Eternal family 2 Flashcards
What did Elder McConkie teach about our course in mortality and the gospel system?
“From the moment of birth into mortality to the time we are married in the temple, everything we have in the Gospel system is to prepare and qualify us to enter that holy order of matrimony which makes us husband and wife in this life and in the world to come….There is nothing in this world as important as the creation and perfection of family units” (Bruce R. McConkie, Improvement Era, June 1970, 43-44; emphasis added).
• “If properly received this covenant becomes the means of the greatest happiness. The greatest __________ in this life….” (Joseph Fielding Smith)
Honor
• Joseph Fielding Smith also called marriage the grandest, most glorious and most exalting ____________.
…principle connected with the Gospel.
• What was the Honeymoon Trail all about?
.
• According to President John Taylor, our purpose is to become kings and ____________.
to be kings and priests to God
• President Boyd K. Packer taught that “ordinances and covenants become our ___________ for admission into His presence.”
credentials
• What was Joseph Fielding Smith describing when he said “it is the foundation for eternal exaltation, for without it there could be no eternal ___________.”
…no eternal progress
• What blessings come to those who keep their covenants? (Exodus 19:3-6; D&C 109:22-26)
- be a peculiar treasure unto God above all people on earth
- be a kingdom of priests
- be a holy nation
- -armed with power
- -God’s name shall be upon us
- -god glory around us
- -angels have charge over us
- -no weapon formed against you shall prosper
- -no combination of wickedness shall have power to prevail over Gods people.
• What is the New and Everlasting Covenant?
“The new and everlasting covenant is the sum total of all gospel covenants and obligations” (Joseph Fielding Smith,)
“The Everlasting Covenant…..is, briefly, the fullness of the Gospel. It embraces all of the laws, ordinances, principles, covenants and promises pertaining to our salvation. “
• Will the wicked be able to procreate in the next life? Why or why not?
.
• D&C 49:16-17: What is the purpose of this earth’s existence?
man should have one wife, and they should be one flesh, this is the end of creation, the fulfillment of the measure of man according to his creation.
• What blessings come to those who marry in the temple and keep their covenants? (D&C 132:19-20).
They shall be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power and the angels are subject unto them.
they shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths.
• What is the Holy Spirit of Promise?
“The Holy Spirit of Promise is the Holy Ghost who places the stamp of approval upon every ordinance: baptism, confirmation, ordination, marriage…Every ordinance is sealed with a promise of a reward based upon faithfulness. “ Joseph Fielding Smith
• According to George Q. Cannon, what happens to our love towards our spouse after death?
….
• What is the marriage triad?
Godhead, husband, and wife.
• The Family Proclamation states, “Happiness in Family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon ________________.”
the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught that the remedy for marriage problems isn’t divorce, but
”repentance. Often the cause is not incompatibility but selfishness”
• Stephen L. Richards taught that there would never be a divorce in this church if couples
“were keeping the commandments of God.”
• Is there just cause for divorce?
Yes…”“There is now and again a legitimate cause for divorce. I am not one to say that it is never justified. But I say without hesitation that this plague among us…is not of God” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, “What God Hath Joined Together,” Ensign, May 1991, 74).
• What is the number one reason for divorce in our country?
Lack of Commitment (75%)
Too much Arguing (56%)
Infidelity (55%)
• Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught, “When a marriage is dead and beyond hope of resuscitation, ______”
…it is needful to have a means to end it.”
• Be familiar with what President Thomas S. Monson, President Gordon B. Hinckley, President Ezra Taft Benson, Elder Royden G. Derrick, and Elder John A. Widtsoe said concerning promises for those who attend the temple often.
???
With ith a new spirit and confidence in the future. Men grow mighty and women grow strong under it. The community increases in power. Knowledge that is alive and powerful. The temple=Power of Godliness. Temple helps us to become more diligent, committed, and dedicated, patient, long-suffering, and more charitable.
“I am satisfied that if our people would attend the temple more, there would be less selfishness in their lives.
“There would be less absence of love in their relationships.
“There would be more fidelity on the part of husbands and wives.
“There would be more love and peace and happiness in the homes of our people. There would come into the minds of the Latter-day Saints an increased awareness of their relationship to God our Eternal Father and of the need to work a little harder at the matter of living as sons and daughters of God” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, May 1984, 99).
• What did President Ezra Taft Benson say about receiving answers to prayers in the temple?
“in the peace of [the temple], sometimes we find solutions to the serious problems of life. … temples are places of personal revelation. When I have been weighted down by a problem or a difficulty, I have gone to the house of the Lord—a prayer in my heart for answers. These answers have come in clear and unmistakable ways.”
