The Family: A Proclamation to the World

Much of my writing follows the theme of family. Indeed my whole purpose for creating this blog was to provide my children with a firsthand account of their dad’s thoughts and memories. As I have hinted in the past, nothing means more to me than my family. My testimony of family importance relies heavily on the formative examples and experiences from my youth. That testimony continues to grow through adulthood alongside my wife and kids. I believe that family serves an eternal and spiritual purpose. This belief is founded on a special document. For those who wish to know more about my views on family life and purpose, I invite you to read “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”. I find its message notably applicable to our era.

The eternal function and purpose of family is eternal. However, there are some misguided constituencies that work hard to transform or entirely terminate the divinely ordained institution. These crusades follow the banners of “EQUALITY”, “DIVERSITY”, and “TOLERANCE”. However, such crusades frequently and radically miss their intended mark. The world eagerly pursues moral equivalence. Instead, it unintentionally achieves moral ambivalence. Tragically, such movements always produce more victims than victors.

It is easy to concentrate on the foretold calamities and devastations that emerge from the family dissolution. It is even easier to grumble about societal shortcomings. However, if our response to societal adversity is limited to puffing and pouting, then we giving up integrity and courage in favor of lazy finger-pointing.

If you pay close attention to the Proclamation, you will notice that only meager portion gives explicit attention to the calamitous consequences of failure in the home. In contrast, the remaining text focuses on our sacred duties and responsibilities within our own sphere of influence. This is what makes this sacred document so incredible. Although the Proclamation boldly addresses a grandiose world audience, it also earnestly calls out to individuals and families with no worldly significance. It is a proclamation to both the great and spacious, and the small and simple. The Lord intended it as such because His great works are brought to pass through small and simple things. The power to preserve your family does not reside in legislative chambers nor judicial halls. Rather, it is found in small and simple teachings, traditions, and truths.

This does not mean that we withdraw from public forum and debate. I do not advocate shrinking in the face of criticism. However, I am suggesting that we prioritize our efforts to defend and maintain the Lord’s model for families.

There is no need to overburden ourselves with society’s emerging and evolving definitions. In truth, the definitions of man simply do not matter. Every attempt to refashion, redefine, or remodel the familial unit amounts to nothing more than a feeble kick against the pricks. Kick as they might, these facts still hold true:

Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God

Family is central to the Creator’s plan

Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose

Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness

The sanctity of life is important in God’s eternal plan

These simple, yet profound truths will not bend nor adapt to the contortions and machinations of faulty mortal philosophy. Therefore, we can feel at peace even in the face of a taunting, shouting, and contentious society. We should note that the influences outside of the family are far less potent than the influences within the family.

Do you remember the last time you roamed past a rickety house? Conjure in your mind an image of a home with scattered shingles, rotted trim, and weathered windows. Think for a moment what forces might have caused damage to the house. You might imagine extreme weather such as heavy rain, scorching heat, or severe wind. Or you might simply blame the passage of time and the inevitable effects of age. While these external forces certainly contribute to a building’s defects, they ultimately do not condemn a structure to decay and destruction. History proves that the problem originates from within.

The forces of time, nature, and gravity cannot be avoided. Their influence exerts itself without prejudice and without discrimination. Yet despite their constant presence, many buildings endure the pressure for decades, centuries, and even millennia. In contrast, many buildings only last a few years, days, or even mere months. Why such a stark difference? Each one endures the same rain, the same wind, and the same sun. The root problem is something far more internal. The answer? Poor design, poor materials, and poor craftsmanship.

The best designers and builders understand this principle better than anyone. Rather than curse the forces far beyond their control, they dedicate their time, talents, and resources to constructing something of extreme quality. Such professionals habitually emphasize stability, reliability, and responsibility. They know that if such standards can be met, then no external force will have sufficient power to undermine the building’s integrity.

In a similar fashion, our sights should not be solely set upon external pressures. We know they are there and we know that they will always be there. But we simply cannot avoid the forces of animosity and adversity. Nevertheless, we can concentrate on building and maintaining our quality family unit. If that unit is built to the Lord’s celestial standards, then our families will stand the test of time and all eternity.

If our Heavenly Father is the great architect of the family, then The Family: A Proclamation to the World is His blueprint. His plan specifies that we observe the standards and principles requisite for celestial families. Chief among these principles are knowledge, duty, and charity. I invite you to explore with me how these three principles help us fulfill our sacred familial duties.

1) Knowledge

Knowledge of who we are, why we are here, and where we will go lays the solid foundation for family structure. The opening declarations of the Proclamation to the World allude to this fact:

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…

IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped 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 their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life…

Our testimony of our divine heritage and potential affirms that we are already part of a celestial family, with a Father who loves and presides over all of us. He is aware of our concerns, our aspirations, and our weaknesses. Our knowledge of our Heavenly Father and His plan of salvation explains the institution of the earthly family and legitimizes its sacred role. Such foundational testimony provides the necessary bedrock upon which a solid family structure can thrive.

Our knowledge and testimony of these truths should be maintained and supplemented through study and prayer. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on the doctrines found within scripture. From scripture we obtain the teachings of Jesus Christ – namely faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome living. These teachings cannot be consistently practiced unless they are consistently reviewed at home.

2) Duty

Another recurring theme within the proclamation is duty.  Words or phrases related to duty, commandment, obligation, responsibility, and covenant stand out in the text an impressive seventeen times. Clearly the Lord is attempting to communicate with us the importance of duty. Such examples include:

…Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children.

…Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness…and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens…

This sense of familial duty binds us to our families in a way that no legal document or legislation can. Take some time to think of the special duties you have in your family. What are your duties as a son? A daughter? Father? Mother? Husband? Wife? Sibling? How strong is that sense of duty? Now imagine what this life might be like if familial duty and responsibility were given adequate reverence. What societal ailments might be cured? Addiction? Poverty? Abuse? Neglect? Hate? Such is the power of duty.

The proclamation pointedly reminds parents that their obedience and responsibility is paramount to a healthy family. Whether you are parenting toddlers, teens, or grown-ups, the principle of duty will always apply.

3) Charity

If knowledge discloses who we are and duty dictates what we must do, then charity determines how we must act. The proclamation challenges us to:

…Love and care for each other and for [our] children.

…Rear [our] children in love and righteousness…

…Teach them to love and serve one another…

…Help one another as equal partners…

This is plain language that leaves no room for variation or rationalization. There is no adequate substitute for love and respect within the home. When present, love diffuses both public and private hostilities. John Hugh McNaughton emphasized this when he wrote:

In the Cottage there is joy

When there’s love at home;

Hate and envy ne’er annoy

When there’s love at home.

Roses bloom beneath our feet;

All the earth’s a garden sweet,

Making life a bliss complete

When there’s love at home.

This type of love and charity should also extend beyond the confines of the home. Children should see a parent’s example of respect and kindness towards others. This means following the Savior’s example to “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” When children see this type of charity exercised on a consistent basis, peace will begin to exist at home and in the community

            It is my belief that harmony in the home is the essential ingredient to a happy and healthy society. My experiences, both from within my own family and from the examples of others, demonstrate that knowledge, duty, and charity create the peaceful and predictable atmosphere wherein children can reach their true potential. Rather than work yourself into a frenzy of fear and hysteria, I urge you to focus your efforts on maintaining a family frame that will endure any persecution.