This was a Proclamation given by the First Presidency and The Quorum of The Twelve Apostles of The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints in the year 1995. It is titled "The Family: A Proclamation 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 worshipped 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 their divine destiny as heirs 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, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and 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 lend 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.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
LDS Garments
Well it's been almost a full year since I last updated this blog. I have spent too much time focusing on other things that are not worthwhile and I need to get back on the path to sharing what I know to be true and that is The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Recently a friend posted a most disturbing picture on my facebook wall. It displayed a man and a woman standing in LDS temple garments. Now this friend thought he was being funny, however he was mistaken. Many of our critics poke fun at things we Latter-Day Saints hold sacred. It has been like this since the early days of our Church and will continue to be the case for the future.
Steven R Gibson explained:
"The idea of having special clothing that is to be considered sacred and dedicated is not foreign to the Bible, for both the Old and New Testaments contain references to garments of special significance. The Old Testament specifies, "Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment" (Eccl. 9:8).
The New Testament declares, "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame" (Rev. 16:15). The garment worn by Latter-day Saints that is given them in the temple is a symbol of covenants, purity and faithfulness to Jesus Christ.
It is a reminder that, as Adam and Eve were clothed by the Lord ["unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them" (Gen. 3:21)] so we too are clothed as a reminder of our promises to the Lord. It should not be surprising that clothing which represents promises to the Lord should be regarded as holy, especially to those who understand the role of the temple in ancient Israel.
The Lord commanded Moses to instruct Aaron and others in the making and wearing of clothing that was to be regarded as holy. Speaking of Aaron the Lord told Moses, "Bring his sons and put shirts on them; put sashes around their waists and tie caps on their heads" (Exodus 29:8-9, Good News Bible). These garments were designated by God and considered sacred (Exodus 28, 39:41).
Elder Boyd K. Packer, a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, had some interesting comments about the undergarment received in the Temple. In one address to the non-member faculty and staff of the Navy Chaplain's Training School, he reminded them that as chaplains, they too wear articles of clothing that set them apart from everyone else. He added that their religious clothing meant a great deal to them and that likewise we draw something of the same benefits from our special clothing "as you would draw from your clerical vestments.
The difference is that we wear ours under our clothing instead of outside. For we are employed in various occupations in addition to our service in the Church" (The Holy Temple, p. 76). The wearing of the garment, although seen by some non-members as a peculiar practice, is for the devoted Latter-day Saints an activity which symbolizes a life devoted to Christ-centered activity. "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment" (Revelation 3:4-5). Certainly it is a practice for which there are several significant Biblical precedents."
It is my hope that people who truly want to understand what we Latter-Day Saints believe will seek out reliable sources to find the truth.
Steven R Gibson explained:
"The idea of having special clothing that is to be considered sacred and dedicated is not foreign to the Bible, for both the Old and New Testaments contain references to garments of special significance. The Old Testament specifies, "Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment" (Eccl. 9:8).
The New Testament declares, "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame" (Rev. 16:15). The garment worn by Latter-day Saints that is given them in the temple is a symbol of covenants, purity and faithfulness to Jesus Christ.
It is a reminder that, as Adam and Eve were clothed by the Lord ["unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them" (Gen. 3:21)] so we too are clothed as a reminder of our promises to the Lord. It should not be surprising that clothing which represents promises to the Lord should be regarded as holy, especially to those who understand the role of the temple in ancient Israel.
The Lord commanded Moses to instruct Aaron and others in the making and wearing of clothing that was to be regarded as holy. Speaking of Aaron the Lord told Moses, "Bring his sons and put shirts on them; put sashes around their waists and tie caps on their heads" (Exodus 29:8-9, Good News Bible). These garments were designated by God and considered sacred (Exodus 28, 39:41).
Elder Boyd K. Packer, a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, had some interesting comments about the undergarment received in the Temple. In one address to the non-member faculty and staff of the Navy Chaplain's Training School, he reminded them that as chaplains, they too wear articles of clothing that set them apart from everyone else. He added that their religious clothing meant a great deal to them and that likewise we draw something of the same benefits from our special clothing "as you would draw from your clerical vestments.
