Is the Family Under Attack?

            Children and families will benefit immensely if parents, communities, and nations understand that the family, the core unit of society, is under attack from evil sources.

            In September 1995, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles published a document known as "The Family: A Proclamation to the World." At the time that the proclamation was published, marriage and the family were doing well. In the past twenty-five plus years, marriage and the family have come under severe attack. The prophets, seers, and revelators could see what was coming and tried to warn us. 

            I have watched in horror as the family has disintegrated, and children have suffered over the past two decades. However, I had no idea how bad it has become. I was stunned by the information in a video that I watched this week.

Evil perpetrators are earning millions of dollars by trafficking on children and teens. I know that knowledge brings power, so I am sharing the link to this video with the hope that more people will know what is happening in the world and how Americans are supporting child abuse in foreign nations. I encourage you to watch the video although it is difficult to see. As a warning, make sure that your children are out of the room and out of earshot. 

Please share the link to this video widely. I know that sharing knowledge can be helpful in strengthening families, communities, and nations.

Fulfill Family Responsibilities

                We can strengthen our families, communities, and nations by studying the document titled “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” and by following its precepts. One way to study the proclamation is one paragraph at a time. This is the eleventh article in this series.

                Paragraph eight of the proclamation on the family 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.”

                This paragraph clearly tells the importance of protecting families and individual members of families. God expects us to treat each other as He would treat us. If we do not, we will suffer the consequences.

                Elder M. Russell Ballard spoke in October 2003 on this topic in a talk titled “Let Our Voices Be Heard.” He says, “The family is at the heart of Heavenly Father’s plan because we are all part of His family and because mortality is our opportunity to form our own families and to assume the role of parents. It is within our families that we learn unconditional love, which can come to us and draw us very close to God’s love. It is within families that values are taught and character is built. Father and mother are callings from which we will never be released, and there is no more important stewardship than the responsibility we have for God’s spirit children who come into our families.”

                Heavenly Father sent us to earth to live in families. There He expects us to learn His ways and to follow in the footsteps of His Son, even Jesus Christ. The family is the basic unit of society here on earth and in the kingdom of heaven.

                Elder Bruce D. Porter of the Seventy also spoke of the importance of families. In his talk titled “Defending the Family in a Troubled World,” Elder Porter says, “In families more than anywhere else children learn the values, practical life skills, manners, and fundamental truths that enable them to rise up and be successful in the world. They learn the all-important attributes of love, unselfishness, sharing, giving, and hard work that someday will be essential for them to form families of their own and to rear up a new generation in order that the great wheel of life may roll onward. 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.”

                As we can see from these two quotes from an Apostle and a Seventy, the family is critical to our success as society. We must protect the family!

                As you study the eighth paragraph of the proclamation, you may want to share what you learn in a family home evening. This site has a wonderful family home evening program all outlined with lesson, music, activity, and refreshments. I hope that you will strengthen your family, community, and nation by fulfilling your family responsibilities. 

Sacred Powers of Procreation

                We can strengthen our families, communities, and nations by studying “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” and by following its precepts. One way to study the proclamation is one paragraph at a time. This is the fourth article in this series.

                The fourth paragraph of the proclamation states, “The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.”

                This paragraph clearly explains that the sacred powers to create life – sex – should be employed only between a man and woman who are legally married to each other. This is God’s standard. If we have proper reverence for these powers and complete all the other requirements, we can continue to procreate in the next life.

                President Henry B. Eyring states, “We can understand why our Heavenly Father commands us to reverence life and to cherish the powers that produce it as sacred. If we do not have those reverential feelings in this life, how could our Father give them to us in the eternities? Family life here is the schoolroom in which we prepare for family life there.”

                We know that we should treat sacred things sacred. We must understand that the powers necessary to create life are some of the most sacred powers available to mankind. These powers are privileges given to gods for eternity and loaned to mankind for a few short years to see how we will reverence them.

                Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in an epic talk about this subject says, “Secondly, may I stress that human intimacy is reserved for a married couple because it is the ultimate symbol of total union, a totality and a union ordained and defined by God. From the Garden of Eden onward, marriage was intended to mean the complete merger of a man and a woman – their hearts, hopes, lives, love, family, future, everything. Adam said of Eve that she was bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh, and that they were to be `one flesh’ in their life together. This is a union of such completeness that we use the word seal to convey its eternal promise…. But such a total union, such an unyielding commitment between a man and a woman, can only come with the proximity and permanence afforded in a marriage covenant, with solemn promises and the pledge of all they possess – their very hearts and minds, all their days and all their dreams.”

                God commanded Adam and Eve to become “one flesh” and to become one in purpose. That purpose is to provide bodies for spirit children and to become an eternal family. We do this by learning the gospel of Jesus Christ, receiving priesthood ordinances and keeping all God’s commandments.

                As you study the fourth paragraph of the proclamation, you may want to share what you learn in a family home evening. This site has a wonderful family home evening program all outlined with lesson, music, activity, and refreshments. I hope you will use this outline and strengthen your family, community, and nation by understanding the doctrine that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, legally and lawfully married.

Improving Relationships

                Families, communities, and nations are strengthened when we strive to improve our relationships with those we love as well as with our associates.  We can improve relationships best when we have common goals and desires.  We can develop stronger relationships by building them upon the doctrines of Jesus Christ.

                The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published “The Family - A Proclamation to the World” in 1995, and they testify that it applies as much today or even more than it did at that time.  Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said that the proclamation remains “a clarion call to protect and strengthen the family.”  He encouraged all members of the church – as well as other interested people – to “make [the proclamation] a banner not unlike General Moroni’s `title of liberty,’ and to commit ourselves to live by its precepts.”  (See “What Matters Most Is What Lasts Longest,” Ensign, November 2005, 41.)  

                Captain Moroni was a great patriot and prophet of Book of Mormon times and used his “title of liberty” to persuade his fellow countrymen to stand and fight for their wives, children, homes, religion, and country.  We can use the proclamation on the family to strengthen our families, communities, and nations against the temptations of Satan by regular and careful study and by following the counsel of prophets and apostles.

                Last Sunday our stake president encouraged all stake members to study the proclamation carefully and to use what we learn to strengthen relationships.  He challenged married people to improve their relationship with their spouse, single people to improve their relationship with a parent or sibling, and singles without family to improve their relationship with a friend.  He suggested that we choose one of the doctrines listed in the proclamation and work together on it for an entire month and then choose another doctrine to incorporate into our lives.  He promised that we would see changes in our relationships.  By following his counsel and choosing a new doctrine for each new month, we could work on our relationships for at least nine months without needing to search out other doctrines.

                The part of the proclamation on which he wants us to focus is the seventh paragraph, which states, “… Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities….”

                President Gordon B. Hinckley presented this proclamation to the Relief Society sisters in their annual broadcast from Salt Lake City, Utah.  Before he read the proclamation, he touched lightly upon some of the problems faced by many of the sisters, whether they are young or old, married or single.  “With so much of sophistry that is passed off as truth, with so much of deception concerning standards and values, with so much of allurement and enticement to take on the slow stain of the world, we have felt to warn and forewarn.  In furtherance of this we of the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles now issue a proclamation to the Church and to the world as a declaration and reaffirmation of standards, doctrines, and practices relative to the family which the prophets, seers, and revelators of this church have repeatedly stated throughout its history.” 

                President Hinckley then read the proclamation in its entirety before stating:  “We commend to all a careful, thoughtful, and prayerful reading of this proclamation.  The strength of any nation is rooted within the walls of its homes.  We urge our people everywhere to strengthen their families in conformity with these time-honored values.”  (See “Stand Strong Against the Wiles of the World,”  Ensign, November 1995.)  

                The proclamation proved to be prophetic.  It warned about the very problems that we are facing in our nation and world today.  The final two paragraphs contain a warning and a challenge:  “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.

                “We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.”

                I know that the proclamation on the family is needed more today than when it was given eighteen years ago.  I know that we can strengthen our families by following the counsel contained in the proclamation on the family.  I also know that we can strengthen our communities and nations by strengthening our own family because the family is the most important unit of society.

Family Proclamation #9

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 ninth and last paragraph of the Proclamation states:  “We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.”

