It has been 29 years since the First Presidency and Quorum of Twelve issued a proclamation on marriage and family relations.  Then I covered a number of other topics dealing with marriage and family issues.

In 1995, the Church leaders issued a proclamation on the family for the world to understand the place of marriage as it is placed in the standards and doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I covered some ideas of divorce, resurrection, and finally who will resurrect you as a wife and sons.

Divorce is a dangerous topic these days because it is so prevalent.  The extent of divorce in society at large is in the 40 percentages while those who marry in the temple of the Lord (Latter-day Saints), where a couple made covenants with God the Father and each other, divorce is in the high teens.  A temple ceremony confers upon a couple the blessing of living together for 'time and all eternity.'  Because of the Savior's resurrection and its application to all of us, it is possible to continue as a married couple not only in this life, but in the spirit world after this life and then forever following the resurrection where there is no death.  Wow, what couple who is deeply in love, who loved their children and posterity, would not want those associations to continue after this brief period of mortality?   That is only possible from a temple sealing.  The religious world of our day thinks that marriage is simply a mortal experience, hence marriages are for "'til death do you part."  So you get a divorce at the same time at which you marry!  No wonder divorce, living together without the commitment of marriage, remaining single by choice, or those who divorce and do not marry again in this life are the result of believing that  marriage is limited to this life.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only religious model that teaches that marriage is to be eternal, not just a mortal relationship.  However, even with an eternal perspective some members often violate covenants with Deity by making  poor choices.  I have given 10 examples of individuals that married in the Lord's House and then, like Saul, David, and Solomon lost their bearings and made serious mistakes.   I outline the beliefs of clergy who believe marriage is only for this life and then contrasted that with the behavior and practices  of Church members who believe in an eternal marriage.  

The Proclamation on the Family, 1995, reminded LDS that we have Heavenly Parents who sent us to this schooling period to learn the differences between good and evil if we expect to go back and live with God and other couples who attain exaltation.  We came here to marry, to have children if we are able, and we end up with 3 different spouses.  #1 is the bride and groom.  #2 is the mother/father of children.  #3 is the 'empty nest' period of life.  Each of these 'spouses' requires special care and treatment in order to enjoy the happiness that God planned for each married couple..

The secular world knows only "till death do you part."  Latter-day Saints understand that through the restoration of the gospel and priesthood keys in these latter-days, it is now possible to make a marriage one that moves beyond these short years of mortality and has the potential to be an eternal relationship.  This kind of marriage or 'sealing' takes place in temples built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and only them.  It is one reason why the Church is building temples all over the world, to enable couple to ''seal" their love and goals at the same time as an eternal companionship rather than a temporary one that is limited to this life only.

From the Proclamation on the Family (1995) we learn that we have Heavenly Parents, a principle that has not been emphasized in years prior to 1995.  It means that our heavenly father is a husband and a father; his wife is a wife and a mother.  They become our models to become the kind of spouses and parents that They became.  Joseph Smith indicated that Heavenly Father once lived on an earth the same as Jesus Christ and the rest of us.  That means that He knows how to bless our lives; He understands the challenges of mortality; He knows how best to parent us as His children. 

Marriage is the great adventure of our lives.  Finding another compatible sweetheart and combining two lives to create a family and then to add family members by our ability as male and female to add to our family size, and then rear them to maturity is perhaps the most important thing we do in this life.  Unfortunately, there are too many who seem to disregard their marriage vows (covenants) and look for an exit to the marriage -- sometimes after not many months or years.  That has to stop.  Marriage was designed by Deity to be an eternal compact and the Church builds temples and provides sacred places for the couple to be sealed together for time and all eternity.  In that ceremony, the sealer represents the God of heaven and offers the couple at least 14 blessings as a part of their ceremony.  There is simply no excuse for the extent of divorce that takes place in our society, both in and out of the Church.  Both companions are interviewed by a bishop and a stake president prior to the temple ordinance and receive counsel.  Parents provide lavish receptions where well-wishers bring tons of presents to help get them off to a good start and then they stand ready to help the couple in any difficulties that may arise.