Church Educational System, 1992, Salt Lake City.
INTRO:
Genesis 2:18, 20
" . . . go back to the time when God had finished the creation of this earth, and looked upon it and found it good, and placed Adam here, at which time he said: 'It is not good that the man should be alone. …' (Gen. 2:18.) He made a helpmeet for him, saying, '… and they shall be one flesh.' (Gen. 2:24.) Now what God joins together and makes one flesh, you couldn't separate without having two halves instead of two wholes. Jesus repeated that statement when he said:
"'For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
"'… what therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.'" (Matt. 19:5–6.)(LeGrand Richards, Laying a Foundation for the Millennium, Conference Report, Oct. 1971, p. 84.)
STUDY:Genesis 1:26
1 Corinthians 11:11
Genesis 2:18
POINTS TO PONDER:
Insights into the Marriages of Modern Prophets Show the Unity of Husband and Wife in the Lord.
1. President David O. McKay and Emma Ray Riggs McKay
President McKay wrote the following poem on his birthday:
"You say that I'm ninety, there must be some mistake
For throughout my body there is no pain or ache.
It's true i respond less keenly to sound
And forget where I put things as I strew them around.
"But it's no time at all since Tommy and I
Took Nettie Bell and Annie our fortunes to try
At the 'U.' When seeking apartments where we could stay,
I met for the first time a maiden called Ray.
"You say that I'm ninety, why she's still by my side,
As precious and sweet as when as my bride
In the springtime of life, with hearts all aglow
We faced life together come wail or come woe.
"Family cares came heavy, but not a complaint.
Forty-four children now praise her as saint.
Companion, counselor, advisor alway
My wife for eternity, my own Emma Ray.
("Being Ninety," as quoted in Boyd K. Packer, Eternal Love, pp. 20-21.)
2. President Joseph Fielding Smith and Jessie Evans Smith.
"They did their shopping together, using care to buy only at stores that were closed on Sundays. They liked to go to plays and other entertainment.
"President Smith's birthday celebrations in the park were attended by all the family, but 'our wedding anniversary we celebrate together,' Sister Smith said.
"President and Sister Smith were always together. They enjoyed being alone in their apartment, shelves filled with books, momentos placed about the room, and a grand piano. When he traveled, she was by his side. When she was ill, he was at her side. The last weeks of her illness, he stayed at the hospital to be near her. On August 3, 1971, when she died, he was at her side. An earthly life of beautiful companionship came to a close." (J. M. Heslop and Dell R. Van Orden, pp. 111, 113.)
3. President Harold B. Lee and Freda Joan Lee.
A poem by President Lee, written on his birthday:
"For Fern, first great love of my life
Whose selfless devotion and humility
Inspire me to live from ' dawn of day to dark of night.'
A better man.
I worship at your shrine.'
"For bearing me two lovely girls
Who think their dad can do no wrong.
Who bear the impress of your hand,
'Words can't express.'
"And so on this, my natal day,
I am not what I seem to be;
Life, strength, and immortality
I have today
'Because of these, my loved ones.'
"As life moved on with rapid pace
My lovely Joan was sent to me;
So Joan joins Fern
That three might be, more fitted for eternity.
'O Heavenly Father, my thanks to thee.'"
(Deseret News 1974, Church Almanac, p. 17.)
(Note: President Lee's first wife, Fern Luanda Tanner, died in 1962, after which he married Freda Joan Jensen.)
4. President Spencer W. Kimball and Camilla Eyring Kimball.
Of President Kimball, Sister Kimball has said:
"'I take as much responsibility as I can for his health, relieve him of the business of the house, and, yes, I try to shelter him. It's the hardest thing in the world for him to say 'no'," and it's hard for me to see him under such pressure.' . . .
"A typical family home evening is for the two of them to sit in their comfortable chairs and study the scriptures together. Sister Kimball reads aloud to spare President Kimball's voice, pausing when they want to discuss a point or underline a significant passage in books so often read and so frequently underlined that an unmarked passage is 'the exception, rather than the rule.'
