Purpose of Mortality Notes and Teachings Introduction As we discuss the purposes of mortality, it should be noted that the Lord has not made known all the purposes of our mortal existence. We are told in the Doctrine and Covenants: Yea, verily I say unto you, in that day when the Lord shall come [the millennium], he shall reveal all things Things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew, things of the earth, by which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof (101:32-33). This is confirmed by President George Q. Cannon (1827-1901) of the First Presidency: God has placed us here upon the earth to accomplish important purposes. These purposes have been in part revealed unto us. Probably it is not possible for men and women in this mortal state of existence to comprehend all the designs of God connected with man's existence upon the earth; but much has been revealed upon this subject to us as a people (Gospel Truth [1957], 1:11). Four Main Purposes of Mortality President Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994) has summarized the main purposes of our mortal existence: Life has a fourfold purpose. First of all, we come to this mortal life to receive a physical, mortal body. W ithout a physical body man is limited in his progression and only with a spirit and a body united together permanently can man receive a fulness of joy; so we are living today part of eternity. We accepted that plan in the spirit world before we came here, and we rejoiced at the opportunity of coming here. Second, we came here to gain experience experience with a physical, mortal world. The third purpose of life is to give us an opportunity to prove ourselves (Abraham 3:25). To prove that even in the presence of evil and sin we can live a good life. To prove that in spite of temptation that we have the strength and the character to adhere to the principles of the gospel. And fourth, this life is intended to provide an opportunity to help our Father in Heaven with His great plan, and we do that through honorable parenthood. W e cooperate with our Heavenly Father in helping to prepare tabernacles to house spirits of His children. So the matter of marriage, the home, and the family is a vital part of the plan of our Heavenly Father, and by keeping this fourfold purpose of life in mind constantly and carrying out these purposes to have a fulness of joy in mortal life, and we prepare ourselves for exaltation in the celestial kingdom where we will receive a fulness of joy. So the whole purpose of the Church is to help and assist us in carrying out these purposes in life. (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], pp. 27-28) No where in the scriptures are these four purposes of mortality stated in a deliberate collective way. But as President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, has stated, the scriptures are not a doctrinal handbook with references all gathered together in one place. Rather, doctrinal truths are scattered through the scriptures forcing the enquirer to prospect through and dig into the scriptures like a miner searching for precious metal. Scattered here and there are [doctrinal] nuggets, some pure, and some alloyed with other doctrines. Occasionally one strikes a rich vein which will yield all that you are willing to earn ("A Tribute to Women," Ensign, July 1989, pp. 72-73) In that way, said President Packer, sacred things are hidden from the insincere ("The Mystery of Life," Ensign, Nov. 1983, p. 17; emphasis added). Consequently, as we discuss these purposes, we will extract from the books of Moses, Abraham, and Genesis evidence of these important purposes. (1) To Gain a physical, mortal body Read Moses 3:7; Abraham 5:7 Abraham s account of Adam creation reads: And the Gods formed man from the dust of the ground, and took his spirit (that is, the man's spirit), and put it into him; and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul (5:7). As to why spirit man was given a physical existence is not clearly stated in the Old Testament. We must seek to other sources to aid our understanding. The Doctrine and Covenants states: For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy; and when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy (93: 33-34). That is the reason why obtaining a body is so fundamentally important in the first place said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles ( Personal Purity, Ensign, November 1998, p.75). Gaining a fulness of joy can only be had by passing through a mortal existence that includes afflictions. Consider the following. Only through the physical body can the other three purposes of morality can be achieved: for men and women (1) to experience good and evil, (2) to prove themselves obedient to God, and (3) to participate in parenthood. This is validated by the following statements. President Brigham Young (1801-1877) concluded: The spirits of all the human family dwelt with him before they took tabernacles of flesh and became subject to the fall and to sin. He is their spiritual Father, and has sent them here to be clothed with flesh, and to be subject, with their tabernacles, to the ills that afflict fallen humanity. When they have proved themselves faithful in all things, and worthy before Him, they can then have the privilege of returning again to his presence, with their bodies, to dwell in the abodes of the blessed. If man could have been made perfect, in his double capacity of body and spirit, without passing through the ordeals of mortality, there would have been no necessity of our coming into this state of trial and suffering. Could the Lord have glorified his children in
