Promoting the family

1. What are some practical ways that you can "promote" measures that will maintain and strengthen the family? 
1.  We can promote measures by being an example, I think that is the best way but also encouraging others. We can adopt if possible but also we can show others how to create strong family bonds and not be preduce. I think that if someone has already made the choice, for example a gay couple having a child, then we should help them learn to be good parents and what they can do. 
2. Please submit at least three insights you received from watching the video. Come to class prepared to share.
1. When I watched the video I was reminded of the time that my family was asked to take turns holding signs that said no to prop 8 in california. Hoping that the state would vote against gay marriage to be legal. Standing up for that and having people swear at you, even though you were possibly as young as 9 was hard, my sister got flipped off and it was a hard moment but she was standing for something she believed in. 
2. I also found it interesting that the example she used was that a doctor didn't have to preform an abortion if he or she finds it morally wrong. I had never thought about that before. I agree in the fact that the doctor shouldn't have to preform that if they do not want to. 
3.  Lastly the insight I also have is when it comes to sharing how it is unique to every person and situation, sometimes you need to be blunt but other times you need to be timid otherwise people will shut down and not speak to you anymore then they have to and they will not truly listen to what you have to say. 

The Calamity of the Family

1. It seems like violating covenants of chastity and abuse are self-explanatory, but what do you think failing "to fulfill family responsibilities" means?
1. When I think of the family responsibilities I think of things we have already spoken about for example when it comes to mothers nursing their children, if they were being abusive or violating the law of chastity that would not be nurshing them. Just like if a father we abusing his wife and children then he would not be protecting and providing for them but doing the exact opposite by being someone who they would need protection from them.  
2. Look up the word "Calamity," and copy and paste what you find. Why do you think that the Proclamation uses that word?
1. Calamity:an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster.
2. I think giving the audience the visual and idea of a disaster it gives them the idea so naturally that they can see the effects of their actions. I think the idea of sudden damage makes me think of something like the recent earthquake in my hometown. It was sudden and when I think of " calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets" when it comes to families I think of things like pornography and how quickly it can change a family unit. How it can affect them overnight truly. 
3. Read Doctrine and Covenants 1:17. How does that verse relate to what is in the Proclamation?
1. The verse is relating the proclamation in the way in which god knew the calamities of the earth before we even came to the earth and that is why he gave us commandments to live by because he is praying for us and hoping we can see how to avoid being in a place where we would have those calamites hurt us or our family. 
4. What does the Lord mean by the "disintegration" of the family? What are some modern examples (be specific)?
1. The word disintegration can mean, the process of losing cohesion or strength or the process of coming to pieces.  When I think some ways that the family can crumble into pieces I think of ways that Satan tempts us. Contention over little things can make us fall to pieces I think some examples we haven't' talked about thus far is part member families that have that contention in their home and how they can struggle to find peace in their home sunday morning as family is getting ready for church and children want to stay home because one parent gets to stay home. It can be difficult for families to not let that cruble the unity that should be in the family. 
5. Why would the disintegration of the family lead to such disastrous consequences?
1. Because with out the family unit there is no plan. The entire purpose of this life is to have our families and to learn to help one another to get back to God and our eternal family. 

Reflection

• What were your initial thoughts and feelings about the subject? 
• My initial thoughts about this is how relevant it is in our day that we are tempted and easily addiction to many things. Some popular ones would be technology, in many forms, pornography, video games, social media, etc... another would be substance abuse, drugs (prescribed or not) and alcohol. 
• How has your thinking and feeling changed over the last few weeks as you have worked on the topic?
• My thoughts have turned more to the atonement and how it can fully help the family as much as the the member of the family who is facing addiction. 
• Now that you have been creating a project based on this topic, do you feel that your site could help build faith in someone who is dealing with the topic or issue? Why or why not?
  • And if the above question was "not", what can you do to make changes to it as needed to make sure that it is a site that will build faith? 
  • I do think that our site can help but I also wish we had more pictures of Christ, that is what I find important but in this case we are trying to encompass everyone, I know that it isn't just to members but to me it is through the church that we learn about the redemption of the Atonement that we can be forgiven. 
• (This is a repeated question from Journal 3, but I want you to look at it with new eyes, based on what you have been learning) Whether you have or haven't dealt with this issue before, if it effected you or a close family member, how would you begin to go about living life with the challenge? Where would you go to find resources for help? How might you look for spiritual help and guidance? 
• I think going to find resources I would go to the internet and specifically the church's website about addiction and then probably go through the step by step program. I think most people try to find out all they can do on their own before asking for help. I think I would pray and read scriptures and maybe ask a leader I trust. Then move onto the bishop and the further resources and advice he would give. 
• Finally, share any other thoughts about this experience so far that might help you if you find that you need to counsel someone in the future about the trials and struggles of the human condition.
• I think it is important to know you are not alone others are struggling even as you. I think it would even be beneficial to have a part of our website that you could talk to someone like you on it. They can be struggling as well. It would be like an online chat group like an AA meeting for addiction. 

