The Family: A Proclamation to the World

I am posting on this blog again as a project for my FAML 100 class at BYUI. This is a project on The Family: A Proclamation to the World which was given in September of 1995. President Hinckley read the Proclamation during the General Relief Society meeting that year. I was a young mother of less than a year at that time and I wondered why the Lord thought we needed to have a document that spelled out his thoughts on the family when that was what most of the world believed at the time. Well, through the last 20 years, we have seen many of the world's views on the family and men and women's roles in the family change. I hope with my posts on this topic I can show my children what I believe and what I know is important for them to know about what Heavenly Father wants for our families.

The Proclamation can be found here. 

President Uchtdorf quote

It is not repentance per se that saves man. It is the blood of Jesus Christ that saves us. It is not by our sincere and honest change of behavior alone that we are saved, but “by grace that we are saved, after all we can do”. True repentance, however, is the condition required so that God’s forgiveness can come into our lives. True repentance makes “a brilliant day [out] of the darkest night” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 362).

True repentance brings us back to doing what is right. To truly repent we must recognize our sins and feel remorse, or godly sorrow, and confess those sins to God. If our sins are serious, we must also confess them to our authorized priesthood leader. We need to ask God for forgiveness and do all we can to correct whatever harm our actions may have caused. Repentance means a change of mind and heart—we stop doing things that are wrong, and we start doing things that are right. It brings us a fresh attitude toward God, oneself, and life in general.

"Point of Safe Return" Dieter F. Uchtdorf General Conference April 2007

Elder Bednar quote

The most meaningful and spiritual prayers I have experienced contained many expressions of thanks and few, if any, requests. . . 

As we strive to make our prayers more meaningful, we should remember that “in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments”. Let me recommend that periodically you and I offer a prayer in which we only give thanks and express gratitude. Ask for nothing; simply let our souls rejoice and strive to communicate appreciation with all the energy of our hearts.

"Pray Always" David A. Bednar General Conference October 2008

Elder Bednar quote

Morning and evening prayers—and all of the prayers in between—are not unrelated, discrete events; rather, they are linked together each day and across days, weeks, months, and even years. This is in part how we fulfill the scriptural admonition to “pray always”. Such meaningful prayers are instrumental in obtaining the highest blessings God holds in store for His faithful children.

"Pray Always" David A. Bednar General Conference October 2008

President Monson quote

Great courage will be required as you remain chaste and virtuous amid the accepted thinking of the times.

In the world’s view today there is little thought that young men and young women will remain morally clean and pure before marriage. Does this make immoral behavior acceptable? Absolutely not!

The commandments of our Heavenly Father are not negotiable!

"May You Have Courage" Thomas S. Monson General Young Women Meeting April 2009

Elder Cook quote

A loving Father in Heaven has provided us with the means to bring His spirit children into this world to fulfill the full measure of their creation. He has instructed us that the wellsprings of life are to be kept pure, just as the beautiful spring on the ranch required protection in order to sustain life. This is one of the reasons why virtue and chastity are so important in our Father in Heaven’s plan.

"Stewardship--a Sacred Trust" Quentin L. Cook General Conference October 2009

Elder Andersen quote

The invitation to repent is rarely a voice of chastisement but rather a loving appeal to turn around and to “re-turn” toward God.  It is the beckoning of a loving Father and His Only Begotten Son to be more than we are, to reach up to a higher way of life, to change, and to feel the happiness of keeping the commandments. Being disciples of Christ, we rejoice in the blessing of repenting and the joy of being forgiven. They become part of us, shaping the way we think and feel.

"Repent...That I May Heal You" Neil L Andersen General Conference October 2009

President Uchtdorf quote

As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.

"You Are My Hands" Dieter F. Uchtdorf General Conference April 2010

President Uchtdorf quote

To follow Christ is to become more like Him. It is to learn from His character. As spirit children of our Heavenly Father, we do have the potential to incorporate Christlike attributes into our life and character. The Savior invites us to learn His gospel by living His teachings. To follow Him is to apply correct principles and then witness for ourselves the blessings that follow. This process is very complex and very simple at the same time. Ancient and modern prophets described it with three words: 

“Keep the commandments”

—nothing more, nothing less.

"Christlike Attributes--The Wind beneath our Wings" Dieter F. Uchtdorf General Conference October 2005

Elder Christofferson quote

All of us experience temptations. 

So did the Savior, but He “gave no heed unto them” (D&C 20:22). 

Similarly, we do not have to yield simply because a temptation surfaces. 

We may want to, but we don’t have to. 

An incredulous female friend asked a young adult woman, committed to living the law of chastity, how it was possible that she had never “slept with anybody.” 

“Don’t you want to?” the friend asked. 

The young woman thought: “The question intrigued me, because it was so utterly beside the point. … Mere wanting is hardly a proper guide for moral conduct.”

^{"Moral Discipline" D. Todd Christofferson General Conference October 2009}