In the United States, government officials have instituted a color-coded terrorism alert scale to help the public know the level of danger that exists. This system recently received attention when officials declared an orange condition, which translates into a high risk requiring extra precautions. People were advised to be watchful, cautious and suspicious.

If members of the Church were to apply a similar scale to the level of temptation found in their homes and their offices, what would the color be?

Terrorists threaten harm to the body. Sin harms the spirit as well as, often, the body. Terrorists lurk in shadows and strike with stealth because they know they would be defeated in the light of day. Sin often wanders blatantly in the sunshine, but it disguises itself as something desirable, enjoyable and popular.

However, sin can be successfully avoided and defeated through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is best avoided by identifying temptations and staying as far away from them as possible. In the modern world, that is becoming increasingly difficult. Temptations seep through walls and into homes.

The Parents Television Council, a non-partisan, non-profit group that conducts research into the level of vulgarity on mainstream television, released a report recently cataloging the amount of filth broadcast during the so-called family hour. It found an astounding average of 3.1 instances of sexual material every hour. Most of these involved jokes about things that either ought to be considered sacred or that are gross violations of the commandments.

Coarse language was used 2.6 times per hour on average. The study found that some networks were particularly offensive, while others were relatively tame.

"By poisoning the family hour, the networks and their affiliates, with the generous support of sponsors, are robbing children of their innocence," the group's president, L. Brent Bozell III, was quoted as saying on the council's web site. "Moreover, they do so without any sense of shame."

One could conduct a similar study of popular movies and likely reach a similar conclusion. In addition, some Internet web sites contain pornographic images and other vile temptations.

In the Book of Mormon, Captain Moroni worked diligently to prepare the Nephites against attacks from the wicked king Amalickiah. "Yea, he had been strengthening the armies of the Nephites, and erecting small forts, or places of resort; throwing up banks of earth round about to enclose his armies, and also building walls of stone to encircle them about, round about their cities and the borders of their lands; yea, all round about the land.

"And in their weakest fortifications he did place the greater number of men. . . ." (Alma 48:8-9.)

Is the threat to the spiritual safety of our homes any less than the threat Moroni and the Nephites faced? Should we as members of the Church not be as diligent in fortifying ourselves against temptation, which could sneak in like a thief and slyly rob us and our families of the things that are most precious? Remember that King David was not overtaken by a foreign army, but by temptation, which came from remaining where he shouldn't have stayed, and that led to a lustful desire for another man's wife.

President Gordon B. Hinckley has clearly warned young people to avoid temptation. "Be clean," he said in a talk a few years ago to Colorado youth. "I cannot emphasize that enough. Be clean. It is so very, very important, and you at your age are in such temptation all the time. It is thrown at you on television. It is thrown at you in books and magazines and videos. You do not have to rent them. Don't do it. Just don't do it. Don't look at them. If somebody proposes that you sit around all night watching some of that sleazy stuff, you say, 'It's not for me.' Stay away from it."

The same warning applies to adults, who often labor under the illusion they can walk through a bog without getting muddy.

Each of us has an alert system — one that is far more accurate than any government system could be. It is the Spirit of Christ and, for those who have been baptized and confirmed, the gift of the Holy Ghost. These are tools to help us recognize when temptation is at a critical point and when it is time to move out of harm's way. It is a system that must be nurtured and treated with respect. If heeded, it could save our eternal lives.