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Marriage Between a Man and a Woman is Ordained of GodA CLOSER LOOK
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We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is led by 15 apostles, who are also regarded as prophets, seers and revelators. The man who has been an apostle the longest is the president of the Church, and by inspiration he selects two other apostles as counselors. These three function as the First Presidency, which is the highest governing body of the Church.
—–Members of the First Presidency are special witnesses of Jesus Christ, called to teach and testify of Him throughout the world. They travel frequently, addressing and encouraging large congregations of members and interested nonmembers, as well as meeting with local leaders.
—–When they are not traveling, members of the First Presidency counsel together and with other general Church leaders on matters affecting the worldwide Church, such as missionary work, temple building, spiritual and temporal welfare and much more.
Source: LDS.org
For a quarter of a century, “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” has been a foundational, doctrinal declaration on God’s pattern of marriage and the family for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The bringing forth of this prophetic proclamation could also be considered a hinge point in the history of the Church. Because it was issued by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, it is a unified and prophetic statement that has and will continue to stand as a powerful beacon of truth in an increasingly confusing world.

In just 600 words, the family proclamation outlines what President Dallin H. Oaks declared as “the Lord’s reemphasis of the gospel truths we need to sustain us through current challenges to the family … [it] is a statement of eternal truth, the will of the Lord for His children who seek eternal life. It has been the basis of Church teaching and practice … and will continue so for the future.” (link)
Oftentimes we hear about the importance of defending the family. However, the unique thing about “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” is that it is not only about defending the family, but also about defending the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Why? The two are linked together by statements of eternal truth, namely 1) we believe the prophet speaks for God and that apostles are special witnesses of Jesus Christ to all the world; and 2) their unified words in the family proclamation are truth.
That’s why throughout this site, you’ll find that we’re not aiming to debate the family proclamation but, rather, support it. Because it’s a statement of eternal, unchangeable truth that is the basis of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the proclamation is not up for debate. In other words, when it comes to eternal truth, there is no debate because eternal truth is just that: eternal, unchanging truth. This is a bold statement, to be sure, in a world where we’re encouraged to speak our own truth. But when you make the connections between the foundations of the church (see The Articles of Faith), prophets and apostles and the plan of salvation (centered on the family), it’s easy to see why the family proclamation is so much more than 600 words on paper. It’s truth because it came through the mouthpieces of God.
The family proclamation begins with a unified, stage-setting declaration: “We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” This is important because it tells us who is declaring these words and by what authority they are doing so. These are prophets, seers and revelators speaking to the world about the truths of the family. Of this apostolic authority, Elder Neuenschwander of the Seventy says:
The fundamental responsibility of prophets, seers, and revelators, all of whom bear apostolic authority, is to bear certain testimony of the name of Jesus Christ in all the world. This basic call to be a special witness of His name has remained constant whenever Apostles have been on the earth. …
We sustain 15 men not only as prophets and revelators but as seers also. The presence of seers among us is not much spoken of, yet the ability to see beyond the present lends power and authority to apostolic testimony and teaching. …
Our sustaining support of prophets, seers, and revelators is not in the upraised hand alone, but more so in our courage, testimony, and faith to listen to, heed, and follow them. (link)
It’s our hope that by spending time on this site, you and your loved ones will be able to understand the importance of prophets and apostles for our day and make a stronger connection to our Heavenly Father’s teachings on the family. These 600 words are God’s blueprint for creating happy marriages and families. We hope that you’ll see “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” in a new light and as a tool for helping you to have the desire to create, strengthen and heal your marriage and family.
The world has never needed a prophet of God more than we do now. With increased feelings of urgency, we look to President Russell M. Nelson to learn how to navigate this fast-changing world we suddenly find ourselves in. So what is he saying right now? What is he asking us to do—right now? In this month’s edition of the Liahona magazine, President Nelson asked the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to do the following things:
1. Immerse ourselves in the scriptures. “Doing so opens our minds and hearts to the Savior’s teachings and truths. The words of Christ “tell [us] all things what [we] should do” (2 Nephi 32:3), especially in these days of uncertainty and upheaval.”
2. Pray. We must take the initiative “to humble ourselves before God, find a quiet place where we can regularly go, and pour out our hearts to Him.”