Entitlement of the Family Unit

• Look up the word "entitled" and copy and paste the definition. According to the Proclamation children are entitled to two things: (1) birth within the bonds of matrimony; and (2) to be reared by parents who honor their marital vows. What are some reasons that you think Heavenly Father entitles His children to those two things?
• Entitled: believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment
• Some of the reasons I believe our father in heaven wants us to inherently deserve birth within the bonds of matrimony and  to be reared by parents who honor their marital vows because that is what will benefit the child. God has intended for families to be that way since the begging. 

• Why does the Proclamation say that happiness is "most likely" to be achieved instead of "guaranteed" to be achieved? 
• This question reminds me of the scripture found in Mosiah chapter 3 verse 4 which reads, "For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy." We are judged based on our righteousness and our choices we can achieve happiness but it can not be guaranteed and sometimes we can be doing everything right and still need to be taught other lessons which require 

• There are nine things that the Proclamation outlines to establish and maintain successful marriages and families. Communication is not mentioned! Why do you think that is the case? 
• If you are truly maintaining the nine things in your marriage it would most likely require that communication. 
• Pick three of the nine and explain why you believe they will help your marriage and your family?
• Faith and Prayer will be the first two I talk about, with faith and prayer you are making God apart of your family and marriage. then the other one I liked was forgiveness, if you are easily forgiving your family members and spouse then you will be happier you can have the 

• Fathers have the "three Ps," provide, preside, and protect. Clearly a father should protect his family physically, but in what ways can he protect his family spiritually?
• By making sure that satan can not enter the home protecting them from his influence and such. 

• How would you describe a mother who nurtures her children? What would that look like?
• I think teaching them the gospel as well as the things of the world. It also is would help if she nurtured them physically by feeding them healthy food and teaching them how to make food as well. 

Parenting and Love

How does "parents loving each other" help them love and care for their children? 

If there is love in the home to start then the children will be loved even more, I cannot know this for sure because I do not have children of my own, but I imagine that the love you have for your spouse is more than you could ever love anyone else until you have children. Then suddenly this love you had for this other person helps you create life in which you are then connected to the child in such a spiritual way that you couldn't understand without experiencing it. You have an immense bond and love for them and that stems from the love parents have for one another.

Please notice that parents are not going to be held accountable for how their children turned out, but on whether or not the parents "discharged" those duties. Why is that an important principle to understand? 

I think this is so very important because children still have their agency. I think it can be easy for parents to blame themselves when a child is not being righteous or well behaved. One thing that I have thought about when it comes to this is that even the greatest father had 1/3 of his children use their agency to rebel (when the third of the hosts of heaven followed Satan). Now what we must remember is to teach our children the basic principles of this life and how they can better our life, giving them encouragement to live their life righteously. 
Provide for their physical and spiritual needs.
Teach them to love and serve one another;


Pick two of the five and clearly explain how you will do that in your marriage and family.

• I think I will do this in such a way as to not be afraid to be a working mother. I also think that I need to earn a degree on the off chance that I need to be the provider for the family physically. My mother was asked to be the main provider for the second half of my life and I am so thankful for that but on top of everything there is a huge benefit in the idea that mothers can work and be an amazing mom at the same time. 
• This is something I want to teach my children from a young age and I think it will simply be by having them preform an act of service every day, some days it may be holding open a door but other days they may choose to do something a little “grander”. Because they choose to. I think it will be apart of their "job chart" and they don't need to tell me what they are each week but at the end of each week they will tell me their favorite way in which they showed someone that Christlike love through service. 