The difference is that we wear ours under our clothing instead of outside. For we are employed in various occupations in addition to our service in the Church" (The Holy Temple, p. 76). The wearing of the garment, although seen by some non-members as a peculiar practice, is for the devoted Latter-day Saints an activity which symbolizes a life devoted to Christ-centered activity. "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment" (Revelation 3:4-5). Certainly it is a practice for which there are several significant Biblical precedents."
It is my hope that people who truly want to understand what we Latter-Day Saints believe will seek out reliable sources to find the truth.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Isn't it true that "Mormon" in Chinese means "Gates of Hell?"
This gross misrepresentation can be heard in The God Makers movie and from anti-Mormons parroting the falsehood which it foisted upon them.
Robert W. Blair, professor of linguistics at Brigham Young University, is one of several scholars who have answered that charge. He explained that in the Chinese language foreign words are converted into characters which, when read aloud, more or less approximate the sound of the foreign word. In the case of "Mormon," it is represented by two characters that closely approximate the English pronunciation of "Mormon."
The second symbol used for "Mormon" would mean "gate," "door," or "way" in the pure Chinese. Professor Blair said the same symbol would be used to represent the second syllable of the names Simon, Truman, Naumann, Gohrmun, or Siemen. The first syllable of "Mormon" could have been written with one or two syllables, depending on the emphasis desired for the "R" sound. The two-syllable choice would have placed more of an accent on the R: "Mo(are)Men." Instead, the Church selected a symbol that reflects an "r-less accent" or "Mo-Men" sound.
In selecting a Chinese character to represent the first syllable of Mo-Men, almost any one of about 30 Chinese characters that are read as "Mo" could have been chosen. Let us quote from Professor Blair's research:
The symbol that was actually selected is the character specifically used to represent a like sounding syllable in foreign words. When not used to render a meaningless syllable of a foreign word, this character suggests "smoothing something with the hand." (If one were to take this literal rendering seriously, one could explain Mo-Men as meaning "hand-smoothed Gateway," or "way smoothed by hands." Further, interpolation might suggest that it was the bleeding hands of Jesus Christ that smoothed the way to salvation!)
What the crafty enemies of the Restored Church have done is to pervert the facts in such a way that only those knowing Chinese can see their fraud. From the thirty characters which have the reading Mo, they substituted one which means "devil" (and which is not the character used by the Church) and then propagated the lie that in Chinese the word "Mormon" means "Devil's gate," or "Gateway to Hell." (Stephen R. Gibson)
Robert W. Blair, professor of linguistics at Brigham Young University, is one of several scholars who have answered that charge. He explained that in the Chinese language foreign words are converted into characters which, when read aloud, more or less approximate the sound of the foreign word. In the case of "Mormon," it is represented by two characters that closely approximate the English pronunciation of "Mormon."
The second symbol used for "Mormon" would mean "gate," "door," or "way" in the pure Chinese. Professor Blair said the same symbol would be used to represent the second syllable of the names Simon, Truman, Naumann, Gohrmun, or Siemen. The first syllable of "Mormon" could have been written with one or two syllables, depending on the emphasis desired for the "R" sound. The two-syllable choice would have placed more of an accent on the R: "Mo(are)Men." Instead, the Church selected a symbol that reflects an "r-less accent" or "Mo-Men" sound.
In selecting a Chinese character to represent the first syllable of Mo-Men, almost any one of about 30 Chinese characters that are read as "Mo" could have been chosen. Let us quote from Professor Blair's research:
The symbol that was actually selected is the character specifically used to represent a like sounding syllable in foreign words. When not used to render a meaningless syllable of a foreign word, this character suggests "smoothing something with the hand." (If one were to take this literal rendering seriously, one could explain Mo-Men as meaning "hand-smoothed Gateway," or "way smoothed by hands." Further, interpolation might suggest that it was the bleeding hands of Jesus Christ that smoothed the way to salvation!)
What the crafty enemies of the Restored Church have done is to pervert the facts in such a way that only those knowing Chinese can see their fraud. From the thirty characters which have the reading Mo, they substituted one which means "devil" (and which is not the character used by the Church) and then propagated the lie that in Chinese the word "Mormon" means "Devil's gate," or "Gateway to Hell." (Stephen R. Gibson)
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