3. Listen. “If we will stay on our knees for a while after we finish our prayer, thoughts, feelings, and direction will come into our mind. Recording those impressions will help us remember what actions the Lord would have us take.”
4. Repent. “[Be] worthy to receive revelation. … If something is stopping us from opening the door to heavenly direction, we may need to repent. Repentance allows us to open the door so we can hear the voice of the Lord more frequently and clearly.”
This is a direct message about what we need to do right now. Interestingly enough, this same prophet was one of the signers of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” where prophets and apostles warned that “the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets” (Paragraph 8, The Family Proclamation).
Both then and now, President Russell M. Nelson is calling on us to pay attention:
Satan has marshaled his forces and is raging against the work of the Lord and those of us engaged in it. Because of the increasing dangers we face, our need for divine guidance has never been greater, and our efforts to hear the voice of Jesus Christ—our Mediator, Savior, and Redeemer—have never been more urgent.
President Russell M. Nelson
President Nelson is known for being precise with his words, and he isn’t mincing them here. Consider why he may have used these very specific phrases:
“Satan has marshaled his forces” and “Satan is raging against the Lord’s work and those of us engaged in the Lord’s work.”
The prophet knows the dangers we are facing and he says that they’re increasing. He says that these are things that are the most urgent for all of us:
“Our need for divine guidance has never been greater, and our efforts to hear the voice of Jesus Christ have never been more urgent.”
Does the prophet have our attention now?
Urgency for Clarity in the Confusion
If you ever feel confused about where to get answers in troubled times, you are not alone and you are not the first.
In the days and months leading up to the First Vision, the prophet Joseph Smith explained that there was “an unusual excitement on the subject of religion.” This excitement, he said, wasn’t just located in upstate New York, but was actually happening around the country. He said that this “created no small stir and division amongst the people, some with an almost urgent cry, “Lo, here!” and others, “Lo, there!”
Does this sound like our day?
In his account, Joseph Smith talked about the great zeal among these groups. He explains that “a scene of great confusion and bad feeling ensued—priest contending against priest, and convert against convert; so that all their good feelings one for another, if they ever had any were entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions.”
Does this sound like our day?
With so many conflicting voices, opinions and strife swirling around him, Joseph said that “his mind at times was greatly excited, the cry and tumult were so great and incessant.” It was a “war of words and tumult of opinions.” You can almost feel the sense of frustration and urgency when wrote, “I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties is right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it and how shall I know it?”
Can you relate to the prophet Joseph Smith?
Joseph kept himself aloof from all these parties, although he attended their meetings. But ultimately, none of them were satisfying because they all understood and interpreted the same verses of scripture so differently. There was also a lot of contention in this process. He says that all of these voices were destroying his confidence. He had questions. He needed answers. So what did Joseph Smith do? He did what President Russell M. Nelson is pleading with us to do in this month’s edition of the Liahona magazine.
We Get Clarity and are Protected as We Follow the Prophet
The Book of Mormon‘s promise to all of us who are living in the last days and seeing prophesies being fulfilled is that “the righteous need not fear,” for the Lord “will preserve the righteous by his power.” (1 Ne. 22:17) With everyone and everything out there proclaiming truth mixed in with half-truths or false doctrine, we are so blessed to have prophet of God who knows and follows the voice of the Savior and our Heavenly Father. Just as God said to Joseph Smith: “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” we can choose to hear Him. His voice is heard through our prophet and apostles. Just as the voice of our Heavenly Father pierced through the noise of the world, it will do the same for us as we listen to His prophet.
Because through His prophets, we can also hear Him.
Concerned about social issues involving the family? Wondering how to talk to youth about their tough questions? Check out the rest of this site for the research and the “why’s” behind God’s commandments. Start here: Home — The Family Proclamation
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solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God
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See also paragraph 6, sentence A [Husband and wife care] and paragraph 2, sentence C [Gender is essential].
Apart from its procreative aspect, natural marriage is important for another reason: Men and women are different, not just in morphology (form) or physiognomy (appearance), but also neurologically and emotionally. They complement one another as persons, even as they complement one another as sexual partners … [it’s] born-out in hard science. …
—–Human biology and physiology also make it plain that men and women are created to mate and reproduce. Complementarity seems self-evidently biological; explanations of such things as heterosexual intercourse, conception, or birth only serve to vindicate and illustrate it.
