Prayerfully study this material and seek to know what to share. How will understanding the doctrine of the family bless those you watch over through visiting teaching? For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.
Of
the general Relief Society meeting in 1995, when President Gordon B.
Hinckley (1910–2008) first read “The Family: A Proclamation to the
World,” Bonnie L. Oscarson, Young Women general president, said: “We
were grateful for and valued the clarity, simplicity, and truth of this
revelatory document. … The proclamation on the family has become our
benchmark for judging the philosophies of the world, and I testify that
the principles set forth … are as true today as they were when they were
given to us by a prophet of God nearly 20 years ago.”1
“From
the family proclamation,” adds Carole M. Stephens, first counselor in
the Relief Society general presidency, “we learn, ‘In the premortal
realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their
Eternal Father’2 …
“… We each belong to and are needed in the family of God.”3
We
live in a time when parents must protect their homes and their
families. “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” can guide us.
Additional Scriptures
Living Stories
“Lee
Mei Chen Ho from the Tao Yuan Third Ward, Tao Yuan Taiwan Stake, said
the proclamation has taught her that family relationships help develop
divine characteristics such as faith, patience, and love. ‘When I try to
improve myself according to the proclamation, I can experience real
happiness,’ she said.”4
Barbara
Thompson, who was present when the proclamation was read for the first
time and later served as a counselor in the Relief Society general
presidency, said: “I thought for a moment that [the family proclamation]
really didn’t pertain too much to me since I wasn’t married and didn’t
have any children. But almost as quickly I thought, ‘But it does pertain
to me. I am a member of a family. I am a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a
cousin, a niece, and a granddaughter. … Even if I were the only living
member of my family, I am still a member of God’s family.’”5
Consider This
How is “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” a document for our day?
Here are some ideas...
MIMI LEE
My Happy Tribe
