Family.

Family.

One of the basic doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints is that the family is
the most important part of our salvation, for without it no one can be exalted (see D&C 131:1-4).

In Genesis 1:27-28 we read, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created
he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them and God said unto them, Be
fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of
the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

There are several interesting things of note in these verses. The first is that man was created in
the likeness of God. If God is a spirit, as most Christians believe, then it would be very difficult
for man to be in God's likeness, seeing he has a human form and a spirit supposedly doesn't have
any form. The second thing we should note is that if God made both male and female, then in
whose likeness or image is the woman made?
 Most Christians say that both male and female belong to the same species and are therefore in the
same image, with only minor differences for their sex. Although this is true, the question I pose
has a more profound answer.

But, before we can comprehend this answer, we must first comprehend the nature of God.

In Genesis 1:1 we read "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." The Hebrew
word for God is "elohiym {El-o-heem'}" (Strong's Concordance), and is a plural word. That is,
correctly translated, it means "Gods". The Jehovah Witnesses claim that the name of God, the
Father is "Jehovah", but the first name given for God in the Bible is "Elohiym." The first time the
name "Jehovah" is found in the Bible is after Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden of
Eden. (For a full explanation about this topic, read my article entitled "The Great Jehovah".)

Let's analyze the Hebrew meaning of the name "Elohiym". This word comes from the feminine
singular word "eloahh {El-o'-ah}." By adding "iym" to the end of this word, makes it plural.
However, "iym" is usually a masculine ending, yet here we see it added to a feminine word. This
gives the word "Elohiym" the sense of uniting both feminine and masculine qualities. The idea of
combining these two attributes suggests uniting of a man and woman, which would suggest the
idea of a family.

This helps us to understand in what likeness Eve was made. In Genesis 2:24-25 we read
"therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife: and they
shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife: and were not ashamed."
Here we clearly see that Eve was the WIFE of Adam. As such, we have the union of a male and
female in matrimony and God tells them that now they are "one." It is clear from the next verses
that it was God Himself who performed their marriage.

As husband and wife they also became the first earthly family. Soon after their creation, God
gave them two commandments, one of which was to "be fruitful and multiply and replenish the
earth." This is interpreted by virtually all Biblical scholars as meaning that they were to have
children and populate the earth. This commandment was given BEFORE they ate the forbidden
fruit. I make mention of this because in the Catholic church they teach that Adam and Eve were
guilty of the sin of fornication. However, this couldn't be true since God had specifically
commanded them to have children AFTER they had become "one" as man and wife.

But we still haven't answered the question of "whose likeness was Eve made in?" In Genesis
2:21-23 we read "And the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took
one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had
taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man."

Eve was not a sister of Adam because she was not made from the dust of the earth like Adam had
been. Instead, she was, in a very real sense, a part of him. God could have used the dust to make
her as He did with Adam but He didn't. Why?

In the very next verse we read "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother (in the case
of Adam who was his father and mother?) and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be ONE
FLESH" (emphasis added).

Why did God make woman from a part of Adam's body rather than from the dust of the earth?
Because a woman must come from man since they are both part of the same being. Also think about the rib, what it is? Is a bone. The Lord created Eve to be an help meet for Adam. He could create her from everything but He made her  by a rib, or bone. The bones are the frame of the body, without them the body can't stand up, I'd say the bone are an help meet for the body like Eve for Adam.  We're told in
Genesis 5:2 "Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called THEIR NAME
ADAM in the day when they were created."

In the day that they were created, both the man and woman were given the SAME NAME by
God! And why were they both given the same name? Because they were both from the same
flesh! That's why God made woman from the rib of Adam. Adam was the first person to be
created by God and he was made from the dust of the earth. (For this reason we call our planet
"Mother earth.") Eve, on the other hand, was made from the flesh of man, thereby making her
one with him and related to him in a very real and tangible way, giving extra meaning to the
words of Paul when he said, "neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without
the man, in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 11:11).

