction to; render legitimate or binding: to sanctify a vow.

4. to entitle to reverence or respect.

5. to make productive of or conducive to spiritual blessing.

truth /truθ/ Show Spelled[trooth]  noun, plural truths

1.the true or actual state of a matter: He tried to find out the truth. 

2. conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of a statement.

3. a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like: mathematical truths.

4. the state or character of being true.

5.actuality or actual existence.

I mostly an curious about the second half of the scripture: how are we sanctified through the truth? It reminded me of another scripture in John:

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. -John 8:32

In that chapter Christ elaborated a bit more on how that works:

Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth forever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. -John 8:34-36

So in one sense, we are talking about Christ when we say truth. He is the truth, so we are sanctified through Him.

I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.  -John 14:6

But then why didn't He just say, "they might be sanctified through me."? Then we would miss out on the connectedness of it all. We are taught that all truth is one great whole, so as we learn truth and live it, we come to know Him.

For you shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God. For the word of the Lord is truth and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit, and every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father. And the Father teacheth him of the covenant which he has renewed and confirmed upon you... -Doctrine & Covenants 84:44-48

...my voice is Spirit; my Spirit is truth; truth abideth and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound. And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things. Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become singe to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you... Remember the great and last promise which I have made unto you; cast away your idle thoughts and your excess of laughter far from you.  -Doctrine & Covenants 88: 66-69

That is why we as members of His church are taught to be truth-seeking people. John A Widtsoe said:

Mormonism [is] a system of truth which includes all truth, which accepts all truth. . . . A system which leads its followers into a life-long pursuit of truth.  (Parrish, John A. Widtsoe, A Biography, 360.)

I get the feeling I could keep finding more and more on the subject (since truth has no end and all), but that will have to do for today.

Driving directions.

To give myself a little credit, I have studied my scriptures since August 29th. But I could do a bit better. I went to the temple Saturday morning in a kind-of last-minute trip, since I needed to go to Oakland anyway. Of course I was in too much of a hurry to stop and double-check the directions, so of course I took a wrong turn and got totally off track up in the hills. I generally knew where I was in relation to the temple, but didn't know which windy road would get me there. Eventually I found a familiar street, got oriented, and found the temple, but I missed the 8am session.

As I was driving frustratedly (quite the adverb, eh?), I thought about how that experience encapsulates some of my busy days. When I don't consult the scriptures prayerfully, I wander. I still know the general direction in which I want to go, but it takes a lot more time and frustration to get there, and my tardiness may lead to missed blessings. Why am I so silly to neglect something so important, or to only give it a cursory thought or glance? I don't think I can ever know the scriptures so well that I don't need to consult them to guide my day =).