spirit, without a body like his own, he no doubt would have done so. (Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. [1855-1886], 11:42-43) Likewise, President Spencer W. Kimball (1895-1985) observed: One definite purpose of our spirits coming to this earth and assuming the mortal state was to obtain a physical body. This body was to be subject to all the weaknesses, temptations, frailties and limitations of mortality, and was to face the challenge to overcome self. (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], p.5) Finally, Orson F. Whitney of the Quorum of the Twelve taught that a mortal body give God s children the power to propagate, a power they never have had and is essential for the divine purposes of mortality: Man needed experience in the midst of mortal conditions, in order to acquire the education that would fit him for spheres beyond. First, however, he needed a body, for purposes of increase and progression, both in time and in eternity. The spirit without the body is incomplete; it cannot propagate, it cannot go on to glory... It is a reasonable inference that spirits advance as far as they can before they are given earthly bodies. Having received these bodies, they are in a position, by means of the Gospel and the powers of the Priesthood, to make further progress toward perfection. (Cowley and Whitney on Doctrine [1963], p. 283) (2) To Gain Experience With a Physical Mortal, World of Good and Evil Read Moses 3:15-17; 4:10-12; 5:11 The world we have been born into is a place of beauty and wonders, of pleasures and joy. At the same time, we re told in the book of Moses, it is a world of misery and woe (Moses 6:48). The experience of these opposites is essential for the exaltation of God s sons and daughters. The importance of this was made clear by the Lord. About the same time that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were translating Moses 2-5 the chapters we are presently studying! the Lord told the early Church that one of the purposes of the fall of Adam was to make it possible for his offspring to know what happiness by experiencing its opposite. Said the Lord: And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet (D&C 29:39; emphasis added). President Brigham Young explained: The reason of our being made subject to sin and misery, pain, woe, and death, is, that we may become acquainted with the opposites of happiness and pleasure. The absence of light brings darkness, and darkness an appreciation of light; pain an appreciation of ease and comfort; and ignorance, falsehood, folly, and sin, in comparison with wisdom, knowledge, righteousness, and truth, make the latter the more desirable to mankind. Facts are made apparent to the human mind by their opposites. We find ourselves surrounded in this mortality by an almost endless combination of opposites, through which we must pass to gain experience and information to fit us for an eternal progression. (Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. [1854-86], 11:42-43; emphasis added) Often, the scriptures refer to these opposites as good and evil. Elder James E. Talmage (1862-1933)of the Quorum of the Twelve wrote of the necessity of our experience regarding good and evil: A knowledge of good and evil is essential to the advancement that God has made possible for His children to achieve; and this knowledge can be best gained by actual experience, with the contrasts of good and its opposite plainly discernible. Therefore has man been placed upon earth subject to the influence of good and wicked powers, with a knowledge of the conditions surrounding him, and the heaven-born right to choose for himself.... A knowledge of good and evil is essential to progress, and the school of experience in mortality has been provided for the acquirement of such knowledge.(a Study of the Articles of Faith [1958], pp.53-54) Likewise, President Howard W. Hunter (1907-1995) taught: To learn the difference between good and evil is one of the great purposes for man to have mortal life, yet he is given his freedom of choice with the promise of eternal blessings if he obeys the laws of God. (Conference Report, Oct. 1969, p.112) (3) To Prove Ourselves Read Abraham 3:24-25 Consider the following teachings regarding the necessity of our proving ourselves during this mortal probation: President Ezra Taft Benson: The great test of life is obedience to God. We will prove them herewith, said the Lord, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them (Abraham 3:25). The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it. ( The Great Commandment Love the Lord, Ensign, May 1988, p. 4) President Brigham Young: This is a world in which we are to prove ourselves. The lifetime of man is a day of trial, wherein we may prove to God, in our darkness, in our weakness, and where the enemy reigns, that we are our Father's friends, and that we receive light from him and are worthy to be leaders of our children to become lords of lords, and kings of kings to have perfect dominion over that portion of our families that will be crowned in the celestial kingdom with glory, immortality,