"'He's an easy man to live with.' says Sister Kimball warmly." (Lavina Fielding, "Camilla Kimball: Lady of Constant Learning"Ensign, Oct. 1975, pp. 62-63.)
--typist note: at the time of publishing, the book, Achieving a Celestial Marriage, did not include passages about the marriages of Presidents Ezra Taft Benson, Howard W. Hunter, Gordon B. Hinckley, or Thomas S. Monson. You may find the following helpful:
5. President Ezra Taft Benson and Flora Smith Amussen
From an Ensign article at the time of his death:
"Throughout the Cabinet years, Elder Benson maintained a calm in the face of criticism so fierce that it amazed even those who disagreed with his policies.
A plaque on his desk reading "O God, give us men with a mandate higher than the ballot box" explained one reason for his equanimity: Ezra Taft Benson merely did what he thought was best, not what might have been politically expedient. He later told the other reason: "I have prayed—we have prayed as a family—that we could avoid any spirit of hatred or bitterness" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1961, p. 112).
President Benson's family—with their musicales, home evenings, and prayers for each other—was always his refuge and support. The Washington press was astounded that Elder and Sister Benson felt no qualms about refusing social invitations when a child's concert or a daddy-daughter scavenger hunt was at stake.
But the Bensons had always considered their children—Reed, Mark, Barbara (Mrs. Robert H. Walker), Beverly (Mrs. James M. Parker), Bonnie (Mrs. Lowell L. Madsen), and Beth (Mrs. David A. Burton)—to be far more valuable than prestige or material gain. In the early years of their marriage, Ezra and Flora Benson had met the expenses of a new baby by selling their only cow. In an increasingly materialistic age, President Benson urged parents to sacrifice their worldly pursuits to attend more carefully to the teaching and nurturing of their children.
Flora always remained Ezra Taft Benson's sweetheart and advocate. After every talk she heard her husband deliver, Sister Benson would squeeze her "T's" hand and say, "That's the best you've ever done." In turn, President Benson showed his wife an extraordinary deference. Together they traveled throughout the world. Though President Benson received honors and awards from many quarters, he always enjoyed most the gentler pleasures of his life with Flora—talking, harmonizing, and sharing an ice-cream cone. ("President Ezra Taft Benson: A Sure Voice of Faith," Ensign, Jul 1994, pg. 8)
6. President Howard W. Hunter after the death of his first wife, Clara May Jeffs (1983), he married Inis Stanton (1990)President Howard W. Hunter's quotes from the lds.org website( Quotes ):
"It is the deepest desire of my heart to have every member of the Church worthy to enter the temple."
( Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 8.)
"And now, my beloved brothers and sisters, through the power and authority of the priesthood vested in me and by virtue of the calling which I now hold, I invoke my blessings upon you. I bless you in your efforts to live a more Christlike life. I bless you with an increased desire to be worthy of a temple recommend and to attend the temple as frequently as circumstances allow. I bless you to receive the peace of our Heavenly Father in your homes and to be guided in teaching your families to follow the Master."
( "Follow the Son of God, " Ensign, Nov. 1994, 88.)
"Let us be a temple-attending people. Attend the temple as frequently as personal circumstances allow. Keep a picture of a temple in your home that your children may see it. Teach them about the purposes of the House of the Lord. Have them plan from their earliest years to go there and to remain worthy of that blessing."
( "Exceeding Great and Precious Promises, " Ensign, Nov. 1994, 8.)
"Look to the temple of the Lord as the great symbol of your membership."
( "Exceeding Great and Precious Promises, " Ensign, Nov. 1994, 8.)
"A worried society now begins to see that the disintegration of the family brings upon the world the calamities foretold by the prophets. The world's councils and deliberations will succeed only when they define the family as the Lord has revealed it to be. 'Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it' (Ps. 127:1)."
( "Exceeding Great and Precious Promises, " Ensign, Nov. 1994, 9.)
"You should express regularly to your wife and children your reverence and respect for her. Indeed, one of the greatest things a father can do for his children is to love their mother."
