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.
This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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3 comments:
Excellent.
I thought you should know that when I dialog with the theologians who promote the LGBT agenda, it is usually as a method of gaining insight into their methods, mindset and reasoning. Occasionally I get somethings which are interesting factually and that I can verify independently. There have been a number I have communicated with over the years going over the various topics and sometimes specific Greek words.
At my church (well, former now), there are many youth who will be heading out into the very worldly University of California system or worse, so I tend to interact with the enemy to learn as much as I can about them. From this, I hopefully can prepare the children for the sort of deceit that they will be exposed to and show them some of the weaknesses in the LGBT propaganda they will inevitably get. To keep my interactions going, I have to be polite far beyond what is Biblically required, but it is usually necessary to gain the insights I am looking for. When I do provoke, it also needs to be careful and if done right, a passionate response will be obtained that is much more revealing then the canned ones.
Maybe my church will let me back in sometime! They are still upset that I was teaching without a seminary degree and would much rather have someone with a ph.d. speak on these matters third hand based on information they got from a book - which is probably as accurate and helpful as the anti-Mormon polemics that we know about.
Looney,
I have to say that I have always much appreciated the respect you have shown to me when discussing my religion. I try to follow your example, although I must admit that when I am attacked by others, I tend to bristle and don't always keep my cool (see past discussions with LS for examples lol). I try very hard never to attack someone's religious beliefs, because I know what it is like to have mine attacked. But I have to admit that I don't have much patience for religious beliefs that veer so drastically from Bible teachings, such as the LGBT agenda. But I do understand your position.
I have to say that I am very surprised that your church would go so far as to ...(not sure the word to use..."disfellowship"? ) you because you didn't have a seminary degree. I suppose my view is colored because my own religion requires no such degree. I believe that when a person is given an assignment to teach in the church, not only can they get inspiration to help them to teach what is right (based on doctrine of course, not their own worldly philosophies...), but they also are strengthened in the process. I know that when I teach a lesson, I am the one who gets the most out of it. In this way the members are strengthened. We have church lesson books that outline the lesson to be taught. The teacher studies the lesson, prays about it, and presents it to the class. Ideas are shared, and all are edified.
My other thought is that none of the original twelve apostles were graduates of seminary..... sorry...that was my snippy side coming out. ;)
I have read enough of what you have written to see that not only are you very knowledgable, but you are Christlike also. I think any congregation would be lucky to have you teach them. I'm not trying to stir things up, but this is just my gut reaction.
I wasn't exactly told to leave. A new senior pastor was brought in who seems to get all his info third hand and doesn't believe in fact checking. One of his first actions was to shut down my service over 'qualifications', when I was already expressing concern over carelessness. I decided it was best to move out for a while so that I wouldn't be tempted to engage in un-Christlike behavior in the church!
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