and eternal lives. (Discourses of Brigham Young [1925], p.87) President George Q. Cannon: We have got to be watchful, for I tell you God has sent us here to test us and to prove us. We were true in keeping our first estate. The people that are here today stood loyally by God and by Jesus, and they did not flinch. If you had flinched then, you would not be here with the Priesthood upon you. The evidence that you were loyal, that you were true and that you did not waver is to be found in the fact that you have received the Gospel and the everlasting Priesthood. Now you are in your second estate, and you are going to be tested again. W ill you be true and loyal to God with the curtain drawn between you and Him, shut out from His presence, and in the midst of darkness and temptation, with Satan and his invisible hosts all around you, bringing all manner of evil influences to bear upon you? The men and the women that will be loyal under these circumstances God will exalt, because it will be the highest test to which they can be subjected. (Gospel Truth, 2 vols [1957], 1:7) Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve: Mortal life is a proving ground. God said, "W e will make an earth whereon these may dwell; "And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them." (see Abr. 3:24-26). Our proving grounds vary. Some of us are born with physical limitations; others are lonely or do not enjoy good health. Some are challenged by economic conditions, the lack of good parental example, or a myriad of other things that test our mettle. While much of the pain and sorrow we endure is the result of our own stubborn acts of disobedience, many of the things that appear to be obstacles in our path are used by a loving Creator for our own personal growth. Life never was intended to be easy. Rather, it is a period of proving and growth. It is interwoven with difficulties, challenges, and burdens. We are immersed in a sea of persistent, worldly pressures that could destroy our happiness. Yet these very forces, if squarely faced, provide opportunity for tremendous personal growth and development. The conquering of adversity produces strength of character, forges self-confidence, engenders self-respect, and assures success in righteous endeavor. One who exercises free agency by faith grows from challenges, is purified by sorrow, and lives at peace. In contrast, one who frantically seeks to satisfy appetite and worldly desire is driven in a downward spiral to tragic depths. Temptation is the motivating influence in his exercise of free agency. ( The Plan of Happiness and Exaltation, Ensign, Nov. 1981, p. 11; bolding added) (4) To Marry and Raise a Righteous Posterity Read Moses 2:27-28; 3:18-24; 5:11 The Family: A Proclamation to the World states the importance of marriage and raising a family in these words We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator s plan for the eternal destiny of His children (Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102; emphasis added). Note the family is central to man s destiny! Quoting extensively from the family proclamation, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the February 2006 World Wide Leadership training broadcast to the Church over the Church s satellite system spoke of the two main reasons why eternal marriage is essential to the Father s plan. Reason 1: The natures of male and female spirits complete and perfect each other, and therefore men and women are intended to progress together toward exaltation. The eternal nature and importance of marriage can be fully understood only within the overarching context of the Father s plan for His children. All human beings male and female are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and has a divine nature and destiny (Liahona, Oct. 2004, 49; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). The great plan of happiness enables the spirit sons and daughters of Heavenly Father to obtain physical bodies, to gain earthly experience, and to progress toward perfection. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose (Liahona, Oct. 2004, 49; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102) and in large measure defines who we are, why we are here upon the earth, and what we are to do and become. For divine purposes, male and female spirits are different, distinctive, and complementary. After the earth was created, Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden. Importantly, however, God said it was not good that the man should be alone (Gen. 2:18; Moses 3:18), and Eve became Adam s companion and helpmeet. The unique combination of spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional capacities of both males and females were needed to implement the plan of happiness. Alone, neither the man nor the woman could fulfill the purposes of his or her creation. By divine design, men and women are intended to progress together toward perfection and a fulness of glory. Because of their distinctive temperaments and capacities, males and females each bring to a marriage relationship unique perspectives and experiences. The man and the woman contribute differently but equally to a oneness and a unity that can be achieved in no other way. The man completes and perfects the woman and the woman completes and perfects the man as they learn from and mutually strengthen and bless each other. Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord (1 Cor. 11:11; italics added). Reason 2: By divine design, both a man and a woman are needed to bring children into mortality and to provide the best setting for the rearing and nurturing of