The family was described by latter-day prophets and apostles as “the fundamental unit of society.”  What does this mean?  I believe the family holds the same place in society as that of a foundation in a building.  The foundation of a building is what holds the structure in place.  When a building does not have a strong foundation, the structure soon loses its proper form and shape and will eventually falls apart.  The same is true of society.  Strong families strengthen the society around them, and society will fall apart if the family fails.

We can encourage other people and our government leaders to protect the family by emphasizing the importance of the family in society.  We can elect only political leaders who support families and  replace those who pass bills destructive to families.  Those people who are attempting to destroy our society are doing so by devaluing marriage and the presence of fathers in the lives of their children.   They encourage premarital sex, support divorce, make abortion available, and encourage dependence on government.  Absent fathers and overburdened mothers are not able to teach, protect, and provide for their families; young people who are left on their own without proper nurturing become burdens on society.  We can see the obvious results of the breakdown of families in the African-American community, as seen in crime-ridden Chicago and bankrupt Detroit.

“One example of great importance for humanity is strengthening our own families.  The principle of family home evening was given to us in 1915.  President McKay reminded parents again in 1964 that `no other success can compensate for failure in the home.’  In 1995 the prophets of our day called upon all the world to strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society….  However worthy and appropriate other demands or activities may be, they must not be permitted to displace the divinely appointed duties that only parents and families can adequately perform” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Heeding the Voice of the Prophets,” Liahona, July 2008.)  

I know that God planned for families to be together forever.  I know that the teachings in the family proclamation are true.  I encourage you to study the complete proclamation and visit my posts about the other paragraphs of the proclamation.

Women and the Priesthood

                Have you ever wondered how women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints work with priesthood holders to build the kingdom of God?  As a woman who is a lifelong member of the Church, I have observed and experienced women working with priesthood holders in homes and in the Church for my entire life.  While serving as the president of the Relief Society in our ward, I had the opportunity and blessing of meeting monthly with the Bishop to discuss the needs of sisters in the ward; I also had the opportunity to meet with the leaders of priesthood quorums and other auxiliaries each month.  My working relationship with the Bishop was very much like a good marriage:  he held the position of “head” of the ward, and I took care of the “heart” of the ward.  I have a good understanding of how women work with priesthood holders in furthering the work of the Lord and preparing for eternal life.  I know that both men and women have important and valuable responsibilities.

                I understand that men do not hold the priesthood to benefit themselves.  They hold the priesthood to serve and bless OTHERS.  They can give father’s blessings to their families, but they cannot give one to themselves.  They can use their priesthood to perform ordinances for other people, but they cannot perform an ordinance for themselves.  They need to seek that service from another priesthood holder just as women do. Women are natural nurturers and, as mothers and co-creators with God, are constantly serving others.  The priesthood gives men a way that they, too, can serve others.

                Leaders of the Church speak highly of the sisters and treat us with great respect.  On 8 March 2000, President Gordon B. Hinckley became the first President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to address the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., where more heads of state have appeared than at any other forum in the United States except the White House.  The audience included members of Congress, ambassadors and other diplomats, members of the interfaith community, and journalists from around the world.  President Hinckley used the following information to begin his talk.  (“President Hinckley Speaks to Press, Legislators, Diplomats,” Ensign, June 2000) 

                “I have chosen to speak on the Church, giving a sampling of its operations.  We now have more members overseas than we have in the United States, and the percentage overseas is growing, although we are growing significantly also in the United States.  I believe that no other church which has risen from the soil of America has grown so large or spread so widely.

                “It was not many years ago that we were largely a Utah church.  Now our people are found everywhere across this nation and Canada, and beyond the seas around the world.  We are now operating in more than 160 nations.  Our worldwide membership is approaching 11 million. [There are currently more than 14 million members in the Church.]

                “Of these, approximately 4 million are women who belong to what we call the Relief Society of the Church.  I think it is the oldest women’s organization in the world and perhaps the largest.  It has its own officers and board, and these officers also sit on other boards and committees of the Church.  People wonder what we do for our women.  I will tell you what we do.  We get out of their way and look with wonder at what they are accomplishing.

