Mala Prohibawhat?

January 20, 2012

Tonight at institute we spoke about the gospel and we were asked in what way it has most blessed our lives. (For those who may be unfamiliar with the terminology, the gospel refers to the teachings, church, scriptures, revelations, etc. of Jesus Christ) Most people mentioned that the greatest blessing for them has been having a direction, purpose and understanding in their life. It's scary not knowing where we should be headed or what we should be doing, how to react to certain situations, temptations, experiences, mishaps and trials or how to have an optimistic view of any of the aforementioned topics. I was rather amazed at how many talked about how they would most likely be in a different spot or their life would be far different; be less happy, make bad decisions and be searching for a clear understanding of what they should be doing in their lives. It's hard to understand what is right and wrong in this day. Thomas S. Monson, the prophet, said recently that less than fifty years ago the standards of society and the standards of the church were somewhat comparable; chastity and virtue were cherished, promiscuity was frowned upon, blatant use of drugs and otherwise unhealthy habits were looked down upon but recently the standard of society has been “Let everyone do whatever makes them happy. Who are we to decide what a person should and should not do?”

When I was in my mid-teens I started attending college classes at the local community college and I began my freshman and sophomore work on my degree. When my counselor asked me what I wanted to get my associates degree in, I was unsure. She asked me “Well, what interests you?” I reflected on all my many interests and thought that it'd probably be difficult to get a degree in guitars, cars or girls (though I probably could have taught a rather lengthy course on female studies)... so, I chose my other interest: CSI. Yep, Crime Scene Investigation... the TV show about using high tech procedures to solve crimes then wrap up every case with a horrible pun like “This goes to show all those bank robbers that crime does NOT pay!” I decided to get a degree in criminal justice, which I did... which coincidentally, I have never used for anything; that's what you get when you let a fifteen year old make grown up decisions. Anyway, the reason I tell that long drawn out story is that there are only a couple things I remember from the 2 years of course work in criminal justice and one of them is that there are two types of crimes: Mala en se and Mala prohibida.

They're fancy Latin words that my fifteen year old mind thought sounded cool so I committed them to memory, I'm so proud of the thousands of dollars my parents spent on my education. Mala en se is a crime that is just wrong in itself, in fact mala is the Latin for bad and se is the Latin word for self, thus bad in self. These are crimes that are just inherently wrong. Murder is almost universally accepted as wrong in itself. Rape is usually considered wrong no matter what and so forth. There are them crimes that are considered Mala Prohibida which means that the crime is wrong only because the law says so. For example, Marijuana is widely accepted and is not considered bad in many societies. The smoking of it in the US is considered bad only because the law prohibits it.

The interesting thing about Mala Prohibida laws is that they are based completely on the society that accepts them. What might have been considered wrong 50 years ago could be widely accepted as normal behavior today. You see how I did a full circle back to my original point? I'm glad you hung in for the ride! Honestly, it scares me to think of the world that my little sister and my children are/will grow up in. Sex is something that used to be revered and respected. It was possibly even considered sacred by society. Sex now is like a foodstamp being handed out to anyone. I have a good friend whose new year resolution for himself was to sleep with 2 different girls every month for the entire year. It broke my heart when he said that. He's a great guy but that is the culture we live in now. That is now the norm.

The gospel is a beacon to me. Honestly, were it not for the gospel I might make those same mistakes. It offers direction and guidance to me as I walk through a world with crumbling values and disintegrating standards. This doesn't just apply to temptation but also applies to trials and calamities that come to pass in one's life. It can be difficult to see bad things happen to good people and see wicked men triumph while good men suffer. The gospel offers peace and understanding in the face of disparity and heartbreak.

I don't write this as a person who says “Look how much more blessed I am that everyone else!” I write this with a gratitude for what I have been taught and where it has led me. I wish everyone could have the sense of direction that I've felt and I wish that people could feel confidence in the face of tribulations. There are many bad things that happen in this world and without understanding one could feel hopeless. There is hope though. The word gospel literally means “Good News” and I believe that that is true!