Tolerance

"Intolerance seeds contention; tolerance supersedes contention. Tolerance is the key that opens the door to mutual understanding and love.”

"Now may I offer an important note of caution. An erroneous assumption could be made that if a little of something is good, a lot must be better. Not so! Overdoses of needed medication can be toxic. Boundless mercy could oppose justice. So tolerance, without limit, could lead to spineless permissiveness.”

Elder Russell M. Nelson, “Teach Us Tolerance and Love” General Conference, April 1994

Do My Children Know?

“We all learn "line upon line, precept upon precept” with the goal being, authentic religious faith informing genuine Christlike living. In this there is no place for coercion or manipulation, no place for intimidation or hypocrisy. But no child in this Church should be left with uncertainty about his or her parents devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Restoration of His Church, and the reality of living prophets and apostles, who now as in earlier days, lead that Church according to “the will of the Lord, . . . the mind of the Lord, . . . the word of the Lord,  . . . and the power of God unto salvation. “

Elder Holland, “A Prayer for the Children’, Conference Report, April 2003

I hope that my children  have no "uncertainty about my devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Restoration of His Church, and the reality of living prophets and apostles, who now as in earlier days lead [His] Church"! I have no uncertainty! I know it with every fiber of my being!

Correct Children By Love

There are so many powerful quotes that I have studied this semester in Pathways. I wish I could share them all! I know by personal experience, both my own and what I have observed over many years, that the words from President Joseph F. Smith below are soooooo true!

“Fathers, 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 to you, Love therm! And prove to them that you do love them by your every word or act to them. For your own sake, for the love that should exist between you and your boys - however wayward they might be . . . when you speak or talk to them, do it not in anger, do it not harshly, in a condemning spirit.” 

“Speak to them kindly; get down and weep with them if necessary and get them to feel tenderly toward you. Use no lash and no violence . . . approach them with reason, with persuasion and love unfeigned . . . You can’t force your boys, nor your girls into heaven. You may force them to hell, by using harsh means in the efforts to make them good, when you yourselves are not as good as you should be." 

President Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 316-17

A Total Leap of Faith!

Here are some of my favorite quotes from this week's study. I love the way Elder Hafen explains things! He speaks the truth in a powerful way and I add my witness to these truths.

". . . marrying and raising children can yield the most valuable religious experiences of their lives. Covenant marriage requires a total leap of faith: they must keep their covenants without knowing what risks that may require of them. They must surrender unconditionally, obeying God and sacrificing for each other. Then they will discover what Alma called 'incomprehensible joy.'"

" Of course, some have no opportunity to marry. And some divorces are unavoidable. But the Lord will ultimately compensate those faithful ones who are denied mortal fulfillment."

"Every marriage is tested repeatedly by three kinds of wolves.
The first wolf is natural adversity. . . 
Second, the wolf of their own imperfections will test them. One woman told me through her tears how her husband’s constant criticism finally destroyed not only their marriage but her entire sense of self-worth.
The third wolf is the excessive individualism . . . Our deepest God-given instinct is to run to the arms of those who need us and sustain us. But he [the adversary] drives us away from each other today with wedges of distrust and suspicion. He exaggerates the need for having space, getting out, and being left alone. Some people believe him—and then they wonder why they feel left alone.

"When we observe the covenants we make at the altar of sacrifice, we discover hidden reservoirs of strength."

"May we restore the concept of marriage as a covenant, even the new and everlasting covenant of marriage. And when the wolf comes, may we be as shepherds, not hirelings, willing to lay down our lives, a day at a time, for the sheep of our covenant. Then, like Adam and Eve, we will have joy."

Elder Bruce C. Hafen “Covenant Marriage,” General Conference, October 1996

Men and Women

From The Family: A Proclamation To The World:

“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.” 

Here are some quotes that resonated with me from my study this week:

"Marvelously, it takes a man and a woman to make a man or a woman. Without union of the sexes, neither can we exist, nor can we become perfect. Ordinary and imperfect people can build each other through their wholeness together. The complete contribution of one partner to the other is essential to exaltation. This is so “that the earth might answer the end of its creation” (D&C 49:16)" (Elder Russell M. Nelson, “Lessons from Eve”, Ensign, November, 1987)

  

“We know that our physical bodies have a divine origin and that we must experience both a physical birth and a spiritual rebirth to reach the highest realms in God’s celestial kingdom. Thus, women play an integral part (sometimes at the risk of their own lives) in God’s work and glory “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” As grandmothers, mothers, and role models, women have been the guardians of the wellspring of life, teaching each generation the importance of sexual purity—of chastity before marriage and fidelity within marriage. In this way, they have been a civilizing influence in society; they have brought out the best in men; they have perpetuated wholesome environments in which to raise secure and healthy children.

