Comments about ‘Families under attack, President Packer warns’

Interesting are the excerpted apostle's quotes. He is holding aloft a standard which being read cannot be understood, except by those following him. We families, who are trying to receive all the blessings of heaven, foremost above all to be a viable unit through eternity, feel daily the attack that individuals who are not engaged in such noble causes perpetuate. Seeing we do not see - reading we do not understand, except heavenly light reveal it. Those I know who are homosexual reject the light and yet claim to be enlightened while casting aspersions on my highest intentions; to love the sin-bound soul, the stone-faced philanderer, the rapist and the blasphemer even as they are my family members and members in Christ Jesus. Loving does not condone, but can provide safe-harbor for someone seeking shelter from the sinful past on the way to a glorious future. What in this creed of living is so offensive?

That one, who has found the way to spiritual living water amidst a desert of reason and showing others what he has found to be true, is maligned for doing good so is the epitome of evil.

Be good - good will come...

Families under attack? HMMM? What are those trolls doing uner my bridge? I guess they are just two happy saints who want to drag me in! My christianity is attack from the mormon church!

Fear-mongering is such an old, cliche tactic for religious snake-oil salesmen to use to get people to buy their stuff! It is unbecoming.

You have to be a troll living under your bridge to not see how families are under attack everywhere, and that means families of any denomination. Elder Packer wasn't just saying "mormon" families, for crying out loud. He was saying the family as a basic institution is under attack everywhere in society. Rising tide of selfishness and materialism, divorces, same gender marriage, etc. All attacking the foundation of society. So give the "anti-mormon" cheap shot a rest, please. THis affects all of soceity, not just mormon society.

So if you're going to give a speech on families being under attack, it might be helpful to explain exactly what the attack is? Maybe we are just supposed to read between the lines and assume the threat involves gay couples and Democrats.

I am in total agreement that the family, as well as many other aspects of moral society are under attack. However, we must remember that each individual has the right to self-determination and free agency. Unfortunately many members of the LDS Church are under the impression that if, as parents, you do everything right (family home evening, family prayer, family scripture study, etc.)every one of your children will turn out perfectly (mission, temple marriage, etc.).

Yes, as parents we must do everything we can to teach and help our children. But, just like in sports, coaches (parents) get too much credit for winning and too much blame for losing. I have been looked down on and considered less than a good parent because one of my children made decisions that took him/her down some undesireable paths and is no longer active in the LDS Church. Remember, even our Heavenly Father had 1/3 of his children choose a different course for their lives.

Families have always been under attack. This is a values question, though, not a doctrinal question. Has the Church gone too far, turning the family into its god, essentially forgetting the individual? The family is a means to the end, supporting each of us in our individual quest to meet the purpose of this life. The family is not the end, as has become the doctrine in the past 20 years or so. The concept of family is good, but it should not supplant Christ as the center of the gospel.

You don't have to believe this is a true apostle of Christ to see the obvious. Divorce rates are astronomical, chastity is assailed, alternative lifestyles are touted, abuse and neglect abound. And it happens in all faiths, at all SES levels, all over. It's sad to see so many get caught up in the antithesis of family: "me." Families are indeed endangered in our current culture, this is a fact. Whether you think that is important or not is an opinion, and everyone is welcome to decide.

I don't understand where the label of "fear mongering" comes into this. If you follow the counsel, and value the traditional family, you are not afraid, though perhaps saddened. If you don't believe it, and don't have concerns, it is irrelevant to you, and you are not afraid. Labeling it as "fear mongering" is dishonest and manipulative; and with such weak reasoning, you could label ANY counsel as fear-mongering, including the counsel not to play with fire lest you burn your house down.

uncannygunman | 6:36 a.m. Aug. 19, 2009

"There are none so blind as those who will not see." Are you honestly saying that you can't see the many and varied attacks on the traditional family structure that are going on today? Doe sit have to be spelled out?

Holy cow.

Seems pretty obvious to me.

To Uncannygunman: Regarding your phrase, "the threat involves gay couples and Democrats", President Packer is registered as a Democrat.

Put fear into them that is how you keep them humble.

The attack on the family that is occurring in society today is nothing short of outrageous, but it is not an exclusively religious issue. It cannot be denied that the modern entertainment industry is attacking the family by producing movies, music, and internet media which promote immorality, dishonesty, greed, and immediate self-gratification without regard to the consequences. This affects the entire community, not just those who are religious. There was a time in this Country when the entertainment industry promoted the wholesome values that supported families and made this Country great, such as: honesty, chastity, moderation, and respect for others. If society continues to ignore these values, it will continue to deteriorate.

How exactly are families under attack?

That is ridIculous. The persecution complex needs to go.

Hollywood is a huge attack on the family. All that's on tv are sex crime movies, soaps operas, and the news. Mostly everything is based around sex, drugs and crime. NOTHING SPIRITUAL, and not even a good Ghost movie to be seen nowadays. Everything is blood and gore and how to stay skinny with shows like FAT BUSTERS. It is sad for the family.

Whatever became of the optimistic Mormons I met when I first came to Utah 45 years ago? I learned optimism from them. This new fear-mongering may not serve the LDS church well in the long run.

a mythic being for our faults. The family unit as parents envision it is always under attack. Children develop and bring new ideas, different to those of their parents. Families may be divided when a son or a daughter wants to take a path other than the one his/her parents expected. But who is threatening the family unit? Satan? the child? or the parents with their own inflexibility?
A gay, communist, atheist, or other, son or daughter is not a threat to the unity of the family if you are willing to love and accept your children as independent thinkers, unique beings and children of God. No just a pepetuation of your own image.
God is wiser and way more flexible and diverse than we narrow minded and fearful people.

I guess it goes back to the old adage of whos Ox is being gored. For most of my life that I have lived in Utah I have felt my family and I were under attack from the Mormons. It is hard to understand how some Mormons can stand on the graves of so many and shout out their righteous indignations.

Marge from NM: How do you know that President Packer is a registered Democrat? Another one of those silly Mormon myths that really cannot be substantiated?

But I agree wholly with what he is saying. I see the devastating effects of it in my own family as I continue to watch my son make wrong choices and not care. And the fear that you cannot do anything to help him while fearing that you have not done enough.

If any minister of another faith said the same words, I would believe him. I teach high school students and I see the disintegration of morals and values in the schools. The youth know what is right and they don't care. Many parents become "best friends" to their children instead of guiding parents which is destructive.

And I am afraid that there are too many of you that lie awake at nights plotting the anti-Mormon comment of the day--regardless of what the article is about. How is your family doing? You might want to lie awake and worry about your kids instead.

As a same-sex couple, we can certainly agree with Elder Packer's statement that some families are, indeed, under attack. Oh, we feel it. Ironically, we're pointed out time and again as the attackers -- because we, too, want to be respected and recognized as a family? If we feel "attacked", it ought to be quite understandable. But we have to agree with Uncannygunman, and others, who would prefer to hear specifics rather than a blank statement about an "attack".

To my fellow commentors here: For sure, we have all kinds of evils in the world today that are obvious enough. But to cite them as if they are pre-meditated conditions designed to attack the family per se is just silly. Yes, there are challenges, but Packer's fear-mongering isn't helpful.

Grumble, grumble, grumble! Can't anyone of you just be nice on here?