Families Can Be Together Forever
I think one of the main things that most people know about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is linked to families. Either they have big families, they put families first, they are family orientated, they do a lot of Geneology work or they may think something like "they all call each other Brother and Sister at that Church... they must all be related!". It's generally always something to do with families.
And yes, a lot of members do have big families. Yes, we do put our families first. Yes, we do like spending time with our families. We do, do a lot of Geneology work. Yes, we do call each other Brother and Sister, but we aren't always related, it's just a way of reminding us that we are all God's children and we should treat each other that way.
Family is sort of, kinda, the main thing about us.
I mean yes, we do believe that there is a Living Prophet and that God, Jesus Christ and The Holy Ghost are three different people (not just the one), but members of The Church do put a big emphasis on family, we even have a whole proclamation about how important we believe families to be.
I think the first thing that I always explain is that we believe that after death, we will be reunited with our family members. You know in that bit in weddings where the couple getting married says "Till death do us part"? Yeah, we don't believe that. We believe that when you are married, you are married for Eternity and that your family are sealed to you too.
The second thing I explain is that we believe before we were born we lived in Heaven with our Dad, (That's right, God is our Dad, our Heavenly Father.) and all our Brothers and Sisters are all the people here on Earth now and in the past and in the future.
The third thing I explain is Where would we be without our families?
I know that not everyone has an ideal family situation. I know that not all families get along. I know that not all families live together. I also know that each moment of our lives is shaped by our families. We might not drink because we saw how it affected a relative. We might have a fondness for a particular type of music because it was the same genre that a favourite Aunt loved. We might have the same nose as a great Uncle.
Each experience we have had has shaped us, for the better or the worse who can say. It has made you, you, it has made me, me and despite sometimes wishing it had been different, I quite like who I am and who I've become.
To put it simply, Families are the building block of society and I'd like to be with mine forever.
And yes, a lot of members do have big families. Yes, we do put our families first. Yes, we do like spending time with our families. We do, do a lot of Geneology work. Yes, we do call each other Brother and Sister, but we aren't always related, it's just a way of reminding us that we are all God's children and we should treat each other that way.
Family is sort of, kinda, the main thing about us.
I mean yes, we do believe that there is a Living Prophet and that God, Jesus Christ and The Holy Ghost are three different people (not just the one), but members of The Church do put a big emphasis on family, we even have a whole proclamation about how important we believe families to be.
I think the first thing that I always explain is that we believe that after death, we will be reunited with our family members. You know in that bit in weddings where the couple getting married says "Till death do us part"? Yeah, we don't believe that. We believe that when you are married, you are married for Eternity and that your family are sealed to you too.
The second thing I explain is that we believe before we were born we lived in Heaven with our Dad, (That's right, God is our Dad, our Heavenly Father.) and all our Brothers and Sisters are all the people here on Earth now and in the past and in the future.
The third thing I explain is Where would we be without our families?
I know that not everyone has an ideal family situation. I know that not all families get along. I know that not all families live together. I also know that each moment of our lives is shaped by our families. We might not drink because we saw how it affected a relative. We might have a fondness for a particular type of music because it was the same genre that a favourite Aunt loved. We might have the same nose as a great Uncle.
Each experience we have had has shaped us, for the better or the worse who can say. It has made you, you, it has made me, me and despite sometimes wishing it had been different, I quite like who I am and who I've become.
To put it simply, Families are the building block of society and I'd like to be with mine forever.