Schwarzwalder, R. (2013). “Complementarity in Marriage: What it is and Why it Matters.” [Issue Analysis]. Retrieved from https://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF13J39.pdf
“Marriage exists to bring a man and a woman together as husband and wife to be father and mother to any children their union produces. It is based on the anthropological truth that men and women are different and complementary, the biological fact that reproduction depends on a man and a woman, and the social reality that children need both a mother and a father. …
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In recent decades, marriage has been weakened by a revisionist view that is more about adults’ desires than children’s needs. This reduces marriage to a system to approve emotional bonds or distribute legal privileges. … Redefining marriage does not simply expand the existing understanding of marriage. It rejects … the norm of male–female sexual complementarity. … Marriage cannot do the work that society needs it to do if these norms are further weakened.”
Ryan Anderson, “Marriage: What It Is, Why It Matters, and the Consequences of Redefining It,” Heritage Foundation, 11 Mar 2013.
Marriage Ordained of God
See also paragraph 7, sentence A [Family ordained of God].
Compared with other forms of romantic relationships, marriage involves a higher level of commitment from partners and a stronger future orientation. Moreover, as an institution, marriage receives a great deal of support from religion, the legal system, and the wider
community. For these reasons, marriage is likely to place a particularly prominent role in shaping people’s identities and sense of self. The institutional nature of marriage, therefore, combined with the long-term nature of marital bonds, may account for the especially favorable state of wellbeing among spouses. …
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Even individuals in relatively unhappy marriages may benefit from the stability, commitment, and social status of marriage. And the long-term time horizon of marriage may provide people with the hope that their relationships will improve in the future. … After controlling for relationship happiness, married individuals continued to have the highest level of subjective well-being … [and] being married was associated with higher self-esteem, greater life satisfaction, greater happiness, and less distress.
Dush, Claire M. Kamp, & Amato, Paul R. (2016). Consequences of relationship status and quality for subjective well-being. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 22(5), 607-627.
“Being married is associated with an average reduction of approximately 35 percent in the odds of crime compared to non-married states for the same man.”
Robert Sampson, John Laub and Christopher Wimer, “Does Marriage Reduce Crime? A Counterfactual Approach to Within-Individual Effects,” Criminology 44 (2006): 465–502.
Marriage has economic implications. According to Pew Research, “married adults have made greater economic gains over the past four decades than unmarried adults.” In addition, children in single-parent households are more likely to live in poverty. But children in two-parent families around the world tend to have better educational outcomes than those living with only one parent or without a parent. Of course not all families are alike, and it takes mutual commitment and community support for even the best of them to work.
See “Why Society Needs Strong Families,” Church News release, 13 May 2013.
“The share of people who thought it was important for a couple planning to spend the rest of their life together to actually get married fell from 73% in 2006 to 64% in 2013.”
Gallup Polling
According to the Christian Post, the Gen Z townhall focused on issues surrounding young Christian discipleship, social media and mental health crises. One of the panelists, 23-year-old Evangelical author Sadie Huff, said that her generation needs disciple-leadership from older church members who aren’t lukewarm on issues.
“Sometimes, our generation is fearful to ask for a mentor or fearful to ask to be discipled, but we crave it. And so if you are in the older generation … if you came up to us and said, ‘Can I disciple you?’ I know my answer would be yes every time. And I know a whole lot of people who would agree with me who are my age.”
The need for mentoring is reflected in a society where it’s becoming less possible to be lukewarm in Christian discipleship. Panelists observed that it used to be easier for the older generation to survive socially in the grey area, but today the pressure to chose a side has never been greater. And that can be a positive thing.
“It’s pretty hot or cold because it’s actually really cool to stand for something these days,” she explained. “It’s cool to 100% follow God, and it’s cool to 100% stay in the world. It’s really not cool to be in the middle anymore. And it used to be different.”
On Absolute Truth
Gen Z is craving absolute truth from their leaders, and they’re open to getting the truth straight-up. Sadie believes that having theological clarity will result in more grounded discipleship, because young people won’t be torn between living their faith with conviction and constantly having to adjust to the moving targets of moral relativism.
