Viewpoint: That is not a family

201

The old definition still stands.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law granting marriage rights to same sex couples.

In other words, New York, along with Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C. have completely cast aside and forgotten the sacred nature of families.

A family does not consist of just two men or just two women. Passing this law does not, in Cuomo’s words, make New York “a beacon for social justice.” This idea should pass away, not flourish and multiply.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe in equality and fairness. I believe every individual has certain guaranteed rights which should never be taken from them.

However, I also believe in a divine creation and a divine plan. I believe in a family consisting of a man and a wife who, after marriage, bring children to the earth. I believe, as popular phrase has it, God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.

But don’t just take it from me — I have a better source. In September of 1995, President Gordon B. Hinckley announced The Church’s official stance on families called “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.”

“Marriage between man and woman is essential to [God’s] eternal plan,” President Hinckley said. “Children are entitled … to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.”

He did not say children have a right to be reared by a couple who honor marital vows. It’s a father and a mother, a dad and a mom, a man and a woman.

To clarify, not everyone has both a mother and a father. Divorce is high, death is possible and sometimes extenuating circumstances lead to single parenthood or even no parents at all.

For those who fall under this category, I am sorry. Your life has been different, possibly difficult, and I applaud you for your grit and determination.

To the rest of you, these are the exceptions — not the rules.

There’s a nursery in Stockholm that claims to be “gender neutral.”

You may have read about it in The Daily Universe Monday.

The nursery believes gender roles are simply stereotypes and, therefore, do whatever they can to erase these ideas from young minds.

The Associated Press reported different practices this nursery uses.

First, both genders play with blocks and kitchen sets equally.

I don’t have any issue with this. What girl doesn’t love a guy who can cook and what guy wants to marry a girl who can’t put together Legos?

However, they also removed all fairy tales from the bookshelf, replacing them with only books dealing with homosexual couples, single parents or adopted children.

Now, this is extreme. If children do not have examples of complete families, where will they learn what they should aspire to?

Sadly, this is not the worst. Here’s a quote from the director of the nursery, Lotta Rajalin.

It put me over the edge.

“…When they’re playing ‘house’ and the role of the mom already is taken and they start to squabble … we suggest two moms or three moms and so on,” she said.

It isn’t the action that bothers me — I know plenty of little kids who play house with multiple moms because everyone wants to be the mom. I’m bothered because the director’s goal is to make them feel as if a house should have two or three mothers.

It shouldn’t.

I want the world to remember what is right, what is good. Some things in this world should remain sacred; the family should always be sacred.

When we forget the things God has prescribed, the Proclamation has told us what will happen:

“…We warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.”

Duly noted.

Allie McCoy is the opinion editor for The Daily Universe. This viewpoint represents her opinion and not necessarily that of The Daily Universe, BYU, its administration or  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email