Keywords

seership, divine origin, family proclamation

Document Type

Article

Abstract

In recent years, some of the surviving original authors of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” (namely, President Russell M. Nelson and President Dallin H. Oaks) have felt the need to disclose important details about the line-upon-line revelatory process of the writing and announcement of this historic document.[1] The coming forth of the family proclamation includes the important details regarding not only its writing and announcement [2] but its origin (where it came or originated from) and inception (what initiated the conception and writing). An understanding of this revelatory process is further complemented by an awareness of significant details regarding the origin and inception of this prophetic document, including the influence of world conferences held by the United Nations during the few years prior to the introduction of the family proclamation in September 1995. Many contributing factors likely influenced the origin, inception, and ultimately the coming forth of the family proclamation. For example, the political and sociocultural context of the United States in the decades leading up to its announcement has been well established, demonstrating the need for the proclamation on the family.[3] Additionally, in the decade following the September 1995 announcement of the family proclamation, some of the original authors[4] referenced the significant impact of world conferences on their motivation to unite as prophets and seers to seek the Lord’s direction in crafting a proclamation that would declare to the world his position on the family—“the revealed, true role of the family in the eternal plan of God.”[5] Thus, the purpose of this arti