I’ve seen a lot of soft doctrines that have broken my heart as it pertains to teaching the next generation. I’m begging for clarity. I think that my generation is spiraling and going out of control because there are too many tensions to fight through and no one’s giving clear absolute truth. And I think the next generation is craving clarity.
Gabrielle Odom, Protestant Panelist
Odom added that the older generation needs to ask, “Will we fight for Gen Z?”
“There are a lot of people that are fighting for our attention,” she said, specifically mentioning social media, politics, and pornography. There’s a legacy to be built, and the younger generation is going to take up that baton, and so it matters to equip them.”
See the full article here.
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“No other institution reliably connects two parents, and their money, talent, and time, to their children in the way that marriage does.”
Dr. Bradford Wilcox, Institute for Family Studies
Marriage exists to bring a man and a woman together as husband and wife to be father and mother to any children their union produces. It is based on the anthropological truth that men and women are different and complementary, the biological fact that reproduction depends on a man and a woman, and the social reality that each child needs both a mother and a father.
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Rutgers University sociologist David Popenoe explains:
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We should disavow the notion that “mommies can make good daddies,” just as we should disavow the popular notion…that “daddies can make good mommies.”… The two sexes are different to the core, and each is necessary—culturally and biologically—for the optimal development of a human being.
Anderson, R. (2013, March 18). Marriage Matters: Consequences of Redefining Marriage. Retrieved from https://www.heritage.org/marriage-and-family/report/marriage-matters-consequences-redefining-marriage
“Sex makes babies, society needs babies, and children need mothers and fathers.” Connecting sex, babies, and moms and dads is the social function of marriage and helps explain why the government rightly recognizes and addresses this aspect of our social lives. As Maggie Gallagher explains:
The critical public or “civil” task of marriage is to regulate sexual relationships between men and women in order to reduce the likelihood that children (and their mothers, and society) will face the burdens of fatherlessness, and increase the likelihood that there will be a next generation that will be raised by their mothers and fathers in one family, where both parents are committed to each other and to their children.
Anderson, R. (2013, March 11). Marriage: What It Is, Why It Matters, and the Consequences of Redefining It.
The true great goods of marriage … are inextricably bound together such that the complementarity of husband and wife is of the very essence of marital communion. Sexual relations outside the marital bond between husband and wife are contrary not only to the will of God but to the good of man. Indeed, they are contrary to the will of God precisely because they are against the good of man.
Robert P. George, distinguished jurisprudence professor, Princeton University; Cardinal Justin Rigalia of Philadelphia.
“Decades of social science, including the latest studies using large samples and robust research methods, show that children tend to do best when raised by a mother and a father. … Marriage is a uniquely comprehensive union. It involves a union of hearts and minds, but also—and distinctively—a bodily union made possible by sexual complementarity. As the act by which a husband and wife make marital love also makes new life. … In short, marriage unites a man and a woman holistically—emotionally and bodily, in acts of conjugal love and in the children such love brings forth—for the whole of life.”
Sherif Girgis, Ryan T. Anderson, and Robert P. George, What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense (New York: Encounter Books, 2012).
“What is unique about marriage is that it truly is a comprehensive sharing of life, a sharing founded on the bodily union made uniquely possible by the sexual complementarity of man and woman … to bind themselves to each other in pledges of permanence, monogamy, and fidelity.”
Robert P. George, “What Marriage Is and What It Isn’t” Retrieved from https://www.firstthings.com/article/2009/08/what-marriage-is-and-what-it-isnt
Redefining marriage further disconnect[s] childbearing from marriage. That hurt[s] children, especially the most vulnerable. It den[ies] as a matter of policy the ideal that children need a mother and a father. Traditional marriage laws reinforce the idea that a married mother and father is the most appropriate environment for rearing children, as the best available social science suggests.
—Recognizing same-sex relationships as marriages … legally abolish[es] that ideal. It den[ies] the significance of both mothering and fathering to children: that boys and girls tend to benefit from fathers and mothers in different ways.
Anderson, R. (2013, March 11). Marriage: What It Is, Why It Matters, and the Consequences of Redefining It.
