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| Prophets explain importance of holding Family Home Evening |
by Amy Bangerter
BAN01002@BYUI.EDU
Scroll Staff |
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It is said that there is strength in numbers, and the family unit works on this principle. Family members give support, love one another and are constantly growing and learning. A great place to start this process is through Home Evenings.
Home Evening is when parents sit down with their children and read the scriptures, plan family activities and talk about any family problems or difficulties, Gordon B. Hinckley, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said.
President Hinckley went on to say, “I don’t hesitate to say if every family in the world practiced that one thing, you’d see a very great difference in the solidarity of the families of the world.”
Home Evenings help build love and respect through recognizing each individual’s strengths and talents, Jim Simkins, a sophomore from Tucson, Ariz., said.
Harold B. Lee, former president of the LSD Church, once said that Home Evenings are not only a priceless opportunity for parents to give religious instructions, but they also unite the family, help to bridge generation gaps and keep communication between the parents and children strong and clear.
“Family Home Evening has been important to me because it taught me about the gospel and it made me realize we don’t just go to church; we live it every day of our lives,” Kyle Post, a sophomore from Middleton, Idaho, said.
In addition, Family Home Evenings can serve as a defense to protect families from the world.
“Well-planned weekly Family Home Evenings can help us assist family members to overcome the evil influences in the world. Satan is attacking righteousness, ... to promote sin and wickedness. The youth are his special targets. If we teach them the gospel and strengthen them spiritually in the home, they will be more able to withstand the temptations they face in the world,” according to Duties and Blessings of the Priesthood, Part B: Home and Family Relations.
Home Evening teaches youth what they should do with their own families and helps people know how to take world out of their families’ lives and focus more on the family, Post said.
The purpose of family home evening is to help family members desire to be an eternal family, and help them to decide how they can use Home Evenings to achieve that goal, according to the Family Home Evening Resource Book.
“A family that prays together stays together and if they are participating in Family Home Evenings, they are praying together,” Simkins said. “And it gives an opportunity to set an example for your children.”
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