Family Proclamation #8

Families, communities, and nations are strengthened when individuals understand and live the principles contained in the inspired document known as “The Family:  A Proclamation to the World.”   The proclamation on the family is inspired counsel from living apostles and prophets and contains counsel to help strengthen marriages and families.

The eighth paragraph of the Proclamation states:  “We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God.  Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.”

Heavenly Father planned for all of us – His spirit children - to be born into families where they could be cared for and nurtured until adulthood when we would began our own families.  The family is the core unit of society, the foundation of our communities and nations.  When the family fails, it weakens the community and nation. 

A good illustration of how the strength of families affects communities and nations is a line of dominoes.  The domino represents one individual in a family; the next domino represents their family; the next domino represents their neighborhood; the next domino represents their community; the next domino represents their state; the next domino represents their nation, and the last domino represents the world.  When the individual in the family fails to fulfill their personal responsibilities, they can affect other family members, but their failure could extend to and affect their cities and nations. 

“So vital is the family to the cycle of human life and the renewal of each generation that it is fair to say that if the family breaks down, everything breaks down.  If families do not fulfill their divinely appointed purpose of carrying on the light of truth and the torch of civilization to the next generation, then we can throw any amount of money or ideas or programs at our world’s problems, and we will assuredly fail” (Bruce C. Hafen).

The Proclamation on the Family has been shared with leaders in our communities, states, and nations.  The warning has been sounded to the entire world:  God will hold us accountable for any actions that weaken or destroy families – our own family or any other family.  We must abide by the teachings of God or we will held responsible.

I know that we can solve many of the problems in our nation and world by strengthening individual families.  I know that we can strengthen our communities and nation by fulfilling our own personal responsibilities and by strengthening our families.  I know that communities with strong families are healthier and happier and better for society.