“Attitudes toward human sexuality threaten the moral authority of women on several fronts. Abortion for personal or social convenience strikes at the heart of a woman’s most sacred powers and destroys her moral authority. The same is true of sexual immorality and of revealing dress that not only debases women but reinforces the lie that a woman’s sexuality is what defines her worth.”

“ . . . . Equal-opportunity promiscuity simply robs women of their moral influence and degrades all of society. In this hollow bargain, it is men who are “liberated” and women and children who suffer most.” (Elder D. Todd Christofferson, “The Moral Force of Women”, Ensign, October 2013)

“Brethren, much has been said and written in recent years about the challenges of men and boys. A sampling of book titles, for example, includes Why There Are No Good Men Left, The Demise of Guys, The End of Men, Why Boys Fail, and Manning Up. . . . a common thread running through these analyses is that in many societies today men and boys get conflicting and demeaning signals about their roles and value in society. 

“In their zeal to promote opportunity for women, something we applaud, there are those who denigrate men and their contributions. They seem to think of life as a competition between male and female—that one must dominate the other, and now it’s the women’s turn. Some argue that a career is everything and marriage and children should be entirely optional—therefore, why do we need men? In too many Hollywood films, TV and cable shows, and even commercials, men are portrayed as incompetent, immature, or self-absorbed. This cultural emasculation of males is having a damaging effect.  

“Brethren, it cannot be this way with us. As men of the priesthood, we have an essential role to play in society, at home, and in the Church. But we must be men that women can trust, that children can trust, and that God can trust. In the Church and kingdom of God in these latter days, we cannot afford to have boys and men who are drifting. We cannot afford young men who lack self-discipline and live only to be entertained. We cannot afford young adult men who are going nowhere in life, who are not serious about forming families and making a real contribution in this world. We cannot afford husbands and fathers who fail to provide spiritual leadership in the home. We cannot afford to have those who exercise the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God, waste their strength in pornography or spend their lives in cyberspace (ironically being of the world while not being in the world). (Elder D. Todd Christofferson, “Brethren We Have a Work to Do”, Ensign, October 2012)

“The unique combination of spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional capacities of both males and females were needed to implement the plan of happiness. Alone, neither the man nor the woman could fulfill the purposes of his or her creation. (Elder David A. Bednar, “Marriage is Essential to His Plan”, Ensign, April 2006

Marriage and Family

I have been studying the Proclamation on the Family in my PathwayConnect Course. These are some of the ideas that have strengthened my views about the doctrine taught in that proclamation. 

The first paragraph of the Proclamation states: “We, the First Presidency and the Quorum 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 the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.”

Elder David A. Bednar summarized it this way (Marriage is Essential to His Plan, Ensign, June 2006):

“The eternal nature and importance of marriage can be fully understood only within the overarching context of the Father’s plan for His children. . . The great plan of happiness enables the spirit sons and daughters of Heavenly Father to obtain physical bodies, to gain earthly experience, and to progress toward perfection. . . The natures of male and female spirits complete and perfect each other, and therefore men and women are intended to progress together toward exaltation."

For me, one of the clearest explanations of the connection between the Plan of Salvation and the doctrine of the family was given by Sister Julie B. Beck. 

"In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have a theology of the family that is based on the Creation, the Fall and the Atonement. The Creation of the earth provided a place where families could live. God created a man and a woman who were the two essential halves of a family. It was part of Heavenly Father’s plan that Adam and Eve be sealed and form an eternal family. 

"The Fall provided a way for the family to grow. Adam and Eve were family leaders who chose to have a mortal experience. The Fall made it possible for them to have sons and daughters. 

"The Atonement allows for the family to be sealed together eternally. It allows for families to have eternal growth and perfection. The plan of happiness, also called the plan of salvation, was a plan created for families. The rising generation need to understand that the main pillars of our theology are centered in the family. 

"When we speak of qualifying for the blessings of eternal life, we mean qualifying for the blessings of eternal families. This was Christ’s doctrine, and it was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 2:1–3: 

“Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 

“And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. 

“If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.” 

"This scripture is talking about temple blessings—ordinances and covenants without which “the whole earth [is] utterly wasted.” 

“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” was written to reinforce that the family is central to the Creator’s plan.  Without the family, there is no plan; there is no reason for mortal life.”

(From a broadcast address given to seminary and institute of religion teachers on August 4, 2009. It was printed in the Ensign, “Teaching the Doctrine of the Family,” Ensign, Mar. 2011, 12–17.)

And in conclusion, again, from Elder Bednar:

“As we look beyond mortality and into eternity, it is easy to discern that the counterfeit alternatives the adversary advocates can never lead to the completeness that is made possible through the sealing together of a man and a woman, to the happiness of righteous marriage, to the joy of posterity, or to the blessing of eternal progression."