Addiction in the Media

 I enjoyed creating this piece I think that it is a beneficial ad to show that it would capture someone's eye because of the simplicity yet intriguing words. I also wanted to use a photo that was non bias. You can see that it is most likely a woman's hand at the laptop. Stating that women can be addicted too. Now you can take that to the next level and say well, she might be shopping because she has a wallet next to her, or you can recognize the fact that she could possibly also have a pornography addiction because that doesn't just affect men it affects both men and women. I wanted to be able to show that Addiction is real and can be helped if we search for that helping hand. The main thing I learned was that with one photo and a few words I can make a powerful impact. I know if I saw this it would catch my eye. Yes I might need to change the color so it is more catching to the eye but I already spent a lot of time and the gold yellow looked best with the colors in the wood.

Family is more important in the Lord's eyes than our Career.

1. What are some reasons you believe that the commandment to multiply and replenish the earth is reemphasized by the First Presidency and the Twelve?
1. I believe that some of the reasons why we were told to multiply and replenish the earth is because of the idea that we do not. I know many people who don't want to get married and have a family. They talk about how they don't want or need kids. This day in age it is becoming a more popular idea for people to work and be stable and then they never come around to having children. I think the church wanted to recognize the importance of it and let people know that we are still commanded to do such. 
2. What are some factors in today's society that discourage a husband and a wife in fulfilling this commandment?
1. Careers are often a main focus of many couples, and they also want to be more financially stable. It also can come from a place of selfishness that they want to have time for themselves so if they don't have any kids or even just a few they will have more time to themselves. 
3. What does the phrase "sacred powers of procreation" mean?
1. The power and ability to procreate and have children is one of the greatest gifts from God. The phrase refers to the ability to reproduce sexually but emphasises that is it sacred meaning a blessings from God to be taken with gratitude and appreciation. Sex shouldn't be joked about, it is one of the many things that Satan can tempt us with but that it is because it is misusing one of the other greatest gifts we have, our bodies. 
4. Given what we have studied so far in the Proclamation, the scriptures, and the words of the prophets, what are some reasons that the sacred powers of procreation are only to be used between man and woman lawfully wedded as husband and wife?
1. Procreation is only to be used between man and woman wedded because it is a form of showing love and even more than that the purpose of it is to have children. If two people are not wed they run the risk of having a child out of that wedlock and it is a child's birth right to be born into a family with a father and mother. 
5. If someone came to you and said, "What does the line, 'We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed.' mean?" How would you respond?
1. I would respond with the fact that it is through the "sacred powers of procreation" and the power of God that life is created. I think there is purpose in all life and in God's eyes there are no "accidents". Each child has a purpose. 

Knowledge and a body

1. Protestant Christians, Catholic Christians, Muslims, and Jews, do not believe that we, as children of God, had a pre-mortal existence. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is absolutely alone in this doctrine! The third paragraph starts out with a declaration about the pre-mortal realm. It states that each one of us (a) "knew and worshiped God as our Eternal Father"; and (b) that we "accepted His plan". The doctrine of pre-mortality is one of those plain and precious truths lost during the apostasy.
   • Why would Satan be so concerned with eliminating the knowledge about pre-mortality? 
   • Satan's goal is to lead God's children astray from the wondrous plan God has for them. I think that an easy way to lead them off would be to show that there is no purpose in this life and it is only by accident that we are all here and apart of this world for only a brief time. If we have knowledge of the premortal life and hope for a life after this then suddenly we want to be good. Without that knowledge and understanding of more in this life there would be no inherent purpose in being a good person just because you "feel nice". It would be so much easier for the devil to then convince other to do things that are evil and to live a life that would be contrary to popular believe when it comes to being a good person. 
2. Please reflect on why it was so important that we obtain a physical body. It is one of the primary purposes of why you came to earth.
   • Joseph Smith said, "We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body. The devil has no body, and herein is his punishment. He is pleased when he can obtain the tabernacle of man, and when cast out by the Savior he asked to go into the herd of swine, showing that he would prefer a swine's body to having none" (Joseph Smith, Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, compiled by Alma P. Burton, p.82).
   • Why do you think that the great principle of happiness consists in having a body?
   • Obtaining a physical body is beneficial to us because we wanted to become like God in every way that we could. One thing that he had that we didn't was this perfect body, he understood our desire for that and for happiness but just as is says in 2 Nephi 2:23 "And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin." We needed to know pain and suffering to understand happiness and joy. We knew what life without a body was like and we were going to appreciate it so much more when we had one. This scripture also reminds me of last week when I couldn't walk, I had a horrible spasm that happened which caused my body to fall to the ground and I couldn't move my legs. When I was able to walk after about 36 hours on my own I was truly thankful for that simple thing. I think that we knew before this life what it was like to live without a body and give the opportunity to listen to good we were ecstatic to have the opportunity to revive a body and have it for eternity. 