• How can engaging in family history work protect you from Satan’s fiery darts? (Bednar)
“As you respond in faith to this invitation, your hearts shall turn to the fathers.
“The promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be implanted in your hearts.
“Your patriarchal blessing, with its declaration of lineage, will link you to these fathers and be more meaningful to you.
“Your love and gratitude for your ancestors will increase.
“Your testimony of and conversion to the Savior will become deep and abiding.
“And I promise you will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary.
“As you participate in and love this holy work, you will be safeguarded in your youth and throughout your lives. …” David A. Bednar, Nov 2011
• President David O. McKay said that our earthly existence is but a test to see if man will ______
he will concentrate his efforts, his mind, his soul, upon things which contribute to the comfort and gratification of his physical nature, or whether he will make as his life’s pursuit the acquisition of spiritual qualities.”
What is the opposite of love?
Indifference
• According to Elder Neal A. Maxwell, the most prominent feature of the natural man is _____.
“selfishness….selfishness is really self-destruction in slow motion.”
• According to Elder William R. Bradford, when we are selfish, there is _______.
There is no spirit of the Lord present. It is absent.
• When the Pew Research Center asked 18 to 25 year olds about the most important goals of their generation, ____
81% named becoming rich…
Being famous came in 2nd at 51%
marriage was where????
• According to President Spencer W. Kimball, why is selfishness a big deal?
“Every divorce (this sounds like a very high percent) is the result of selfishness on the part of one or the other or both parties to a marriage contract. Someone is thinking of self-comforts, convenience, freedoms, luxuries, or ease.”
• President Dieter F. Uchtdorf called pride a
deadly cancer and gateway sin
• Why did President Ezra Taft Benson teach that pride is a big deal when it comes to marriages?
“Pride adversely affects all our relationships…between husband and wife, parent and child, employer and employee, teacher and student, and all mankind. Our degree of pride determines how we treat our God and our brothers and sisters… Another face of pride is contention. Arguments, fights, unrighteous dominion, generation gaps, divorces, spouse abuse, riots, and disturbances all fall into this category of pride.
Contention in our families drives the Spirit of the Lord away.”
• How can anger negatively impact a marriage?
“A man who cannot control his temper is not very likely to control his passion and no matter what his pretensions in religion, he moves in daily life very close to the animal plane.” (David O. McKay).
“Anger itself does more harm than the condition which aroused anger” (david o mckay)
• Why is anger a big deal in marriage?
.
• Wilford Woodruff said he would never be controlled by ___
his passions, by women, nor by anger, but that he would govern himself.
• President Gordon B. Hinckley said that the most miserable people he knows are those who
”who are obsessed with themselves. By and large, if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking of ourselves” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, Standing for Something, 54, 56).
• What is incivility, and how does it negatively impact relationships?
o Civility=essence of courtesy, politeness, consideration of others….aware, and in tune. Marks of gentility, respect for others, of going the extra mile.
o Incivility=obsessed with self, in your own (or groups) world, unaware of people around you,
• Why is dishonesty such a big deal in ruining marriage relationships?
.
• What did Dr. Blain Fowers teach about the secret to having a good marriage?
“As I have observed many different couples, I have become convinced that strong marriages are built on the virtues or character strengths of the spouses. In other words, the best way to have a good marriage is to be a good person” (Blaine Fowers, Beyond the Myth of Marital Happiness, [San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000], 23).
• What does Matthew 7:3-4 teach us about marriage?
.
.• What are the key antidotes for overcoming the natural man?
o Humility o Meekness o Selflessness o Seek the Spirit o Cultivate Integrity o Seek Spiritual Gifts
• What did John Ruskin say about Humility
““I believe the test of a truly great man is humility. I do not mean by humility the doubt in one’s personal power, but the really truly great man has the curious feeling that the greatness is not in him, but through him, and sees the divine in every other human soul, and is endlessly, foolishly, and incredibly merciful” (John Ruskin, Modern Painters, vol. 3 (Orpington, Kent: George Allen, 1888), p. 266).
• How did Phillip Paul Bliss die?
train ride across Ohio countryside. When their car went over a bridge, it collapsed. Everybody fell into the ice, kerosene stoves lit the whole thing on fire. Bliss freed himself. His wife’s foot was caught in the seats. He stayed their trying to free her and died with her in the flames and ice.
