Celestial Marriage, Divorce

We learned a lot about Celestial Marriage this last week in class!  I personally have been sealed to my spouse in the Temple, and this class has taught me so much more than I could have ever thought to learn on my own. One of the biggest topics that I really needed to be reminded of, was that once you've received all of the saving ordinances we aren't finished.  We need to endure to the end, do temple work for our ancestors and at the same time renew our covenants with our Heavenly Father.  This life is not about careers and who knows us, it's about the choices we make and how we choose to live.  I am so grateful for my husband who is worthy to take me to the tempe.  I need to be better at going as often and we are told, that is one of my goals that I've set through taking this class.  If you are looking for a guide to talk you your youth about the importance of temple marriage, here is a great article that would be great for you!

I took down some quotes that stuck out to me the most from this weeks reading, I hope you enjoy them, and if you want to learn more about the articles, or about the LDS church in general, I will leave links.

The Power of Covenants Elder Christofferson

"We enter into covenants by priesthood ordinances, sacred rituals that God has ordained for us to manifest our commitment. Our foundational covenant, for example, the one in which we first pledge our willingness to take upon us the name of Christ, is confirmed by the ordinance of baptism. It is done individually, by name. By this ordinance, we become part of the covenant people of the Lord and heirs of the celestial kingdom of God."

What is the source of such moral and spiritual power, and how do we obtain it? The source is God. Our access to that power is through our covenants with Him. A covenant is an agreement between God and man, an accord whose terms are set by God (see Bible Dictionary, “Covenant,” 651). In these divine agreements, God binds Himself to sustain, sanctify, and exalt us in return for our commitment to serve Him and keep His commandments.

Covenants and Ordinances Elder Packer from 

“Covenants” General Conference April 1987 “Ordinances” BYU Speeches, 3 February 1980 

"Among the ordinances we perform in the Church are baptism, administering the sacrament, naming and blessing of infants, administering to the sick, setting apart to callings in the Church, and ordaining to offices in the priesthood. And then there are the higher ordinances, performed in the temples. These include the endowment and the sealing ordinance, spoken of generally as temple marriage."

"The word ordinance comes from the word order, which means, again, “a rank, a row, a series.”

Order, Ordain, Ordinance!

Order--To put in ranks or rows, in proper sequence or relationship.
Ordain--The process of putting things in rows or proper relationship.

Ordinance--The ceremony by which things are put in proper order.

"Now let me apply this illustration to the ordinances of the gospel.

There are no discounts. No credit buying. Nothing is ever put on sale at special, reduced prices. There is never something for nothing. There is no such thing as a “bargain.” You pay full value. Requirements and covenants are involved. And you will get, in due time, full value. But you must, positively must, deal with an authorized agent, or your claims will not be honored."

"In the Church we hold sufficient authority to perform all of the ordinances necessary to redeem and to exalt the whole human family. And because we have the keys to the sealing power, what we bind in proper order here will be bound in heaven. Those keys--the keys to seal and bind on earth and have it bound in heaven--represent the consummate gift from our God. With that authority we can baptize and bless and endow and seal, and the Lord will honor the commitments."

We also learned about Divorce, which is a sensitive subject to many, but we were enlightened by a few talks on the subject.

Divorce Elder Oaks

The kind of marriage required for exaltation—eternal in duration and godlike in quality—does not contemplate divorce. In the temples of the Lord, couples are married for all eternity. But some marriages do not progress toward that ideal. Because “of the hardness of [our] hearts,” the Lord does not currently enforce the consequences of the celestial standard. He permits divorced persons to marry again without the stain of immorality specified in the higher law. Unless a divorced member has committed serious transgressions, he or she can become eligible for a temple recommend under the same worthiness standards that apply to other members.

We know that some look back on their divorces with regret at their own partial or predominant fault in the breakup. All who have been through divorce know the pain and need the healing power and hope that come from the Atonement. That healing power and that hope are there for them and also for their children.

Think first of the children. Because divorce separates the interests of children from the interests of their parents, children are its first victims. Scholars of family life tell us that the most important cause of the current decline in the well-being of children is the current weakening of marriage, because family instability decreases parental investment in children.4 We know that children raised in a single-parent home after divorce have a much higher risk for drug and alcohol abuse, sexual promiscuity, poor school performance, and various kinds of victimization.

Under the law of the Lord, a marriage, like a human life, is a precious, living thing. If our bodies are sick, we seek to heal them. We do not give up.

 In a marriage relationship, festering is destructive; forgiving is divine

Personal circumstances vary greatly. We cannot control and we are not responsible for the choices of others, even when they impact us so painfully. I am sure the Lord loves and blesses husbands and wives who lovingly try to help spouses struggling with such deep problems as pornography or other addictive behavior or with the long- term consequences of childhood abuse.

If you wish to marry well, inquire well.

Receiving the Temple Blessings Richard Scott

"Personal worthiness is an essential requirement to enjoy the blessings of the temple. Anyone foolish enough to enter the temple unworthily will receive condemnation."

