The Family: A Proclamation to the World

"The Family: A Proclamation to the World" is a 1995 statement issued by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—whose adherents are known as Mormons

Mormons

The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....

—which defined the official position of the church on family

Family

In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...

, gender role

Gender role

Gender roles refer to the set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex in the context of a specific culture, which differ widely between cultures and over time...

s, and human sexuality

Human sexuality

Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...

. First announced by church president Gordon B. Hinckley

Gordon B. Hinckley

Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...

, the statement has been criticized by gay rights advocacy groups.

History

President Hinckley first read the Proclamation on September 23, 1995, at the General Relief Society

Relief Society

The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA and has approximately 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories...

Meeting, stating that the purpose was to "warn and forewarn" the world to the danger of deviating from its standards. The LDS Church has published copies of the Proclamation in many languages, distributing them worldwide, and Mormons have framed the proclamation for display in their church buildings and homes.

The Proclamation has been repeatedly discussed in General Conferences

General Conference (LDS Church)

General Conference is a semiannual world conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held in April and October, where members gather in a series of two-hour sessions to listen to instruction from Church leaders...

of the Church as well as in virtually all other kinds of church meetings throughout the world. For instance, the Proclamation and the issues it addressed were discussed during the 2008 Worldwide Leadership Training meeting of the LDS Church.

Although the Proclamation presents no new doctrines or policies, it provides an official statement of the church on gender and sex.

Doctrinal assertions

Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God.
The family is ordained of God and central to God's plan.
All human beings are created in the image of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....

.
As a beloved spirit son or daughter of Heavenly Parents, each person has a divine nature and destiny.
Gender
Gender role
Gender roles refer to the set of social and behavioral norms that are considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex in the context of a specific culture, which differ widely between cultures and over time...

is an essential characteristic of human identity before, during, and after
Afterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...

life on Earth.
"In the premortal realm
Pre-existence
Pre-existence , beforelife, or pre-mortal existence refers to the belief that each individual human soul existed before conception, and at conception one of these pre-existent souls enters, or is placed by God, in the body...

, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan."
"Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...

of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...

and for families to be united eternally."
God will hold parents accountable for the way in which they fulfill responsibilities to their families.
"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."

Items of counsel

God's commandment to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden is in the Bible's Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, lived after they were created by God. Literally, the Bible speaks about a garden in Eden...

to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force
Sexual relations are sacred and must take place only between a married
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

man and woman.
Procreation is divinely appointed, and therefore life is sacred and an important part of God's plan.
Parents have "a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children."
Parents' responsibilities toward their children include rearing them "in love and righteousness," providing "for their physical and spiritual needs," and teaching "them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens."
Happiness and success come through following the teachings of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...

and through "faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...

, prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...

, repentance
Repentance
Repentance is a change of thought to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness from a person who is wronged. In religious contexts it usually refers to confession to God, ceasing sin against God, and resolving to live according to religious law...

, forgiveness, respect, love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...

, compassion, work, and wholesome recreation
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...

al activities."
"By divine design father
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...

s are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families."
"Mother
Mother
A mother, mum, mom, momma, or mama is a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the ovum that grew into a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to specify a universally...

s are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children."
"Fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."
Citizens and officers of government should "promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society."

Warnings

Those who commit adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...

or "abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God."
Disintegration of the family will bring "calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets."

Criticism

The LGBT

LGBT

LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...

advocacy group Human Rights Campaign

Human Rights Campaign

The Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...

has cited the Proclamation as an indication that the church restricts gay

Gay

Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....

, lesbian

Lesbian

Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...

, and bisexual members from fully integrating into the LDS Church.

Status

The LDS Church has characterized the Proclamation a reaffirmation of standards "repeatedly stated throughout its history." It is particularly important because, although not canonized, the Proclamation is only the fifth such statement in the history of the church. The Proclamation was especially authoritative because it was issued in the name of the three members of the First Presidency

First Presidency (LDS Church)

The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...

and the twelve members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, each of the fifteen signatories being considered by the LDS Church an apostle as well as a "prophet, seer, and revelator

Prophet, seer, and revelator

Prophet, seer, and revelator is an ecclesiastical title used in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that is currently applied to the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles...

." The principles established by the Proclamation were cited by Mormons during the campaign of the LDS Church and its members in support of California Proposition 8 (2008)

California Proposition 8 (2008)

Proposition 8 was a ballot proposition and constitutional amendment passed in the November 2008 state elections...

External links

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