Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual

Contents
Title Page
Introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual
Doctrine and Covenants Lessons
- The Restoration Proclamation
- Doctrine and Covenants 1
- Joseph Smith—History 1:1–26
- Doctrine and Covenants 2; Joseph Smith—History 1:27–65
- Doctrine and Covenants 3–5
- Doctrine and Covenants 6–9
- Doctrine and Covenants 10–11
- Doctrine and Covenants 12–17; Joseph Smith—History 1:66–75
- Doctrine and Covenants 18
- Doctrine and Covenants 19
- Doctrine and Covenants 20–22
- Doctrine and Covenants 23–26
- Doctrine and Covenants 27–28
- Doctrine and Covenants 29
- Doctrine and Covenants 30–36
- Doctrine and Covenants 37–40
- Doctrine and Covenants 41–44
- Doctrine and Covenants 45
- Doctrine and Covenants 46–48
- Doctrine and Covenants 49–50
- Doctrine and Covenants 51–57
- Doctrine and Covenants 58–59
- Doctrine and Covenants 60–63
- Doctrine and Covenants 64–66
- Doctrine and Covenants 67–70
- Doctrine and Covenants 71–75
- Doctrine and Covenants 76
- Doctrine and Covenants 77–80
- Doctrine and Covenants 81–83
- Doctrine and Covenants 84
- Doctrine and Covenants 85–87
- Doctrine and Covenants 88
- Doctrine and Covenants 89–92
- Doctrine and Covenants 93
- Doctrine and Covenants 94–97
- Doctrine and Covenants 98–101
- Doctrine and Covenants 102–105
- Doctrine and Covenants 106–108
- Doctrine and Covenants 109–110
- Doctrine and Covenants 111–114
- Doctrine and Covenants 115–120
- Doctrine and Covenants 121–123
- Doctrine and Covenants 124
- Doctrine and Covenants 125–128
- Doctrine and Covenants 129–132
- Doctrine and Covenants 133–134
- Doctrine and Covenants 135–136
- Doctrine and Covenants 137–138
- The Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2
- The Family: A Proclamation to the World
- The Living Christ
Life Preparation Lessons
- Doctrinal Mastery: Finding Answers to My Questions
- Scripture Study Skills
- For the Strength of Youth: Making Choices
- Building Self-Reliance
- Physical and Emotional Health
- Preparing for Future Education and Employment
- Succeeding in School
- Missionary Preparation
- Temple Preparation
- Teachings of Church Leaders
Appendix

Lesson 159—The Family Proclamation, Part 2: “Children Are an Heritage of the Lord”

“Lesson 159—The Family Proclamation, Part 2: ‘Children Are an Heritage of the Lord,’” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual (2025)

“The Family Proclamation, Part 2,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual

Lesson 159: “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”

The Family Proclamation, Part 2

“Children Are an Heritage of the Lord”

The Lord’s prophets proclaimed the importance of children in Heavenly Father’s plan. Wives and husbands can participate in God’s plan by bringing children into the world and raising them in love and righteousness. This lesson can help students understand the importance of having and caring for children in Heavenly Father’s plan.

Possible Learning Activities

Divine direction from the family proclamation

Consider beginning class by sharing the following scenario or something similar that best meets the needs of your students. You could arrange them into pairs to discuss the question after the scenario.

Kristen and her two friends are discussing their futures and what they want out of life. As the topic turns to families, Kristen says she’s excited to get married and have children when she’s older. One of her friends says, “I want to get married, but there’s no way I’m going to try raising children in this crazy world.” The other friend says, “I wouldn’t mind having a baby someday, but I don’t think I want to get married.” After listening to her friends’ opinions, Kristen wonders why her feelings about having children seem so different.

Why might Kristen’s friends feel the way they do?

Ask several pairs of students to share some of their responses. You might also invite them to share additional concerns or questions they have about children and parenting. Provide copies of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” for students to use. Invite each partnership to study paragraphs 4–6, looking for words or phrases that declare the Lord’s doctrine concerning children and parenting. Encourage students to mark meaningful words or phrases as they study. If needed, point out that the phrase “multiply and replenish the earth” refers to having children and the phrase “the sacred powers of procreation” refers to sexual relations. Consider asking questions like the following.
What truths about children and parenting did you discover?
Why do you think the Lord desires husbands and wives to have children if they are able?
What are some reasons a married couple might not want to have children?

Before moving on, you could invite students to record some of their own thoughts and feelings about the Lord’s doctrine concerning children and parenting. Encourage students to seek the influence of the Holy Ghost to help them understand the importance of having and caring for children as a part of Heavenly Father’s plan.

Searching other divine sources for understanding

Consider displaying the following three statements of truth from the family proclamation. Explain that students will use these statements to practice searching divinely appointed sources for additional understanding. You could organize students into groups of three, with each student studying a different truth. Perhaps students could choose their statements in a creative way; for example, the youngest or the tallest student in each group could have first choice of which one to study.

