Beauty, Power, Corruption

A short, but hopefully, well-packaged thought from your friendly neighborhood, scholar-saint in pursuit of truth, wisdom, and a touch of the absurd (provided that it is truthfully wise, absurdly truthful, et al)

A syllogism...

Beauty is power, power corrupts, therefore, beauty corrupts...

Ladies, believe it or not, Doctrine and Covenants 121 applies to you too. You know the old reliable technique of replacing a scriptural individual's name with your own? Let's try it again, shall we?

Doctrine and Covenants 121: 36-37, 39, 41-42
36 That the rights of beauty are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.
37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved...
39 We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all (wo)men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.
41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of beauty, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
42 By kindness, and pure bknowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—

(Editorial Aside for quibblers--yes, I'm quite aware that I omitted passages that relate more directly to the priesthood functioning in the church. Surprise! The comparison is not flawless...but are you really telling me that you have a sound doctrinal reason to disagree with what was quoted?)

Thus in classic fashion, if you don't like this, it must be because you take the truth to be hard...And no, I'm not bitter (perhaps I protesteth too much?)...I'm just a watchdog seeking to keep his countrymen safe...