Fear of men's judgment, love of praise weighs heavily on choices of the proud
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"The proud stand more in fear of men's judgment than of God's judgment, said President Ezra Taft Benson in an April 1989 general conference address. " `What will men think of me?' weighs heavier than `What will God think of me?'
"King Noah was about to free the prophet Abinadi, but an appeal to his pride by his wicked priests sent Abinadi to the flames. (See Mosiah 17:11-12.) Herod sorrowed at the request of his wife to behead John the Baptist. But his prideful desire to look good to `them which sat with him at meat' caused him to kill John. (Matt. 14:9; see also Mark 6:26.)"Fear of men's judgment manifests itself in competition for men's approval. The proud love `the praise of men more than the praise of God.' (John 12:42-43.) Our motives for the things we do are where the sin is manifest. Jesus said He did `always those things' that pleased God. (John 8:29.) Would we not do well to have the pleasing of God as our motive rather than to try to elevate ourselves above our brother and outdo another?"
President Benson further said: "When pride has a hold on our hearts, we lose our independence of the world and deliver our freedoms to the bondage of men's judgment. The world shouts louder than the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. The reasoning of men overrides the revelations of God, and the proud let go of the iron rod." (See 1 Ne. 8:19-28; 11:25; 15:23-24.)
He said that pride results in secret combinations which are built up to get power, gain, and glory of the world. (See Hel. 7:5; Ether 8:9, 16, 22-23; Moses 5:31.) "This fruit of the sin of pride, namely secret combinations, brought down both the Jaredite and the Nephite civilizations and has been and will yet be the cause of the fall of many nations," he added. (See Ether 8:18-25.)
