Wednesday, October 27, 2010

He will yet reveal



Some say the sole purpose of The Family: A Proclamation to the World is to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Not so! Why would the church do that to so many who fall outside that ideal? If only 1% of LDS church members are gay, that's still 138,248 gay Mormons based on the church's 2009 Statistical Report. That would fill to overflowing two facilities the size of LaVell Edwards Stadium.


Yes, the proclamation supports strong families, but not just one kind of strong family. Yes, it says "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God..." but it does not say that other unions are invalid. 


For example we know that marriages between one man and multiple women are also viable on the other side of the veil. The proclamation does not invalidate polygamous marriages made prior to 1890 or the present-day serial polygamist who is sealed to one wife, and then upon her death is sealed to a second, resulting an eternal polygamist marriage.


The Proclamation on the Family speaks of many ideals. Yes, it certainly is ideal for a man and a woman to marry and rear children. No argument there. But it clearly and directly acknowledges that this ideal is not always attained because of a variety of reasons:


"Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation."


It doesn't say that other circumstances may cause problems but there's nothing that can be done. It says other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. That powerful, inclusive sentence is a loving acknowlegement that the ideals set forth in the proclamation are sometimes unavoidably unavailable to real people in real life.


In 1922 when my grandmother was widowed as a young mother, her parents did not allow her to date after the tragic loss of her young husband. They believed that dating would violate her Temple covenants with her eternal companion. Today she would not be so tightly constrained. Today she would be encouraged to marry a second worthy husband in the Temple, but not for time and all eternity. The doctrine hasn't changed, but the intrepretation of it has. It didn't even require a revelation, just a change in attitude and, perhaps, church policy. Does anyone how if there was an official change or not?


After the 1978 revelation opening the priesthood to worthy black members of the church, Bruce R. McConkie was questioned about his many strident statements against "the Negro." In a speech entitled All Are Alike unto God he said, "Forget everything that I have said, or what President Brigham Young or President George Q. Cannon or whomsoever has said in days past that is contrary to the present revelation. We spoke with a limited understanding and without the light and knowledge that now has come into the world. We get our truth and our light line upon line and precept upon precept. We have now had added a new flood of intelligence and light on this particular subject, and it erases all the darkness and all the views and all the thoughts of the past. They don’t matter any more."


Elder McConkie thus affirmed the Ninth Article of Faith: "We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God."


Fortunately we won't have to forget or set aside anything in the Proclamation on the Family if and when it is revealed that in addition to traditional marriage being ordained of God, "other circumstances" require individual and church-wide adaptation, and should be handled with as much love, accomodation and support as death or disability.


I believe that someday we will all sing with great fervor and thanksgiving Carol Lynn Pearson and Reid N. Nibley's prophetic Primary song I'll Walk with You:


If you don't walk as most people do, 
Some people walk away from you,
But I won't! I won't!

If you don't talk as most people do
Some people talk and laugh at you,
But I won't! I won't!

I'll walk with you,
I'll talk with you.
That's how I'll show my love for you.

Jesus walked away from none.
He gave his love to ev'ryone.
So I will! I will!

Jesus blessed all he could see,
Then turned and said,
"Come, follow me."
And I will! I will! I will! I will!





I'll walk with you,
I'll talk with you.
That's how I'll show my love for you.


12 comments:

  1. Wow. Thank you, Ned. That was a great post. Fantastic, really. Thank you.

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  2. I really have enjoyed your posts regarding the family proclamation over the past few months. I have learned a lot from you and in the clear manner you have expressed these ideas. Thank you. You have given me new things to consider and accept.

    And, I REALLY like the photo you chose to go with this post. From where did you get it, if I may ask?

    Happy night!

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  3. ANDY: I'm glad you liked the post. I LOVED your movie. Keep at it man. You're going places with all that skill, talent and artistic capability.

    TBA: Thanks, your encouragement is much appreciated. I am kind of recycling my ideas but I'm glad they're holding together for you. I learning as I go and glad to hear you are too. Also glad you liked the painting. If you click on it you'll see a bigger version and the url of the artist. His site is: stevewalkerartist.com Check it out. He's got a ton of great stuff. It's also where I got the image of the little boy holding a doll.

    BROR: Glad to see you smiling, Bror. Check out the link about. Hey did you read my post or just look at the picture? I'd like to know what you thought of my rant. ;)

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  4. Loved the post, Ned (as well as the picture). Interestingly, in a Sunday School lesson the week after General Conference, the same quotation of Elder McConkie that you quote above was read in the context of a discussion of the 1978 revelation and the changing Church. In my heart and mind, I was thinking of what Elder Packer had said the week before and thinking thoughts very much along the lines you have beautifully expressed.

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  5. Thank you for the link to Mr. Walker's site. Wow- what an AMAZING artist!! Those are SO beautiful and very sweet.

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  6. Love the primary song. Thanks for posting it.

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  7. Every once in a while I come across a post that so touches me, I just have to save it, so I copy it and email it to myself. Assuming that gmail is eternal, I'll have this post to come back to for a very long time. thanks.

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  8. I, too, have a strong belief and hope in the 9th Article of Faith...

    And you already know I'm a longtime fan of Steve Walker's work...

    Thanks for sharing both.

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  9. This post is powerful and profound in so many ways. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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  10. You're welcome, Dean. I'm glad you found it had energy and meaning for you. I'm glad you found buried here in the archives and commented on it.

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