What Are Students Being Taught at School?

School is starting this week in numerous states, and many parents are questioning where their children should be educated. Increasing numbers of parents are home schooling their children, while other parents opt for private schools. Still, most children are being educated in public school systems. However, all parents much be vigilant about knowing what their children are learning at school.

According to an article by Bradley Devlin published at The Daily Signal, there is “a disease running rampant through our education system.” Devlin interviewed Dr. Matthew Spalding, Ph.D., who is working on a cure for that disease. Spalding is a dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C., campus  and a Gov. Ron DeSantis appointee to the New College of Florida Board of Trustees. Hillsdale and its graduates are a large part of the conservative movement. 

“What we’re interested in is shaping minds and teaching people to think,” Spalding said when asked about Hillsdale’s recent momentum. That momentum, Spalding explained, is twofold.

“On the one hand, this city is a vacuum that we can fill,” he noted. “But, on the other hand, more and more people are realizing an emptiness in our politics but also a certain lack of depth. And so they’re looking for something more.”

The modern education system, from top to bottom, has turned its back on the Western tradition’s notion of education.

“Education should be about forming a human being, liberating them, training their mind, and you do that by perfecting and getting better at the things that human beings do by nature,” Spalding told The Daily Signal. “If you think through American history about how the normal person becomes a good citizen, a good human being, a good member of their community, it’s by learning those basic things.”

For Spalding, this view of education is rooted in Christianity.

“It’s no coincidence at all that higher education at large periods of our history is really carried over and protected by religion and Christian schools,” Spalding said. “There was something about Christian institutions and Christian thinking and theology that could see the Greek and Roman roots of reasoning in the nature of things, an there was something about that philosophical understanding of the nature of things that could see a certain coincidence with an idea of Christianity that held that all are equal before God and equal in their being. And I think that melding is a very important component of educational systems in the West.”

“What is the thing they attack most precisely? That link. You’ve got to sever reason from revelation,” Spalding claimed.

“Modern society has placed those things under attack to a large extent because it denies that man by nature can do these things,” he added. “You need science, you need mathematical expertise, and you need academic experts to tell you these things.

Essentially what the modern project does, whether you think of it from the point of view of reason in classical reason or revelation in biblical or Christian thinking and theology, if you destroy the notion that the human mind can know things … it’s all relativism and subjectivism, it’s whatever it’s subject to, whatever you think, whatever your will is.”

“Think about it in its more radical, skeptical sense,” Spalding suggested. “I don’t actually know you’re a human being. I don’t know that this is a table. I have no evidence of any of these things. I can’t prove any of this reality. I mean, it just becomes a nihilistic breakdown at a certain point.”

Spalding spoke of a disease in the education system that has infected too many students. On one level, there are too many students being taught that the United States is a wicked country that must be destroyed and remade. Wise parents will supplement the education of their children to include accurate American history as well as religion. By doing so, they will strengthen their family as well as their community, state, and nation.

How Can We Help Children to Be More Resilient?

Families, communities, and nations are stronger when individual family members have enough resilience to deal with the problems that life throws at them. The goal is to have more protective factors in one’s life than risk factors, and individuals will lots of protective factors become resilient. A resilient person is one who is able to withstand or recover quickly from negative conditions.

A risk factor is a condition, circumstance, experience, or characteristic that increases the probability that a person will experience maladjustment. Risk factors for children include parental divorce, substance abuse, parental mental health problems, or chronic illness.

On the other hand, a protective factor is anything that decreases the likelihood that a person will have problems and increases the probability that a person will have positive experiences. Protective factors for children include high intelligence, positive parenting practices, and anything that reduces the effects of a risk factor.

Infant secure attachment is the foundation for building resilience in children, and authoritative parenting practices build on that foundation. Parents who love and care for their children with kindness are more likely to have resilient children. Families with resilient children will strengthen their communities and nations. 

Do You Support the Right to Life for All People?

Families, communities, and nations are stronger when every life has value, including the unborn. The 50^th annual March for Life was held today in Washington, D.C., the first one since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Roe v. Wade became the law of the land in 1973. The decision spurred the pro-life activist to March for Life.