“The ‘haves’ are generally those in stable marriages. The ‘have nots’ are generally those who live outside of marriage, especially with children. So vast is the difference, one is tempted to replace the traditional notion of social class with the more descriptive term marriage class.”
Steven Nock, “Illustrations of Family Scholarship: Introduction to the Special Issue,” Social Science Research 35 (June 2006):322–331.
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and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.
The strength of our families has a significant impact on each and every American—from the amount of taxes we pay, to the growth of our economy, to the level of crime in our neighborhoods. Years of research has shown that the children of nurturing, intact families are more likely to have higher academic performance and greater emotional maturity as well as more financial stability as adults. They are less likely to commit crimes and abuse drugs and alcohol. From a societal standpoint, strong families led by nurturing mothers and fathers mean less poverty and dependence on the welfare system, fewer crimes, a healthier and better educated populace, and a stronger economy, among other benefits.
James, K. (2020, May 6). Mothers Have an Impact That Goes Far Beyond Their Families. Retrieved from https://www.heritage.org/marriage-and-family/commentary/mothers-have-impact-goes-far-beyond-their-families
“Through my own personal experiences and my service in the Relief Society General Presidency, I have seen firsthand that many people in the world don’t live in perfect family situations. In fact, I’m not sure anyone does! The ideal described in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” reminds us of the loving eternal family that we belong to. It teaches that we are all part of the family of God and reminds us that, regardless of our earthly family situation, each of us is surrounded by brothers and sisters. Because we are all imperfect mortals, our family situations may never be perfect in this life. But our Savior can provide us with healing. …
Our heavenly parents love us, their children, and our Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. That means that He has a plan for you. Please keep moving toward Him in faith. Help your eternal family members along the way back to Him. He will share hope and healing along your journey. And one day, each of us will have the chance to return to a perfect and eternal heavenly home.”
Sister Reyna I. Aburto, Relief Society General Presidency, Ensign, September 2020.
My family was enough for His purposes
By Miranda Gaubatz, Utah, USA
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My family is not what you would call the “ideal” family. My parents split when I had just turned 11, so I was raised by a hardworking, dedicated single mother. I felt like we stuck out like a sore thumb in sacrament meeting.
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As a teenager, I remember sitting in a lesson on “The Family: a Proclamation to the World,” getting emotional as I listened to a youth leader testify of the family and coming to gain my own testimony that my little family was divinely approved and could provide everything I needed during this mortal existence.
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Even with that knowledge, I dreaded taking the required Eternal Families class a few years later at Brigham Young University. I didn’t want to sit through class after class hearing about my “less-than-ideal” family. But my professor started our first class with this statement: “We preach the ideal but live in reality and rely on the Savior’s Atonement to make up the difference.”
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I know that the family is central to Heavenly Father’s plan. Even families that are less than ideal, like I experienced as a teenager, can help us learn and grow. The Savior Himself was raised by an earthly stepfather. I’m so grateful that Jesus Christ can take our “not ideal” families and make them enough to fulfill His purposes for us.
See Ensign, September 2020.
The Family Proclamation: How Do I Fit In as a Single Adult?
By Liz Stitt

Sometimes people say things to me like, “Well, since you don’t have a family …”
First, I feel a little surprised at the comment and sometimes a bit frustrated. It is true that I am not married. But it is not true that I don’t have a family. That idea assumes that I just identify myself as someone who is not married and nothing more. With that perspective, it would be easy to feel like I’m left out of the family proclamation. But I know I have an individual role in Heavenly Father’s plan, and the blessings of the proclamation definitely apply to me.
Continue reading the story in the September 2020 issue of the Ensign.
The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
“The family, a universal community based on the marital union of a man and a woman, is the bedrock of society, the strength of our nations, and the hope of humanity.”
The World Family Declaration
The difficult reality is that the natural family and sexual liberation are mutually exclusive. The more there is of the one, the less there will be of the other.
John A. Howard, Senior Fellow, The Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society.
“The widest possible protection and assistance should be accorded to the family, which is the natural and fundamental group unit of society.”
United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, art. 10.1.
For questions and answers about why marriage between a man and a woman are so important for children and society, visit www.discussingmarriage.org