Friday, January 11, 2019

Gender and Sexual Rights

       The Church of Jesus Christ leaders have emphasized the Family Proclamation which states that the family is the fundamental unit of society. This week, in my Family Advocacy class, we are learning about the many threats to the family and how the degradation of it can bring destruction to our society. There are threats seen and unseen. Threats seen include: Pornography, prostitution, abortion, fetal impairments (poor nutrition/drug-abuse of the mother), disease, misuse of media, child malnutrition, denying birth, promiscuity, and homogenization. 

 
   All unseen threats are ones that are affiliated with the adversary himself, also known as Lucifer. We, must ask the that the Lord would give us discernment to see those forces unseen in ourselves, others, etc. that are keeping hindering the full functionality of family unit. 


So what can we do about it now that we've seen this awful amongst ourselves?


     First, I am inspired by Captain Moroni's example in Alma 46. Captain Moroni recognized that the Nephites' sinful behavior had cause them to become weak as to their strength. As the Lamanites sought their destruction, he foresaw their their victory. Rather than cowering in fear, he knew that he could depend on the Lord to provide the power they needed to defend their freedom. So, he rent his coat and inscribed The Title of Liberty which stated, "In Memory of Our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children" which he fastened to a pole and cried with a loud voice that all those who would covenant to keep the commandments would maintain their freedom upon the land which they beheld.


From this I learned that when we recognize such risks, the Lord calls each of us to be courageous advocates in the defending the truth.  


     Our voices can be heard by first understanding the threats to the family. Some of these threats might be in our own homes. As we become aware of these threats and change ourselves, the Lord will guide us to know what to do next. It would be wise to study the words of prophets and give strict heed to their words. We might also talk to others to broaden our perspectives. Next, we can learn what can be done through policy, community action, social media, and our own homes. We can join groups and other organizations around the area such as ones that might be affiliated with school boards. 


In America, we stand for freedom but what is the balance between that and what is actually good for us?


     This week our teacher Brother Rarick shared a document which Planned Parenthood is planning on sharing and teaching our children in our schools. It is called, "It's All One Curriculum." The following link describes the principles which they wish to instill in our children.  https://unitedfamilies.org/email-archives/training-your-child-to-be-a-gender-and-sexual-rights-activist/


Do know the consequences of legalizing prostitution and that abstinence is not necessary?


There are a lot of famous artists who sing about broken families and their father never being there. When you get down to the realization of it, we must face consequences to every decision we make. even though, those consequences may not be manifested until a later time, but of course it seems right in the moment. Would you rather get an A on your test and study? Or would you rather eat Cheetos and play video games and get an F? Sometimes, we take the risk of supposing that if we do something, the consequence will not happen to us. It might be considered pure luck! "If I speed through this yellow light it may not turn red and then I might get to work on time." Or "If I slow down at this yellow light, then I will not risk getting in a crash or a ticket which would further make me late for work." In our logical mind, we would never choose the worst consequence, but in reality sometimes, we do. If we do not think logically, acting on our emotions lead us to acting irrational. Parents or those who are wiser find themselves reminding teenagers to complete certain tasks because their prefrontal cortex is not fully developed. Luckily, as adults we have a Father in Heaven, who if we ask will lead us to make good decisions.


So instead of ending up in a state of failure and depression, wondering why this came to be, think logically. If you are wondering why hearts are failing in society and we are becoming a weak and depressed society, think logically! Would you rather see more crime rate, mental illness, pollution, complaining, loss of integrity, loss of loyalty, etc.? Or not having to worry about locking our doors at night?