• Elder Bruce R. McConkie said that the goal of every person on this earth should be to ____
”…seek the Spirit: desire above all things in this life to be guided by the Holy Ghost
• What are some of the core attributes Rebekah possessed that made her a wonderful prospect for marriage?
“Natural generosity, kindness, and eagerness to serve a stranger.” generosity, hard work, obedience, beauty.
• We learn from Josephus that there were other women at the well, besides Rebekah, but none of them were willing to __________
…respond to the servants request, they wanted the water for themselves.
• What traits did Michael Wilcox see in his future wife, Laura?
“Everyone loved her. She spoke softly to all the older members of the ward and hugged them in greeting. Little children came up to her. She knew all their names and stooped to hug and kiss them. There was such spontaneity in this scene. I saw her ability to love and show genuine concern for others. I saw their love for her, which could only have been built by years of kindness and courtesy.”
• In the study done by Top, Chadwick, and McClendon, what was the two most important life goals for BYU Students?
- Personal relationship with God,
2. Getting married in the temple.
• According to Elder Oaks, what are the four key components that have led to the demise of dating?
o “The cultural tides in our world run strongly against commitments in family relationships.
o The leveling effect of the women’s movement has contributed to discourage dating. As women’s options have increased and some have become more aggressive, some men have become reluctant to take traditional male initiatives, such as asking for dates, lest they be thought to qualify for the dreaded label “male chauvinist.”
o Hanging out is glamorized on TV programs about singles.
o The meaning and significance of a “date” has also changed in such a way as to price dating out of the market. (from Elder Dallin H. Oaks, The Dedication of a Lifetime, CES Fireside, 1 May 2005, Oakland, California).
• What counsel did Elder Richard G. Scott and President Thomas S. Monson give to the men of the Church regarding marriage?
Scott: “If you are a young man of appropriate age and are not married, don’t waste time in idle pursuits.
“Get on with life and focus on getting married. Don’t just coast through this period of life.
“Young men, serve a worthy mission. Then make your highest priority finding a worthy, eternal companion. “
Monson: “We are not doing our duty as holders of the priesthood when we go beyond the marriageable age and withhold ourselves from an honorable marriage to these lovely women. …If you are concerned about providing financially for a wife and family, may I assure you that there is no shame in a couple having to scrimp and save. …”
• Both Elder Richard G. Scott and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland suggested key traits to focus on in a potential marriage partner. What are some of those traits?
Scott: “look for someone who is developing the essential attributes that bring happiness: a deep love of the Lord and of His commandments, a determination to live them, one that is kindly understanding, forgiving of others, and willing to give of self, with the desire to have a family crowned with beautiful children and a commitment to teach them the principles of truth in the home”
“An essential priority of a prospective wife is the desire to be a wife and mother. She should be developing the sacred qualities that God has given His daughters to excel as a wife and mother: patience, kindliness, a love of children, and a desire to care for them rather than seeking professional pursuits. She should be acquiring a good education to prepare for the demands of motherhood.
“A prospective husband should also honor his priesthood and use it in service to others. Seek a man who accepts his role as provider of the necessities of life, has the capacity to do it, and is making concerted efforts to prepare himself to fulfill those responsibilities.
Holland: “…but surely among the very first and most basic of those qualities will be those of care and sensitivity towards others, a minimum of self-centeredness that allows compassion and courtesy to be evident. ‘That best portion of a good man’s life [is] his . . . kindness,’ said Mr. William Wordsworth… such qualities as thoughtfulness, patience, a kind word, and true delight in the accomplishment of another. “
• According to the research from Top, Chadwick, and McClendon, what is the number one trait BYU students are seeking in a future spouse?
Spirituality, and Religiousness
• What does D&C 88:40 have to do with seeking a marriage partner?
“for intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light…”
In essence, be the kind of person yourself that you hope to one day marry.
9.2
Take a break
• What direction and counsel have apostles and prophets given in respect to dating and marriage?
lots, but mostly to be christlike and seek the spirit.
• According to President Ezra Taft Benson, what is the best yardstick for knowing that is person is worthy of your companionship?
“…to ask yourself what kind of an influence this person has on you.
“In their presence do you wish you were better than you are?
“Do you think some of your noblest thoughts? Are you encouraged to goodly deeds?
“If this is so, that person could be worthy of greater consideration.”
• President Spencer W. Kimball taught, “Clearly, right marriage begins with ________.”
“…right dating.”
• President Harold B. Lee said that the purpose of dating is _________________.
“….the purpose of dating which leads to courtship and ultimately to marriage is a social process by which young people ultimately find their mates in marriage. It is a truism that we find our husband or wife among that company we frequent the most”
