“The Lord has designated the family to be the basic unit of the Church and of society.”
For millennia, prophets and apostles have proclaimed the sacredness of the family and warned of calamities to befall individuals, nations, and the world if families are not preserved and protected. Here are some inspired words from prophets and apostles regarding the family and the importance of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.”
The Family Is Central to God’s Plan
President Russell M. Nelson
President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
“Pivotal to God’s plan is the family. In fact, a purpose of the plan is to exalt the family. The earth was created so that we as premortal spirit children of our Father in Heaven could come to the earth and obtain physical bodies. We are here to be tried and tested [see Abraham 3:24–25 ]. We are here to ‘choose liberty and eternal life … or to choose captivity and death’ [2 Nephi 2:27 ]. And best of all, we are allowed to fall in love, to be married, and to invite children into our families” (“Faith and Families ,” Ensign , Mar. 2007, 39).
“Those who do not fully understand the Father’s loving plan for His children may consider this family proclamation no more than a changeable statement of policy. In contrast, we affirm that the family proclamation, founded on irrevocable doctrine, defines the kind of family relationships where the most important part of our eternal development can occur” (“Divine Love in the Father’s Plan ,” Liahona , May 2022, 103).
Family Life in Mortality Prepares Us for Eternity
President Henry B. Eyring
Second Counselor in the First Presidency
“The family unit is not only fundamental to society and to the Church but to our hope for eternal life. We begin to practice in the family, the smaller unit, what will spread to the Church and to the society in which we live in this world and what then will be what we practice in families bound together forever by covenants and faithfulness” (“The Family ” [Brigham Young University devotional, Nov. 5, 1995], 8, speeches.byu.edu).
Physical Intimacy Is Reserved for Marriage
President Jeffrey R. Holland
Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
“Human intimacy is reserved for a married couple because it is the ultimate symbol of total union, a totality and a union ordained and defined by God. From the Garden of Eden onward, marriage was intended to mean the complete merger of a man and a woman—their hearts, hopes, lives, love, family, future, everything. … This is a union of such completeness that we use the word seal to convey its eternal promise” (“Personal Purity ,” Ensign , Nov. 1998, 76; Liahona , Jan. 1999, 91).
“A parent’s love for a child is one of the strongest forces in the universe. It’s one of the few things on this earth that can truly be eternal.
“Now, perhaps you feel that your relationship with your child is less than ideal. That’s where the Savior’s power comes in. He heals the sick, and He can heal relationships. He multiplies bread and fish, and He can multiply the love and the joy in your home” (“Jesus Christ Is the Strength of Parents ,” Liahona , May 2023, 56).
Strengthen Family Links, Even When Some May Be Broken
Elder David A. Bednar
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
“To you [young adults] who have experienced the heartache of a divorce in your family or felt the agony of violated trust, please remember it begins again with you! One link in the chain of your generations may have been broken, but the other righteous links and what remains of the chain are nonetheless eternally important. You can add strength to your chain and perhaps even help to restore the broken links. That work will be accomplished one by one” (“A Welding Link ” [worldwide devotional for young adults, Sept. 10, 2017], Gospel Library).
“Women and men have unique roles as outlined in ‘The Family: A Proclamation to the World,’ but their stewardships are equal in value and importance. They have equal power to receive revelation for their family. When they work together in love and righteousness, their decisions are heaven blessed” (“Great Love for Our Father’s Children ,” Liahona , May 2019, 79).
Parents Should Lead Children to a Hope in Christ
Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
“God ordained that men and women should marry and give birth to children, thereby creating, in partnership with God, the physical bodies that are key to the test of mortality and essential to eternal glory with Him. He also ordained that parents should establish families and rear their children in light and truth [see Doctrine and Covenants 93:36–40 ], leading them to a hope in Christ” (“Why Marriage, Why Family ,” Liahona , May 2015, 51).
The Principles of the Family Proclamation Are Beautifully Connected
Elder Neil L. Andersen
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
“If we pick and choose what we accept in the proclamation, we cloud our eternal view, putting too much importance on our experience here and now. By prayerfully pondering the proclamation through the eye of faith, we better understand how the principles are beautifully connected, supporting one another, revealing our Father’s plan for His children” (“The Eye of Faith ,” Liahona , May 2019, 35–36).