                “I think I might capsulize what we are doing across the world by telling you of an experience I had.  I was in Mexico City to speak to the graduating class of the school which we operate in that area.  I was introduced to one of the graduates, a young woman.  Her mother and her grandmother had come for the exercises.

                “The grandmother had lived in the bush.  She had never learned to read or write.  She was totally illiterate.  Her daughter had received a little schooling, not very much.  She could read a newspaper headline or something of that kind.  Now came this beautiful young woman.  She was in the graduating class.  I asked her, `What are you going to do now?’

                “She replied, `I have received a scholarship to the medical school of the National University.’

                “That to me was a miracle.  From the bush and total illiteracy to refinement and medical school in three generations.  She spoke not only her native Spanish, but English as well.  She gave full credit to the Church and its programs for what had happened to her.”

                In 1995 the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles introduced and published a document known as “The Family – A Proclamation to the World.”  This document outlined the divine responsibilities of men and women, husbands and wives.  Two paragraphs of the Proclamation are as follow:

                “Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children.  `Children are an heritage of the Lord’ (Psalms 127:3).  Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.  Husbands and wives – mothers and fathers – will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

                “The Family is ordained of God.  Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan  Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be  reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.  Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.  By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.  Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.  In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.  Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation.  Extended families should lend support when needed.”

                I understand that some women in the Church think they have been short-changed by being “deprived” of the priesthood.  I have never felt the personal need to hold the priesthood because I have always understood that the blessings of the priesthood are available to me.  In fact, I know that I have the best of both worlds:  I have all the blessings of the priesthood without any of the responsibilities.  I carry enough responsibilities as a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and member of the Relief Society, and I do not need or desire any priesthood responsibilities.

                A friend explained the relationship between women and the priesthood as follows:  “I had a realization years ago that really helped me.  In Heavenly Father’s plan, two things need to happen:  1) Receive bodies and 2) Receive the ordinances of the gospel.  Women make part one happen, and men with the priesthood make part two happen.  Everyone needs a woman and a priesthood holder in their life to access the full plan.  No one can access either part of the plan on their own.  If women won’t give birth, the plan is frustrated.  If men do not hold the priesthood, the plan is frustrated.  Both genders are required to sacrifice and serve others for the plan to be fully operational.  Parenting (notice this includes both mom and dad) and living in families helps the plan be more successful.  This helped me to see the balance in Heavenly Father’s plan and to feel a lot of peace.”

                Elder M. Russell Ballard explained it this way (“This Is My Work and My Glory,” Ensign, May 2013, p. 19):  “In our Heavenly Father’s great priesthood-endowed plan, men have the unique responsibility to administer the priesthood, but they are not the priesthood.  Men and women have different but equally valued roles.  Just as a woman cannot conceive a child without a man, so a man cannot fully exercise the power of the priesthood to establish an eternal family without a woman.  In other words, in the eternal perspective, both the procreative power and the priesthood power are shared by husband and wife.  And as husband and wife, a man and a woman should strive to follow our Heavenly Father.  The Christian virtues of love, humility, and patience should be their focus as they seek the blessings of the priesthood in their lives and for their family.”

In partnership with the bearers of the priesthood of God, women are essential to helping Heavenly Father bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.  Under the direction of those who hold priesthood keys, priesthood holders and women counsel and work together to bless the lives of God’s children.  This can happen in families, in ward and stake council meetings, and in many other settings.  Women and priesthood holders are both necessary strengthen the kingdom of God. 

Relief Society

                    Families are strengthened when the adult female members of the family are active in Relief Society.  Attendance at Relief Society helps women to know and understand their duties and responsibilities in strengthening homes and families.  Relief Society is an organization for women that was inspired by God and was organized after the pattern of the priesthood.

                    Nearly seventeen years ago at the annual general Relief Society meeting, President Gordon B. Hinckley told the sisters, "You are the guardians of the hearth," and then he introduced "The Family:  A Proclamation to the World."

                    President Hinckley continued, "You are the bearers of the children.  You are they who nurture them and establish within them the habits of their lives.  No other work reaches so close to divinity as does the nurturing of the sons and daughters of God."