Even though Roe v. Wade was overturned, unborn babies are still in danger, and right-to-life activists are fighting for them. Last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill to save the lives of babies born in botched abortions. All the Republicans voted for the bill, but only one Democrat joined them.

The House also passed a resolution that condemned the attacks on pro-life groups and churches since the leak of the draft of the decision in early May in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. It was the decision in the Dobbs case that overturned Roe. Even though 78 pro-life groups and 108 churches have been attacked in the months since early May, all the Democrats in the House voted against the resolution except for three of them.

The Democrat votes in the House show that Democrats do not care about unborn babies or the activists who seek to protect them. Thus, the fight for the right for unborn babies continues even though Roe was overturned.

Rich Habits

            Families, communities, and nations are strengthened when individuals form good habits. President Thomas S. Monson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often reminds us that our destiny is determined by the decisions that we make. Since decisions begin with thoughts, wise parents will teach their children the importance of thinking the best thoughts, taking the best actions, and forming the best habits.

            The habits we form determine what we do as well as what we become. The simple habits of daily prayer and scripture study strengthen us against the temptations of Satan. The simple habit of attending Church every Sunday brings great blessings from God. Other simple habits determine whether we will be rich or poor.

            Thomas C. Corley posted an interesting article titled “Will Your Child Be Rich or Poor? 15 Poverty Habits ParentsTeach Their Children.” Do you believe that parents are actually teaching their children to be rich or poor? I know that it happens. Since having “enough and to spare” is much better than living in poverty, wise parents will teach rich habits. Corley includes a lot of statistics that show how habits affect what we become. Then he gives a list of rich habits for parents teach their children.  Here are some of those rich habits.

. Limit TV, social media, video games and cell phone use to no more than one

  hour a day.

. Require that children read one non-fiction book a week and write a one page

  summary of what they learned for their parents to review.

. Require children to aerobically exercise 20-30 minutes a day.

. Limit junk food to no more than 300 calories a day.

. Teach children to dream and to pursue their dreams. Have them write a script

  of their ideal, future life.

. Require that children set monthly, annual and long-term goals.

. Require working age children to work or volunteer at least ten hours a week.

. Require that children save at least 25% of their earnings or the monetary gifts

  they receive [and donate another 10%].

. Teach children to send thank you cards to individuals who helped them in any

  way.

. Reassure children that mistakes are good and not bad [and that mistakes are

  learning opportunities].

. Discipline children [for temper tantrums] so they understand [that anger is a]

  very costly emotion….

. Teach children that the pursuit of financial success is a good thing [if handled

  correctly.

. Teach children how to manage money….

. [Communicate daily with children face-to-face]

. Teach children how to manage their time….

            There are a lot of good ideas in this list as well as the rest of his suggested habits. I know many parents who are already doing some or even all of them. If you are not, you can start slowly with one or two ideas and add others over time. By teaching rich habits to the rising generation, we can strengthen families, communities, and nations.

Fidelity in Marriage

                Fidelity in marriage is essential to strengthening families, communities, and nations. Fidelity includes emotional or spiritual loyalty as well as physical faithfulness.

                We learn from “The Family – A Proclamation to the World” that 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. … 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.”

                Kenneth W. Matheson, a professor in the School of Social Work at Brigham Young University, explains why fidelity in marriage is so important. “When a spouse has developed a relationship that compromises his or her spiritual fidelity, he or she should be humble and take the necessary steps to restore the marital relationship…. Physical infidelity is only one of the many temptations Satan uses to break up families and marriages. Emotional infidelity, which occurs when emotions and thoughts are focused on someone other than a spouse, is an insidious threat that can weaken the trust between a couple and shatter peace of mind.

                “Emotional infidelity doesn’t usually happen suddenly; rather, it occurs gradually – often imperceptibly at first…. Relationships with others of the opposite sex are not in and of themselves a problem or a fracture of fidelity. [These relationships are often] “meaningful” [and] “have a balanced and important place in our lives.” However, compromising on spiritual fidelity can create emotional heartbreak, distrust, and marital conflict. If not corrected, this can lead to physical infidelity.”

