Its funny how...

Families Start Here

You know I find it funny how in class this week we discussed the different ways to approach researching the family. Its interesting to me that people are interested in the family as a unit. Something that stood out to me was something Matt in my group had mentioned from the reading. That was the fact that marriage "study" is a relatively new study focus. The thing I find so funny is how much we as latter-day saints understand about the family. We know what trends come from not allowing God and Christ to be the center of our lives. These researchers think that there is a trend going on and there is. The trend is that we as americans and as humans have pushed God to the outskirts of existince and we rely on our own human nature to decide what is best to do. I find it funny that we have a prophet who has given us a written guide on how to survive in a family in this "godless" society in which we live. No im not putting anyone under the bus but I believe that the more we center our lives around wholesome things and put our own needs aside to help someone else, these trends would look incredibly different. The research can happen because so many people are prideful in their relationships that they no longer care about the other half of their relationship therefore tearing apart the family. Its Satan's plan to watch us tear ourselves apart and to struggle throughout this life.
Its funny that the world has to research how to stop these trends or what causes these trends when the answers are right under their nose. Its all right there in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the other divine writtings of our times. If people would hold true to the original beliefs of man, look inside themselves, and just be more mindful of those around them, families wouldnt dissolve, we wouldnt have high abortion rates, divorce rates, and the problems and issues we have today. God has been telling us the answers for years and still does today. If we would just listen and follow the teachings, we would have the answers for the research.
I mentioned that I thought it was interesting how the article we read each practice was a "great" idea and then right after it said all the flaws it had. The perfect system has been laid out since day 1 of man. In genesis we read, "And God said, Let ^aus ^bmake ^cman in our ^dimage, after our ^elikeness: and let them have ^fdominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own ^aimage, in the image of God created he him; male and ^bfemale created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be ^afruitful, and ^bmultiply, and ^creplenish the ^dearth, and subdue it: and have ^edominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."
Did god intend for man to leave his wife, or the wife to leave the man? No. In this instance, he joined them into "one flesh" to be helpmates to one another for ETERNITY not till one of you is just done with the other, or the other goes "out of style" and loses it's interest. No! The relationship set out by God himself was to have man and woman together to be a family unit. The result was Adam and Eve who went on to raise their children Together! Shocking! So in conclusion do we need to research marriage and families as a unit? We shouldnt have to because the actual perfect layout has already been given. We need to study ourselves and ask how can I get back to God to make my relationships worth something. This is what I took from this week of Family Relations.