How does the breakdown of the family affect
society? How can we strengthen our
families and society? What effects do
education, morals, and religion have on families and communities?
Most of us are aware that the divide between the
people in our nation continues to grow wider and deeper. Liberals claim that the divide is caused by
rich people who are not willing to share their worldly goods. Their answer is to tax the rich more and
distribute the money to the poor. Conservatives
claim that people are poor because they are too dependent on government for
handouts. Their answer is to set goals
and work hard in order to live the American dream. Conservatives just want equal justice for all
under the U.S. Constitution. Elder M.
Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that society has moved away from God and
that simply living the doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ can make the
greatest difference in the rate of family breakdowns, societal problems, and
economic ills.
"It
is our homes and families that need reforming in this increasingly
materialistic and secular world. A
stunning example is the growing disregard for marriage here in the United States
"We also know that among couples in the United States
"Equally worrisome is the ever-growing gap
between the rich and poor and between those who strive to preserve family
values and commitments and those who have given up on doing so. Statistically, those who have less education
and consequently lower incomes are less likely to marry and to go to church and
much more likely to be involved in crime and to have children outside of
marriage. And these trends are also
troubling in much of the rest of the world.
(See W. Bradford Wilcox and others, "No Money, No Honey, No
Church: The Deinstitutionalization of
Religious Life among the White Working Class," available at
www.virginia.edu/marriageproject/pdfs/Religion_WorkingPaper.pdf.)
"Opposite of what many had thought,
prosperity and education seem to be connected to a higher likelihood of having
traditional families and values.
Elder Ballard questioned the cause and effect of such
happenings. "Do some sectors of our
society have stronger values and families because
they are more educated and prosperous, or are they more educated and prosperous
because they have values and strong
families? In this worldwide church we
know that it is the latter. When people
make family and religious commitments to gospel principles, they begin to do
better spiritually and often temporally as well.
"And, of course, societies at large are
strengthened as families grow stronger.
Commitments to family and values are the basic cause. Nearly everything
else is effect. When couples marry and make commitments to
each other, they greatly increase their chances of economic well-being. When children are born in wedlock and have
both a mom and a dad, their opportunities and their likelihood of occupational
success skyrocket. And when families work and play together, neighborhoods and
communities flourish, economies improve, and less government and fewer costly
safety nets are required.
"So the bad news is that family breakdown is
causing a host of societal and economic ills.
But the good news is that, like any cause and effect, those ills can be
reversed if what is causing them is changed.
Inequities are resolved by living correct principles and values. … the most important cause of our lifetime is our families. If we will devote ourselves to this cause, we
will improve every other aspect of our lives and will become … an example and a
beacon for all peoples of the earth."
After diagnosing the breakdown in families, Elder
Ballard suggested some statistics from the lives of members of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"The Church stands as an example of heart turning and as a catalyst
for good in the world. Among Church
members who are married in the temple and who regularly attend Sunday meetings,
the divorce rate is significantly less than that of the world, and families
remain closer and are in more frequent communication. The health in our families is better, and we
live several years longer than the population average. We contribute more financial resources and
more service per capita to those in need, and we are more likely to seek higher
education. I point out these things not
to boast but to testify that life is better (and much happier) as hearts turn
toward family and as families live in the light of the gospel of Christ."
Elder Ballard then proceeded to list several actions
we can take to strengthen ourselves, our families, our communities, and our
nations. 1) "Prioritize. Put everything you do outside the home in
subjection to and in support of what happens inside your home." He quoted the counsel given by two
prophets. President Harold B. Lee said
that `the most important … work you will ever do will be within the walls of
your own homes' (Teachings of Presidents
of the Church: Harold B. Lee [2001],
134). President David O. McKay
counseled, `No other success can compensate for failure in the home' (quoted
from J. E. McCulloch, Home: the Savior of Civilization [1924], 42; in
Conference Report, Apr. 1935, 116)."
Elder Ballard counseled us to organize our time
and lives in such a way to have time for prayer, scripture study, and wholesome
activities together as families. He
suggested that children should have responsibilities in the home in order for
them to learn how to work and to be prepared to handle the responsibilities of
adulthood. He counseled parents to teach
the gospel of Jesus Christ in the home.
2) "Do things in the right order." Elder
Ballard emphasized that the natural order of things is for a couple to get
married before they began having babies.
He taught young men to "accept cheerfully the responsibilities of family
life" and young women that "No career can bring you as much
fulfillment as rearing a family."
3) "Husband and wives … should be equal partners in your marriage…. No one
owns a spouse or children… Everyone,
married or single, can be happy and supportive within whatever family you may
have."
4) "Use the family resources of the Church." Elder Ballard reminded us of what President
Lee once said, "that the Church is the scaffolding with which we build
eternal families" (see Teachings: Harold B. Lee, 148).
Here we have the words of an Apostle of the Lord
Jesus Christ, giving us counsel on how to overcome the breakdown in families,
the problems in society, and the great divide between the rich and the poor. The answers to our problems lie in living the
gospel of Jesus Christ and putting our trust in God.
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