( "Being a Righteous Husband and Father, " Ensign, Nov. 1994, 50.)
"To those who have transgressed or been offended, we say, come back. The path of repentance, though hard at times, lifts one ever upward and leads to a perfect forgiveness."
( "Exceeding Great and Precious Promises, " Ensign, Nov. 1994, 8.)
6. President Gordon B. Hinckley and Marjorie Pay
"I want to talk to you a little about your homes. I do not care whether they are simple and small or fancy and large; I care about the spirit of those homes. I want to suggest some cornerstones on which to build homes...I do not hesitate to promise that if you will go to your homes and cultivate and nurture it among these four cornerstones, your life will be happy and fruitful of great good...There will be tough times, of course. We all have them."
1. Mutual respect. "Respect one another. [Have] that respect which comes of the knowledge that she is a daughter of God and that I am a son of God—His children, and that if I offend her, I offend our Father in Heaven. Never forget that-mutual respect, the kind of respect that manifests itself in courtesy and kindness and patience and forgiveness and deference . . . My brethren, you will never have in all of your lives a greater asset than the woman into whose eyes you looked as you joined hands over the altar in the House of the Lord...Respect her and live with honor in your lives and there will be happiness in your lives."
2. The soft answer. "It was said of old that 'a soft answer turneth away wrath' (Prov. 15:1). Learn to speak quietly in the house . . . when we lift our voices tiny molehills become great mountains of conflict...Quiet speech is the speech of peace . . . of harmony . . . of love. Keep your voices down."
3. Financial honesty. "If you want to get ahead in life, live honestly with the Lord and then you will be more inclined to live
honestly with others, including honestly with each other."
4. Prayer. "Get on your knees together, husband and wife, taking your turns thanking the Lord for one another and invoking His blessings upon your dreams, your hopes, your ambitions, your lives, and your children . . ." (President Gordon B. Hinckley, BYU Married Students Regional Conference, Feb. 11, 1996, as reported in the Church News, Feb. 17, 1996, p. 3-4)
6. President Thomas S. Monson and Francis Beverly Johnson
From the lds.org newsroom:
"It was at a university dance that he first saw the young lady who would later become his wife — Frances Johnson. At the end of their courtship, President Monson said he had planned a special evening to propose to Frances, but his youngest brother, Scott, spoiled the surprise by blurting out, "Tommy has a ring for you, Frances!" the moment she entered the door. Despite the unusual proposal, Tom and Frances were married in the Salt Lake Temple on 7 October 1948.
"From the first day of our marriage, Tom has served in leadership positions. Some have asked how a new bride adjusts to that, but it has never been a sacrifice to see my husband doing the Lord's work," Frances said. "It has blessed me, and it has blessed our children. He always knew that if it was for the Church, I expected him to do what he had to do."
Her shared commitment to serving in the Church is something President Monson values. "In 59 years of marriage I have never known Frances to complain once of my Church responsibilities. In those 59 years I have been gone many days and many nights, and I have rarely been able to sit with her in the congregation. But there is no one like her — absolutely no one. She is in every way supportive and is a woman of quiet and profoundly powerful faith." (LDS Newsroom - President Thomas S. Monson: On the Lord's Errand, Feb. 4, 2008)
RELATED TOPIC(s) IN THE NEW STUDENT MANUAL:
Adjustments in Marriage
Differences Inherent between Men and Women
Equality of Men and Women
Intimacy in Marriage
Men's Divine Roles and Responsibilities
Unity
Women's Divine Roles and Responsibilities
Link to the new Eternal Marriage Student Manual:
http://www.ldsces.org/inst
Preparing for an Eternal Marriage, Religion 234
Building an Eternal Marriage, Religion 235
"I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves" - Joseph Smith
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POLLYANNA
*All mistakes are the fault of the typist.
For better or worse, no pun intended . . .
for those who are looking to improve the institution
who hope that the institution is never-endin'
whether for singles who hope to be married one day,
or for married couples who hope to stay :- )
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