Eternal
Families
One
of the most vital parts of all human life is the family. The Mormon Church (properly The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) believes this whole heartedly and
promotes the family in all that it does. The family is the central thing to
living fully the gospel of Jesus Christ. In The Family: A Proclamation to the
World the First Presidency of the church states:
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. (September 23,
1995)
Mormonism teaches that the family
is crucial to God's plan to allow all of His children to come to earth and have
the opportunity to live the gospel and follow His commandments, so that they
can return to Him.
Eternal
families are formed as a man and a woman are sealed for time and all eternity
in a Mormon
temple. When a couple is sealed in the temple they make sacred and vital
covenants (promises) to each other and to Heavenly Father so that they can
return to Him and sit at His right hand at the time of judgment. The family unit does not have to be
large in order to be eternal and those who are born in the covenant of that
marriage have the choice to follow Christ and remain eligible to have the
blessing of being with their families in the eternities. Even though a couple
is married in the temple that does not necessarily mean that they will be able
to attain celestial glory and be with their families, husbands and wives must
live faithful to the covenants they made in the temple and repent when
necessary so that they can be cleansed from their sins through Christ's
atonement and be found pure in the sight of God.
Mormons believe the
family was and is ordained of God.
Because of that, all families are given the potential to become eternal
units and gain the blessings of heaven that are there for them, so long as they
keep the commandments and covenants that they made with Heavenly Father and
Christ so that the atonement can truly wash away their sins. This washing away
of sins allows families to be reunited at the resurrection and
remain together for eternity.
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