A look back

Look around 

• If you haven't already, spend 15 minutes looking over future assignments and then write a paragraph in your digital journal about what you learned as you looked around

• Something I looked at was the extra credit options. I will need to go on some dates this semester. I was really intrigued by the Power Date and Interview Date. I think I really liked 

• How is this semester going for you? (Please list 3 areas in which you are doing well, and three areas in which you are struggling.) 

• The ways in which I am doing well is in my science class which I was honestly really nervous about that class. I am also loving my roommates, I struggle with women and being friends with girls because of the drama women tend to bring. They can also be something I am struggling with, because I tend to struggle to relate to them because they are all 18 and barley out of high school. But I am doing well as being a "mom" or older sister. But as they call me бабушка. Which means grandma in Russian. I am struggling also with my mental and physical health. 

• What are some things that you can do to make a difference with the areas in which you are struggling? 

• I need to find the patience when it comes to my roommates. And I am trying to find what to do about my physical health I am waiting for a call from my doctor to find out the results from some test done and then mental health wise I am trying to find out why I am here. I am living each day for me and taking it one day at a time sometimes just an hour at a time. 

• Looking ahead in the course, what are you excited for? What are you nervous about?

• I am nervous about the final project but excited for the papers. I just am not in love with how my group works together and I think it would have been better to pick our groups. Yes split the class in half but let us choose from there. 

• Finally, how are things going with your team? How are they going with the issue that you are working on? 

• My team does okay. I think we do not all mesh well together, but most of us want to work. Even if they do not like the class some still want to get the work done. The few that don't care it is hard to watch and work with. 

Reflection 

Divine Children

• Why do you think it is important to know that we are created in the image of God?
•  I think the importance of us being created in the image of God teaches us two things, the first being that we are truly his children and we are like him the second is to show us that it is in his image that we are created so then we can be like him even more. We can be God's ourselves. 
• As Latter-day Saints, we are absolutely alone in believing and teaching that we are literal sons and daughters of heavenly parents. Why is that doctrine critical to understand and why is Satan so interested that we do not know that?
•  If we are litteral sons and daughters of God then we have infinite potential to become better and be like God himself. I think that Satan wants to diminish the belief because we truly think his is our father who loves us like our earthly father does, he wants us to succeed. Satan wants us to not have a faith in God but if we do he wants us to fear him. So if we know that he loves us and is our literal father then we can do better. 
• What do you think it means when it says we have a "divine nature"?
• When it says we have a divine nature that means to me that we are like God, "Divine nature" according to dictionary.com means, "ranking below God but above humans" I think that is a beautiful concept. I still believe it means being devine like God but we can not reach the potential on earth so I think that if we are divine on this earth it would be below God and above man. 
• It states that gender is an "essential characteristic" through time and eternity. What does "essential characteristic" mean and why is that important to know?
•  Gender is something that was given prior to this life and is apart of our personality from the beginning. It is a characteristic that has been apart of our life from the premortal life and will be through all time. It is essential because just like our heavenly mother and father we were given genders, and with those genders are associated roles and characteristics that are essential for the fulfilment of Gods plan. We need to help one another as husband and wife so that we may feel as if we are like our Godly parents and following their amazing example. 

Addiction Recovery is Obtainable

What is your topic/concern?

• Addiction

What are your initial thoughts and feelings about the subject? 

• My initial thoughts about this is how relevant it is in our day that we are tempted and easily addiction to many things. Some popular ones would be technology, in many forms, pornography, video games, social media, etc... another would be substance abuse, drugs (prescribed or not) and alcohol. 

How familiar are you with this topic/concern? 

• I am semi familiar with the topic, I know there are aspects that I could learn more about. 

• In my case the first step I would take would be to take it to my father in heaven, then I would look online at the church's addiction recovery program, I know that many like myself would feel embarrassed to go in to a recovery program. So if after a while it would 

• Yes, I think the best thing to do is to turn to the atonement and get the help from your priesthood leaders. I think knowing the Christ has also felt all our pain and suffering should bring some peace to our hearts. 

• https://www.facingaddiction.org/ I choose this site because it I wanted to see what the world and science have found to be helpful when it comes to overcoming.  

•  https://www.treehouserehab.org/ This one was interesting because they have  24 hour chat as well as a information on specific drug information.

