This last weekend was the 180th Semi-annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. What a great weekend! It has been 10 years (my mission) since I devoured conference like I did this time.
One of my favorite speakers was President Boyd K. Packer he spoke about the sanctity of the family. He referenced part of 'The Family: A Proclamation to the World', the part about marriage between a man and a woman being ordained of God. He spoke plainly and bluntly about the world today and evils that are out there destroying the family. Some of the things he said were:
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"[The power to create life] is not an incidental part of the plan of happiness, it is the VERY key."
"Satan is jealous of all those who have power to beget life.....he (Satan) wants to make everyone miserable like unto himself"
"This (pornography) will interrupt the communication between our Heavenly Father and His children, and disrupt the tender relationship between husband and wife." This is Satan's plan!
"Any persuasion to enter into any relationship that is not in harmony with the principles of the gospel MUST be WRONG"
"Some suppose that they were pre- set and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn tendencies toward the impure and unnatural, NOT SO! Why would Heavenly Father do that to us? Remember He is our Father!"
"There are both moral and physical laws irrevocably decreed in Heaven before the foundations of the earth that CANNOT be changed."
"Regardless of the opposition we are determined to stay the course....we will hold to the principles and laws of the Gospel, if they are misunderstood, either innocently or willfully, so be it! We can NOT change, we WILL NOT change our moral standard."
"If we do not protect and foster the family, our civilization must needs perish."
"There is a way back, repentance is like a good detergent. Even ground in stains of sin will come out."
This is how he ended (I love this):
"I invoke the blessings of the Lord upon you who are struggling with this plague (pornography, immoral relationships etc) to find the healing that is available to us in the priesthood of the Lord."
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Monday after conference there was a news report here in Utah that the gay and lesbian rights group was demanding President Packer 'correct' his statements made in conference. Saying that "the church has spewed lies related to same-sex orientation." and this group is planning a protest at Temple Square for tomorrow! I was APPALLED!!! This is an apostle of the Lord, not to mention the leader of a faith. His words are TRUE, and they were kind and loving and he spoke of the Savior and repentance and the Atonement. When I listened to the talk during conference, nothing that President Packer said sounded out of place or harsh in any way, after all he DID end with a loving blessing to those who are struggling with MANY immoral sins, not just 'same-sex orientation'. Here is the statement the church released today:
The Church’s doctrine on the importance of marriage and family and its implications for same-gender marriage are very clear and are based on principles of truth, respect, and love for all of god’s children. We have continually emphasized that there is no room in this discussion for hatred or mistreatment of anyone.
I came away from conference more spiritually fed than I have been in a long time! I am more steadfast in my Faith than ever before. This recent 'demand for correction' makes me more aware than ever of the adversary's grip on the world and that I need to be more diligent in teaching my children how to arm themselves against him, and that I need to better arm myself against him also. I am so blessed to have a marriage and family I can find comfort and refuge in. I love the Gospel and it's message, more important, I know it to be true! I also love the leaders of Christ's church here on the earth, that they are unafraid to relay Heavenly Fathers messages to us in such a simple and plain way. All we need to do is 'come unto Him' and we can all be this WELL FED!
"Satan is jealous of all those who have power to beget life.....he (Satan) wants to make everyone miserable like unto himself"
"This (pornography) will interrupt the communication between our Heavenly Father and His children, and disrupt the tender relationship between husband and wife." This is Satan's plan!
"Any persuasion to enter into any relationship that is not in harmony with the principles of the gospel MUST be WRONG"
"Some suppose that they were pre- set and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn tendencies toward the impure and unnatural, NOT SO! Why would Heavenly Father do that to us? Remember He is our Father!"
"There are both moral and physical laws irrevocably decreed in Heaven before the foundations of the earth that CANNOT be changed."
"Regardless of the opposition we are determined to stay the course....we will hold to the principles and laws of the Gospel, if they are misunderstood, either innocently or willfully, so be it! We can NOT change, we WILL NOT change our moral standard."
"If we do not protect and foster the family, our civilization must needs perish."
"There is a way back, repentance is like a good detergent. Even ground in stains of sin will come out."
This is how he ended (I love this):
"I invoke the blessings of the Lord upon you who are struggling with this plague (pornography, immoral relationships etc) to find the healing that is available to us in the priesthood of the Lord."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday after conference there was a news report here in Utah that the gay and lesbian rights group was demanding President Packer 'correct' his statements made in conference. Saying that "the church has spewed lies related to same-sex orientation." and this group is planning a protest at Temple Square for tomorrow! I was APPALLED!!! This is an apostle of the Lord, not to mention the leader of a faith. His words are TRUE, and they were kind and loving and he spoke of the Savior and repentance and the Atonement. When I listened to the talk during conference, nothing that President Packer said sounded out of place or harsh in any way, after all he DID end with a loving blessing to those who are struggling with MANY immoral sins, not just 'same-sex orientation'. Here is the statement the church released today:
The Church’s doctrine on the importance of marriage and family and its implications for same-gender marriage are very clear and are based on principles of truth, respect, and love for all of god’s children. We have continually emphasized that there is no room in this discussion for hatred or mistreatment of anyone.
I came away from conference more spiritually fed than I have been in a long time! I am more steadfast in my Faith than ever before. This recent 'demand for correction' makes me more aware than ever of the adversary's grip on the world and that I need to be more diligent in teaching my children how to arm themselves against him, and that I need to better arm myself against him also. I am so blessed to have a marriage and family I can find comfort and refuge in. I love the Gospel and it's message, more important, I know it to be true! I also love the leaders of Christ's church here on the earth, that they are unafraid to relay Heavenly Fathers messages to us in such a simple and plain way. All we need to do is 'come unto Him' and we can all be this WELL FED!
