"The Eternal Family: A Plain and Precious Part of the Plan of Salvation"

In chapter 32 of our textbook, Successful Marriages and Families (Hawkins, Dollahite, & Draper, 2012), A quote that stuck out to me that got me started on this first blog was, “Nephi also added that  “because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them (1 Nephi 13:29). The distortion and eventual loss of the doctrine of the eternal family is no doubt a part of what the Prophet Joseph Smith was describing when he observed “Our Father in Heaven organized the human family, but they are all disorganized and in great confusion.” The loss of the doctrine and covenant of eternal marriage has confused the great majority of the inhabitants of the world concerning the eternal nature of the family and has led many to believe that such relationships are not part of God’s plan for the salvation and eternal destiny of his children” (Hawkins, Dollahite, & Draper, p. 337). This stuck with me and I wanted to know how other people view families and whether or not they felt families were important in today’s society. I was a little saddened to hear that many people couldn’t rely on their blood family and instead turn to friends as their family, but everyone did agree that it’s important to have a family like support system to succeed in life.

Below are the different answers I received from people I spoke with. 

"I don't think that family is essential for happiness, because my belief system tells me that no matter what my earthly family looks like I have a Heavenly Father who loves me beyond anything I could imagine. But I think having a family, sharing in the community that is ones family, and the sense of belonging and confidence the exists in that is super significant in the molding of a person. Everyone likes to feel like they belong somewhere, and that's why you see inner city kids with rocky family dynamics joining gangs or maybe getting associated with the wrong things. In search of finding that "family" dynamic they feel like they're missing."

 "My heart and soul feel most full/fulfilled/complete when I am surrounded by family."

"I think family is essential for happiness however I think the definition of family could be very different for people! Being surrounded by people who love you, support you, etc is so crucial (but again that doesn’t always mean blood related) in my opinion!!"

"Children raised in single parent households are at higher risk of leading lives that result in incarceration and poverty. Those things are worth avoiding and could correlate to one's relative happiness."

"Wow there is so much to that question. Families are so important to each other and to society. Children need parents... good parents to set good examples, good expectations and good standards. Parents to teach, nurture and live."

"There's nothing more important than the family unit, and nothing more powerful than the unity of family."

"The iimportance of family, and needing a family for happiness. In my opinion is very important. But a family is not just your blood family. Growing up my father was battling substance abuse, he was physically and verbally abusive to all of us. My mom stayed with him and slightly battled thru this with him at times but not at his extent. The rest of my extended family lived out of state so i didn’t have much to lean on except my sisters and a busy hobby. my entire family moved away in 2014. Across the country i opted to stay in Ky alone with my boyfriend at the time his family let me live with them. I struggled the first year bad with depression and a feeling of lost. But his family became my family and that boyfriend is now my husband and baby girls father and his family my in laws who have been more of s family than my blood family. The support from family is the most important aspect. People to love you and pray for you and want to see you accomplish your goals. It is needed for happiness bc if it were not for this family I’d be alone and probably not in any way aspiring for much in life without the pushes they gave me and the confidence that i could accomplish my goals!"