In its sesquicentennial year, Brigham Young University hosts another anniversary celebration — 30 years since then-President Gordon B. Hinckley shared The Family: A Proclamation to the World with women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at a General Relief Society Meeting on September 23, 1995.
The September 25–26 celebration was marked with a conference titled Experiencing Jesus Christ Through the Family Proclamation, which was co-sponsored by the School of Family Life in the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences. It was both a celebration of the past and a look to the future and included several faculty presentations and a keynote speech by President Amy A. Wright of the General Primary Presidency of The Church.
“The proclamation is Jesus Christ’s document,” Wright testified in her keynote speech Finding Christ in The Family: A Proclamation to the World on Thursday evening in the BYU Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center. Although our understanding of the family continues to grow and develop, its eternal nature has remained the same. Aligned with the messages presented by each speaker, Wright shared in her speech four foundational truths to help us understand the proclamation as a tool for gaining eternal happiness.
Truth one: Marriage between a man and woman is ordained of God
“When we get married, we are giving everything to each other,” said Chelom Leavitt, associate professor of family life, who contributed to a panel sharing insights on strengthening marriage and families with gospel principles. The Family Proclamation affirms that we must focus on “faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities” to build successful and fulfilling relationships.
Leavitt described why the proclamation is key to building strong marriages in a society where they are quickly losing value.
“People are looking for the easy way out,” she said. “Yes, marriage is difficult. It calls for deep personal understanding and changes that can be uncomfortable.” But Leavitt also explained that “our whole point is to develop, [and] Heavenly Father is giving us the blueprint. It is challenging, but it is also fulfilling and meaningful.”
Truth two: The family is central to the Creator’s plan
As a professor of family life, Loren Marks, shared how his career has helped him understand that the Family Proclamation is central to a vision of eternal happiness.
“After pondering the proclamation for 30 years, I believe that for those of us living in these days, it may be the most important single page of scripture we have,” said Marks. “It addresses the things of eternity and living it can change our eternity.”
To him, it’s a timeless testament that can transform our understanding of how we are all earthly and divinely connected in the family of our Heavenly Parents.
Truth three: All human beings, male and female, are created in the image of God
Different circumstances may make it difficult to find our place in our Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness. Natalie Hancock, director of the Family and Consumer Sciences Education program in the School of Family Life, views the proclamation from the perspective of a single woman.
“Family comes in a lot of different variations,” Hancock said. “I am always a sister to my elder brother Jesus Christ.” She shared that daily interactions give everyone, no matter our temporal circumstances, an opportunity to participate in our eternal family with Christlike love.
“We are all children of God,” she emphasized.
Truth four: Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose
The differences between genders have always been a point of contention rather than an opportunity for divine partnership. However, Wright affirmed that, “Men and women are divinely and uniquely created distinct and different. Different is not bad. It is simply different. There is power, purpose, and immense potential in different.”
Winslette Quiray, a junior from Cebu City, Philippines who is studying psychology, attended Wright’s presentation and agreed with her assessment.
“It doesn’t mean they are less or weaker than each other,” said Quiray, “It’s not about who’s stronger, or smarter, or more capable than each other. It’s about opportunities.”
Quiray believes that although we’ve made progress, there is still more we can do to create a “divinely designed, equal partnership,” as Wright described the relationship exemplified by Adam and Eve.
“Each has a divine responsibility in the plan of Heavenly Father, and it starts with the family [where we can work] side by side,” Quiray said.
Eternal families for eternal joy
Wright concluded her keynote by quoting President Russell M. Ballard, former Acting President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in The Church: “What matters most is what lasts longest, and our families are for eternity.”
