Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting The Priesthood and the Auxiliaries of the Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary JANUARY 10, 2004 THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Salt Lake City, Utah © 2004 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America English approval: 8/03. 24240 Contents Challenges Facing the Family . 1 President James E. Faust The Doctrinal Foundation of the Auxiliaries . 5 Elder Richard G. Scott The Purposes of the Auxiliaries . 9 Bonnie D. Parkin Susan W. Tanner Coleen K. Menlove The Priesthood and the Auxiliaries . 16 Elder Dallin H. Oaks Standing Strong and Immovable . 20 President Gordon B. Hinckley PRESIDENT JAMES E. FAUST to this decline are young people Second Counselor in the First Presidency delaying marriage, increases in the proportion of adult population who have never married, and an increase in cohabitation.3 The marriage rates Challenges Facing in four reported South American countries have dramatically declined in the past decade, and in most the Family European countries they have also dramatically decreased for several decades.4 Studies, however, show that Latter-day Saints are more likely to marry than people in the general population and also that men who marry generally live longer and are more healthy and happy than those who do not.5 righteous living are the church and At the heart of a happy family is the family. complete devotion of both parents The family relationship of father, to each other. In terms of sexual mother, and children is the oldest intimacy, the Lord’s law is abstinence and most enduring institution in the before marriage and fidelity after- world. It has survived all differences ward. As stated in “The Family: A of time, geography, and culture. Proclamation to the World,” “The Because marriage between a man sacred powers of procreation are to and a woman is a natural state that be employed only between man and is ordained of God, the Prophet woman, lawfully wedded as husband Joseph taught that “marriage was an and wife.” 6 institution of heaven, instituted in Unfortunately, marriage is becom- the Garden of Eden; [and] that it was ing less valued. Cohabitation is now necessary [that] it should be solem- widely accepted in many places as an nized by the authority of the everlast- alternative to marriage. Cohabitation 1 ing Priesthood.” It is a moral is often seen as a trial marriage, with imperative. little commitment. The Disintegration of Families By all odds, marriage is the most Since 1960, in the United States important decision of mortal life. I should like to speak today on there has been a 760 percent increase One should not get married just to in unmarried couples living together, challenges facing the family. In recent get married. Mature preparation is times, society has been plagued with amounting to 3.8 million couples in required to take on the important 7 a cancer. I speak of the disintegration the year 2000. Most cohabitations responsibilities inherent in this sacred end without marriage and are rela- of many of our homes and families. relationship. Marriage also requires Confusion and disorder are all too tively short. Statistics show that faith—faith in oneself, faith in one’s cohabiting couples are much more common in society, but we must not marriage partner, and faith in the permit them to destroy our families. likely to break up than are married Lord. It also requires total commit- 8 In every country there is a general couples. ment by both parties. The statistics of some representa- breakdown of the moral fabric of The first event in establishing a society that confronts the sacred fam- tive countries indicate that the per- family is to get married! The reluc- centage of divorce is also increasing. ily institutions with new challenges. tance for some to marry seems to be You are all aware of this because it Experts project that about half of the increasing worldwide. Between 1970 women in the United States will have engulfs us. Governments exercise and 2001, the marriage rate in the less and less moral authority. So the a marriage dissolve some time in United States declined from 76.5 to their life.9 Another alarming statistic principal institutions which foster 45.6.2 The major factors contributing JANUARY 2004 1 is that out-of-wedlock births have love thy wife with all thy heart, and they hear the prayers of their parents increased by 158 percent.10 shalt cleave unto her and none else” and older siblings. Also disturbing is the shift in atti- (D&C 42:22). My own heart and mind were cap- tude about the purpose of marriage. Any promise made by a man and tured as a young boy by my grand- More and more young people view a woman in a marriage ceremony— father’s prayers. His large family knelt marriage “as a couples relationship, especially a temple sealing—has the morning and night before meals. At designed to fulfill the emotional dignity of one of the most important the time, I thought his prayers were needs of adults, rather than an insti- covenants we can make. Sacred far too long! He had much to pray tution for bringing up children.” covenants must always be honored. about. He was a farmer and rancher. The pursuit of such “soul-mate rela- The challenges facing families today It was during the Great Depression, tionship[s] may [well] weaken mar- are many and great. Our family rela- and there was a terrible drought in riage as an institution for rearing tionships need every protection that the land. His animals were starving. children.” 11 can be instituted, and keeping sacred He had many mouths to feed. But his Another disturbing challenge to covenants is a powerful defense. prayers were so fervent and his faith the family is that children are becom- Nehemiah of the Old Testament so great, I was convinced that the ing less valued. In many parts of the was building a wall with “no breach Lord would provide and that all world, people are having fewer chil- left therein” to protect Jerusalem would be well. It ultimately proved dren. Abortion is probably the clear- (Nehemiah 6:1). His enemies to be so. Individual prayer and family est sign that couples do not want entreated him to come down from prayer are indispensable to personal children. An estimated one-quarter the wall because they wanted to do and family happiness. of all pregnancies worldwide end by him mischief. Nehemiah stayed on induced abortion. The rates range the wall and said, “I cannot come from a high of almost 50 percent down [from the wall]: why should in Europe to about 15 percent in the work cease?” (v. 3). Africa.12 We cannot build walls of brick Complete trust in each other and stone around our families, but greatly enriches a marriage. Nothing we must constantly put safeguards devastates that core of mutual trust around them to protect them. These like infidelity. Adultery is never justi- safeguards will be a protection. May fied. Occasionally marriages survive I mention three ways to protect and this destructive experience and strengthen our families. Family Home Evening families are preserved, but to do so The second safeguard is weekly requires the aggrieved partner to give family home evening. Family home unreserved love great enough to for- evening is for all of us no matter what give and forget. It requires the errant stage of life we are in. Sister Faust partner to want desperately to repent, and I find that family home evening humbly seek forgiveness, and actually is different for us than it used to be forsake evil. with our children and grandchildren around us. Most of the time now we Safeguarding Our Families study the scriptures together. A few Loyalty to our companion should weeks ago in our family home not be merely physical but mental Family Prayer evening, we read our patriarchal and spiritual as well. Flirtations are One of these is family prayer. The blessings, trying to understand what never harmless, and jealousy has no Spirit of the Lord is invited into the work we might yet have to accom- place in a marriage. Marriage partners home through prayer and harmony plish. We found we still have addi- must avoid the very appearance of in the home. Parents need to teach tional work to do. evil by shunning any questionable their children that they are children Some families have moved away contact with any person to whom of God and that they should pray to from this important meeting. We they are not married. Virtue is the Him daily. Praying together as a family should do all we can to free up strong glue that holds marriage is a bonding experience. Younger Monday evenings from any other together. Said the Lord, “Thou shalt children can learn how to pray as competing activities. Like glue, family 2 home evening bonds us together as routine continued from her child- must be taught the Lord’s plan of hap- families. Lessons should be instruc- hood into adult life. piness for His children. This means tive and involve family members in a As she looks back, this young that they need to have a knowledge relaxed atmosphere which includes woman now realizes that this time that God loves them, that we lived an expression of love. of family scripture study formed an with Him before the world was, and In our family home evenings important pattern which she and her that each of us can return to Him we should try to involve everyone, brothers and sisters continue to fol- through the mission of His Son, Jesus except infants, in some way.