                The first step in the right direction is the “willingness to admit there [is] a problem.” Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must realize that “attitudes, thoughts, and actions [can] jeopardize [their] ability to hold a temple recommend.”

                The author recommends that we stop using the term “emotional infidelity” and start using the term “spiritual infidelity.” “This phrase underscores the seriousness of the choices we make because it recognizes the eternal potential of our marital relationships as well as the importance of acting in accordance with the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Spiritual fidelity also causes us to consider the sacred covenants we have made in the temple and how the very nature of our thoughts and deeds can undermine those covenants. In other words, if a person is unfaithful spiritually, he is not honoring his temple covenants even though he has not committed physical acts of intimacy.”

                The author says that when we “think in terms of spiritual fidelity, we also open the door for healing and hope. When a spouse has developed a relationship that compromises his or her spiritual fidelity, he or she should be humble and take the necessary steps to restore the marital relationship. Fasting, prayer, temple attendance, scripture study, and pondering the Lord’s teachings are essential in helping one remain pure and true to one’s spouse and in healing the relationship.” (See “Fidelityin Marriage: It’s More Than You Think,”Ensign, September 2009.)

                I recognize that slipping into spiritual infidelity is easy. Early in my marriage I was working as a secretary in a bank and enjoyed visiting with one of the vice presidents. He was older than I and a former bishop. There was nothing inappropriate in our relationship. One day when I went home for lunch, I found the Church News in my mailbox. While I was eating my sandwich, I read one of the editorials on the back page. The article was about fidelity in marriage and how easily a person can slip into spiritual unfaithfulness. I recognized that I was in danger even though I felt no attraction for the man. I took the article back to the bank with me and put it on the man’s desk. I explained that my marriage and his marriage were too important for us to continue the relationship as it had been. He read the article and agreed with my assessment. We worked together as professionals, and my husband and I hunted pheasants with him. However, we never sat and visited as we had previously done.

                We must exercise fidelity in marriage, both spiritual and physical, in order to keep our marriages strong. Fidelity in marriage strengthens families, communities, and nations.

Mothering

                Every family, community, and nation could be blessed by mothers who understand and fulfill their true purpose to the best of their abilities. Mothers have a divinely assigned mission to nurture and teach their children to love God and to become honest, loving, and responsible adults. Motherhood is a daunting but very important role.

                My sister in love gave me a copy of a story of just such a mother.  I like the story because it presents mothers in a good way but also shows the responsibility and duty that each mother carries.  I like the story so well that I sent it to the sisters on my visiting teaching route as well as to all six of my daughters. I do not know who the author is, but I applaud his/her work. The story is so true.  Each stage of motherhood is wonderful though difficult, and the later years are even better than the early ones. My mother left this life 37 years ago this week, and her influence and love are still with me. I miss my mom, but I know she is creating a mansion for me in the next life.

A Little Parable for Mothers

                The young mother set her foot on the path of life.  “Is the way long?” she asked. Her guide said:  “Yes, and the way is hard; you will be old before you reach the end of it, but the end will be better than the beginning.”

                The young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years.  So, she played with her children, gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed with them in the clear streams.  The sun shone on them, and life was good.  The young mother cried, “Nothing could ever be lovelier than this!”

                Then night came with the storm; the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold. The mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle. The children said, “Oh, mother, we are not afraid, for you are near and no harm can come.” The mother said, “This is better than the brightness of day, for I have taught my children courage.”

                Then the morning came, and there was a hill ahead.  The children climbed and grew weary, but the mother encouraged them at all times, saying “a little patience and we are there.”  So, the children climbed and grew more weary; the mother grew weary too, but at all times she said to the children “a little patience and we are there.”  So, the children climbed and reached the top; they said, “We could not have done it without you.” The mother, when she lay down that night, looked up at the stars and said, “This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness.  Yesterday I gave them courage.  Today I have given them strength.

                The next day came.  Dark clouds darkened the earth with clouds of war, hate, and evil.  The children groped and stumbled, and the mother said, “Look up; lift your eyes to the light.” The children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory; it guided them and brought them beyond the darkness.  That night the mother said, “This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God.”