 "An essential priority of a prospective wife is the desire to be a wife and mother. She should be developing the sacred qualities that God has given His daughters to excel as a wife and mother: patience, kindliness, a love of children, and a desire to care for them rather than seeking professional pursuits. She should be acquiring a good education to prepare for the demands of motherhood. A prospective husband should also honor his priesthood and use it in service to others. Seek a man who accepts his role as provider of the necessities of life, has the capacity to do it, and is making concerted efforts to prepare himself to fulfill those responsibilities."

 "The endowment and sealing ordinances of the temple are so gloriously rich in meaning that you will want to allow significant time to receive those ordinances and to ponder their meaning."

 "Go to the temple. You know it is the right thing to do. Do it now."

 "The Lord knows the intent of your heart. His prophets have stated that you will have that blessing as you consistently live to qualify for it. We do not know whether it will be on this or the other side of the veil. But live for it. Pray for it. (celestial marriage)"

Same Gender Attraction

This week we are still in Unit two but have read a lot of different reading material.  One transcript in particular grabbed my attention.  All my life I knew the church's stance on gay marriage, I knew it was because Heavenly Father said only a lawful marriage between a man and a woman is what is right.  I never thought about digging in any deeper to the issue because I lived in a conservative place where I was never really asked about it, because everyone else believed the same thing.    It wasn't until I've read all of these talks and excerpts from interviews that I learned exactly why we are fighting it so much.   Not only is gay marriage  something that Heavenly Father has told us is incorrect, but the rights that members and supporters of the gay community are attacking the very foundation of our religion, which is the importance of family.  The traditional family that has a mother and father who are legally marriage and are faithful to one another provide the best setting for children to thrive.

The church has made statements about trials that everyone was born with.  There are many who are born with physical ailments that will never allow them to marry in the temple, others are born with obsessive tendencies, like to smoke, steal, drink etc.  We believe that there are many who are born with same sex attraction and that is a trial they are given.  Having those tendencies and feelings aren't the sin, it's when those feelings are acted upon, where there are consequences.

Here are a few quotes from the transcript that is an interview with Elder Dallin H. Oaks and Elder Lance B. Wickman with the church's public affairs staff.  Here is a link to read it in full.

"One question that might be asked by somebody who is struggling with same-gender attraction is, “Is this something I’m stuck with forever? What bearing does this have on eternal life? If I can somehow make it through this life, when I appear on the other side, what will I be like?”

- Gratefully, the answer is that same-gender attraction did not exist in the pre-earth life and neither will it exist in the next life. It is a circumstance that for whatever reason or reasons seems to apply right now in mortality, in this nano- second of our eternal existence."

"There is no fullness of joy in the next life without a family unit, including a husband, a wife, and posterity. Further, men are that they might have joy. In the eternal perspective, same- gender activity will only bring sorrow and grief and the loss of eternal opportunities."

"I happen to have a handicapped daughter. She’s a beautiful girl. She’ll be 27 next week. Her name is Courtney. Courtney will never marry in this life, yet she looks wistfully upon those who do. She will stand at the window of my office which overlooks the Salt Lake Temple and look at the brides and their new husbands as they’re having their pictures taken. She’s at once captivated by it and saddened because Courtney understands that will not be her experience here. Courtney didn’t ask for the circumstances into which she was born in this life, any more than somebody with same-gender attraction did. So there are lots of kinds of anguish people can have, even associated with just this matter of marriage. What we look forward to, and the great promise of the gospel, is that whatever our inclinations are here, whatever our shortcomings are here, whatever the hindrances to our enjoying a fullness of joy here, we have the Lord’s assurance for every one of us that those in due course will be removed. We just need to remain faithful."

Finding Happiness, The Moral Force of Woman, Marriage is Essential

Richard Scott, finding Happiness

We had to read a few articles this week for Unit 2 and we covered some very important topics that are the base of the LDS Religion.  Here are a few quotes from my favorites of the talks from the week.

Elder Scott start his talk off about an experience he had while sleeping.  He was searching for his wife but found himself surrounded by terribly unhappy people who were telling him he would never find his wife, and even if he did, she was not the same anymore.  Here is a link to read the full article.

"I realized that I was surrounded with evil individuals who were completely unhappy, with no purpose save that of frustrating the happiness of others so that they too would become miserable."

"A confining, controlling, destructive influence that can be overcome by faith in and obedience to truth.  Our Father’s love, his perfections, and his perfect righteousness are absolute guarantees that we will ever exist as an individual entity, an intelligence clothed with spirit and body with latent divine capacities that mature and flower through obedience to his plan and his commandments."

"I am confident you have the intention of doing all of the right things. Yet I wonder, are you doing them as fully and as completely as you are capable of doing?"

"By the choices you make, you can surround yourself with individuals and influences that will constantly aid you in your determination to live the commandments of God. In so doing you will receive the fullness of blessings possible from his comprehensive plan of happiness conditioned to your specific needs."