                    This proclamation has been reinforcing since 1995 the principle that our most important duties are centered in strengthening families and homes.  It doesn't matter what other circumstances we have, our responsibility is to strengthen homes and families.  I remember being in that Relief Society meeting and hearing the proclamation for the very first time.  I was amazed at the width and the breadth of the information contained in it.  I was grateful to belong to a church that was - and is - led by Apostles and Prophets under the direction of Jesus Christ.

                    Sister Barbara Thompson, now the second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency was in the tabernacle for the historic event.  She remembers, "That was a great occasion.  I felt the significance of the message.  I also found myself thinking, `This is a great guide for parents.  It is also a big responsibility for parents.'  I thought for a moment that it really didn't pertain too much to me since I wasn't married and didn't have any children.  But almost as quickly I thought, `But it does pertain to me.  I am a member of a family.  I am a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a cousin, a niece, and a granddaughter.  I do have responsibilities - and blessings - because I am a member of a family.  Even if I were the only living member of my family, I am still a member of God's family, and I have a responsibility to help strengthen other families.'"

                    Yes, we are each responsible to strengthen homes and families, but we are not alone in our efforts.  Sister Thompson reminds each of us, "The greatest help we will have in strengthening families is to know and follow the doctrines of Christ and rely on Him to help us."

                    Relief Society sisters have been instrumental in strengthening homes and families for many years.  Sister Bathsheba W. Smith served as the fourth Relief Society general president [from 1901 to 1910], and she saw the need then to strengthen families.  She established mother education lessons for Relief Society sisters and included in those lessons counsel on marriage, prenatal care, and child rearing.

                    In fact, we can see that those lessons supported the teachings of President Joseph F. Smith about the Relief Society helping women in their roles at home:  "Wherever there is ignorance or at least a lack of understanding in regard to the family, duties of the family, with regard to obligations that should exist and that do rightfully exist between husband and wife and between parents and children, there this organization [Relief Society] exists or is near at hand, and by the natural endowments and inspiration that belongs to the organization they are prepared and ready to impart instruction with reference to those important duties."

                    I remember attending mother education lessons as a mother of very young children and gaining much knowledge and hearing much wisdom from other mothers who had more experience than I did.  I am grateful for those lessons and the great assistance they gave to me in strengthening my home and teaching my children.

                    I have a great testimony of the Relief Society and the important role it plays in our lives.  I am also very grateful for this great organization and the way it has strengthened me and my family for many years.  My mother and grandmothers were members of Relief Society as are my sisters and daughters; I am hopeful that my granddaughters and great-granddaughters will continue this great heritage.  I know it is an inspired program to help women strengthen home and families.  I am grateful that our Heavenly Father loves all of His daughters so much that He gave us our own organization to bless our lives and to strengthen others.

Christ-Centered Homes

                    Families grow stronger in Christ-centered homes.  The responsibility for developing a Christ-centered home belongs to both parents and children.  Parents have the responsibility to teach their children in love and righteousness by word and example.  Children have the responsibility to honor and obey their parents and to help them establish a Christ-centered home. 

                    The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offered this counsel about families:  "The family is ordained of God.  Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan.  Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.  Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ."  (See "The Family:  A Proclamation to the World," Ensign, Nov. 2010, 129, or here. 

                    A Christ-centered family begins with daily family prayer and scripture study and weekly family home evenings.  It is often not easy or convenient to gather the family together for these activities, but it is important to persevere and do them.  Children will not remember everything that is said, but they will remember the love and the security they felt as they knelt or met with other family members.

                    "… [T]here is great power and protection for us and our youth in establishing celestial traditions in the home.

                    "Learning, teaching, and practicing the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our homes helps create a culture where the Spirit can dwell.  Through establishing these celestial traditions in our homes, we will be able to overcome the false traditions of the world and learn to put the needs and concerns of others first."  (See Richard J. Maynes, "Establishing a Christ-Centered Home," Ensign, May 2011, pp 37-39.)

                    God will hold parents accountable for how they perform their sacred parental responsibilities.   "And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents."  (See Doctrine and Covenants 68:25.)

                    "Parents teach their children with words and through example" (Maynes).The importance of parents teaching correct principles and showing good examples cannot be emphasized too much.  This is shown in the following poem by C. C. Miller entitled "The Echo" (Best-Loved Poems of the LDS People, 312-313).