                The days went on, and the weeks, and the months, and the years.  The mother grew old, but her children were tall, strong, and walked with courage.  When the way was hard, they helped their mother; when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was light as a feather. At last they came to a hill, and beyond the hill they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide. The mother said, “I have reached the end of my journey, and now I know the end is better than the beginning.  My children can walk alone, and their children after them.” The children said, “You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates.”

                They watched as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. They said, “We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A mother like ours is more than a memory.  She is a living presence.”

Family Time

                We can strengthen the rising generation by assuring they have adequate time with their family, particularly mothers.  Family time is critical to helping our children and youth to avoid delinquent behavior.  When we give the rising generation enough of our quality time, we strengthen them and thus strengthen our communities and nations.

                Researchers at the University of Toronto and Bowling Green State University recently released a study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family.  The research “provides empirical support for the idea that a mother’s time is irreplaceable to her child’s development” according to the authors.  They used data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Child Development Supplement to evaluate “the time mothers specifically spent with children in the 3-year-old to 11-year-old age bracket and the 12-year-old to 18-year-old age bracket.  They analyzed how that time related to the child’s behavioral, emotional and academic performance.

                “`In childhood and adolescence, the amount of maternal time did not matter for offspring behaviors, emotions or academics, whereas social status factors were important.’ The study authors wrote.  `For adolescents, more engaged maternal time was related to fewer delinquent behaviors, and engaged time with parents together was related to better outcomes.  Overall, the amount of mothers’ time mattered in nuanced ways, and, unexpectedly, only in adolescence.’”

                So, how much time with family is needed?  Children and teens need at least six hours per week or a little less than an hour per day.  Co-author Melissa Milkie with the Toronto University spoke with the Washington Post and said that “this study emphasizes quality time over the quantity of time.  `In an ideal world, this study would alleviate parents’ guilt about the amount of time they spend and show instead what’s really important for kids,’ she said.  The amount of time doesn’t matter, but these little pieces of time do,’ Milkie said, according to the Post.”

                I am very interested in the minimum amount of family time needed by the rising generation – approximately an hour every day.  How can we involve our families in one hour of quality time every day?  One of the most important ways to do this is to eat dinner together every day!

                Cody C. Delistraty had personal experience with the importance of eating dinner with family.  His mother passed away, and his older brother left home; Delistraty and his father stopped eating dinner together – eating with friends, eating in front of the television, etc.  Just before Delistraty left home for college, his father suggested they start eating dinner together again.

                “It wasn’t ideal, of course – the meals we made weren’t particularly amazing and we missed the presence of Mom and my brother – but there was something special about setting aside time to be with my father.  It was therapeutic:  an excuse to talk, to reflect on the day, and on recent events.  Our chats about the banal – of baseball and television – often led to discussions of the serious – of politics and death, of memories and loss.  Eating together was a small act, and it required very little of us – 45 minutes away from our usual, quotidian distractions – and yet it was invariably one of the happiest parts of my day.”

                Delistraty did some research where he found that not eating dinner together resulted in more truancy and more obesity in the rising generation.  “There are two big reasons for these negative effects associated with not eating meals together:  the first is simply that when we eat out – especially at the inexpensive fast food and take-out places that most children go to when not eating with their family – we tend not to eat very healthy things.  As Michael Pollan wrote in his most recent book Cooked, meals eaten outside of the home are almost uniformly less healthy than homemade foods, generally having higher fat, salt, and caloric content.

                “The other reason is that eating alone can be alienating.  The dinner table can act as a unifier, a place of community.  Sharing a meal is an excuse to catch up and talk, one of the few times where people are happy to put aside their work and take time out of their day. … “

                So it seems that eating dinner together at home as a family can strengthen our children and youth in two different ways – physically with better health and psychologically with better mental health.

                This site lists eight reasons why eating dinner together as families is good for the rising generation.  All of the reasons are good, and this one is particularly applicable to this discussion.  “Eating family dinners at least five times a week drastically lowers a teen’s chance of smoking, drinking, and using drugs.  Teens who have fewer than three family dinners a week are 3.5 times more likely to have abused prescription drugs and to have used illegal drugs other than marijuana, three times more likely to have used marijuana, more than 2.5 times more likely to have smoked cigarettes, and 1.5 times more likely to have tried alcohol, according to the CASA report.  `While substance abuse can strike any family, regardless of ethnicity, affluence, age, or gender, the parental engagement fostered at the dinner table can be a simple, effective tool to help prevent [it],’ says Elizabeth Planet, one of the report’s researchers, and the center’s vice president and director of special projects.