children. The commandment given anciently to Adam and Eve to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force today. God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife. The means by which mortal life is created [are] divinely appointed (Liahona, Oct. 2004, 49; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). Thus, marriage between a man and a woman is the authorized channel through which premortal spirits enter mortality. Complete sexual abstinence before marriage and total fidelity within marriage protect the sanctity of this sacred channel. A home with a loving and loyal husband and wife is the supreme setting in which children can be reared in love and righteousness and in which the spiritual and physical needs of children can be met. Just as the unique characteristics of both males and females contribute to the completeness of a marriage relationship, so those same characteristics are vital to the rearing, nurturing, and teaching of children. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity (Liahona, Oct. 2004, 49; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). (From Marriage Is Essential to His Eternal Plan, Ensign, Jun 2006, 82 87) The Family: A Proclamation to the W orld issued in 1995 did not express new doctrine but came as a response to the disintegration of the sanctity of family that has been going on for the last several decades. During those years, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have often expressed their concerns by teaching correct doctrine regarding the purpose of marriage and family. An earlier first presidency statement that is still often quoted though current members of the Church are unfamiliar with came within the first year after America entered into World War II. At the beginning of the October 1942 general conference, a First Presidency statement was read expressing their concerns regarding the effects of the war upon members of the Church. One of the concerns was with what was happening to the family. Specific concerns wartime marriages (civil marriages for inappropriate reasons) and mothers being forced into the work force were addressed by the first presidency under the heading of Parenthood. This statement was not directed to the world but was directed to Church members and offers important doctrine that every member of the Church should know. As you read this statement, note that each paragraph focuses on a different aspect of marriage and parenthood. beyond the grave and through eternity. He has declared that this eternal relationship may be created only by the ordinances which are administered in the holy temples of the Lord, and therefore that His people should marry only in His temple in accordance with such ordinances. The Lord has told us that it is the duty of every husband and wife to obey the command given to Adam to multiply and replenish the earth, so that the legions of choice spirits waiting for their tabernacles of flesh may come here and move forward under God's great design to become perfect souls, for without these fleshly tabernacles they cannot progress to their Godplanned destiny. Thus, every husband and wife should become a father and mother in Israel to children born under the holy, eternal covenant. By bringing these choice spirits to earth, each father and each mother assume towards the tabernacled spirit and towards the Lord Himself by having taken advantage of the opportunity He offered, an obligation of the most sacred kind, because the fate of that spirit in the eternities to come, the blessings or punishments which shall await it in the hereafter, depend, in great part, upon the care, the teachings, the training which the parents shall give to that spirit. No parent can escape that obligation and that responsibility, and for the proper meeting thereof, the Lord will hold us to a strict accountability. No loftier duty than this can be assumed by mortals. Motherhood thus becomes a holy calling, a sacred dedication for carrying out the Lord's plans, a consecration of devotion to the uprearing and fostering, the nurturing in body, mind, and spirit, of those who kept their first estate and who come to this earth for their second estate "to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them." (Abraham 3:25) To lead them to keep their second estate is the work of motherhood and "they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever." (op. cit.) This divine service of motherhood can be rendered only by mothers. It may not be passed to others. Nurses cannot do it; public nurseries cannot do it; hired help cannot do it--only mother, aided as much as may be by the loving hands of father, brothers, and sisters, can give the full needed measure of watchful care. The mother who entrusts her child to the care of others, that she may do non-motherly work, whether for gold, for Amongst His earliest commands to Adam and Eve, the Lord said: "Multiply and replenish the earth." He has repeated that command in our day. He has again revealed in this, the last dispensation, the principle of the eternity of the marriage covenant. He has restored to earth the authority for entering into that covenant, and has declared that it is the only due and proper way of joining husband and wife, and the only means by which the sacred family relationship may be carried
