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At the BYU Women’s Conference held May 1, 2009, Sister Julie B. Beck, general Relief Society president, spoke about nourishing and protecting the family. Below are some of the references she used in her address.
THE FAMILY
“We have always understood that the foundations of the family, as an eternal unit, were laid even before this earth was created” (Spencer W. Kimball, in Conference Report, Oct. 1980, 3; or "Families Can Be Eternal," Ensign, Nov. 1980, 4). |
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MARRIAGE
“Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and . . . the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102).
“In the beginning, Adam and Eve were married for time and all eternity by the Lord. The organization of the family existed in the heavens before the world was formed and was historically started with Adam and Eve on the earth as recorded in Genesis. The family will exist eternally” (Robert D. Hales, in Clothed with Charity: Talks from the 1996 Women’s Conference (1997), 134).
“This order is . . . described in modern revelation as an order of family government where a man and woman enter into a covenant with God—just as did Adam and Eve—to be sealed for eternity, to have posterity, and to do the will and work of God throughout their mortality. . . . This order of priesthood has been on the earth since the beginning, and it is the only means by which we can one day see the face of God and live” (Ezra Taft Benson, “What I Hope You Will Teach Your Children about the Temple,” Ensign, Aug. 1985, 9).
“In the heavens are parents single? No, the thought makes reason stare!” (“O My Father,” Hymns, no. 292). |
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RESPONSIBILITY OF EVE
“Her act . . . [was] eternally a glorious necessity to open the doorway toward eternal life. . . . Some Christians condemn Eve for her act, concluding that she and her daughters are somehow flawed by it. Not the Latter-day Saints! Informed by revelation, we celebrate Eve’s act and honor her wisdom and courage in the great episode called the Fall” (Dallin H. Oaks, in Conference Report, Oct. 1993, 98; or "The Great Plan of Happiness," Ensign, Nov. 1993, 73). |
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MARRIAGE IS ESSENTIAL
Two reasons why marriage is essential: “Reason 1: The natures of male and female spirits complete and perfect each other, and therefore men and women are intended to progress together toward exaltation. . . . Reason 2: By divine design, both a man and a woman are needed to bring children into mortality and to provide the best setting for the rearing and nurturing of children” (David A. Bednar, “Marriage Is Essential to His Eternal Plan,” Ensign, June 2006, 83–84).
“The great plan of happiness (see Alma 42:8, 16) revealed to prophets is the plan for a happy family. It is the love story between husband and wife, parents and children, that renews itself through the ages” (Boyd K. Packer, in Conference Report, Apr. 1995, 9; or "The Shield of Faith," Ensign, May 1995, 9). |
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IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY
“Nothing is more important to the Church and to civilization itself than the family!” (Boyd K. Packer, in Conference Report, Oct. 2003, 25; or "The Standard of Truth Has Been Erected," Ensign, Nov. 2003, 25). |
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THREATS TO THE FAMILY
“We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).
“Just a few short generations ago, one could not have imagined the world in which we now live and the problems it presents” (Thomas S. Monson, “Heavenly Homes, Forever Families,” Ensign, June 2006, 99).
“Many of the social restraints which in the past have helped to reinforce and to shore up the family are dissolving and disappearing. The time will come when only those who believe deeply and actively in the family will be able to preserve their families in the midst of the gathering evil around us.
“ . . . There are those who would define the family in such a nontraditional way that they would define it out of existence. . . .
“We of all people, brothers and sisters, should not be taken in by the specious arguments that the family unit is somehow tied to a particular phase of development a mortal society is going through. We are free to resist those moves which downplay the significance of the family and which play up the significance of selfish individualism. We know the family to be eternal. We know that when things go wrong in the family, things go wrong in every other institution in society” (Spencer W. Kimball, in Conference Report, Oct. 1980, 3–4; or "Families Can Be Eternal," Ensign, Nov. 1980, 4). |
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CHILDREN
“It is an act of extreme selfishness for a married couple to refuse to have children when they are able to do so” (Spencer W. Kimball, in Conference Report, Apr. 1979, 6; or "Fortify Your Homes Against Evil," Ensign, May 1979, 6).