Despite God's commandment for Adam and Eve to "multiply and replenish the earth" there are
still some who teach that Adam and Eve had somehow adulterated, or perverted God's ways. The
word "adulterate" means "to corrupt, debase, or make impure by the addition of a foreign or
inferior substance." The word "pervert" means basically the same thing. But how could Adam
and Eve corrupt, debase and made themselves impure but keeping God's commandments? It's an
impossibility.

Still, there are some who teach that Adam and Eve committed a sexual sin. There are only two
kinds of sexual sins - adultery and fornication. Adultery is when a married person has sex with
someone to whom they are not lawfully wedded. Either Adam and Eve were married to each
other or they weren't. If they were, there was no one else they could have committed adultery
with. Fornication means to have sex outside of marriage, whether or not either party is married. If
Adam and Eve were married then it was impossible for them to have committed fornication. If
they weren't married then God was commanding them to have sex outside of marriage. No matter
how one looks at it, the idea that Adam and Eve had committed a sexual sin is completely
indefensible.

But what about the idea of having a family? Is the union of a man and a woman simply an earthly
convenience or is it a heavenly mandate? There are some who believe that Paul taught it was
better for man not to marry. Yet it was Paul himself who wrote to the Corinthians, "Have we not
power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and
Cephas? " (1 Corinthians 9:5).

Paul also warned Timothy "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall
depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in
hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; FORBIDDING TO MARRY, and
commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of
them which believe and know the truth." (1 Timothy 4:1-3, emphasis added) Paul expressly states
that any one who forbids someone to marry is "giving heed to seducing spirits."

But is a family without children a complete family? That's like asking, Can a sterile tree fulfills
the measure of its creation? Psalms 127:3-5 tells us, "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD:
and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are
children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be
ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."

The Bible clearly teaches that the family is an important part of God's design for man. But if that
is so, then it brings up another interesting point: Was Jesus married? Unfortunately the Bible
doesn't give us any clear answers. What is clear from the four Gospels is that the private life of
Jesus was not given much attention. Except for the story of His birth and one incident in His
childhood at the age of twelve, we know nothing about His background. In fact we only know
about what Jesus was like between the age of 30 to 33. And even here we're only told about those
things that are related to His mission. But, having said that, is there anything in the four gospels
that would suggest that Jesus was a married man? Let's take a look at a few clues.

According to Jewish tradition, a man can't teach in a synagogue if they are not married. However,
we know that Jesus taught in the synagogues almost every Sabbath. In Luke 4:15-17 we read,
"And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had
been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and
stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when
he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,..."

There are several things of note about this scripture. First of all it states the Jesus went into the
synagogues "on the Sabbath day" "as his custom was." In other words, this is something He did
each Sabbath day. Secondly, they "delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias." Here we
see that He wasn't merely a quiet spectator, but rather that He was a participant in the worship
service. Thirdly, we're told that "he taught in their synagogues." Not only was Jesus a participant,
but, more than that, he TAUGHT in the synagogues as someone having authority. And this
account in Luke was not the first or only time that He did this. Neither was this the only
synagogue where He taught. If He was not married, it's extremely doubtful He would have been
offered the opportunity to speak to His elders in such a manner.

Another clue can be found in the second chapter of John where we read of a wedding that was
held in Cana. Both Jesus and his mother, Mary, were in attendance at this feast. In John 2:3-4 we
read, "And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus
saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. And his mother
saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you do it." In verse 9-10 we then read, "The
governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth
set forth good wine... but thou hast kept the good wine until now."

Although the bride and groom of this wedding ceremony are not specifically mentioned, there are
some rather curious points about this event. Jesus and His mother are often assumed to have been
invited guests at this function, but, if that is so, then why did Mary tell her Son about the lack of
wine? What concern was that of hers, unless she had responsibility for making sure there was
enough wine and, perhaps, other items needed for the wedding? But why would she have that
responsibility unless it was one of her children that was getting married?

