What did Gordon B Hinckley say about The Proclamation?
It’s “a declaration and reaffirmation of standards, doctrines, and practices.”
Individual autonomy vs societal obligation: give two examples of laws that show our society’s preference.
- No-fault divorce law
- right to choose to have an abortion
President Eyring identified 3 things about the title that deserve our attention. What were they?
- the subject: the family
- the audience: the whole world
- Those proclaiming it: prophets, seers, and revelators.
Malachi’s prophecy (Malachi 4:5-6)
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Where does our doctrine come from according to D. Todd Christofferson?
“Establishing the doctrine of Christ or correcting doctrinal deviations is a matter of divine revelation to those the Lord endows with apostolic authority.”
5 reliable sources for doctrine
- Current, correlated publications
- Cumulative teachings of current General Authorities and officers of the church
- The united voice of the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles
- Harmonized doctrine in the Scriptural Canon
- The doctrine of Christ
3 Criteria for Measuring Doctrine
- Is it an Eternal principle?
- Does it represent the United voice of the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles?
- Is it essential to our salvation?
What are the four different types of teachings?
- Core eternal doctrine
- Supporting teachings
- Policy teachings
- Esoteric teachings
What have church leaders taught about Core Eternal Doctrine?
- They are few and far between (Elder Bednar)
- Instruction vital to our salvation is not hidden in an obscure verse or phrase in the scriptures. (President Packer)
- To single out a passage of scripture to prove a point, unless it is so confirmed… is always a hazardous thing. (Harold B. Lee)
The Role of Prophets and Apostles (give one example of human fallibility of the prophets)
Ex: JFS thought man would probably never send any device to the moon or another planet. “Well, I was wrong, wasn’t I?”
JS lectures on Faith 3 beliefs
- The idea that God actually exists
- A correct idea of his character, perfections, and atributes
- an actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to his will.
JS description of the Father and the Son.
“Who exactly resembled each other in features and likeness”
- Joseph Smith
By being the son, people could envision exactly what and who the Father is. - Bruce R. McConkie.
Statements about Heavenly Mother
“All men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother and are literally the sons and daughters of Diety.” 1909 First Presidency Statement
“All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.” Family Proclamation, 1995
“Logic and reason would certainly suggest that if we have a Father in Heaven, we have a Mother in Heaven. That doctrine rests well with me.” Gordon B Hinckley, 1991
“In the heav’ns are parents single? No, the thought makes reason stare. Truth is reason; truth eternal tells me I’ve a mother there.” Eliza R Snow
What does Dallin H Oaks say about heavenly parents?
“Our theology begins with heavenly parents. Our highest aspiration is to be like them.”
What are the three pillars of eternity?
The Creation
The Fall
The Atonement
The purpose of the Earth (refer to the 3 pillars)
“The Creation of the earth provided a place where families could live… The Fall made it possible for them to have sons and daughters.”
Where does Jesus fit in the plan? Where is hell?
contemplate the plan of salvation
What did President Boyd K Packer say about the purpose of church?
The end of all activity in the Church is to see that a man and woman with their children are happy at home, sealed together for time and all eternity.”
What do we know about Lucifer’s plan?
Not much. Just that he was anti-choice.
What do we know about the Creation?
The Earth fulfills the measure of it’s creation (D&C)
Created that families might be (President Nelson)
The creation was not accidental (D. Todd Christofferson)
How long did the creation take? (trick question)
“The physical Creation itself was staged through ordered periods of time. In Genesis and Moses, those periods are called days. But in the book of Abraham, each period is referred to as a time. Whether termed a day, a time, or an age, each phase was a period between two identifiable events—a division of eternity.”
(President Russel M Nelson).
The creation did not come by chance or
“ex nihilo” (out of nothing).
There is no stance on evolution.
We know were were with God in the beginning. When we came to earth we lost all knowledge to gain it back “grace for grace.”
Ingredients for agency (4)
- Eternal Law
- Opposition
- Knowledge of good and evil
- The power to choose
What does Elder Jeffery R Holland say about the FALL?
“[T]here is no way to truly celebrate Christmas or Easter—without understanding that there was an actual Adam and Eve who fell from an actual Eden, with all the consequences that fall carried with it.”