"Although it may not be a welcome insight, you will grow more rapidly through challenge and trial than from a life of ease and serenity with no disturbing elements. The intent of your Father in Heaven is to lift you from where you are to where he knows you will have eternal purpose and unspeakable happiness. By using the talents, abilities, and latent capacities developed in the pre-mortal existence, he will lead you through growth experiences here on earth.  We cannot comprehend, we cannot appreciate adequately the price he paid nor what this selfless, sinless, perfect being has done for us in total obedience to his Father’s will."

Todd Christopherson, The Moral Force of Women

This was a terrific article that expounds on the importance of Women and the roll we play on this earth.  

"Former Young Women general president Margaret D. Nadauld taught: “The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith.
We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.”10 In blurring feminine and masculine differences, we lose the distinct, complementary gifts of women and men that together produce a greater whole."

 Marriage is Essential to His Eternal Plan, David A. Bednar

This was my favorite article from this weeks reading, it gets rid of all gray area for any members of the church who's faith might be struggling over eternal families.  Here is a link to read the full article.

"Righteous marriage is a commandment and an essential step in the process of creating a loving family relationship that can be perpetuated beyond the grave. The natures of male and female spirits complete and perfect each other."

 “Gender is an essential characteristic of individual pre-mortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose” 4 and in large measure defines who we are, why we are here upon the earth, and what we are to do and become. For divine purposes, male and female spirits are different, distinctive, and complementary."

 "Alone, neither the man nor the woman could fulfill the purposes of his or her creation.

 By divine design, both a man and a woman are needed to bring children into mortality and to provide the best setting for the rearing and nurturing of children."

 "Home with a loving and loyal husband and wife is the supreme setting in which children can be reared in love and righteousness and in which the spiritual and physical needs of children can be met. those same characteristics are vital to the rearing, nurturing, and teaching of children.

 Principle 1: The importance of eternal marriage can be understood only within the context of the Father’s plan of happiness."

  "The doctrine of the plan leads men and women to hope and prepare for eternal marriage, and it defeats the fears and overcomes the uncertainties that may cause some individuals to delay or avoid marriage. A correct understanding of the plan also strengthens our resolve to steadfastly honor the covenant of eternal marriage. Our individual learning, our teaching, and our testifying in both the home and at church will be magnified as we ponder and more fully understand this truth.

Principle 2: Satan desires that all men and women might be miserable like unto himself.

The Father’s plan is designed to provide direction for His children, to help them become happy, and to bring them safely home to Him. Lucifer’s attacks on the plan are intended to make the sons and daughters of God confused and unhappy and to halt their eternal progression. The over arching intent of the father of lies is that all of us would become “miserable like unto himself ” (2 Ne. 2:27), and he works to warp the elements of the Father’s plan he hates the most. Satan does not have a body, he cannot marry, and he will not have a family. And he persistently strives to confuse the divinely appointed purposes of gender, marriage, and family. Throughout the world, we see growing evidence of the effectiveness of Satan’s efforts."

"The ultimate blessings of love and happiness are obtained through the covenant relationship of eternal marriage."

 "As a husband and wife are each drawn to the Lord (see 3 Ne. 27:14), as they learn to serve and cherish one another, as they share life experiences and grow together and become one, and as they are blessed through the uniting of their distinctive natures, they begin to realize the fulfillment that our Heavenly Father desires for His children. Ultimate happiness, which is the very object of the Father’s plan, is received through the making and honoring of eternal marriage covenants."

 "We are ordinary people who must accomplish a most extraordinary work."

The Divine Institution of Marriage

This was an article from our class reading, which can't be linked so here are a few important quotes.

 "God’s purposes for establishing marriage have not changed. One purpose of this document is to reaffirm the Church’s declaration that marriage is the lawful union of a man and a woman.

A fourth purpose of this document is to reaffirm that Church members should address the issue of same-sex marriage with respect and civility and should treat all people with love and humanity.

Marriage is sacred and was ordained of God from before the foundation of the world. Jesus Christ affirmed the divine origins of marriage: “Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?” Matthew 19:4–5

Extensive studies have shown, however, that a husband and wife who are united in a loving, committed marriage generally provide the ideal environment for protecting, nurturing, and raising children.  This is in part because of the differing qualities and strengths that husbands and wives bring to the task by virtue of their gender.  But as Elder Dallin H. Oaks has observed, “Tolerance does not require abandoning one’s standards or one’s opinions on political or public policy choices. Tolerance is a way of reacting to diversity, not a command to insulate it from examination.”

"The Savior taught that we should love the sinner without condoning the sin. In the case of the woman taken in adultery, He treated her kindly but exhorted her to “sin no more.”[12] His example manifested the highest love possible.  In addition to using the argument of tolerance to advocate redefining marriage, proponents have advanced the argument of “equality before the law.” No mortal law, however, can override or nullify the moral standards established by God. Nor can the laws of men change the natural, innate differences between the genders or deny the close biological and social link between procreation and marriage."

"Strong, independent families are vital for political and religious freedom."