FATHERHOOD QUOTES:
"The father must hunger and thirst and yearn to bless his family; he
must
go to the Lord, ponderthe words of God, and live by the Spirit to know
the mind and will of the Lord and what he mustdo to lead his
family.
It is soul-satisfying to know that God is mindful of us and ready to
respondwhen
we place our trust in Him and do that which is right. There is no
place for fear among menand women who place their trust in the
Almighty,
who do not hesitate to humble themselves in seeking divine guidance
through prayer. Though persecutions arise, though reverses come,
inprayer we can find reassurance, for God will speak peace to the
soul.
That peace, that spirit of serenity, is a great blessing."
--Ezra Taft Benson,
Priesthood,
pp 142-143
"A
father can do no
greater thing
for his children than to let them feel that he loves their mother."
David
O. McKay
(Quoted by
Gordon B. Hinckley, General Conference Report, April 1971, page 4)
"And finally the father is to be an example of the highest Christian
virtues.
To walk uprightly in the admonition of the Lord requires not only
patience
and forebearance, but an exercise in constant practice of all the
Christian
virtues by each family member. Perhaps the Lord knew this when he
instituted the family. A man needs the responsibility of a wife and
family.
He needs the responsibility of being an example of righteousness. There
is wisdom in this requirement. This kind of gentle persuasion is needed
to keep a father "on course" and gently guide him toward perfection."
President
A. Theodore Tuttle, "The Role of Fathers", General Conference, October
1973
Teachings of President
Hinckley
Topic: Fathers
"You men who are husbands and fathers should have had kindled in your
hearts
tonight...a resolve so to conduct yourselves in your homes as to be
worthy
of the love, the respect, the honor, the companionship of your wives
and
your children. Holding the priesthood does not give any man the
right
to domineer over those for whom he should show the greatest of love and
the greatest of consideration. Each of us should go home this
night
with a stronger resolve in our hearts to live worthy of the
companionship
of those who love us most and whom we should love and honor and respect
without reservation."
(General Conference,
Oct
1984)
====================================
"Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the
land
which the Lord thy God giveth thee" (Exodus 20:12). As a boy I
came
to believe in that divine commandment. I think it is such a great
commandment from the Lord. If it were only observed more widely,
there would be far less misery in the homes of the people.
Instead
of backbiting, accusation, and argument, there would be appreciation
and
respect and quiet love."
(General Conference,
April
1993)
====================================
"I repeat that plea to all fathers. Yours is the basic and
inescapable
responsibility to stand as the head of the family. That does not
carry with it any implication of dictatorship or unrighteous
dominion.
It carries with it a mandate that fathers provide for the needs of
their
families. Those needs are more than food, clothing and
shelter.
Those needs include righteous direction and the teaching, by example as
well as precept, of basic principles of honesty, integrity, service,
respect for
the rights of others, and
an understanding that we are accountable for that which we do in this
life,
not only to one another but also to the God of heaven, who is our
Eternal
Father....
"With the obligation to beget goes the responsibility to nurture, to
protect,
to teach, to guide in righteousness and truth. Yours is the power
and the responsibility to preside in a home where there is peace and
security,
love and harmony."
(General
Conference, Oct 1993)
===================================
"Children ought to respect their parents. Children are under the
mandate of the Lord, . . . to "honor thy father and thy mother that thy
days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth
thee."
Children need to overcome their selfishness and look to their parents
for
love and understanding and training and wisdom."
(From Church News
interview,
June 7, 1995).
====================================
"It is a tremendous responsibility to be a father in The Church of
Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is a wonderful responsibility to
be
a man who stands at the head of his family as one who holds
thepriesthood
of God with authority to speak in the name of God. Fathers,are you the
kind of father you ought to be?"
(June 1995, Alaska
RegionalConference)
=====================================
"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love
and
righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life
and
protection for their families."
(Sept 1995,
Proclamation
on Families)
Consider this
sobering
forecast: "About 40 percent of U.S. children will go to sleep in homes
in which their fathers do not live" (David
Blankenhorn, "Life
without Father," USA Weekend, 26 Feb. 1995, pp. 6-7). Some
estimate this will rise to 60 percent. This same commentator has
written, "Fatherlessness is the engine driving our most urgent social
problems,
from crime to adolescent pregnancy to domestic violence" (ibid.).
Quoted
by Neal A. Maxwell, CR, April 1995
Mike Forrest
"We have to keep the commandments and
conduct ourselves in such a way that our families will want to live
with us in the eternities. "
Elder Robert D. Hales
- Ensign,
Nov. 1996, 65
"A wise father ... counseled, "Son, if you ever find yourself in a
place you shouldn't ought to be - get out!" Good advice for a
son. Good advice for a father, too."
Thomas
S. Monson (Ensign, May 1989, page 44)