The answer Jesus gave her is also instructive. He said, "Woman, what have I to do with thee?
mine hour is not yet come." That comment clearly shows that He knew his mother was asking
Him to use His godly powers to produce more wine. However, even though He reminded her that
it wasn't time yet for Him to perform such miracles, still He obeyed her wishes. The question we
need to ask ourselves is: Why did Jesus do as his mother asked Him? Or, put another way, why
did Jesus feel the need to produce more wine through supernatural means, when He Himself felt
put upon? Although we may never know the real answer to that question, yet it is obvious that
Jesus DID feel it was necessary to do it, even though he was somewhat reluctant.

Then, Mary turned to the servants and instructed them to do whatsoever her Son told them. An
invited guest doesn't go up to someone else's servants and give them orders. Clearly, Mary had
some sort of authority at this wedding, so much so that the servants were willing to obey her
commands. The next question we need to ask is: Who's servants were these? Her's or someone
else's?

After the servants brought the wine to the governor of the feast, he "called the bridegroom" to
compliment him on the quality of the wine. Who was the bridegroom, and why did the governor
compliment HIM? The implication is that the bridegroom was responsible for providing the wine
(among other things). If that's the case, then why was Mary concerned about the wine, and why
did Jesus feel the need to do as His mother asked, and why did the servants obey Mary and Jesus?
None of this makes sense, UNLESS Jesus was the groom and this was HIS wedding.

But, if this is so, then why didn't Jesus or the writers of the gospels say that? There are two
reasons. The first is that each of the four gospels was not written as a history about the life of
Jesus. The whole purpose of why the gospels were written was to convince both Jew and Gentile
that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world. Only when His private life
illustrated this point did the authors put the incident in their narrative.

For example, the only reason the wedding is Cana was told was to illustrate the miraculous
powers which Jesus had. If it wasn't for Him turning the water into wine, we would have never
known that He had attended that wedding. In fact, the ONLY thing we know about the wedding
is the miracle of the wine. From the scriptures we see that Jesus must have had quite a social life
because he was invited to the homes of quite a few people, both rich and poor, religious as well
as non-religious. The authors of the gospel, however, give us no indication of why or how Jesus
came to be in the company of these men. Instead we're only told about those things that Jesus
either said or did at these social gatherings that had a bearing on convincing the reader that Jesus
was the Son of God.

In the story about raising Lazarus from the dead we read that when Jesus came to the family He
asked, "Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said
the Jews, Behold how he loved him!" (John 11:34-36). This is the only time in the scriptures
where it states that Jesus wept and the Jews themselves clearly saw that this man Lazarus was
very loved by Jesus. Obviously, Jesus cared deeply about this man and his family. But how did
He come to know him? What was His relationship to the man? Was he just a friend, a disciple, or
a relative? The writer of this gospel was one of the most beloved disciples of Christ and yet he
gives us no information about the social circumstances between these two men.

The second reason we don't know much about the personal life of Jesus is that He was a private
person who didn't want to talk about HIS life or HIS family. His mission wasn't about Himself,
but about doing the work of His Father. And there was good reason for Him to feel this way. In
John 7:3-10 He told His disciples, "My time is not yet come: but your time is always ready. The
world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. Go
ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast: for my time is not yet full come. When he had
said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. But when his brethren were gone up, then
went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret."

As a whole, the world hated Jesus, and the more He testified against the world the more it hated
Him. If it was common knowledge that He was married, what better way to strike at your enemy
than to threaten his wife or children? In fact, after the death of Jesus, his apostles hid themselves
behind locked doors precisely because they feared the authorities would arrest them next.
Therefore, to protect the person He loved most, it makes sense that Jesus would not put them in
the limelight and expose them to danger.

But would Jesus really keep such a thing a secret? As we study the life of Christ we see quite a
few times when He did things in secret. The verse we just read from John 7:3-10 clearly states
this. Jesus also showed His disciples many heavenly mysteries and then commanded them not to
tell anyone One such event was the transfiguration of Christ on the mount. Even Paul refers to
mysteries that are not lawful for a man to utter (2 Corinthians 12:4). Therefore, it's not unusual at
all for Jesus to be quiet about something sacred, especially something as sacred to Him as His
wife.

