(Due to time constraints, the remainder of this talk
was not given from the pulpit. President Hinckley has
asked that it be included in the Conference Report.)
You need not be his victims. You can rise above his
wiles and entreaties. Get rid of the titillating
entertainment, the pornography that leads to evil
desires and reprehensible activity. Wives, look upon
your husbands as your precious companions and
live worthy of that association. Husbands, see in
your wives your most valued asset in time or eternity,
each a daughter of God, a partner with whom you
can walk hand in hand, through sunshine and storm,
through all the perils and triumphs of life. Parents,
see in your children sons and daughters of your
Father in Heaven, who will hold you accountable
for them. Stand together as their guardians, their
protectors, their guides, their anchors.
God Is the Designer of the Family
The strength of the nations lies in the homes of the
people. God is the designer of the family. He intended
that the greatest of happiness, the most satisfying
aspects of life, the deepest joys should come in our
associations together and our concerns one for
another as fathers and mothers and children.
God bless the homes of our people. May He bless
those homes that there may be loyal and true fathers,
and good and wonderful mothers, and obedient
and ambitious children reared in “the nurture and
admonition of the Lord” (Enos 1:1), I humbly pray
in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
WHY MARRY IN THE TEMPLE?
Elder John A. Widtsoe
Of the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles
Evidences and
Reconciliations,
297–301Marriage, the most important event between birth
and death, is a determining condition of life’s
happiness. Therefore, it should be entered into with
the greatest of care. A companion for life should be
one who lives righteously, to whom abundant love
may be given, and who can be respected in his or
her daily walk and talk. Likewise, the marriage
covenant should be of such a nature as to help
create, build, and maintain daily happiness. As the
successive days are, so all of life will be. Wealth,
power, and fame are beggared in comparison with
the joy that comes from a happy family life.
The Church offers the privilege of marriage in the
temple as the foremost means of establishing and
maintaining happiness in the households of its
members. It is a privilege beyond compare, which
every prospective bride and groom should seek and
use. The conditions are such that every person may
fit himself to receive this privilege, so earnestly
coveted by true Latter-day Saints.
Here are nine brief answers to the question, “Why
Marry in the Temple?”- It is the Lord’s desire and will.The temple is by
divine decree the place where marriages should if
possible be performed. Marriage is of such crucial
importance in life that it should begin with full
obedience to God’s law. Love is the foundation of
marriage, but love itself is a product of law and lives
by law. True love is law-abiding, for the highest
satisfactions come to a law-abiding life.
Moreover, true love of man for woman always
includes love of God from whom all good things
issue. The proof of our love of God is obedience to
His law. Besides, life is so full of problems that the
married couple should from the first seek the
constant favor of the Lord. A sense of security and
comfort comes to all who are wedded within the
temple. They have obeyed the law. They have pleased
the Lord. As law-abiding citizens in the kingdom of
God, they have a special claim upon divine aid,
blessings, and protection. Conformity to the practices
of the Church always builds happiness in life.
Marriage should begin right—by obedience to law. - It is in harmony with the sacred nature of the marriage
covenant.Temple marriages are also more in
harmony with the nature and importance of the
occasion. They are performed in an attractive sealing
room, especially dedicated for the purpose. The
ceremony itself is simple, beautiful, and profound.
Relatively few witnesses are present. Quiet and order
prevail. There are no external trappings to confuse
the mind. Full attention may be given to the sacred
covenants to be made, and the blessings to follow,
covering the vast period of eternal existence. The
attention is focused upon the meaning of the
marriage ceremony, and not upon distracting outside
features which characterize a wedding in an elaborate
social setting. Such concentration of the soul upon the
178 MARRIAGE FORETERNITY