                I like this reason also:  “Of teens who eat with their family fewer than three times a week, 20% get C’s or lower on their report cards, according to the CASA report.  Only 9% of teens who eat frequently with their families do this poorly in school.  Family meals give children an opportunity to have conversations with adults, as well as to pick up on how adults are using words with each other, which may explain why family dinnertime is also thought to build a child’s vocabulary.”

                We can strengthen our communities and nations by spending an hour a day together as families.  Since we all need to eat, we can have quality and quantity time together as families if we choose to eat dinner together.  Some families lengthen their time together by working together to fix the meal and clean up the kitchen.  We can strengthen the rising generation, our families, our communities, our and nations by eating dinner together as a family!   

Truth Is Truth

                We can strengthen our families, communities, and nations by teaching the rising generation that truth is truth.  We must teach our children and youth that eternal truths were established by God and will stand forever - unless God changes them.  We must teach our families that truth does not change to fit situations or desires.  A discussion of a few eternal truths that are being batted around the world now days follows.

                The first eternal truth I want to discuss is the fact that there is a God in heaven.  He is our Heavenly Father, and He loves each of us more than we can even imagine.  He established a plan for our happiness before this earth was even created.  The central part of our Father’s plan is the Atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ.  The teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ are here on earth to help us prepare to return to the presence of our Father.  Any person who teaches there is no God has succumbed to the influence of Satan and can be considered to be an anti-Christ.  Satan is real and desires all of us to be as miserable as he is; therefore, he teaches the falsehood that there is no God. 

                A second eternal truth is that God created man and woman to be complimentary halves of a whole.  God created men differently than He created women and gave each gender separate traits and responsibilities, but He considers them as equal in worth and value.  God wants His sons and daughters to work together for the good of all mankind.  An important part of this truth is that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God for the specific purpose of creating and rearing families.  God gave each gender certain traits, qualities, and strengths to bring to the marriage and family.

                A third eternal truth is that any sexual relations outside of a traditional and legal marriage constitute sin.  This God-established truth cannot be changed simply because a vocal minority demands a silent majority to approve of their life style.  Even if same-sex marriage is legalized, it is still immoral because God has proclaimed it to be sin.

                All of these eternal truths are being challenged in the same sex marriage struggle.  Religious leaders have been speaking out on this subject for several weeks.  Members of LGBT thought Pope Francis was endorsing their life style when he said, “Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord?”  That is a very good question and deserves an answer:  Neither the Pope nor any other human being has the right to judge anyone else.  Each of us will one day stand before Jesus Christ to be judged by Him who knows all things.

                After Pope Francis asked “Who am I to judge….” Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, was asked on December 31, 2013, if his position on gays would “shift.”  Graham answered, “God would have to shift, and God doesn’t.  God’s word is the same yesterday and today and a million years from now, that it’s sin.”

                On December 20, 2013, a federal district judge in Salt Lake City issued an order legalizing same-sex marriage in Utah.  His judgment struck down state laws that have stood for more than a century as well as a state constitutional amendment that defined marriage exclusively as between a man and a woman.  Officials for the State of Utah took the case to the Supreme Court who put that ruling on hold pending consideration of the issue by an appellate court. 

                In the days leading up to the ruling by the Supreme Court, hundreds of same-sex couples applied for marriage licenses and were married.  After the Supreme Court ruling, the State of Utah issued a statement that they would not recognize any same-sex marriage until the case goes through the court system.

                This did not stop the Obama Administration from taking action.  On January 10, 2014, Attorney General Eric Holder announced, “I am confirming today that, for purposes of federal law, these marriages will be recognized as lawful and considered eligible for all relevant federal benefits on the same terms as other same-sex marriages.”

