“Church Participates in World Congress of Families,” Ensign, Feb. 2000, 76–77
Church Participates in World Congress of Families
Several Church leaders, some Brigham Young University professors, and other Latter-day Saints participated in the second World Congress of Families held 14–17 November at the United Nations complex and nearby facilities in Geneva, Switzerland. Church leaders attending the conference included Elders Charles Didier and Bruce C. Hafen of the Seventy, Relief Society general president Mary Ellen Smoot, and Young Women general president Margaret D. Nadauld. The congress was cosponsored by a BYU-based organization called the World Family Policy Center. Elder Hafen and Sisters Smoot and Nadauld were among the speakers.
Involving some 1,575 scholars and religious leaders representing 45 nations and more than 200 pro-family organizations, the congress unanimously called on “all persons, families, social organizations, and governments throughout the world to respect and uphold the institution of the natural human family.”
Describing the congress, Elder Hafen said, “So many groups who feel like small minorities in their own countries were able to come together, see one another, be reinforced, share ideas, and go home much better equipped to address the problems that their own communities and countries face.” He added: “People there from small groups in faraway places could see the strength of the Church. We have our share of family problems, but people don’t often see a large [worldwide] group like the Latter-day Saints who really are trying hard to practice the family ideals most of these delegates believe in.”
Addressing the Congress
In his address about the influence of women, Elder Hafen discussed how modern society has devalued female nurturing. He said critics of the Victorian model of motherhood, which views “women as excessively dependent upon their husbands,” have a point. But “today’s liberationist model goes too far the other way, stereotyping women as excessively independent of their families. A more sensible view is that husbands and wives are interdependent with each other.”
Sister Smoot offered several suggestions to strengthen families. “Our communities would be well served if legislators would consider the merits of all proposed laws in light of their potential effect on families. As leaders we can guard against legislation that erodes the foundation of the family by taking an active role in working with legislators as they form our laws.” She also said, “Marriage and raising children are not only the beginning of strong families, they are key to keeping our nations vital and strong.”
Sister Nadauld emphasized good parenting: “We must teach and model that happiness and security come in families with a father and mother who are married and committed to each other, committed to nurturing children and raising them to be caring, productive adults.” She also said: “There is no viable substitute for the traditional moral values that keep families strong. Encourage youth to develop religious faith, to acquire fine educations, to understand the relationship between choice and accountability, to do good works, and to live lives of integrity. They must know that they are responsible for the nurture and stability of future families, not government or agencies.”
At the second World Congress of Families in Geneva, Switzerland, Elder Bruce C. Hafen of the Seventy (center) participated alongside others. (Photo by Carrie A. Moore, Deseret News.)