“As I meet with young single adults around the world, I ask them, ‘Why does the First Presidency care so much about you and provide so many resources for you?’” (Julie B. Beck, “Teaching the Doctrine of the Family,” Ensign, Mar. 2011, 12).
“These are some of the answers I get: ‘We are future Church leaders.’ ‘We need training so we can stay strong.’ ‘Our testimonies are strengthened in our seminary and institute classes.’ ‘We need to meet other great Latter-day Saint youth.’ ‘We are the hope of the future.’ I have rarely heard, ‘So I will someday be a better father or a better mother.’ …
“… Evidence is all around us that the family is becoming less important. Marriage rates are declining, the age of marriage is rising, and divorce rates are rising. Out-of-wedlock births are growing. Abortion is rising and becoming increasingly legal. We see lower birth rates. We see unequal relationships between men and women, and we see cultures that still practice abuse within family relationships. Many times a career gains importance over the family.
“Many of our youth are losing confidence in the institution of families. They’re placing more and more value on education and less and less importance on forming an eternal family. Many don’t see forming families as a faith-based work. …
“This generation will be called upon to defend the doctrine of the family as never before. If they don’t know it, they can’t defend it” (Julie B. Beck, “Teaching the Doctrine of the Family,” 12, 14, 17).
“We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 129).
“We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. …
“… Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” 129).
The Book of Mormon is sometimes referred to as “the stick of Joseph” (Ezekiel 37:19) or “the stick of Ephraim” (D&C 27:5). Lehi was a descendant of Manasseh (see Alma 10:3) and Ishmael was a descendant of Ephraim (see Erastus Snow, “Discourse,” Deseret News,Aug. 16, 1882, 466). The prophecies of Jacob (see Genesis 48:16; 49:22) were fulfilled as Ishmael (of Ephraim) came to the American continent with Lehi (of Manasseh).
“Just as baptism is a commandment of the Lord, so is temple marriage. As baptism is essential to admittance to the Church, so temple marriage is essential to our exaltation in the presence of God. It is part of our destiny. We cannot fulfill our ultimate aims without it.
“Do not be satisfied with anything less.
“You wouldn’t accept a worldly form of baptism, would you?
“God has his mode of baptism—by immersion by one who holds the authority.
“Then would you accept a worldly form of marriage?
“He has his mode of marriage also: It is temple marriage” (The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, ed. Clyde J. Williams [1997], 131–32; see also D&C 131:1–4).
Nephi warned his brothers and members of Ishmael’s family that they would perish if they returned to Jerusalem. History shows that Nephi was right. A number of years after Lehi and Ishmael’s families left Jerusalem, the Babylonians surrounded the city. According to the Bible, an approximately 18-month siege left the people of Jerusalem without food, the city “broken up,” and King Zedekiah’s army scattered (see 2 Kings 25:1–7). The Babylonians then destroyed the temple and carried many of the people away as captives to Babylon. If Laman, Lemuel, and the others had returned to Jerusalem, they would have suffered captivity or death (see 2 Nephi 1:4). But because they chose to follow Lehi and Nephi, they instead enjoyed the fruit and honey of the land of Bountiful (see 1 Nephi 17:3–6) and obtained a land of inheritance (see 2 Nephi 1:5). In addition, the Lord has been merciful to Laman and Lemuel’s latter-day posterity, blessing them with the gospel (see 2 Nephi 4:7–9).
“It is especially interesting to me that Nephi did not pray … to have his circumstances changed. Rather, he prayed for the strength to change his circumstances” (David A. Bednar, “In the Strength of the Lord” [Brigham Young University devotional, Oct. 23, 2001], 4, speeches.byu.edu).
“I have discovered one thing that most [happy families] have in common: they have a way of forgiving and forgetting the imperfections of others and of looking for the good.
“Those in unhappy families, on the other hand, often find fault, hold grudges, and can’t seem to let go of past offenses. …
“… As we accept [our Savior’s] ways and overcome our pride by softening our hearts, we can bring reconciliation and forgiveness into our families and our personal lives. God will help us to be more forgiving, … to be first to apologize even if something wasn’t our fault, to lay aside old grudges and nurture them no more” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “One Key to a Happy Family,” Ensign, Oct. 2012, 5, 6).