Case Study 1 The Eternal Fam

Case Study Name : Gavin Horne Case Study Option (A, B, C, or D) : A Instructions The purpose of this assignment is to apply your knowledge and deepen your learning by responding to real life examples that you or others may face in defending the Proclamation and the eternal family . Your response to the case study you have chosen may be written in essay format, or you may choose to write your response as if you were speaking or writing directly to someone facing the situation described. Your response must show thought, reflection, pondering, and depth, and be presented with college-level writing skills. The following should be integrated into your response:  The gospel doctrines or principles that are involved in the case study, and how they help to clarify and give direction in addressing the situation.  Messages from scripture, the proclamation, and the course readings for the current unit of study that address the dilemma and how those messages would be helpful.  Your own suggestions and ideas about actions that would be helpful in addressing the issue. Your response must include:  At least four references, each from a different talk or article in the current course readings. These may be direct quotes or paraphrases of statements, and must include appropriate in-text citations. (See Good Writing Practices for REL 200 )  A pertinent passage from the Proclamation  A scripture that would support your thoughts and ideas  As an option, you may choose to use two statements from two of the most recent General Conference addresses in place of two references from the current course readings Be sure to connect the references to your thoughts and discuss why or how the reference helps to address the situation in the case study . These assignments help you to dig deeply into the readings for the course and to show your understanding of the content, but they are not a place to simply regurgitate what you have learned. Please have at least 50% or more of the text be your thoughts and comments. It may be helpful to bold or use a different color of text for your references and citations. This will help you see how much of the text is from quotes and words of others and how much is your own words. Case Study Report In 1-2 page(s), write a response to the case study that you have chosen and that meets the requirements explained above. BYU-Idaho 1 REL 200

It is completely understandable for one to be hesitant about marriage and starting a family. In todays world, it’s easy to see so much corruption and heartache when it comes the marriage and the family. Divorce rates are at an all-time high and children become collateral damage from those. It seems like around every corner is another reason to avoid having a family or marrying. And considering the gospel perspective, eternity is a long time to spend with one person and with a decision as extreme as marriage it can be a little overwhelming. So why does God actually want us to get married and have a family if there are so many risks involved? It’s because from the very beginning, God had a plan for us. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught in the 2022 October General conference that “it is the reason why you’re on the earth—to learn, grow, and progress and become everything your Father in Heaven has created you for… He wants you to inherit all He has.” He wanted us to be able to grow up and become like him. To become like Gods! So, in order to help prepare us to become creators ourselves, God gave us the power of creation here on earth. He also knew that a spouse/family can be an incredible aid in our efforts to follow His commandments. That’s what the Lord is saying when he says “Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 11:11) Also, it’s important to remember that those “risks” are only products of Satan’s efforts to destroy the family unit. The fact that there are so many problems like divorce and destructive behaviors like pornography just proves more that Satan also understands how important a healthy family and spousal relationship is in the great plan of happiness. The family unit is attacked today more than ever, but that shouldn’t motivate us to say goodbye to the idea of our own temple marriage. The good news is, God knows how much opposition we will face in our efforts to be one with our spouse and raise a strong loving family. Because He is a loving God, he has given us many different tools and resources to help us to avoid the many pitfalls that we see all around us. It is stated in The Family Proclamation: A Proclamation to the World , “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.” With this model in mind, we can have so much more confidence and faith that as we strive to found our own families and marriages on the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ, we will have more success. President Nelson in 2019 BYU devotional said, “Because the Father and the Son love us with infinite, perfect love and because They know we cannot see everything They see, They have given us laws that will guide and protect us.” I know it might not always seem logical to marry in todays day and age, and to raise a family against all odds, but that is when faith comes into play. Sometimes we can’t always SEE the logic. But that is why we should have faith that while we can’t see the purpose behind everything, God and Jesus Christ CAN see those things. They have a perspective that we do not, and because of that we should have faith in the idea of marriage. Getting married and starting a family is absolutely a huge step of faith. But when we take huge steps of faith to fulfill God’s will, He will always help us along the way. Nephi knew this when he was faced with nearly impossible odds of retrieving the brass plates from King Laban, but said in response, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” (1 Nephi 3:7) It is faith that God will help us in our efforts that allow us to have successful families. Elder Neil L. Anderson taught in a general conference talk, “If we pick and choose what we accept in the proclamation, we cloud our eternal view, putting too much importance on our experience here and now. By prayerfully pondering the proclamation through the eye of faith, we better understand how the principles are beautifully BYU-Idaho 2 REL 200