fame, or for civic service, should remember that "a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame." (Prop. 29: 15) In our day the Lord has said that unless parents teach their children the doctrines of the Church "the sin be upon the heads of the parents." (D. & C 68:25) Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels. To you mothers in Israel we say God bless and protect you, and give you the strength and courage, the faith and knowledge, the holy love and consecration to duty, that shall enable you to fill to the fullest measure the sacred calling which is yours. To you mothers and mothers-to-be we say: Be chaste, keep pure, live righteously, that your posterity to the last generation may call you blessed. (Conference Report, October 1942, p.12-13) Optional Reading The Lord s Plan for Men and Women President Spencer W. Kimball Ensign, Oct. 1975, pp. 2-5 Our Heavenly Father has a plan for man s growth from infancy to godhood. It is not always an easy life, but it can be most rewarding, depending upon our attitude toward it. Let us trace the plan of God. When Moses was the Lord s prophet, he had great visions and revelations. He saw back to the beginning and before the beginning of this earth. So also did Abraham: I am the Lord thy God, said the Creator to Abraham, I rule in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath, in all wisdom and prudence, over all the intelligences thine eyes have seen from the beginning. (Abr. 3:19, 21.) And the Lord, standing among these numerous premortal spirits, said, W e will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them. (Abr. 3:24 25.) And the Gods watched those things which they had ordered until they obeyed. (Abr. 4:18.) Then came, in succession, the whales and fish and living creatures and the winged fowls. And the Gods saw that they would be obeyed, and that their plan was good. (Abr. 4:21.) And with the waters filled with life and the air with winged creatures, the Gods said, We will bless them, and cause them to be fruitful and multiply. (Abr. 4:22.) And the fifth time, generally spoken of as a day, was fulfilled. Another time came and living creatures, cattle, creeping things, and beasts of every kind were brought forth: and the Gods saw they would obey. (Abr. 4:25.) Now with the earth organized, they took counsel and said, Let us go down and form man in our image, after our likeness; and we will give them dominion. So the Gods went down to organize man male and female. (Abr. 4:26 27.) And now the plan was completed, and you and I and our numberless brothers and sisters would be given an opportunity, in a normal, natural way, to come to the earth and to enjoy its possibilities. W e are all the spirit children of God; we are his supreme creation; the earth and all that pertains to it is for the growth, development, and satisfaction of all mankind. And the Lord said, Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye [live the commandments], the fulness of the earth is yours, Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the seasons thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul. And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used. (D&C 59:16, 18 20.) Now the plan was drawn, the program was set up, every detail was considered. And the sixth time was numbered, and they planned as follows: We will cause them [male and female] to be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. (Abr. 4:28.) This was not an afterthought or a gradual
development. This was carefully planned prior to the actual creation. Then the day came when the Gods came down and formed these the generations of the heavens and of the earth, And the Gods formed man from the dust of the ground, and took his spirit (that is, the man s spirit), and put it into him; and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. (Abr. 5:4, 7.) Then formed they a woman, and brought her unto the man. (Abr. 5:16.) This was also divinely planned. And Adam rejoiced and said now she shall be called W oman. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. (Abr. 5:17, 18.) The Gods had said, Let us make an help meet for the man, for it is not good that the man should be alone, therefore we will form an help meet for him. (Abr. 5:14.) We have indicated that they, the Gods, had [page 4] planned this creation and had formed all things, including man and woman, and life was given to all things. There was real purpose in what they had done. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. (Gen. 1:27 28.) And he could have said, And God blessed them that they might multiply and replenish the earth, for in that comes a great blessing that many people are missing. This is no accident that children would be born. This is a program carefully planned. The Lord could have provided some other way, but how could parents love and nurture their children in such a case? The bodies of men and the bodies of women were created differently so they complemented each other, so that the union of the two would bring a conception which would bring a living soul into the world, one of those numerous, uncountable spirits that Abraham saw when the Lord had pulled back the curtains. Now we must emphasize here that the Lord made man and woman, male and female to reproduce after their kind, and in the billions of unions there has continued to come a male or a female. Their bodies are still so formed that they will continue to the end of time in producing male or female, the spirit children of God. And when the Gods had completed each of the times of creation, they had noted that they were obeyed the word had been obeyed! The Gods said it is good, very good, as they looked over their total world and plan. This was the normal, proper way to preserve the total program, to bring souls into the world and to give them opportunities for growth. Let no carnal mind decide in his or her feigned brilliance or pretended wisdom that a mistake was made. The whole program was intelligently organized to bring children into the world with love and