If Jesus didn't have a wife, then what about the incident at the tomb on Easter morning? After
Jesus had been crucified and was put in the tomb, in John 20:1 we read, "The first day of the
week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and seeth the
stone taken away from the sepulcher." In other versions, we're told that Mary, the mother of
James, and other women came to the tomb site with sweet spices. They found the tomb's stone
rolled away and the body gone. What they did see were two angels who told them that Jesus had
risen and then instructed them to go tell the disciples.

When Peter and John heard the news, they raced each other to the tomb and likewise found it
empty. Continuing in verse 10 we read, "Then the disciples [Peter and John] went away again
unto their own home. But Mary [Magdalene] stood without at the sepulcher weeping." A short
time later, she "saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman,
why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him,
Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say,
Master" (verese14-16).

There are several interesting aspects to this story. First, notice that it was Mary Magdalene along
with a few other women who came to the tomb. It's extremely obvious that Mary had a great
love for Jesus, but why? What relationship did she have with Jesus? It's ASSUMED by most
Biblical scholars that she was merely a dear friend, or a disciple. A little later, two of Christ's
closest apostles also came to the tomb, but, seeing nothing, they left. Even the other two women
didn't stay. By this time no one remained EXCEPT Mary Magdalene. Why? What compelling
reason made her want to stay?

Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, Jesus appeared. It should be noted that the very first person the
resurrected Lord showed Himself to was not His closest associates in the gospel, or those who
would be entrusted with carrying on His work. In fact, the very first person Jesus appeared to
wasn't even a male. In a society where women were looked upon as second-rate citizens, Jesus
deliberately waited unto all had gone before showing Himself first to Mary Magdalene.

More than that, He showed Himself to her BEFORE He had even ascended to heaven, for, when
she went to embrace Him He commanded her, saying, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended
to my Father" (verse 17). However, the very same evening when Jesus appeared to His disciples,
who had gathered themselves together behind locked doors, He allowed them to touch Him. It
seems certain that by this time He had already ascended to His Father.

Then what was so special about Mary that allowed her to see the resurrected Lord before anyone
else and before He had even returned to heaven? Would not a righteous deceased husband want
to appear first to his wife and give her comfort before comforting others?

But there is still one more interesting fact that we need to note. When Mary finally recognized
Jesus, she exclaimed, "Rabboni, which is to say, Master." Here we see Mary referring to Jesus as
her Master. To most people it is assumed she is referring to Him as her spiritual master, in the
same way that you and I consider Him our Master. But, when Jesus appeared to His disciples
later that evening, they didn't call Him their Master. Paul instructed the early saints, telling them,
"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord" (Ephesians 5:22). Indeed,
wives at that time took a marriage oath to obey their husbands, thereby looking upon them as
their lord and master.

This story doesn't make much logical sense if Mary wasn't somehow very closely and intimately
associated with Jesus in some kind of special way. On the other hand everything about this story
makes complete sense if Mary was His wife. Although all of this doesn't prove that Jesus was
married, yet it does provide for the possibility that such an event could have happened.

