Small children participate in a program-- Faith leaders in three different religions ... Would you join me in welcoming them. [APPLAUSE] ... united in one cause. We're not alone in our battle to defend the sanctity of marriage. We speak to the world because this is a universal truth. So when it comes to marriage-- Each speaking boldly in defense of traditional marriage. This is no less than a full-fledged revolution, transforming marriage into a purely social institution of free association, easily entered and easily broken. This revolution is based on extreme conceptions of personal autonomy and individual rights that elevate one's own will over God's will. You and I believe, without any touch of arrogance at all, that God is on our side. We also are immensely confident that we have the clout of prayer when it comes to this cultural battle in which we are engaged. These distinct roles, father and mother, embodies different and equally important reflections of the love of the divine, distinct but equally accurate echoes of the Almighty. And it is this notion that is lost when marriage is redefined. Elder Bednar outlined how society has redefined matrimony, but says the anemic state of traditional marriage can be revived. One of the great tasks of our time, one on which our diverse faith communities should be united, is to help people understand the true meaning and purpose of marriage. All people, especially the rising generation, need a vision of the richness of family life and its potential for developing the highest and best in each of us. So that maturity-- Cardinal Dolan agrees, example is the key. Everybody wants to be happy. That's one thing we got in common, all right? Everybody wants to be happy. And if married couples can show that the way God intends for us to be happy is when a man and woman give themselves to one another, totally and selflessly, in a love so fruitful that it becomes incarnate in a baby, is the happiest way to live. If we can reclaim that luster, folks, that will show the world the sanctity of marriage as God defined it. The Witherspoon Institute sponsored the event in New York City March 9, as a sequel to its brainchild, the colloquium on marriage, held at the Vatican in 2014. Faith leaders from more than 50 denominations attended, including Mormon Apostle Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency. This is not an issue that belongs to one particular church or another. This is an issue that transcends religious barriers. The decisions that we make today extend across many generations and have important consequences. But as you continue to see the influence of these things, these trends in society, and what we do now, that will have consequences for generations to come.