Commemorating the 30th anniversary of 'The Family: A Proclamation to the World'
Sharing a beautiful tribute Monique created, along with my reporting from a powerful BYU Conference commemorating this historic declaration from 1995.
As I began my senior year in high school, I remember hearing about President Gordon B. Hinckley making a declaration in the General Relief Society meeting of our faith, which began:
“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, seers, and revelators of this church have repeatedly stated throughout its history. I now take the opportunity of reading to you this proclamation.”
He then read the full text of an official declaration called The Family: A Proclamation to the World:
On the 30th Anniversary of this declaration, Monique was invited to make a video tribute - and she chose this line to focus on: “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
She had no time to do this, but I was proud of her for taking the time to figure out how. Her message was elaborated in longer remarks she shared in our local sacrament meeting earlier this year: “I could choose to believe God was there. Or I could choose to believe he wasn’t” (also republished in Meridian Magazine).
I was grateful for the chance to cover for Deseret News BYU’s conference recently commemorating this same anniversary: “Experiencing Christ through the Family Proclamation.”
Across the many many talks, reported some of the highlights for both days:
Thursday highlights: Conference commemorating 30th anniversary of the Family Proclamation begins at BYU
Friday highlights: BYU family conference celebrates ‘God’s eternal vision of who we are’
There were three stand-out talks for me:
1. Shima Baughman shared powerful insights from her life experience both as a refugee and divorcee, centered around the continued longing for a “royal marriage.” Here’s her write-up: Cinderella is our favorite princess for a reason, with the full talk really worth listening to (you’ll see why):
2. Jenet Erickson spoke about how men and women long for the intimacy that comes in lasting partnerships, and which isn’t satisfied in any other way: “We are designed for eternal covenant relationships”
3. And Sister Amy A. Wright, counselor in the General Primary Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke powerfully about the blessings of an eternal family, saying “Do not miss this …anything this world could offer us pales drastically in comparison.”
Sister Wright says Family Proclamation is ‘inseparably connected’ to Jesus Christ
My friend Jason Carroll also gave an interesting response to the popular idea that marriage is a 50-50 toss-up, pointing out that this isn’t really true - not if you establish certain Christ-like practices and patterns in marriage.
And the remarkable Barbara Morgan Gardner addressed misconceptions about the document’s origins: “The Family Proclamation—Preparation, Partnership, Purpose, Priority, Power, Prophetic”
Earlier in the month, sociologist Bradford Wilcox from the University of Virginia shared his thoughts on the text: “A sociologist’s take on ‘The Family: A Proclamation to the World’”
And lastly, Elder Ronald A. Rasband, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke on the same theme a few days before the conference at BYU (“The Family Is Ordained of God”) and followed it up with a beautiful General Conference talk focused on the same theme yesterday.
I’m grateful for the family proclamation - and for the path it outlines. For those with concerns that it doesn’t apply to everyone, I’m excited to share more from my friend Ty Mansfield in the months ahead. Stay tuned.