Men Will Be Punished

This is a concept that many just don’t get. We are responsible for and punished for only our own sins. God will not punish us for anyone else’s sins. While we do suffer the consequences of another’s choices, that is not the same as punishment for sins that we have not repented of. By the same token we will not be given blessings for anyone else’s righteousness and obedience. Hence the parable of the Ten Virgins. Salvation is, as Pres. Nelson says, an individual matter; while exaltation is a family matter. I think I gave a talk on this subject years ago, personal choice and accountability.

this is a place where gender neutral language actually will be helpful because women reading this take it gendered and teach that men will be punished for fornication but Jesus forgives whores.

I am not convinced.

@ jeorge,
I remain unconvinced, because although ‘man’ is a bit archaic, anyone can look at ‘man’ and realize that what is meant is ‘mankind’ – ‘humankind’ – if they think for a minute.

Certainly I would not think that any woman who has read and understood the Beatitudes would have the slightest difficulty applying Jesus’ commandment not to even think about sin universally. We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Likewise, we are all commanded to repent. There’s not much wiggle room there for men OR women.

There was once a time when it was understood that “men” in English meant “people,” not “adult males.”

The cognates in English’s closest relatives, Dutch and German, bear this out; “mensen” (Dutch) and “menschen” (German) both mean “people.” Their terms for adult males are, respectively, “mannen” and “männer.”

Then there’s mankind, which literally means “child of man.” Child=kind (short i, like in kindergarten) in both Dutch and German. When one thinks of Adam as the first man, or Christ as the Son of Man, this term gains ever more meaning.

So, for example, when Thomas Jefferson wrote “all men are created equal,” he wasn’t being as sexist as modern folk like to think. Nor was Lehi being sexist when he said “men are that they might have joy.”

It’s one of those great ironies for me that I learn more about English by studying other languages than I have from studying English directly.