The Family: A Proclamation to the World

On the day I was born, it marked the one year anniversary of when my parents had bought a two-bedroom, one bath house in a suburb outside of Los Angeles, California. Three years later, I was a child of divorced parents, one who wouldn't see, or hear from, her father for over twenty years. When I turned eight, our family's home teacher was the one to baptize, and confirm me a member of the church. I grew up wishing for an older brother, not for any good reasons-- just that I was sure if I had an older brother, it would be him who would be the one to take out the trash and mow the lawn.

By the time I was in my late teens, I knew just about everything-- but I was only truly confident about a few things about what I wanted out of life. I was going to travel. I was going to become more active in the church. And finally, I was going to marry a man who thought the world of me, and would stick around to raise a strong, and happy family with me.

Hands: In our hands we hold a power that is greater than anything in this world. In our hands we hold something that is so precious, so dear, that our Heavenly Father-- who loves us all, has entrusted it into our care. It takes two hands-- the left and right to hold it. {Release cupped hands} This power can change individuals, it can change nations, and the world.  This power can last for eternity if we take the right steps.

It is the power of family.

”The family is intended by God as the great entryway into mortal life. It is central to the salvation of the human race, the perpetuation of civilization, and the birth and rearing of each new generation."

Before President Gordon B. Hinckley read “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” at a general meeting of the Relief Society in September 1995, he said: “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”

We are all created in the image of God. Each of us is a son or daughter of heavenly parents. Everyone in this room, and everyone that we will ever see, is a child of God. As such, each [of us] has a divine nature and destiny. In the pre-existence we were male and female as we are now. It is part of our eternal identity and purpose. [We] knew and worshipped God as [our] Eternal Father in our pre-mortal existence. We listened, and agreed to the plan to come to earth, gain a physical body, and gain experiences to progress toward perfection. We knew that we would need to have these experiences to help us gain understanding and compassion, and to ultimately realize our divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.

In Moses ch 1, verse 39, it reads: For behold, this is my work and my glory-- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (see Moses 1:39).

Our Heavenly Father's plan of happiness enables family relationships to continue beyond the grave. Families need not be broken apart when a family member dies. In our faith, the words, 'til death do ye part' are not in the ceremony where couples are married. It is called a sealing ceremony, and there is a distinct difference. We can be sealed together for all time and eternity to our spouse and our children. We can forge those links, and strengthen those family bonds. We have the hope and promise of our Father in Heaven that with sacred temple ordinances and covenants, it is possible for individuals to return to the presence of God, and for families to be united eternally.

It has been said that families are the basic unit of society. It is where we learn what it means to be human: to walk, to speak, to love. It is where we learn-- long before we drive or vote-- how to be a part of something that is more than just ourselves. Strong families are not just the foundation of society, but the cornerstone, and support beams as well. Stable families provide the fabric that holds society together, benefiting all mankind, even those who may feel they live in less-favorable circumstances. In a conference Report in April of 1998 it stated, "Our Heavenly Father wants our hearts to be knit together." Standing together offers a position of strength, protection, and moral stability.

It offers not only strength to the family, but to those who may not at the time be part of a strong family unit. For both my husband and myself, in our early years of marriage, we were wrapped in arms of love from families that held no blood ties with us. They not only fed us scrumptious Sunday dinners, saved seats for us at church, but let us learn the "how to's" of raising a family by including us in their family time. It was by their kind examples that we learned that families-- those with both a father and a mother, and children running about-- were real, and not just a far off dream of a forgotten era.

Our Heavenly Father knew that the raising of strong families was going to be tough. Heavenly Father does not ask us the impossible. Difficult, yes-- but impossible, no. In first Nephi, 3:7 it says: “I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them” And he has.

Our Heavenly Father has proclaimed that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. In his infinite wisdom he saw that the sanctity of life-- of creation-- would be best protected and guarded, when the powers of procreation are employed only between a man and woman, lawfully wedded, as husband and wife. Children are an inheritance to the Lord, and our children-- who are the rising next generation--are a blessing to all of us. To multiply and replenish the earth, remains in force, and we need not fear 'that the earth is full'.

Our Heavenly Father commands us to have a reverence for life, and to cherish the power to create as sacred. Family life here is like a schoolroom in which we prepare for family life in the eternities. To give us the opportunity for eternal family life is the purpose of creation and our life here on earth.
Families are a faith based work. We can teach one another of our Heavenly Father's love for each one of us by our example in our homes, by our willingness to serve and help one another, by how we talk about our family members, and how we show that we respect the institution of family to others. By doing so, day after day, we build up our families in love and strength.

President Hickley has warned us: "As the work grows, we may expect a strengthening of the efforts of the adversary against it. " As we have been able to see, the proclamation was ahead of its time because it warns against the very things that have undermined and threatened families in recent years. Indeed, Julie Beck, in 2009, while addressing those attending a CES meeting stated, "This generation will be called upon to defend the doctrine of the family as never before. If they don’t know the doctrine, they can’t defend it. [The doctrine of the family] is essential to help them achieve eternal life, and our Heavenly Father wants us to succeed."

And what of those that disagree with the precepts of the plan our Heavenly Father has laid out? Do we shun or mock? Do we try to win the argument with contention? Do we reject their life as seemingly unimportant or somehow broken? No. We must not, for they too are children of God. To deny them the recognition of their divine spirit, is to condemn our own. We must love, and show that we care about them as individuals. We may not win all to our side of the discussion, but if we remain constant, treating all with respect, our example will draw others to us.

President Hinckey had this to say, " Without contention, without argument, without offense, let us pursue a steady course, moving forward to build the kingdom of God. If there is trouble, let us face it calmly. Let us overcome evil with good. This is God's work....Let our voices be heard. ...I hope we shall speak with such conviction that those to whom we speak shall know of the strength of our feeling and the sincerity of our effort[s]..."

I do have an older brother. One who watches out for me, guides me, and has marked a path for my salvation.  We all do.  Our loving Savior has done so much for us-- because he loves us.  I hope and pray that we will go forward with courage and determination to strengthen family, and to honor them in our lives.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen



http://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation

http://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/proclamation-on-family-is-still-a-clarion-call?lang=eng

http://www.lds.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-and-church-history-student-study-guide/the-worldwide-church/the-family-a-proclamation-to-the-world?lang=eng

http://www.lds.org/manual/preparing-for-an-eternal-marriage-teacher-manual/3-the-family-a-proclamation-to-the-world?lang=eng

http://www.lds.org/ensign/2011/06/defending-the-family-in-a-troubled-world?lang=eng

http://www.lds.org/ensign/2011/03/teaching-the-doctrine-of-the-family?lang=eng

Be Thou an Example by Gordon B. Hinckley