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Most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints know that President Hinckley first announced and read “The Family, A Proclamation to the World” at the September 1995 General Relief Society meeting. Few, however, are aware that President Gordon B. Hinckley read the Proclamation in the Oval Office to then-President Bill Clinton only one month later. In Presidents and Prophets, Michael Winder records that Clinton had heard about the landmark document and invited President Hinckley to discuss it at the White House on November 13, 1995. Accompanied by Elder Neal A. Maxwell, President Hinckley discussed the Proclamation with President Clinton, and according to President Hinckley,  “We had a very delightful visit.” Before leaving, President Hinckley was invited by a White House aide to offer a prayer, as was customary. President Clinton agreed, and the men stood in a circle. President Hinckley later recorded, “I thought it was a rather wonderful thing, to pray for the President of the United States in his office.” But what makes this visit so remarkable is that earlier on the same day, Monica Lewinsky started her job as a paid intern in the White House, and only two days later, President Clinton began his controversial relationship with her. The timing is uncanny. The adulterous relationship that led to the first impeachment of a president of the United States in over 100 years and stained Clinton’s political career forever afterward could have been avoided had he heeded the warning contained in the Proclamation and read to him personally by a prophet of God. 

Although often difficult, it is a prophet’s duty to warn. Elder M. Russell Ballard has said, “Through the centuries, prophets have fulfilled their duty when they have warned people of the dangers before them. The Lord’s Apostles are duty-bound to watch, (and) warn …” President Russell M. Nelson said on another occasion, “Sometimes we as leaders of the Church are criticized for holding firm to the laws of God, defending the Savior’s doctrine, and resisting the social pressures of our day…. In doing so, sometimes we are accused of being uncaring … But wouldn’t it be far more uncaring for us not to tell the truth? … Prophets are rarely popular. But we will always teach the truth!”

Indeed, the Family Proclamation has become increasingly controversial and less popular as social trends and philosophies surrounding the family, marriage, and gender have shifted dramatically in the last thirty years. However, the warnings in the Proclamation are more relevant and visible now than ever before and deserve closer consideration.

The Proclamation states, “We warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.” Elder Ballard said the Proclamation is “a stern warning in a world where declining values and misplaced priorities threaten to destroy society by undermining its basic unit.” It has been thirty years since this “clarion call” was given, and the devastating effects of family disintegration on both a micro and macro scale are undeniable. 

When people hear the word “calamities,” they often think of large-scale natural disasters, such as earthquakes, famines, or floods. But overwhelming social data is revealing the startling truth that it is easier to rebuild physical homes than a family devastated by divorce, abuse, infidelity, or childlessness.

If we look just at divorce, one of the most common “calamities” affecting families, the justification for the strong prophetic warning is clear. Social science research consistently reveals that divorce has significant and complex effects on families, particularly on children, impacting their emotional, social, and academic well-being, as well as their future relationships. These impacts are measurable for generations. Following decades of data, the National Institute of Health concluded that “divorce has been shown to diminish a child’s future competence in all areas of life, including family relationships, education, emotional well-being, and future earning power.”

The American College of Pediatrics similarly concluded: “There are clearly negative long-term consequences of divorce—children, parents, and society all suffer. … [And] … long-term studies show that many children never have full ‘recovery.’” Another study even advocated for governments to “create a public health campaign to inform Americans of the health and other risks associated with divorce,” warning that “If nothing is done, America will continue the downward spiral into social decay.” This same study advocated prohibiting “no-fault divorce” for couples with children under the age of 18 living in the home. Except for cases of physical or sexual abuse, more and more data suggest that divorce does more harm than good, especially for children. As evidenced in the summary of the study: 

American society may have erased the stigma that once accompanied divorce, but it can no longer ignore its massive effects. As social scientists track successive generations of American children whose parents have ended their marriages, the data are leading even some of the once-staunchest supporters of divorce to conclude that divorce is hurting American society and devastating the lives of children. Its effects are obvious in family life, educational attainment, job stability, income potential, physical and emotional health, drug use, and crime.”

Social science and religious leaders have dovetailed on this issue. Strong, lasting marriages are more crucial to society than ever before. Pope Francis powerfully stated: Every threat to the family is a threat to society itself. The future of humanity … passes through the family. So protect your families!”

On a macro level, the literal “disintegration of the family” is projected to not only bring nations dire calamities but also to threaten their very existence. For the past seven decades, fertility rates have steadily dropped, and childlessness has increased. A total fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman is needed to sustain long-term population replacement. Most developed countries of the world, including Japan, Germany, Russia, and most of Europe, are already experiencing the effects of depopulation as they have been below the birth replacement rate for many decades now. And the trend is spreading.

