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Will the family become extinct?
Probably not but the family is certainly endangered. There are all sorts of ways the family is being torn down, bit by bit.
Here's a list of just 5 ways the family is becoming extinct:
1) Abortion
2) Same sex marriage
3) Jobs
4) Divorce
5) Having sex even although couple is not married
I'm sure there's more ways the family is being degraded; and that's why we have to defend the family. I mean, if we don't who will?
Abortion.
Abortion is terrible. Abortion is when you kill the baby while it's in the womb. It's sad. Some say that abortion is murder. I don't know what I think besides that abortion is wrong. When you do that to a baby you don't let him/her have a chance to enjoy life. If you don't really want the baby (which I think is positively sad) then put them up for adoption, there are people out there that can't have babies who would be honored to take care of yours.
Same sex marriage.
The world says that if you disagree with same sex marriage then you're being unfeeling and prejudice. That's not true. I don't agree with same sex marriage but that doesn't mean those people are bad. I know a couple who are married and of the same sex; they're a nice couple, I just don't agree with their opinions.
We don't say that people from, for example, New Mexico are bad just because they live in a different place. You never need to be ashamed of your opinions. And you don't need to change your opinions just because others say you should.
Jobs.
Believe it or not jobs can get in the way of families. It's a great thing to love your job but never forget your family. Your family is there for you rain or shine, snow or sleet, tornado or hurricane.
There's another way jobs can interfere. Some people don't want to start a family or even get married because they're worried it will slow them down which is possible but family is a gift.
And something to remember: In Genesis, God told Adam and Eve to multiply and replenish the earth.
Divorce.
This is a thing that tears families right down the middle. I can't even imagine what it would be like having to travel between homes and all that stuff.
Unfortunately, sometimes there needs to be a divorce and that's why we try to avoid them as much as we, as mortals, can.
On Yahoo News there's an article entitled "What If We Couldn't Get Divorced?"1 The article talks about how if we couldn't get divorced we wouldn't have as many marriages. Personally I think that it would all somehow work out. God wants us to marry and have babies so I'm sure He has a plan.
Sex out of marriage.
This another big one.
There are hundreds, probably thousands, of kids born out of wedlock. Not only is this somewhat awkward but it's also a little like divorce; the child might grow up without two married parents and that can be really hard on them.
Now that we've talked about things that tear down the family let's talk about the blessings that family brings.
Some of the blessings of family:
1) Support
2) Care
3) Love
Can you imagine not having any of that? Sadly there are kids who deal with that kind of thing. There's a great document on the family and the roles of the Father and Mother. It's called The Family: A Proclamation to the World.2 It's only a page long but there's a lot of great information in it. I would really encourage you to read it; there's a lot of stuff in there.
Now a family isn't perfect. Nobodies family is going to be perfect and what I'm getting to is that there is no "perfect family" image. Some families are going to have a mom and a dad, some have just a dad, some have just a mom, some have two moms, some two dads. Some have just one or two kids, some have six and over and some are in between. Either way you're still a family.
Cleon Skousen wrote a book called The 500 Year Leap. In this book Mr. Skousen names 28 principles that are needed for a strong government. Principle 26 says that "The core unit that determines the strength of any society is the
family; therefore, the government should foster and protect its
integrity."3Interesting, huh? The government should be protecting the families integrity.
This reminds me of a section in a book called Laddie by Gene Stratton Porter. In chapter thirteen Little Sister explains to us what Father thinks makes a strong nation. "...people who couldn't seem to be made to understand what was required to upbuild a nation. He said our language was founded on the alphabet, and to master it you had to begin with "a". And he said the nation was like that; it was based on townships, and when a township was clean, had good roads, bridges, schoolhouses, and churches, a county was in fine shape, and when each county was in order, the state was right, and when the state was prosperous, the nation could rejoice in its strength."4
Now that probably didn't make a lot of sense at the beginning because I started in the middle of a sentence but you get the idea; Father says a strong nation starts with good roads. I'd add that a strong nation starts with strong families.
In the pamphlet For the Strength of Youth it says, "Being part of a family is a great blessing. Your family can provide you with companionship and happiness, help you learn correct principles in a loving atmosphere, and help you prepare...
"Strong families require effort...do your part to strengthen it. Be cheerful, helpful, and considerate of family members. Many problems in the hime come from family members speaking and acting selfishly or unkindly. "Seek to be a peacemaker rather than to tease, fight, and quarrel.
"Willingly help in your home. Participate in wholesome family activities.
"Strengthen your relationship with your brothers and sisters. They can become your closest friends."5
That's a lot but isn't that true? "Strong families require effort." I like that. I mean, we can't not study for a test and expect to pass. That's not how it works. And it doesn't work like that in families either; you've got to do your part.
I also like how it told us to be peacemakers. Thomas S. Monson said, "To
my mind come the words of the scripture: “Charity is the pure love of
Christ, … and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall
be well with him.” Brothers
and sisters, some of our greatest opportunities to demonstrate our love
will be within the walls of our own homes. Love should be the very
heart of family life, and yet sometimes it is not. There can be too much
impatience, too much arguing, too many fights, too many tears. Lamented
President Gordon B. Hinckley: “Why is it that the [ones] we love [most]
become so frequently the targets of our harsh words? Why is it that
[we] sometimes speak as if with daggers that cut to the quick?”
The answers to these questions may be different for each of us, and yet
the bottom line is that the reasons do not matter. If we would keep the
commandment to love one another, we must treat each other with kindness
and respect."6
And I'd like to say that your sibling(s) can become your best friend. You still fight but you also make great memories together. I feel like I can talk to my sister about almost anything and I think she thinks the same about me.
You may lose contact with friends but hopefully you will never lose contact with your family. Because family lasts and family is always there as a strong foundation in your life.
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1 http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-if-abc-news/what-if-we-couldn-t-get-divorced-151151882.html
2 https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng
3 The 500 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen
4 Laddie by Gene Stratton Porter, pg
5 For the Strength of Youth, pg 14-15
6 https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/love-the-essence-of-the-gospel?lang=eng#10-10985_000_46monson
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