THE LORD’S LABORATORY OF LOVE

Thoughts stimulated by – The Inexhaustible Gospel – by Neal A. Maxwell

There has been a shift of epic proportions from the family of Father Knows Best starring Robert Young and Jane Wyatt even beyond the dysfunctional family of Al and Peggy Bundy in Married With Children to where we have finally arrived at the realistic portrayal of the modern family in the situation comedies of the 21st century.

Even from the glass dome of my ivory tower, the picture seems pretty clear that in an effort to portray a ‘true’ picture of family life, there has been a deliberate move toward portraying the ‘traditional family’ in such a negative way, that any arrangement of communal groupings has to be a better situation than the ‘traditional family’.

Having been the beneficiary of growing up in a ‘traditional family’ and having shared my life with a loving wife and family which tried to sustain the values of the ‘traditional family,’ I would like to spend my efforts in this week’s Thought defending two points.

1. Heavenly Father, long before Adam and Eve, established the family as the fundamental unit where the essential Eternal attribute of love could be learned and practiced.

2. Satan is well aware, that if he can destroy the family in mortality and diminish its fundamental role, there will be one less force helping to bring to pass the immortality and Eternal Life of Heavenly Father’s Children.

Before going any further, I want it to be understood: this is not a Thought denouncing anyone or any group who have chosen to live in a non-traditional family situation, but merely an explanation of why the ‘traditional family’ is essential to Heavenly Father’s advancement of His Plan and why Lucifer would expend so much effort in trying to destroy the ‘traditional family.’

The statements advocating the value of point number one will be in bold type and can be referred to as Heavenly Father’s Plan of Happiness, while those revealing the demonic destructive tactics of the Devil will be in regular type and can be referred to as Satan’s Plan of Misery.

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Teaches – Heavenly Father is a loving parent – who places an eternal importance on the institution of family

Teaches – the intact family – is no longer a socially needed or useful institution

Teaches – concern for the entirety of the soul of His children and their eternal progression – placing an emphasis on the nature of the whole being

Teaches – us to be consumed with the importance of the physical body – encouraging us to strive toward the Venus or Adonis ideal – while at the same time enticing us to consume trendy, exotic and less nutritious foods

Teaches – the importance of keeping children safe from the storms of life – by providing a protective umbrella – which includes Family Home Evening – Family Prayer – and wholesome activities – and believes parents have the primary stewardship – for the eternal development of their offspring

Teaches – the stewardship for the education and production of good human beings – lies primarily with community and governmental institutions

Teaches – the rolls of father and mother – are eternal stewardship callings – which hold a preeminent status on earth and in the heavens

Teaches – the necessity of creating and re-creating patch up institutions – whose failure ratios far exceeds their successes

Teaches – the family is the unit ordained to guide the newborn – from its state of innocence – encouraging growth toward self-identity and maturity – while maintaining purity

Teaches – purity is a fantasy – not to be accepted by mature self-identified humans –expounding the need for more and more elaborate ways – of avoiding the consequences of impure acts – or inventing methods to mop up messes created by immoral decisions – thus encouraging their continuation

Teaches – self-esteem is the foundational element of healthy communities – projecting positive parental patterns onto posterity – is the most important element in building self-esteem

Teaches – the values of the world change so rapidly – that each new generation – would be foolish to use the example of previous generations

Teaches – the importance of education of parents – constantly upgrading and improving their skills – in order to qualify them to deal with changing conditions

Teaches – a constant demeaning of the effectiveness of parenting – by pointing out the broken and dysfunctional units – while encouraging an ever increasing preponderance of parenting by permissive-ness

Teaches – the main source of parental guidance – should be living Apostles and Prophets – who are able to see afar – with spiritual eyes

Teaches – a way of dealing with life’s calamities – by building institutional fences – around the evils of the entrenched calamity – as failures encroach upon the continuation of the species

Teaches – women will find their highest fulfillment – through the nurturing and educating of their children – leading them on the paths toward Eternal Life

Teaches – women will find fulfillment – having their value and talents recognized by mortal peers and governmental institutions

Teaches – the role of father – is the only eternally important stewardship – given to men during mortality

Teaches – fathers are mostly self-serving, malfunctioning beings – who are insensitive to others needs – especially those of women

Teaches – parents must instill the importance of – accountability – responsibility – cooperation – based on absolute Eternal truths

Teaches – the importance of – independence – competition – legality – based on current fancies and trends

Teaches – parents must instill – righteous indignation – which is based on respect of others, their opinions and beliefs – and never gives license to demean or undermine

Teaches – whatever means which will help me achieve my goal – are in play – any harm to others during the process – is all part of the game

Teaches – parents must instill – forgiveness as an act of love – imperfections in others should be viewed as an invitation for help – help should be given by – never letting the right hand know what the left is about

Teaches – when person arrives at the point where they recognize their own significance – they can judge the imperfections of another as a reason for rejection – likewise – a person who is full of hate – is enlightened to the defects or others – and has a duty to pontificate personally and publicly other’s shortcomings

Teaches – the day will come when the scales are lifted from our eyes – we will then see clearly – things as they really are.

Teaches – there is no God or Satan – therefore I am both the employee and employer of my life

Teaches – by striving to live according to Heavenly Father’s Plan of Happiness – we will continually have a sense of being fulfilled

Teaches – us to concentrate on feeling unfulfilled – always needing to quest for more – leading to us to misery – which is the end game of his plan

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Hence, we all live in a world unalterably founded upon the principles of the laws of agency. Thereby, our societies and cultures, including our homes are going to come in innumerable variations. Our loving Heavenly Father has given us His Plan of Happiness which is founded upon the institution of a righteous family, and left us with the choice of how much of the consequential happiness we will enjoy because of our faithful obedience to His outlined principles.

THOUGHTS FOR A SABBATH DAY – WILLIAM L.RILEY

EDITED BY – KATHLEEN W. RILEY