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The Family

The Family. A Proclamation to the World. The Prophets Speak.

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The Family

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  1. The Family A Proclamation to the World

  2. The Prophets Speak “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.” The Family - A Proclamation to the world, September 1995

  3. Facts and Figures • More than 1 million cases of child abuse or neglect were confirmed in 1993 • Between 3.3 million and 10 million children are exposed to domestic violence each year. • An estimated 464,000 children were in foster family homes, group homes, and residential treatment centers on a single day in 1993 • An estimated 7.7 million children in the United States suffer from serious emotional disorders. • Nearly 4.1 million American children are growing up in neighborhoods in which at least 40 percent of the population is poor.

  4. The Prophets Speak “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.” The Family - A Proclamation To The World, September 1995

  5. Some Reasons for Concern • Births to unmarried women in the U.S. have increased by more than 400% in the last three decades. Over 1.2 million babies (31% of all births) were born outside of marriage in 1993. • The number of unmarried teenagers getting pregnant has nearly doubled in the past two decades.

  6. Sexual Activity Among Teenagers Source: The Alen Guttmacher Institute, Sex & America’s Teenagers, 1993

  7. Scholars Confirm What Prophets Proclaim “The present illegitimacy ratio is not only unprecedented in the past two centuries; it is unprecedented, so far as we know, in American history going back to colonial times, and in English history from Tudor times.” Gertrude Himmelfarb, The de-Moralization of Society [New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995], p.253 Continued

  8. Scholars Confirm What Prophets Proclaim “Lawrence Stone, the noted Princeton University family historian, says: The scale of martial breakdown in the West since 1960 has no historical precedent that I know of, and seems unique, … There has been nothing like it for the last 2,000 years, and probably longer.” Quoted by David Popenoe, A World Without Fathers, The Wilson Quarterly [Spring 1996], p.13

  9. The Prophets Speak “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.” The Family - A Proclamation To The World, September 1995

  10. In homosexual men, • Life Expectancy is reduced by more than 30 years • Much Higher incidence of suicide, hepatitis, cancer • Average of 80 sexual partners during lifetime (28% have more than 1,000 or more partners) Some Reasons for Concern • One-third of all homosexual men in the U.S. are HIV Positive, or dead from AIDS by age 30. • The homosexual life style is dangerous: J. Satinover, M.D. Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 1996, Chapter 3

  11. Some Reasons for Concern • Of 156 male couples, not one was able to maintain sexual fidelity for more than 5 years. Homosexual relationships are not “till death do us part,” far less for time and all eternity. • If attempts to legalize same-sex marriages succeed, the public nature of marriage, which currently distinguishes it from all other relationships, would irrevocably be changed. How then could incestuous, polygamous, etc. marriages be legally forbidden?

  12. The Prophets Speak “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 Family -- A Proclamation To The World, September 1995

  13. Some Reasons for Concern 1. The number of divorces in America has increased nearly 200% in the last 30 years; only about 50% of U.S. marriages are first marriages.

  14. The Prophets Speak “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.” The Family -- A Proclamation To The World, September 1995

  15. Some Reasons for Concern 1. Nearly 1 in 4 pregnancies now ends in abortion; approximately 1.6 million abortions in 1990 and more than 28 million since the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision of the U.S. Supreme Court. About half of U.S. women will have an abortion at some point in their lives. 2. The number of abortions undergone by unmarried teenagers is now approximately the same as the number of live births; in many inner-city settings there are more babies aborted than are carried to term.

  16. The Prophets Speak “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 an 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 -- A Proclamation To The World, September 1995

  17. The Prophets Speak “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.” The Family -- A Proclamation To The World, September 1995

  18. Some Reasons for Concern 1. “If current trends continue, less than half of all children born today will live continuously with their own mother and father throughout childhood. Most American children will spend several years in a single mother family--an increasing number of children will experience family breakups two or even three times during childhood.” Barbara Defoe Whitehead, Atlantic Montly, April 1993 continued

  19. Some Reasons for Concern • 2. Children from single parent families are: • six times as likely to be poor. • Two to three times as likely as children in two parent families to have emotional and behavioral problems. • More likely to drop out of high school, get pregnant as teenagers, abuse drugs, and get in trouble with the law. • Much more likely to be physically and sexually abused. continued

  20. Some Reasons for Concern 3. “The American family is not simply changing; it is getting weaker…family decline drives some of our most urgent social problems…the heart of the family problem lies in the steady breakup of the two-parent home.” David Popenoe, The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 14, 1993

  21. The Prophets Speak “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.” The Family -- A Proclamation To The World, September 1995

  22. Some Reasons for Concern 1. The rate of violent crime in America has increased by more than 400% in the last three decades. This rate is higher than in any other industrialized country. 2. The fastest growing portion of the criminal population is our nation’s youth. Young people 15-19 years old comprise 12% of U.S. population but accoutn for over 22% of violent crime. continued

  23. Some Reasons for Concern 3. More than 70% of all juveniles in state reform institutions come from fatherless homes. 4. More than half of children in families disrupted by divorce or illegitimacy have not seen their father at all in the past year. 5. “Fatherlessness is the engine driving our most urgent social problems, from crime to adolescent pregnancy to child abuse to domestic violence against women.” David Blankenhorn, Fatherless America: Confronting Our Most Urgent Social Problem, Basic Books, N.Y., 1995

  24. The Prophets Speak “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.” The Family -- A Proclamation To The World, September 1995

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