One of my favorite BYU manuals is Strengthening our Families. Chapter 10 in this manual is one my favorites because it describes an LDS family (a fictional family named the Pleasant family - cool name) that has hedonistic problems. Here is the whole chapter that mentions other secular philosophies.As a youth, my brother was handsome, friendly and outgoing―totally dedicated to the gospel. After serving an honorable mission, he married his sweetheart in the temple. They were blessed with a son and a daughter. His future was full of promise.
But then he gave in to a weakness. He chose to live a hedonistic lifestyle, which cost him his health, his marriage, and his membership in the Church.
http://emp.byui.edu/websterb/links/Fait ... Prayer.htm
And some of my favorite quotes:
.Hedonism in Its Many Manifestations
In order to understand what the Proclamation teaches us about families, we need to distinguish secular philosophy from the gospel of Jesus Christ. The pleasant family is trying to seek the happiness and joy of the gospel. However, the joy promised as a result of a relationship with Christ must be carefully separated from the pleasure, happiness, and fulfillment depicted in the popular culture.
The philosophy of hedonism teaches that it is human nature to seek pleasure and avoid pain. We often think of hedonistic lifestyle as promoting the eat, drink, and be merry@ conception of daily life (2 Ne. 28:7-8). However, there are many other, less obvious ways to get caught in this hedonistic trap. Pursuing material things is certainly one culturally acceptable way of getting trapped. President Spencer W. Kimball talked about modern-day idols that find their way into our lives. He warned that many people spend most of their time working in the service of a self-image that includes sufficient money, stocks,. . .credit cards, furnishings, automobiles, and the like to guarantee carnal security throughout, it is hoped, a long and happy life. When we place our trust in such worldly comforts they become our gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know@ (Dan. 5:23).
Placing hope for happiness in such worldly goals is easy to do. We want to provide for our families and bless their lives. Looking to the world for ways to provide happiness, however, comes between us and our families as we devote more and more time to gaining the things of the world. We can forget that what will really bless our family has nothing to do with money or worldly achievements. Just as we want God to know and understand us, our family members want us to know and understand them. When all is said and done, what we remember most about our families is the time we spend together. The things we possess seem unimportant compared to the activities and associations we share with each other.
All too often, we think we are working extra hard for our families when actually we are working hard mainly for our own status and pride. If, for example, John Pleasant were honest with himself, he would know that the time he spends on Tom's car isn't purely about being with Tom. John knows that others in the neighborhood, including other fathers, pay attention to how well Tom's car performs. John feels that to make Tom happy, John has to make the fastest, slickest car in town. The time spent in the shop with Tom, and all the equipment his hobby requires, is as much about keeping up with the Joneses as it is about his son Tom. Certainly, it is good to spend time with Tom, but how much better would it be if Tom were himself the end, instead of the means to John's status in the neighborhood?
President Kimball reminds us that all our resources are to be used "in our families and quorums to build up the kingdom of God. . . to raise our children up as fruitful servants unto the Lord; to bless others in every way, that they may also be fruitful. We must be trying to bless others, rather than trying to accrue things and find our worth in them. The harder we run after the world, the further we will leave our families behind. And when our families see us chasing after the world, we cannot be preparing them to serve the Lord"
The Lord repeatedly promises us happiness and joy in the scriptures. To enter His kingdom and live with Him for eternity is described as never-ending happiness (Mosiah 2:41). But if we follow the commandments or live the gospel just so that we can make ourselves happy, happiness will elude us. Happiness that comes from the Lord cannot be separated from loving the Lord and doing His will. As such, that happiness cannot be pursued in itself. Christ made this clear when speaking of Lot's wife. Recall that she perished because her heart was not with the Lord but with her own happiness and worldly possessions: Remember Lots' wife. Whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it (Luke 17:32-33). Christ clarifies in other scriptures what truly preserving life means: it means that those who lose their lives for His sake shall find them see matt. 10:39). Seeking or pursuing happiness for ourselves, even if it is through what we think are gospel principles, does not bring happiness. Only seeking to serve the Lord brings true happiness.
Hedonism is a philosophy that claims it is human nature to seek happiness and pleasure. However, the happiness of hedonism will never bring us the happiness found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hedonism deceptively points us toward the happiness of the world through possessions, status, and self, and away from our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and our families. Hedonism also says that pain should and must be avoided in order for us to be happy. Christ, on the other hand, teaches us that we can find meaning in or trials. His own life is evidence of this. Our trials can strengthen our relationships with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and our families. Hedonism ignores Christ's active and saving role in or lives and teaches us instead to seek our own comfort and happiness.
