My husband and I were married on August 31, 1995, in the Salt Lake temple. Both of us came from broken homes and we wanted to make our marriage a success, but we didn’t have personal examples to follow and we felt like we were flying a bit blind. Less than one month later, in September of 1995, the First Presidency issued “A Proclamation to the World on the Family,” and we felt as though we’d been given a personal map to correctly chart our course.
“The Proclamation” as given to us by the First Presidency takes all the beliefs, doctrines and commandments we have been given concerning the family and brings them into one location, stating them simply and without confusion. David J. Ridges’ book “The Proclamation on the Family: The Word of the Lord on More than 30 Current Issues” goes through “The Proclamation” line by line and expounds on these truths, often tying in other quotes or scriptures that strengthen the statements being made.
The format is rather unique. On the left-hand side of the page, we see a full copy of “The Proclamation,” with the text being discussed in bold print. On the right-hand side, we read the author’s commentary concerning those bolded portions. In this way, there’s no need to flip back and forth to see how the statements originally appeared—they are immediately at hand as you read.
Just as “The Proclamation” delivers our beliefs without apology, so does this book add to that testimony without wavering or equivocation. I appreciated the straight-forward delivery and the language used which truly leaves us in no doubt as to what “The Proclamation” is, what it says, what it stands for, and what our responsibility is now that we have received it. We have been told to regard “The Proclamation” as scripture, and to study it carefully. This volume is a valuable tool in our quest to do just that, to internalize these teachings and come to make ourselves completely familiar with them. I recommend this book as a staple of any gospel-oriented library.
(This book was published in 2003 by Cedar Fort.)
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Creating a Healthy and Spiritual Home Environment
Family Home Evening: Modern Day Prophets