The Family: A Proclamation to the World

In 1995, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a proclamation to the world concerning the family. It summarizes eternal gospel principles that have been taught since the beginning of recorded history and even before the earth was created.  Before President Gordon B. Hinckley read “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” at a general meeting of the Relief Society in September 1995, he said: “With so much of sophistry that is passed off as truth, with so much of deception concerning standards and values, with so much of allurement and enticement to take on the slow stain of the world, we have felt to warn and forewarn. In furtherance of this we of the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles now issue a proclamation to the Church and to the world as a declaration and reaffirmation of standards, doctrines, and practices relative to the family which the prophets, rs, and revelators of this church have repeatedly stated throughout its history” (“Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World,”Ensign,Nov. 1995, 100).
 
In my blog over the next couple of months I would like to break down this proclamation and write what it means to me.  I have also attached a copy of the proclamation if you would like to read the whole thing quicker than I can blog about it. https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/images/gospel-library/manual/34190/34190_000_WWC_26-FamProc.pdf

I love the title of the proclamation The Family: A Proclamation to the World.  It very clearly addresses families. We all belong to a family.  The audience for this proclamation is the whole world! And what are we doing?  Proclaiming those that we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators.  This titile means that the proclamation can help anyone in the world! I am excited to blog about each of the meanings in the proclamation.  Next week, I will blog about the following paragraph:

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

1. “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.