The Key to a Happy Society

Today we are seeing riot’s, protests, and vandalism in the streets of many of our big cities in the United States of America. Even here near my home in Salt Lake City we see much unrest. Part of our constitution of coure is “the right to protest” when we feel our government has gone too far. There is however a huge difference between a “protest” and a “riot.” We recently saw on the streets of Minneapolis a white policeman apparently murder a black man as we all watched in horror that terrible video tape of the policeman kneeling on the neck of George Floyd for over 7 minutes and latter knowing he died. That is terrible no matter what race or religion you are. You hear in the streets all about “black lives matter” and racism. I believe all lives matter and race has less to do with our problems than disobedience to God and lack of love in our society. The Lord knows the problem and as we read below we will understand the problem and be able to do more about it in our own lives. I believe the basic problem is a lack of the most important society on earth, The Family! Having a father and mother with children has been proven to be the most perfect recipe for happiness. As David O. McKay said, “No success in life can compensate for failure in the home.” When the family is broken up, society becomes vulnerable. Especially without a father in the home. I say that because the vast majority of broken homes have the father absent. No man in the home for children to look to for advice, protection, and discipline. Children are being short changed. The mother is overwhelmed. Her constant nurturing and loving takes a back seat when she also has to support and protect her children. For the first time in many years the U.S. replacement rate of children born is down to 1.6 children per couple. We know it takes 2.1 children per couple to sustain a proper growth rate for success in any society.

U.S. Births Continue to Fall, Fertility Rate Hits Record Low

A new CDC report shows longstanding trends in U.S. births continued in 2019. By Gaby Galvin, Staff WriterMay 20, 2020

The U.S. saw nearly 3.75 million births in 2019.(GETTY IMAGES) THE NUMBER OF BABIES born in the U.S. hit the lowest level in more than three decades in 2019, continuing a five-year downward trend, according to a new federal report. The report on provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates notable birth and population measures reached record lows in 2019. American women, for example, are now projected to have about 1.71 children over their lifetimes – down 1% from 2018 and below the rate of 2.1 needed to exactly replace a generation. “The (total fertility) rate has generally been below replacement since 1971 and consistently below replacement since 2007,” the report says. In all, the U.S. saw nearly 3.75 million births last year, down 1% from 2018 and the lowest level since 1985, according to the CDC. Births fell among women of most races, though they rose 3% for women who were Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. Births remained largely level for Hispanic women. https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2020-05-20/us-births-continue-to-fall-fertility-rate-hits-record-low

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What can we do? Keep the Commandments!

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” Genesis 1:28 “…inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.” D&C 68:25

Proclamation on the Family

“…Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). 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 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. We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets. We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.” (Read the first part of the Proclamation at the end of this blog) This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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The Man is Without the Woman

“Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 11:11

Elder Thomas S. Monson said, “To quote the Master: “Ye are the salt of the earth. … Ye are the light of the world. … Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:13–14, 16.) In stark and glaring contrast to this spirit are the tenor of our times, the demands of our day, and the goals of our generation. Look about you. Listen to the many voices, each competing for a listening ear. What do you see? What do you hear? The topic: women’s liberation. Recently I read with interest feature articles that appeared in five widely circulated American publications. All presented information regarding the subject of women’s liberation. Several of the articles called attention to the fact that 1970 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the right of women to vote in the United States. And from this base came a description of the goals and demands that are now being made by some women: free abortion, free child care, and equal employment. One piece suggested that women should literally demand these things. This article then went on to describe much of Friedrich Engles’ philosophy. Engles, you will recall, was a colleague of Karl Marx and spoke out with irony and force against much of family life. He referred to marriage as a dreary mutation of slavery, urged its abolition, and suggested a public responsibility for the upbringing of children. In another magazine there was a report dealing with “The Motherhood Myth.” This article debunked the idea that there is anything particularly fulfilling and satisfying about being a mother. It quoted one psychiatrist who suggested that people should move from planned parenthood to planned unparenthood and that it would be more loving to children not to have them. The author of the article, a senior editor of the magazine, concluded: “If God were still speaking to us in a voice we could hear, even He would probably say, ‘Be fruitful. Don’t multiply.’”

Such idiotic and blatantly false philosophy must not be entertained or believed. For God has spoken. Indeed, he has spoken in a voice clearly understood by those who have ears to hear and hearts that know and feel…

What the modernists, even the liberationists, fail to remember is that women, in addition to being persons, also belong to a sex, and that with the differences in sex are associated important differences in function and behavior. Equality of rights does not imply identity of functions. As Paul the apostle declared: “… neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 11:11.)” The Women’s Movement: Liberation or Deception? By Elder Thomas S. Monson Of the Council of the Twelve https://byustudies.byu.edu/content/mormon-feminism-essential-writings “We do not want our LDS women to be silent partners or limited partners in that eternal assignment! Please be a contributing and full partner” (“Privileges and Responsibilities of Sisters,” Ensign, Nov. 1978, 106). https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/eternal-marriage-student-manual/equality-of-men-and-women?lang=eng

Elder Russell M. Nelson

“Opportunities for development of spiritual and intellectual potential are equal. Masculinity has no monopoly on the mind, and femininity has no exclusive dominion over the heart. The highest titles of human achievement—teacher, educated professional, loyal employee, faithful friend, student of the scriptures, child of God, disciple of Christ, trusted companion, loving parent—are earned under a uniform requirement of worthiness” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1989, 25; or Ensign, Nov. 1989, 21).

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Out-of-Wedlock Births is a Problem

Children growing up in single-parent families typically do not have the same economic or human resources available as those growing up in two-parent families. Compared with children in married-couple families, children raised in single-parent households are more likely to drop out of school, to have or cause a teen pregnancy and to experience a divorce in adulthood. This indicator is included in the KIDS COUNT Child Well-Being Index. Read the KIDS COUNT Data Book to learn more: http://datacenter.kidscount.org/publications.

OPINION: WASHINGTON SECRETS

77% black births to single moms, 49% for Hispanic immigrants

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/77-black-births-to-single-moms-49-for-hispanic-immigrants by Paul Bedard | May 05, 2017

Race isn’t the problem, out-of-wedlock births are

The cause of disproportionate crime and poverty rates among blacks in Baltimore and the U.S. is the continued degradation of the nuclear family. The out-of-wedlock birth rate among blacks is 72 percent, comparted to 54 percent for Hispanics and 29 percent for whites. https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/readers-respond/bs-ed-baltiimore-race-letter-20150318-story.html

Unintended Pregnancy in the United States

Unintended pregnancy rates are highest among low-income women (i.e., women with incomes less than 200% of the federal poverty level), women aged 18–24, cohabiting women and women of color.² Rates tend to be lowest among higher-income women (at or above 200% of poverty), white women, college graduates and married women. https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/unintended-pregnancy-united-states

THE FAMILY

A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 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. All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose. In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally. The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife. We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan…”