Latter-day Saints: "Hooked on a (Family) Feelin'" Part 2 by Bob Betts

The importance of family should not be understated and won't be by this writer. I know no one who would argue that the family unit is not the core of any society. Being a part of a healthy family requires that each part fulfill his or her purpose(s) which requires that each member set priorities with the well-being of all family-members in mind. The examples within the unhealthy, even dysfunctional family relationships of the major patriarchs are presented in the Old Testament for our examination as we observe their failures. Those examples are counterbalanced in the gospels and epistles with the instructions of Jesus and the Apostles for healthy, functional family relationships with the proper spiritual and relational nourishment. The balance is critical. We all fight the self-centered urge to give too little time and attention to our families, aware of the eventual relational deterioration if we neglect our loved ones.

LDS Family Emphasis

While we should never underestimate the value of the family, our love and esteem for family should never supercede God's design. However, in the opening paragraph to a 1997 brochure entitled, "THE FAMILY: A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD," the Mormon church leadership states: "We, the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children."

Though their statement about marriage is certainly true, the family being central to God's plan for the eternal destiny of His children, definitely is not. Did Christ ever elevate the importance of family to salvation status? Did He ever make family central to our eternal destiny?

Christ's Holy Perspective

Jesus made sure in several of His teachings that we not place family on an undeserved pedestal:

It's All About God

It's not that Jesus intended to disown His own family or to disparage the family unit. What Christ stated in the plainest of terms is that He and the Father are to be our foremost focus, even above family. Christ's intention was to teach us to properly esteem the Father and Himself above all else. God and Christ, as co-Creators and Sustainers of all life, are the Ones who are central to their eternal plan for man. We ARE the recipients of God's grace, mercy, atonement, forgiveness, justification, salvation and eternal life. But, this life is not about our families or us. It's all about our triune God.

For the Mormon church to proclaim the family as central to God's plan, even to the extent that their "eternal destiny" is at stake, is to render an eternal importance to the family that cannot be biblically validated. In fact the above scriptures document Christ's denunciations of putting family ahead of Himself.

God actually places more importance on the relationships within the Church, i.e. His disciples, the Body of believers in the Matthew 12:46-50 passage.

The Lord Over The Family

Once again, the Mormon church knows how to tug at people's heartstrings. With the family under so much attack, with so many broken homes and people of all ages wanting to experience the cohesiveness of family, it's no wonder the Mormon church's family emphasis is so appealing.

Nevertheless, people's emotions are being manipulated and their hearts deceived. If the family were central to God's plan for our eternal destiny, Jesus would have said so. The Lord never taught that family is central for salvation or that "families are forever," as Mormonism teaches. Instead, God sent Jesus, the central figure in His plan for the eternal destiny of those who choose by faith, to receive His free gift and follow Him.

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