“If you are a mother, you participate with God in His work of creation—not only by providing physical bodies for your children but also by teaching and nurturing them. If you are not a mother now, the creative talents you develop will prepare you for that day, in this life or the next” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Happiness, Your Heritage,” Ensign, Nov. 2008, 119).
“You are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe. . . . [Creating] is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Happiness, Your Heritage,” 118–19). |
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PORNOGRAPHY AND INTERNET
“Now, a word of caution to all—both young and old, both male and female. We live at a time when the adversary is using every means possible to ensnare us in his web of deceit, trying desperately to take us down with him. . . .
“I feel to mention one in particular, and that is the Internet. . . .
“Extremely alarming . . . are the reports of the number of individuals who are utilizing the Internet for evil and degrading purposes, the viewing of pornography being the most prevalent of these purposes. My brothers and sisters, involvement in such will literally destroy the spirit. Be strong. Be clean. Avoid such degrading and destructive types of content at all costs—wherever they may be! I sound this warning to everyone, everywhere. I add—particularly to the young people—that this includes pornographic images transmitted via cell phones.
“My beloved friends, under no circumstances allow yourselves to become trapped in the viewing of pornography, one of the most effective of Satan’s enticements. And if you have allowed yourself to become involved in this behavior, cease now. Seek the help you need to overcome and to change the direction of your life. Take the steps necessary to get back on the strait and narrow, and then stay there.
“May we say, with Joshua of old, ‘Choose you this day whom ye will serve; . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’ ” (Thomas S. Monson, “Until We Meet Again,” Ensign, May 2009, 113). |
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TEACHING FAMILIES
“We call upon parents to devote their best efforts to the teaching and rearing of their children in gospel principles that will keep them close to the Church. The home is the basis of a righteous life, and no other instrumentality can take its place or fulfill its essential functions in carrying forward this God-given responsibility” (First Presidency letter, Feb. 11, 1999).
"Monday nights are reserved throughout the Church for family home evenings. We encourage members to set aside this time to strengthen family ties and teach the gospel in their homes.
“Earlier this year we called on parents to devote their best efforts to the teaching and rearing of their children in gospel principles which will keep them close to the Church. We also counseled parents and children to give highest priority to family prayer, family home evening, gospel study and instruction, and wholesome family activities” (See First Presidency letter, Oct. 4, 1999).
“Just the establishment of family home evening is in a sense sounding an alarm to all parents to prepare themselves and strengthen themselves for the challenges to come” (Boyd K. Packer, Mine Errand from the Lord [2008], 277). |
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LOVE AT HOME
“No love in all the world can equal the love of a true mother. . . . It was life to me; it was strength; it was encouragement; it was love that begat love or liking in myself. I knew she loved me with all her heart. She loved her children with all her soul. . . .Whenever . . . temptations became most alluring and most tempting to me, the first thought that arose in my soul was this: Remember the love of your mother. Remember how she strove for your welfare. Remember how willing she was to sacrifice her life for your good. . . . This feeling toward my mother became a defense, a barrier between me and temptation.
“If you wish your children to be taught in the principles of the gospel, if you wish them to love the truth and understand it, if you wish them to be obedient to and united with you, love them! . . . You can’t do it any other way. You can’t do it by unkindness; you cannot do it by driving. . . . You can coax them; you can lead them, by holding out inducements to them, and by speaking kindly to them, but you can’t drive them; they won’t be driven. . . . You can’t force your boys, nor your girls into heaven. You may force them to hell, by using harsh words in the efforts to make them good, when you yourselves are not as good as you should be. . . . You can only correct your children by love, in kindness, by love unfeigned, by persuasion, and reason” (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 314–17). |
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Serving in the Church