A 2024 comprehensive study published in the Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals, reported: “By 2100, more than 97% of countries and territories will have fertility rates below what is necessary to sustain population size.” The authors went on to “warn that national governments must plan for emerging threats to economies, food security, health, the environment, and geopolitical security brought on by these demographic changes that are set to transform the way we live.”

Surprisingly, most are unaware of the dramatic decline in global fertility rates. Documentaries like Birthgap: Childless World (2022) and Demographic Winter: The Decline of the Human Family (2008) have sought to draw attention to the crisis, but these documentaries and their authors have been largely dismissed by many as fear-mongering or conservative ideological propaganda. However, many countries can no longer ignore the threat, and their leaders are beginning to speak up and take action. 

In her 2019 New Year’s broadcast, Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg was the first world leader to publicly encourage her citizens to “have more children.” Countries like Denmark are employing new “sexy” media campaigns, such as “Do it for Denmark” and “Do it for Mom,” to incentivize and persuade their citizens to have children. And Denmark is not alone. Other countries, including Thailand, Russia, China, and Hungary, among others, have all tried various kinds of tactics to incentivize and even bribe people to have more babies. A 2024 Vox article entitled “You Can’t Even Pay People to Have More Kids,” discussed the failure of many of these direct payment incentives. “Russia began offering a one-time sum of about $7,000 to families with more than two kids, while Italy and Greece have experimented with per-child ‘baby bonuses.’ In 2019, Hungary introduced a loan of around $30,000 to newlyweds. If they have three children, the loan is forgiven.” These and other countries have also tried implementing more pro-family policies, including increased tax benefits, free childcare and education, and extended maternity leave (up to 2.5 years in Australia).

Notwithstanding, the incentives have yielded few results. One possible reason is that as education and economic productivity have increased, the “opportunity cost” of having children has also grown. “People, especially women, have more lucrative things to do.” Many worry it is too late and too difficult to change deep-seated attitudes and prejudices against prioritizing having children over individual career goals or autonomy. In addition, the psychological, existential threat of climate change has led many young people to question the morality of bringing children into a doomed world.

Regardless of the reasons, countries all over the world are dealing with the realities of a shrinking population where the number of deaths outnumbers the number of live births, undoubtedly leading to a smaller workforce, increased tax burden, and societal upheaval. When only 26 countries are still projected to be growing in population in 2100, the once commonly touted threat of “over-population” and the fiercely defended belief that “conceiving and raising children is immoral” seems to have had a dramatic turn on its head. Psalm 7 feels more relevant now than ever: “He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.”

As Michael Novak has powerfully said, “Throughout history, nations have been able to survive a multiplicity of disasters—invasions, famines, earthquakes, epidemics, depressions—but they have never been able to survive the disintegration of the family.” 

The Family Proclamation is, as Elder M. Russell Ballard said, “a clarion call to protect and strengthen families and a stern warning [to the] world.” Implementing the truths and principles of the Proclamation will be the greatest and most challenging work of a lifetime, but ignoring or violating its teachings will bring “calamities” to the souls of individuals and nations alike. 

The burden of issuing this warning is heavy. President Nelson has said, “Think of this, my dear young brothers and sisters, right now I am preparing for the day when I will be required to give an accounting … ultimately to the Lord—about my stewardship as God’s prophet upon the earth today.” Likewise, the Proclamation warns that each one of us is preparing for the day when we will be required to give an accounting to God about how we fulfilled our family responsibilities. If we have violated God’s laws of chastity, abused spouses or children, or failed in these sacred stewardships, we will also “one day stand accountable before God.”

Standing before God can feel overwhelming, especially when no family is perfect. However, there is always hope. When Enoch saw the wickedness of his generation and the Flood that would come as a consequence, he was filled with “bitterness of soul … wept … and refused to be comforted”. In this state of despair, God told him to “lift up his heart and be glad; and look.” Enoch looked and saw the coming of Jesus Christ, and “his soul rejoiced.” Likewise, looking to Christ when our own families do not ideally apply the principles of the Proclamation can also bring us comfort. Christ can make beauty from the ashes of abuse, divorce, or infidelity. He is “The repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.”

Prophets warn to persuade people to make good choices. Still, when bad decisions are made, especially within the sacred relationships found in families and between spouses, prophets also declare that hope is found in Jesus Christ. Elder Dale G. Renlund powerfully taught: “Jesus Christ loves to restore what we cannot restore, heal wounds we cannot heal, (and) fix what is irreparably broken.”  This is especially true regarding the family. 

Families are sacred, complicated, and messy. Yet, Christ has proven He is “mighty to save.” He can and will mend broken families, repair any breach, and restore the paths that lead families back to Him. 

The post A Voice of Warning: Prophets and Proclamations appeared first on Public Square Magazine.

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