                The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued instructions and guidance to congregational leaders throughout the United States and published the following statement:  

                “As we face this and other issues of our time, we encourage all to bear in mind our Heavenly Father’s purposes in creating the earth and providing for our mortal birth and experience here as His children.  `God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth’ (Genesis 1:27-28).  `Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife:  and they shall be one flesh’ (Genesis 2:24).  Marriage between a man and a woman was instituted by God and is central to His plan for His children and for the well-being of society.  Strong families, guided by a loving mother and father, serve as the fundamental institution for nurturing children, instilling faith, and transmitting to future generations the moral strengths and values that are important to civilization and crucial to eternal salvation.

                “Changes in the civil law do not, indeed cannot, change the moral law that God has established.  God expects us to uphold and keep His commandments regardless of divergent opinions or trends in society.  His law of chastity is clear:  sexual relations are proper only between a man and a woman who are legally and lawfully wedded as husband and wife.  We urge you to review and teach Church members the doctrine contained in `The Family:  A Proclamation to the World.’

                “Just as those who promote same-sex marriage are entitled to civility, the same is true for those who oppose it.  The Church insists on its leaders’ and members’ constitutionally protected right to express and advocate religious convictions on marriage, family, and morality free from retaliation or retribution.  The Church is also entitled to maintain its standards of moral conduct and good standing for members.

                “Consistent with our fundamental beliefs, Church officers will not employ their ecclesiastical authority to perform marriages between two people of the same sex, and the Church does not permit its meetinghouses or other properties to be used for ceremonies, receptions, or other activities associated with same-sex marriages.  Nevertheless, all visitors are welcome to our chapels and premises so long as they respect our standards of conduct while there.

                “While these matters will continue to evolve, we affirm that those who avail themselves of laws or court rulings authorizing same-sex marriage should not be treated disrespectfully.  The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us to love and treat all people with kindness and civility – even when we disagree.

                “As members of the Church, we are responsible to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to illuminate the great blessings that flow from heeding God’s commandments as well as the inevitable consequences of ignoring them.  We invite you to pray that people everywhere will have their hearts softened to the truths of the gospel, and that wisdom will be granted to those who are called upon to decide issues critical to society’s future.”

                As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I stand with the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  I will continue to follow their counsel in all matters because I believe they represent God.  A blogger at NieNie Dialogues expressed beautifully many of my own feelings about this situation.  Like her, I will stand with the prophet.  I know that truth is truth and truth does not depend on the world to define it.  We can strengthen our families, communities, and nations by standing for truth at all times.

Safety in Our Day

                Families, communities, and nations are strengthened when parents teaching the rising generation the importance of staying strong in turbulent times.  We live in a world that becomes increasingly wicked as time passes.  Actions that were seldom seen or even discussed in my youth are now openly supported.  We must teach our children and youth how to survive these times.

                The Apostle Paul described our day in a letter to his friend Timothy:  “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

                “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

                “Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

                “Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

                “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:  from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

                President Boyd K. Packer, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke about our world today and said that all the conditions listed by the Apostle Paul are currently present.  He also said that Moroni, an ancient American prophet, spoke of the wickedness of our day and left us a warning:  “When ye shall see these things come among you … ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation….

                “Wherefore, I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved” (Book of Mormon – Another Witness of Jesus Christ, Ether 8:24, 26).

                President Packer gave counsel about how we can be safe in these “perilous times” (Paul) or “very precarious times” (President Packer).  “Parents today wonder if there is a safe place to raise children.  There is a safe place.  It is in a gospel-centered home.  We focus on the family in the Church, and we counsel parents everywhere to raise their children in righteousness….

                “The scriptures hold the keys to spiritual protection.  They contain the doctrine and laws and ordinances that will bring each child of God to a testimony of Jesus Christ as the Savior and Redeemer….

                “Make scripture reading a part of your regular routine, and the blessings will follow.  There is in the scriptures a voice of warning, but there is also great nourishment.

                “If the language of the scriptures at first seems strange to you, keep reading.  Soon you will come to recognize the beauty and power found on those pages. 

                “Paul said, `All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness’ (2 Timothy 3:16).

                “You can test this promise for yourself.

                “We live in perilous times; nevertheless, we can find hope and peace for ourselves and for our families…. Righteousness is more powerful than wickedness.