                    'Twas a sheep not a lamb

                    That strayed away in the parable Jesus told,

                    A grown-up sheep that strayed away

                    From the ninety and nine in the fold.

                    And why for the sheep should we seek

                    And earnestly hope and pray?

                    Because there is danger when sheep go wrong:

                    They lead the lambs astray.

                    Lambs will follow the sheep, you know,

                    Wherever the sheep may stray.

                    When sheep go wrong,

                    It won't take long till the lambs are as wrong as they.

                    And so with the sheep we earnestly plead

                    For the sake of the lambs today,

                    For when the sheep are lost

                    What a terrible cost

                    The lambs will have to pay.

                    Heavenly Father planned for His children to live in families when we came to earth.  Understanding that our Father has a plan for His children and the importance of families in that plan is critical in our recognition and understanding of the eternal nature of the family.  Because Satan will do anything to destroy the Father's plan, he is intent on destroying the family.  He attacks the family through trying to destroy marriage as well as through abortion, divorce, and pornography.  Our Father desires us to have eternal joy and happiness, but Satan wants us to be miserable like unto him.  Satan understands that true happiness in this life and in the eternities to come is found in the family unit.  Thus, he tries very hard to destroy all families.

                    Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints understand and believe in the eternal nature of the family.  With this understanding and belief, we try very hard to establish Christ-centered homes.  "When parents preside over the family in love and righteousness and teach their children the gospel of Jesus Christ by word and through example, and when children love and support their parents by learning and practicing the principles their parents teach, the result will be the establishment of a Christ-centered home."  (Maynes)

   

Family Proclamation

                    Families and societies are strengthened when proper priority is placed on the family, the core unit of society.  Strong families know and practice principles that support and sustain families. 

The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued "The Family:  A Proclamation to the World" in September 1995.  It was first presented to the Relief Society sisters in their annual general meeting, and then it was presented to the world.  This proclamation declares and affirms doctrines and principles taught by prophets throughout history.  It was issued to declare the important role of families in society and to encourage parents and leaders to support and sustain families.  The proclamation is quoted below in its entirety.

"We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

"All human beings - male and female - are created in the image of God.  Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.  Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose

.

"In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life.  The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave.  Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

"The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife.  We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.  We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

"We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed.  We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.

"Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children `Children are an heritage of the Lord' (Psalms 127:3).  Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.  Husbands and wives - mothers and fathers - will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

"The family is ordained of God.  Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan.  Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.  Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.  By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.  Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.  In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.  Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation.  Extended families should lend support when needed.

"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.

"We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society" (Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102).

                    

Marriage

Marriage in the entire United States is on trial in California. The federal trial in San Francisco to determine whether or not Proposition 8 is legal is now in its seventh day. This lawsuit will have an impact on every constitutional amendment on marriage in the nation.

Last fall residents of California voted for a constitutional amendment to make marriage between one man and one woman the only legal marriage in the state. Proponents of Proposition 8 worked long and hard to get their message out to the people, and the people voted in favor of marriage. Prop 8 would have failed without the surge of black voters who went to the polls to elect Obama as President. Now there is a trial taking place to decide if the ban on gay marriage is constitutional. The lawsuit charges that the measure on the 2008 ballot violates United States constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process. The constitutional ban on gay marriage is expected to eventually reach the United States Supreme Court.

One of the attorneys opposing Prop 8, former Solicitor General Theodore Olson, known for his conservative views, said in his opening remarks that marriage was "one of the most vital personal rights" and a "basic civil right." As I see it, no one is taking away anyone's right to marry. The law simply states that it must be a member of the opposite sex.

Charles Cooper arguing in favor of Prop 8 said that marriage to opposite sex couples has 'prevailed in virtually every society since early history." He said that data from the Netherlands shows that same-sex marriage leads to a decline in marriage, more divorces, and more children being raised outside marriage.

I hope that the Court finds in favor of Prop 8. If it does not, constitutional amendments in support of marriage in Alaska and many other states will also be considered unconstitutional. I prefer to rely on the statement in The Family Proclamation to the World: "We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children."