filial interdependence. Had the superficial ideas of many mortals of today prevailed, the world, the human race, and all proper things would long ago have come to an end. It was the Lord Jesus Christ himself who said to the Pharisees, during his earthly ministry: Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and no other kind? (Matt. 19:4.) And they were given the commandment that the man should cleave to his wife, and they twain shall be one flesh. Wherefore, they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. (Matt. 19:5 6.) And therein is a strong denunciation by our Lord against the evils of divorce and family disruption. The union of the sexes, husband and wife (and only husband and wife), was for the principal purpose of bringing children into the world. Sexual experiences were never intended by the Lord to be a mere plaything or merely to satisfy passions and lusts. We know of no directive from the Lord that proper sexual experience between husbands and wives need be limited totally to the procreation of children, but we find much evidence from Adam until now that no provision was ever made by the Lord for indiscriminate sex. Knowing the proper order of the Lord s plan, then, let there be no prostituting of this sacred program. W e have many people in the world today who, in their gigantic presumption, attempt to create a world based on Satan s plans, for Satan rejoices when evils are performed. One prominent speaker said sex is not the use of something inherently bad, but can become the misuse of something inherently good. Certainly it is not easy for the woman to bear the child in distress and discomfort, but still her desire should be to her husband, for he will preside over her. And surely it is not easy for the man who must provide for his family by the sweat of his face, but it is the true plan. (See Gen. 3:16 19.) Great blessings come from it. In nearly every time in holy scripture where mankind is mentioned as having been created, the terms male and female are used. Moses said in the fifth chapter of Genesis: In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him. (Gen. 5:1.) And that is no idle thought either, that you and I are made in the image of God, to become gods and queens and kings eventually. Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam. (Gen. 5:2.) Adam was their name. And I suppose that the name Adam was the family surname, just as Kimball is my name and my wife s name. When the woman was given to Adam, he called her name Eve because she was the mother of all living. (Moses 4:26.) She was the first. Adam and Eve were the progenitors of the race. They were the first father and mother, and all the children of mortality are the offspring of this couple. Now, this man and this woman were sealed for eternity, God being the sealer. He gave to Adam his wife, Eve. He intended that all men should live worthy to have performed this ordinance of marriage for time and all
eternity. The Lord has said that in order to obtain the highest of the three heavens or degrees of glory in the celestial kingdom, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; And if he does not, he cannot obtain it. (D&C 131:2 3.) This is the proper way. There are some men who fail to marry through their own choice. They deprive themselves. There may be many women who also deprive themselves of blessings. There are others who have never married because they have had no opportunity. We know, of course, that the Lord will make ample provision and that no one will ever be condemned for something he or she could not have helped. This is the Lord s program. But, concerning marriage and the roles of man and woman, let no man defy God or set aside his divine program. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (1 Cor. 1:19 20.) W hy do some allow themselves to criticize criticize God s plan? Why can t they accept their roles in life and be grateful for them? Recently in a local paper appeared an article by a courageous woman who said, The scriptures designate that a man s most important responsibility in life is to be the guide, the protector and provider for his wife and children. In the beginning when God created man and woman, he said to the woman, thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule [but I like the word preside] over thee. [Gen. 3:16.] The Apostle Paul reaffirmed this when he said, the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church. (Eph. 5:23.) This woman speaks of the so-called intellectuals who would change the plan of God. She seems to be one of those who believes that God knew what he was doing when he organized the family of man. I sincerely hope that our Latter-day Saint girls and women, and men and boys, will drink deeply of the water of life and conform their lives to the beautiful and comprehensive roles the Lord assigned to them. I hope we shall not attempt to perfect an already perfect plan, but seek with all our might, mind, and strength to perfect ourselves in the comprehensive program given to us. Because some of us have failed, certainly it would be unfair to place the blame upon the program. Let us control our attitudes, our activities, our total lives, that we may be heir to the rich and numerous blessings promised to us. W hat God-given roles each of us could play in this great divine drama! What satisfying personal lives we can live! What beautiful families we can nurture and train! What a heavenly future is ours! God lives. This I know. Jesus is the Christ and this I know. This is his program, and this I also know.