                “Children taught an understanding of the scriptures early in life will come to know the path they should walk and will be more inclined to remain on that path.  Those who stray will have the ability to return and, with help, can find their way back….

                “Paul and others warned about the trials of our time and the days yet to come.  But peace can be settled in the heart of each who turns to the scriptures and unlocks the promises of protection and redemption that are taught therein.  We invite all to turn to the Savior Jesus Christ, to His teachings as found in the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.

                “I bear certain witness of the scriptures as a key to our spiritual protection….”  (“The Key to Spiritual Protection,” Ensign, November 2013, pp. 26-28).

                I have quoted the words of several prophets and apostles on how we can survive well in these “perilous times.”  I encourage parents everywhere to pay attention to their counsel and provide safety for themselves and their children in these “precarious times.”  Our nations, communities, and families will be strengthened as we strengthen the rising generation.

Teach Correct Principles

                Families, communities, and nations are stronger when parents and other adults teach correct principles to the rising generation and help them become self-governed adults.  Children and youth need to be taught to think about their actions and the consequences of those actions.  They need to be taught to consider what is right and what is wrong and why they should choose the right.

                A news article out of Florida today shows that parents are always teaching principles to their children – but not always correct principles.  A mother and father took their seven children, ages 3 to 13, into a ToysRUs store in Boca Raton, Florida, and taught them how to become criminals.  A surveillance camera caught the family’s capers on tape; the video showed the children actively helping their parents steal two expensive tablets.  The video did not show any instruction taking place inside the store; therefore, the tutoring sessions must have taken place before the family entered the store.

                This article illustrates clearly that parents can teach good or bad, right or wrong, principles.  Parents who desire to rear responsible children and to help them find happiness as adults will teach correct principles by precept and example.  I found the following articles, one from a secular source and one from a religious source, that included several good ways to rear responsible children.

                Bestselling author Andy Andrew suggested two questions for parents to consider as they rear their children because “no one will change their behavior without clearly understanding why they should.”  These two important questions are:  1) “How does this affect me?” 2) “Is there proof beyond a reasonable doubt this is true?”  [Emphasis added.]

                According to Andrews, a “better course of action” is to explain “why behaving differently is actually in their best interest.”  He said that parents need to forget about “how to raise great kids,” and think about “raising kids who become great adults.”  “We need to teach them how to think, which includes why we believe as we do, and why we make the decisions that we do, and it’ll all be wrapped up in what is in it for them.”

                In an article entitled “Teaching Children to Govern Themselves” the author wrote the following:  “To raise responsible, faithful children we must teach them to govern themselves.  Children who have learned to govern themselves take responsibility for their feelings, thoughts, actions, and decisions.  This includes controlling their emotions and expressing them appropriately.  [Emphasis added.]

                “`President David O. McKay taught that `the best time for the child to learn rules of conformity is between the ages of three and five.…

                “`If mother does not get control of the child during those ages, she will find great difficulty in getting control later.  …I do not mean to push and drag or confine – just let the little child be perfectly free to develop until he goes beyond the bounds of safety.  Then let him feel the gentle but firm hand of restraint.’  (Stepping Stones to an Abundant Life,  Comp. Llewelyn R. McKay, Salt Lake City:  Deseret Book Co., 1971, p. 38.)

                “Since our children will not always be under our supervision, we want to equip them as early as possible to use sound judgment and understand how to evaluate the consequences of their own choices.”  The author then listed several “ideas about how parents can teach and encourage their children to govern themselves.” 

                1.  “Explain the reasons for your decisions.  In his early years, a child has a very hazy idea of cause and effect.  He needs to be taught the nature of things and why certain decisions garner certain results.  Experience is a good teacher in this respect, but parents need to make sure that the experiences are safe for the child and that they explain to him the consequences, both negative and positive, of his behavior….

                “If your child understands the reasons for a rule or a decision, he is much more likely to accept the rule or to make the same decision on his own when you are absent.  Furthermore, he will be more apt to see you as a person with whom he can talk over his problems and decisions….”

                2.  “Teach correct principles.  When the Prophet Joseph Smith said `I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves’ (quoted by John Taylor, Millennial Star, 15 Nov. 1851, p. 339), he gave us a formula for teaching our families….

