Family Is Ordained of God

                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 eighth article in this series.

                The seventh paragraph of the proclamation is too long with too many topics to cover in one post. This post will cover the first three sentences of the paragraph:  “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….”

                Jesus Christ, under the direction of Heavenly Father, created this earth in order for us. We are children of God, and He planned for us to come to earth to gain physical bodies, knowledge, and experience in order to be happy for eternity. An essential part of His plan is marriage between man and woman because He needed male and female in order to create babies. He planned for marriage in order to have a safe and secure place where children could be reared to adulthood and each one prepared to take their place in the world.

                The Lord and His priesthood leaders place an immense amount of responsibility on husbands and fathers for success in marriage and family life. President Ezra Taft Benson spoke “To the Fathers in Israel” during the October 1987 General Conference and outlined what he considered their responsibilities to be.

                President Benson speaks of how husbands are to treat their wives as the Lord treats the church. He quotes the Apostle Paul who said, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church” (Ephesians 5:25). He quotes latter-day revelation, “Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else” (Doctrine and Covenants 42:22). He then says:

                “To my knowledge there is only one other thing in all scripture that we are commanded to love with all our hearts, and that is God Himself. Think what that means!

                “This kind of love can be shown for your wives in so many ways. First and foremost, nothing except God Himself takes priority over your wife in your life – not work, not recreation, not hobbies. Your wife is your precious, eternal helpmate – your companion.

                “What does it mean to love someone with all your heart? It means to love with all your emotional feelings and with all your devotion. Surely when you love your wife with all your heart, you cannot demean her, criticize her, find fault with her, or abuse her by words, sullen behavior, or actions.

                “What does it mean to `cleave unto her’? It means to stay close to her, to be loyal and faithful to her, to communicate with her, and to express your love for her.

                “Love means being sensitive to her feelings and needs. She wants to be noticed and treasured. She wants to be told that you view her as lovely and attractive and important to you. Love means putting her welfare and self-esteem as a high priority in our life….”

                Surely, there would be far more successful marriages if all husbands loved their wives as the Lord loves the church. What woman in her right mind would seek for love and acceptance outside such a marriage? There may be a few, but they would be very sparse. Children are not blind. They can see the love between father and mother and feel secure in their home. This is why God ordains marriage between man and woman.

                As you study the first three paragraphs of the seventh 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. You may want to cover the entire paragraph in one evening, or you may want to split the paragraph as I am doing. I hope you will strengthen your family, community, and nation by teaching that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and is essential to God’s plan for the eternal happiness of His children and that children have the right to be reared by parents who honor their marriage vows.

Family Is Core Unit of Society

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is the family forms the core unit of society and thus determines the strength of our communities, states and nations. The family is under assault and must be strengthened and protected in order to protect our society.

America was developed and built by people who believed in marriage and the family. They loved God and read their Bibles regularly. They came to America in order to have the freedom to live their religion without governmental influence.

The French writer, Alexis de Tocqueville, visited America and made the following observation: "There is no country in the world where the tie of marriage is more respected than in America, or where conjugal happiness is more highly or worthily appreciated…. But when the American retires from the turmoil of public life to the bosom of his family, he finds in it the image of order and peace. There his pleasures are simple and natural, his joys are innocent and calm; and as he finds that an orderly life is the surest path to happiness, he accustoms himself easily to moderate his opinions as well as his tastes. While the European endeavors to forget his domestic troubles by agitating society, the American derives from his own home that love of order which he afterwards carries with him into public affairs" (Democracy in America, 1:315).

America became a great nation because its citizens understood the importance of marriage and family. They understood that "Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 11:11.) They understood that even though the husband acted as head of the home, both partners held equal status. They understood that the man was to protect the family and provide for the daily needs while the woman was to nurture the children and provide a wholesome environment for her family.

The Proclamation on the Family proclaims, "… marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children…. The family is ordained of God."

London has suffered through several days of rioting, robbing and burning, and several cities in the United States have endured "flash mobs" - spontaneous groups of mostly young African-Americans who attack people at random. After his city endured the results of a recent flash mob, Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter told the marauding black youths, "Take those God-darn hoodies down, especially in the summer. Pull your pants up and buy a belt 'cause no one wants to see your underwear or the crack of your butt.
"If you walk into somebody's office with your hair uncombed and a pick in the back, and your shoes untied, and your pants half down, tattoos up and down your arms and on your neck, and you wonder why somebody won't hire you? They don't hire you `cause you look like you're crazy. You have damaged your own race."

Mayor Nutter clearly understands the place of family in the lives of our young people because he did not stop at chastising the youth. He went to his Baptist church and delivered a thirty-minute sermon to parents about taking responsibility for the behavior of their children: "The Immaculate Conception of our Lord Jesus Christ took place a long time ago, and it didn't happen here in Philadelphia. So every one of these kids has two parents who were around and participating at the time. They need to be around now."
He told the parents, "If you're just hanging out out there, maybe you're sending them a check or bringing some cash by. That's not being a father. You're just a human ATM. … And if you're not providing the guidance and you're not sending any money, you're just a sperm donor" (Dave Boyer, The Washington Times, Monday, August 8, 2011).

Mayor Nutter took a courageous stand to tell both the youth and their parents to step forward and accept responsibility for their behavior. Parents must recognize that they hold a unique place in their homes and in society and have a powerful effect - for good or bad - on how their children behave. Because the family is the core unit of society, it is vital that families are strengthened and protected by individuals and communities as well as state and federal governments. As we have seen by the recent flash mobs, the very foundation of society is threatened, when the family is weakened.

Some of the ideas and quotes for this post came from W. Cleon Skousen in The Five Thousand Year Leap, pp. 199-204.