This quote was on the front of our Sacrament meeting program. It was given by Neal A. Maxwell in a BYU Devotional on October 10, 1978... 30 years ago.
"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional, or political life.'
This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ... Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted... This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions.
Resistance to abortion will be seen as
primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as
untrendy and
unenlightened... Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even these, however, let us leave a record that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do.We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat."
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Last week I was talking with some friends about Proposition 8 in California and someone mentioned a conversation they heard where someone asked, "Why, all of a sudden, is the Church taking such a strong stance on the issue of gay marriage?" It was brought up that on September 23, 1995, President Hinckley read a Proclamation that shows exactly how the church feels toward the issue (now I know this isn't the first time it has been declared how the church feels about it but just an example with an exact date). Now note, this was not something that the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles decided members of the LDS church needed to be aware of. This is a Proclamation to the
WORLD. Now here are some quotes from the Proclamation.
"We, the First Presidency and the 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."
"We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed
only between
man and
woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife."
"Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets."
"We call upon
responsible citizens and
officers of government everywhere to
promote those measures designed to
maintain and
strengthen the
family as the fundamental unit of society."
I think it's very clear as to what our responsibility is as a people who support and sustain President Monson, his counselors and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators. The battle is far from over.
