The Family: A Proclamation to the World is one of the most inspired texts in our day. Written over twenty years ago it lays out the beliefs of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about the family. Some of things mentioned weren’t under attack in that article years ago, but are getting hit hard now. It is so interesting to me to see how inspired the First Presidency are to be able to know that they needed to make a stand then and stand with it even now.
One thing that the Proclamation states is, “Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents.” I love this statement. It makes me truly believe that we all have a loving Father looking over us and knows each and every one of us. He created us. He is also perfect. When someone is perfect, that means they are unable to make mistakes. Another thing that the Proclamation says is, “Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.” Our gender is an eternal thing, and confusing that is no small thing.
Another thing that the Proclamation says is, “God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife… Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan.” This is also not a small thing. The family is one of the most central units here on earth and with these confusions that is being destroyed.
I am not saying that we should shame these people, because that wouldn’t be the Christ-like thing to. God loves all His children and wants them to return back to Him, but also he has set forth commandments to make it possible for us to return to Him. He expects us to keep those.
I have a very close fried that struggled with same gender attraction. As a young girl her uncle molested her little sister while she slept in the same room. Her grandfather was a pimp and her mother never knew which man was the father of any of her ten kids. In her eyes, men where the enemy. She couldn’t see herself loving a man because all the men she ever knew were monsters. It was just easier to love woman.
Years past and she did act on her feelings. But she never was content with her life. She always felt like there was more. She later found the Church of Jesus Christ and became a member. There she felt God’s love for her and wanted to everything to follow him. So she stopped acting on her thoughts. But it was still a temptation. I met her years later in Southern California. We spent a lot of time together and as I got to know her I could tell that she still had a hard time with it all. She would always tell me that she would never get married and that was just her luck in life. She still couldn’t see men being equal partners in the Lord’s work and in this life.
I tried to convince her otherwise with scriptures and talks from general authorities. And through time I could see her opening up to the idea. She is now happily married to a man with a little baby girl on the way. I have never seen her as happy as I do now. She is an example of me of searching for God’s love and doing everything necessary to feel it.
There are all sorts of different circumstances where people become confused. But I promise that God has a plan for each of us and He loves each of us. We all have our kryptonite. So I can’t judge you for yours and you shouldn’t judge me for mine. That is God’s job. And I am so grateful that a perfect being has that responsibility.
https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng&old=true
Family is Everything 