So if I could answer the first question on why families are important... It would be because families are your very first experience in life. Really, a baby is born and handed over to two parents who are supposed to know how to teach and love this kid. That baby is often accompanied by other brothers and sisters and that makes up a family. The child also then has aunts, uncles, grandparents and such. If a baby is born it is half of the father's DNA and half of the mother's DNA. There is no scientific way around the fact that it can't be done without both halves.
Most importantly though is that child needs to be brought up in a home of love. In a perfect world every child would be wanted and loved and cared for. There would be no starving children because they would have a secure safety net of those who would gladly go without to make sure each child could live. "Children are the future, teach them well and let them lead the way" or so the song goes at least. No child should ever be hurt or abused, they should be fiercely protected by their strong family unit. The Proclamation to the Family is a standard, let me explain. A standard is like an ideal situation or an ideal goal.
In ancient times people use to declare sides in battle and write it on material and hold it high in the air for their team to see and follow into battle. The flag holder was also called a standard bearer. He reminded them of what they were fighting for. That's how flags came to pass. That's when we see the Brittish flag we may think of Big Ben or the Queen or we might think of bread pudding. It evokes feelings and thoughts. Also when we see the flag of ISIS who we are at war with, we know who to shoot at. The proclamation to the family is an LDS standard.
I have several adopted friends that were raised in amazing families. They were brought up in love and teaching with great safety nets. Often those friends are curious about where part of them came from, they want to know both sides of that DNA. It's natural to want to know more about yourself.
For example my friend Phil was raised not knowing his biological father. As an adult he got to meet him and know him. He and his dad look so much alike and have very similar characteristics. At the time Phil was working in home automation and when he met his dad he was shocked to find him in the same type of job. We are patterned after the likeness of our parents.
I am very pro adoption, I am all for saving kids from a life that is less than healthy for them. If the world was perfect every parent would be able to have healthy, happy babies and there would be no infertility problems. In a perfect world there would be no abuse, hunger, sadness or conflict. We do not live in a perfect world but our standards should be perfect.
We should strive for perfection even if it's impossible in this life. For example take Da Vinci's last words.
So how does this relate to my Book of Mormon reading these last two weeks? It relates this way: Evil hates standards. When Iran chants "death to America" it shows our flag, they want to remove that symbol and what it stands for off of the face of the earth. When terrorists hijack planes and drive them into NYC or Washington, it's trying to take down symbols of those standards.
In Mosiah chapter 27 of the Book of Mormon, the King named Mosiah (of whom the part of the Book of Mormon is named for) sends a proclamation to all the people in the land. He decrees all the people to be equal in the land and for no one in the church to be unkind to those who didn't believe. He tells the people outside the church to also be kind to those who do go to church and to stop fighting. He then tells the people that no matter what job they have in church or in government that they don't get to live off of the work of others. Everyone must pay for their own support. This was their standard for their day.
The "Family, Proclamation to the World" is our church standard and how we think it was designed by God. It's what we believe is the perfect example in a very imperfect world. Do our leaders know this? Do they know that children are being born of rape or are orphaned by disease in third world countries? Yes! Of course they do. They are aware of the struggle of human existence but they don't declare that that struggle, is what we should strive for. We need a goal, we need an example and we need that standard or flag to look for.
Make no mistake there is a battle going on. My church has come under a lot of criticism for having any standards at all. The Katy Perry song says, "I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything" we all have our standards, what we will allow others to do to us, or how to treat us. What are your standards? How do you want to be treated? What will you not allow in your home? God has laws as well. Hold a rock over your head and drop it, that's the law of gravity. As much as you might not like it, that law exists. Getting a bigger rock and dropping it over your head won't make it better, in fact the pain will be much worse.
So it is true if we keep fighting against God's laws, he gives us laws to bless us and not to hurt us. He is a loving parent who just wants us to return to him. Sometimes he lets us have "natural consequences" to our actions, like dropping a rock on our heads. (BTW, don't try this at home)
His commandments are just telling us not to try this in our home because recovery will be painful. Get to know God's standards so that you can enter into his home. Look to Jesus through the scriptures to see that standard.
Love, Lori