• https://www.lds.org/topics/addiction?lang=eng Lastly I choose the church of Jesus Christ of latter Day saints website because as much as scientific methods are use so are spiritual and turning to christ is pushed.   

• "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."- 2 Nephi 2:27

• This scripture proves to me that we are free to make choices but it is because of our agency that we choose our end path. If we choose to make the wrong choices then we will be miserable. 

Whether you have or haven't dealt with this topic/concern before, how would you begin to go about living life with the concern? Where would you go to find resources for help? What steps would you take for spiritual help and guidance? Have you or any close family members or friends faced these concerns before? (I am not asking you to share personal details- just YES/NO) What have you (or they) done to keep their faith strong while dealing with these concerns?  
Find and paste 3 links to sites that may be able to give you helpful, credible information for facing this challenge. Be a bit source critical in your search. In addition to these links, please write a sentence or two of why you chose the site, how could it help you deal with the problem. 
Finally, find one scripture that would give comfort to someone who has this concern and wonders why God would allow it to happen. Write any other thoughts with this scripture (as if you were giving comfort to yourself or family member on a future day). 

The Proclamation to the Family

• Why is it significant that the document starts with the fact that it is the First Presidency and the Twelve that are speaking?

• It is important that it starts by saying it is these men because they are the ones who are representatives of the Lord for the whole earth. That is why it is a proclamation to the world not just the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

• In your view, why did they use the word "solemnly" in front of "proclaim"? They could have just said, "WE, THE FIRST PRESIDENCY and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, proclaim..."

• The word solemnly is defined as "with deep sincerity" and "in a formal and dignified manner" the first presidency wants the world to know that this is not something to take lightly but it is through much anticipation and sacrifice that they are sincerely telling the world of the message of the family. 

• Look up the word "ordain." What does that add to your understanding?

• The definition that was intriguing to me was the one that said, "order or decree (something) officially" because I think of something that is ordained of God is now meaning decreed by God. That is so powerful to me and makes me feel like not only is God ordaining men but He is declaring that they are able to use His power. 

• In May of 1831, Joseph Smith received a revelation that said, "marriage is ordained of God unto man." What is the difference in the wording between the revelation received in 1831, and the sentence in the Proclamation of 1995? Why do you think the Lord added words in the Proclamation?
• I think the Lord through prophets added wording to be clearer in this day, what we didn't know in 1995 was the harsh reality of the world we live in today. The fact that we would be dealing so heavily with Gay marriage and the issues of family values being so heavily disputed in the world. 

• Please share why you think that the family is central to God's plan?
• The family is something that is truly eternal, it was in place prior to this earth life and will be there for the next life as well. God's family is his plan he wanted his children to learn and be better so he placed choices before us so that we might be able to be worth to live in his presence again. 

• What is God's plan for the eternal destiny of his children?
• God's plan is for us to return to him and be apart of his eternal family and to find out exactly how we can be like him in every way. 

Technology is Truly a Blessing, and a Curse

This week I studied a few talks one that caught my attention was  "Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet" by By Elder M. Russell Ballard it was written over a decade ago. I was drawn to it because of the age of the talk as well as the fact that it was given at a devotional at Brigham Young University of Hawaii, which I attended previously to my attendance at Brigham Young University of Idaho. Honestly the thing that caught my attention was when Elder Ballard was speaking about the fact that technology can be used for good and bad, as much as the same technology can be used by the devil to share pornagraph images we can use it to share uplifting messages with those around us. 

Something interesting that I received was the simplicity of texting someone. I had so many thoughts to text people in my life as I was reading the chapters. The technology we have in our day is amazing. I also thought about an experience I had in the temple this week as we were doing sealings and the sealer stopped the session and proclaimed to the company that it is thanks to modern day technology that we are able to do so much temple work. The church and its members are able to clearly see what work needs to be done and other people whose lives we can bless by performing their temple work for them on the earth. It was a humbling experience as we learned that some of the work had been done for these ancestors over a hundred years ago. And it was because of lack of organization and record keeping that this name had got lost and the work wasn't finished.

It is such a blessing to have this but on the other side, there are many problems with abuse of technology in our day, as time goes on and technology is becoming more advanced the evils of it are as well, it is easier to become addicted to pornography more now than ever. This just proves that Satan takes all of God's creations and makes them his own by dementing them. We need to do all that we can to protect ourselves from the evils of the devil, and find ways to thank God for his creations and use them all while keeping away from those evils which can often be hard.