                “We teach correct principles in many ways.  One of the most important ways is our example.  While there are no guarantees, there is impressive evidence that children tend to govern themselves according to the way their parents govern themselves.  Parents interested in teaching self-government to their children would do well to begin that instruction with a careful self-analysis to determine how well they govern themselves….

                “Sit down with a pencil and paper and take stock of your own desires, appetites, and habits.  Are there any that you feel you do not control?  How can you gain greater control in these areas?

                “Help older children with a similar inventory taking.  Show them of your interest in their self-mastery….”

                3.  “Encourage discipleship.  Those who have mastered self-government have disciplined themselves.  Likewise, children who have learned self-government have been disciplined.  That doesn’t mean their behavior is so strictly enforced by punishment that they are afraid to enjoy life.  Discipline is not punishment….

                “Children become disciples of their parents as they learn to trust their parents’ decisions, admire their integrity, and feel their love.  As that happens, children hopefully will adopt their parents’ values and govern themselves according to those values.  For this reason, it can be said that children will become disciples when their parents become disciples of Christ.

                “Children have much to teach us, as every parents knows but does not always remember.  Becoming disciples together in the quest for better self-government may be one of the most unifying experiences we can have as a family.  It will deepen our love for one another and for the Savior, who was perfectly self-governed.

                “By following the Savior’s example on teachings, we become sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, who can show us everything that we should do.  (See 2 Nephi 32:5.)  By teaching our children to listen to the promptings of the Spirit and to rely on the Lord in making decisions, we help them gain the freedom of righteous self-government.”

                Our world is in desperate need of parents who will act as parents by loving, teaching, training, and preparing their children to become responsible adults.  Our families, communities, and nation will be strengthened when the rising generation is taught correct principles and how to think through the consequences of their choices.

Self-Reliance

                We can strengthen our family, community, and nation by modeling and teaching self-reliance and why it is important.  Self-reliance has been described as the ability, commitment, and effort to provide for our own spiritual and temporal well-being as well as that of our family.  By becoming self-reliant, we not only take care of our own needs but we put ourselves in a situation to be of greater assistance to those in need.

                When President Brigham Young led the Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley, they found an isolated desert.  President Young encouraged the pioneers to establish permanent homes.  If the Saints were to be obedient to the Prophet’s counsel, they needed to developed skills that would lead to self-sufficiency.  President Young trusted the women and their capacities, talents, faithfulness, and willingness, and he encouraged them in specific temporal duties.  The principles that President Young encouraged the pioneer women to learn are still practiced in the Relief Society today:  1) learn to love work and avoid idleness; 2) acquire a spirit of self-sacrifice; 3) accept personal responsibility for spiritual strength, health, education, employment, finances, food, and other life-sustaining necessities; 4) pray for faith and courage to meet challenges, and 5) strengthen others who need assistance.

                Relief Society sisters and other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are encouraged to follow these same principles even though our specific duties may be different than our pioneer sisters.

                When we say that we have self-reliance, we mean that we have the capability to provide for our own spiritual and temporal well-being as well as that of our family.  Learning and applying the principles of self-reliance prepares us to recognize opportunities to care for the poor and needy as well as assist others to become self-reliant and prepare for times of adversity.

                Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught, “We become converted and spiritually self-reliant as we prayerfully live our covenants – through worthily partaking of the sacrament, being worthy of a temple recommend, and sacrificing to serve others.”

                Elder Hales said that we should become self-reliant temporally, “which includes getting a postsecondary education or vocational training, learning to work, and living within our means.  By avoiding debt and saving money now, we are prepared for full-time Church service in the years to come.  The purpose of both temporal and spiritual self-reliance is to get ourselves on higher ground so that we can lift others in need.”

            I like that last sentence:  “The purpose of both temporal and spiritual self-reliance is to get ourselves on higher ground so that we can lift others in need.”  This sounds so much less selfish than simply taking care of ourselves and our families!  We cannot provide from an empty cupboard or comfort with an empty soul.  We have to be on higher ground in order to help others!  As we increase in our own self-reliance, we can strengthen our family, community, and nation.