In Ephesians 3:14-15 Paul wrote, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." It is clear, there is a
family in heaven and clearly this family is eternal. To be a father or a mother, a husband or a wife is one of the most sacred
positions we can hold. When we establish a family on earth we are imitating the order of heaven.
When we fulfill the commandment to "be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth" we are
helping God to enlarge and glorify His family in heaven. These instructions are showing that the first principle of the Gospel and ordinance that God gave to mankind was just marriage and God Himself administered in the garden before of the fallen Genesis 2:24-25 God called Eva "wife" and foresaw the fallen when declared  that Man will leave His father and His mother who was the father of Adam and who his mother at that time?
Hebrews 2:11 real brothership between Jesus and mankind
Other interesting insights
From the book "Jesus was married" by Ogden Kraut
The Christian scholar C.J De Catanzaro tells his readers that in one ancient text "Mary Magdalene is referred to as Jesus' spouse and according to Christian scholar William E. Phipps "Some others ancient manuscripts support the assertion.....that Mary Magdalene was Jesus wife" Phipps adds that "This authentic tradition would outweigh the late speculation and dogma in Gentile Christianity that Jesus was unmarried. According to Phipps and others who have investigated the subject, the early belief about Jesus being married was replaced by a later speculation that He couldn't have been married, mainly because of the influx of pagan philosophy into Christianiti. Dr. M. Zvi Udley has written:
"Did Jesus have children? There seems to be evidence that such was the case; in 1873 M. Clermont Gannau discovered near Bethany on the mount of Offence certain sarchepphagi of extremely ancient times." dr> Udley goes on to say that one of the tombstones there was the name "Simeon, son of Jesus" and that the other names on the tombstones bore the names of the persons mentioned in the Gospels near the site of the village of Bethany. This Simeon was at one time the Bishop of Jerusalem, and Dr. Udley concludes: "In all probability Simeon was a son of Jesus and Martha and was that child who appeared at the crucifixion.
Other important insights:"many Bible scholars, who are acquainted with Jewisch law and customs mantain the same idea. For instance, under Jewish, a Rabbi had to be a married man, and Jesus is called Rabbi in John 1:38,49 and in John 3:2 and in John 6:25. In fact Mary Magdalene called Jesus Rabboni in John 20:16, even those that opposed Jesus called Him "Rabbi" Not only that but like we saw already, at the wedding of Cana, John chaper 2:1-10 Jesus was in charge of supplying wine at the wedding. That was the responsability of the bridgroo, according to jewish customs. Somebody could say that He was just an invited guest but let's go by the Bible "And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto Him "They have no wine" Jesus then commanded the servant to take 6 waterpots of stone and fill them with water. Then Jesus told the servants to draw out the water and give it to the governor of the feast. Now let's read verse 9 and 10."When the ruler of the feats had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was:(but the servant which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the BRIDGROOM and saith unto him, every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now", and in the very next verse it reads, " This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on Him."
Jesus supplied the wine, turned water into wine and the ruler of the feast asked the bridegroom, who was Jesus, why he had kept the best wine until......
Other scriptures point to the fact that Jesus was married like Mark 6:2 where it records that Jesus taught in the synagogue. That was against Jewish law and custom and would never have been tolerated unless He was married.
John Chapter 11 tells how Lazarus died while Jesus was away. Mary sat in her house until Jesus returned and called her out. This is found in verse 28. Under Jewish custom, a woman in mourning stays indoors until her husband calls her out. According to Luke 24, certain women came to anoint the body of Jesus, following his crucifixion, with burial spices. In verse 10 Luke says this included Mary Magdalene, Joanna and the other Mary. Under Jewish custom, it was the "widows'" resposnability to anoint the body of their dead husbands."
In Hebrew 1:8 Paul quotes Psalms 45:6 as applying to Jesus "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteounnes is the sceptre of thy kingdom." Let's read in Psalms 45:6-9. "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteounes, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. All thy garments smell of myrr, and aloes, and Cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. Kings' DAUGHTERS WERE AMONG THY HONOURABLE WOMEN: upon thy right hand DIDI STAND THE QUEEN in gold Ophir." So the passage Paul quotes as referring to jesus speaks of Him having wives."
Isaiah 53 speaks about Jesus and verse 10 says:"Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, HE SHAL SEE HIS SEED, he shall prolong his days.": So Isaiah was propheying that the Lord would have seed, or descendants.

To go back to The Bible and the Book of Mormon

This is a statistic regarding divorce in Orange County California. It was done by Los Angeles Times

Born again Christians the rate for divorce is 27%

Non Christians the rate is 24%

Lds members  6%

No bad if you think that Jesus said :"You will acknowledge them from their fruits"

Here we have the Proclamation, about the Family

Proclamation to the Church
and to the World
We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings--male and female--are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord." (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives--mothers and fathers--will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.