Words of Modern Day Prophets Regarding Family

1. “Latter-day Saints recognize the transcendent importance of the family and strive to live in such a way that the adversary cannot steal into our homes. We find safety and security for ourselves and our children in honoring the covenants we have made and living up to the ordinary acts of obedience required of the followers of Christ.” (President Boyd K. Packer, These Things I Know, April 2013 General Conference, www.lds.org.)

2. “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.” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, The Family: A Proclamation to the World, September 23 1995 General Relief Society Meeting, www.lds.org.)

3. “There is only one place where there will be families—the highest degree of the celestial kingdom. That is where we will want to be. We must have the goal not just in our minds but in our hearts…What we want is eternal life in families…We want eternal life, whatever its cost in effort, pain, and sacrifice.” (Elder Henry B. Eyring, The Family, November 05 1995 BYU Fireside, http://speeches.byu.edu.)

4. "The means by which mortal life is created is divinely appointed. “The first commandment … God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. The commandment to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force today. Thus, marriage between a man and a woman is the authorized channel through which premortal spirits enter mortality." (Elder David A. Bednar, We Believe in Being Chaste, April 2013 General Conference, www.lds.org.)

5. “We are a church which bears testimony of the importance of the family-the father, the mother, the children-and of the fact that we are all children of God our Eternal Father. Parents who bring children into the world have a responsibility to love those children, to nurture them and care for them, to teach them those values which would bless their lives so that they will grow to become good citizens. If there is less trouble in the homes, there will be less trouble in the nations. I want to emphasize that which is already familiar to you, and that is the importance of binding our families together with love and kindness, with appreciation and respect, and with teaching the ways of the Lord so that your children will grow in righteousness and avoid the tragedies which are overcoming so many families across the world.” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, January 28 1996, Veracruz Mexico Regional Conference.)

6. “We remind you that parents are to preside over their own families.” (Elder L. Tom Perry, The Importance of Family, April 2003 General Conference, www.lds.org.)

7. “…what our Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ want for us is to become like them so that we can dwell with them forever, in families.” (Elder Henry B. Eyring, The Family, November 05 1995 BYU Fireside, http://speeches.byu.edu.)

8. “What is most important to Sister Nelson and me now? That we are husband and wife, wedded for time and all eternity. Our children are born in the covenant and are sealed to us forever. What joy that knowledge brings!”  (Elder Russell M. Nelson, Faith and Families, February 04 2005 CES Fireside, http://speeches.byu.edu.)

9. “The hope is that Latter-day Saints will recognize the transcendent importance of the family and live in such a spiritually attentive way that the adversary cannot steal into the home… “ (President Boyd K. Packer, Fledgling Finches and Family Life, August 18 2009, BYU Campus Education Week, http://speeches.byu.edu.)

10. “No matter how evil the world becomes, our families can be at peace. If we do what’s right, we will be guided and protected. “ (Elder Robert D. Hales, With All the Feeling ofa Tender Parent: A Message of Hope to Families, April 2004 General Conference, www.lds.org.)

11. “Even that beloved and wonderfully successful parent President Joseph F. Smith pled, ‘Oh! God, let me not lose my own.’ That is every parent’s cry, and in it is something of every parent’s fear. But no one has failed who keeps trying and keeps praying. You have every right to receive encouragement and to know in the end your children will call your name blessed” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Because She is a Mother, April 1997 General Conference, www.lds.org)

12. “You should express regularly to your wife and children your reverence and respect for her. Indeed, one of the greatest things a father can do for his children is to love their mother” (President Howard W. Hunter, Being a Righteous Husband and Father, October 1994 General Conference, www.lds.org).

13. “Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels”

(Elder Boyd K. Packer, October 1942 in Conference Report, pp. 12–13).