The Family: A Proclamation to the World
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"The Family: A Proclamation to the World" is a statement issued by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1995, which defined the church's official position on family, gender roles, and human sexuality. It was first announced by church president Gordon B. Hinckley at the worldwide General Relief Society Meeting on September 23, 1995.
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[edit] History
The Proclamation was issued soon after the church's major involvement in the first flurry of legal and legislative action banning same-sex marriage in Hawaii and elsewhere. In March 1995, Utah had passed a state law banning same-sex marriage, and in April 1995, the legislature of Hawaii revised its statutes to ban same-sex marriage, resolving a court battle on the subject in which the church unsuccessfully sought to become a co-defendant.
The document was first read in the general Relief Society conference, a women's meeting on September 23, 1995, after which it was discussed extensively in the October 1996 general conference. Numerous copies of the Proclamation were printed and framed for display in the homes of church members, a practice that has continued for at least a decade after it was issued.
[edit] Contents
The proclamation contains no new statements of church doctrine or policy, but is the most complete official statement of church policies on gender and sex. It contains a number of doctrinal assertions, items of counsel, and warnings.
[edit] Doctrinal assertions
- All human beings are created in God's image.
- Gender is an essential part of human identity before, during, and after life on Earth.
- "In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan..."
- "Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples [of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally."
[edit] Items of counsel
- Sex is sacred and must only take place between a married man and woman.
- Parents have a serious responsibility "to love and care for each other and for their children."
- Happiness and success come through following the teachings of Jesus and through "faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."
- "...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."
- "...fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."
[edit] Warnings
- Those who commit adultery or "abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God."
- Disintegration of the family will bring "calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets".
[edit] Status
The proclamation was signed by the three members of the First Presidency and the twelve members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and copies produced by the church include those fifteen signatures at the bottom, emphasizing its authoritative nature. The church teaches that each of the fifteen signatories is an apostle as well as a prophet, seer, and revelator; that the First Presidency, and the Quorum of the Twelve in concert with the First Presidency, are entitled to receive direct revelation from God to lead the church and to teach the entire world; and that their pronouncements, when moved by the Holy Spirit, have the authority of scripture.
Nevertheless, not all joint statements of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are treated as scripture in LDS Church theology. A decision does not become established doctrine or scripture in the LDS Church until submitted to the "common consent" of church members; i.e., until it has been approved by the body of church members in general conference, a procedure established in the Doctrine and Covenants.[1][2] The LDS Church and its leaders have thus far characterized the proclamation 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."[3]
[edit] See also
- Articles of Faith (Latter Day Saints)
- Homosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
[edit] Notes
- ^ D&C 28:13
- ^ Harold B. Lee taught: The only one authorized to bring forth any new doctrine is the President of the Church, who, when he does, will declare it as revelation from God, and it will be so accepted by the Council of the Twelve and sustained by the body of the Church." (Harold B. Lee, The First Area General Conference for Germany, Austria, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, and Spain of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, held in Munich Germany, August 24–26, 1973, with Reports and Discourses, 69.)
- ^ Gordon B. Hinckley, “Stand Strong Against the Wiles of the World,” Ensign, November 1995, 100