“God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.”
“The sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.”
“Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness.”

Encourage students to use resources like the Guide to the Scriptures or the Gospel Library app to find additional information about their statements of truth. If they need guidance, suggest search terms like “multiply and replenish,” “powers of procreation,” or “righteous parents.” Invite them to look for statements by Church leaders, scripture passages, or Church magazine articles that deepen their understanding.

When students are finished preparing, encourage them to share with their group what they learned. Consider asking some of the following questions.
What did you learn about these statements of truth that you feel is significant?
Why does it take faith in Jesus Christ to live these truths in today’s world?
What examples have you seen of how living these truths can lead to more love, while disregarding these truths can lead to pain or regret?
What can you do now to prepare to live these truths faithfully in the future?

Eternal doctrine about children

Consider testifying of the importance of children in God’s eternal plan and sharing the following statement.

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency explained the importance of children in God’s plan.

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Eternal doctrine … provides a distinctive perspective on children. Through this perspective we see the bearing and nurturing of children as part of the divine plan. It is a joyful and sacred duty of those given the power to participate in it. Therefore, we are commanded to teach and contend for principles and practices that provide the best conditions for the development and happiness of children under God’s plan. (Dallin H. Oaks, “Divine Love in the Father’s Plan,” Liahona, May 2022, 102)

How have you seen children bless your family or others you know?
How can bringing children into the world and raising them in love help you become more like our heavenly parents?

Consider displaying the following prompts and inviting students to quietly assess their understanding about what they learned today.

Evaluate your understanding of the following statements by responding in your study journal with strongly agree, agree, somewhat agree, or not sure. Briefly write why you selected each response.

I understand why God’s commandment to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force today.
I understand why the sacred powers of procreation are only to be used between a woman and man who are lawfully married.
I understand why parents are to raise their children in love and righteousness.

If students have additional questions or concerns about the Lord’s doctrine concerning children or about the law of chastity, encourage them to follow up with parents or Church leaders.

To conclude, invite a few students to summarize what they learned about the importance of having and caring for children as part of Heavenly Father’s plan.

Additional Resources

Why is having children important in Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness?

President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

The purpose of mortality is to become more like God by gaining physical bodies, exercising agency, and assuming roles that previously belonged only to heavenly parents—roles of husband, wife, and parent. …

Heavenly Father wants us to … obey His first commandment to “multiply and replenish”—not only to fulfill His plan but also to find the joy that His plan was designed to give His sons and daughters. …

… One essential purpose of mortal life is that we can replicate that family experience ourselves, only this time as parents rather than just as the children. (M. Russell Ballard, “The Opportunities and Responsibilities of CES Teachers in the 21st Century” [evening with a General Authority, Feb. 26, 2016], broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

Why is sexual intimacy appropriate only between a man and a woman who are married?

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Sister Ruth Lybbert Renlund explained the following:

Heavenly Father intends that sexual relations in marriage be used to create children and to express love and strengthen the emotional, spiritual, and physical connections between husband and wife. In marriage, sexual intimacy should unite wife and husband together in trust, devotion, and consideration for each other. …

The doctrine of eternal families in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is unique among Christian traditions. We were not created solely to praise, adore, and serve some incomprehensible God. We were created by loving heavenly parents to grow up to become like them. Male and female spirits were created to complement each other. That is why gender is not fluid in the eternities—because it provides the basis for the ultimate gift Heavenly Father can give, His kind of life.

For us to realize this blessing, Heavenly Father commanded that sexual intimacy is to be reserved for marriage between a man and a woman. … We cannot achieve the kind of life our Heavenly Father enjoys by ourselves or without a complete commitment to fidelity within a marriage to our husband or wife according to God’s plan. …

… Sexual relations are “one of the ultimate expressions of our divine nature” [David A. Bednar, “We Believe in Being Chaste,” Ensign, May 2013, 42]. Our proper expression of sexuality makes it possible for God’s plan to unfold on earth and in the eternities, qualifying us to become like our Heavenly Father. God promises eternal life for the faithful that includes eternal marriage, children, and all other blessings of an eternal family. (Dale G. Renlund and Ruth Lybbert Renlund, “The Divine Purposes of Sexual Intimacy,” Ensign, Aug. 2020, 15–17)

What have prophets taught about the sanctity of life in relation to abortion?

Church leaders have provided the following instructions:

The Lord commanded, “Thou shalt not … kill, nor do anything like unto it” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:6). The Church opposes elective abortion for personal or social convenience. Members must not submit to, perform, arrange for, pay for, consent to, or encourage an abortion. The only possible exceptions are when:

Pregnancy resulted from forcible rape or incest.

A competent physician determines that the life or health of the mother is in serious jeopardy.

A competent physician determines that the fetus has severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.

Even these exceptions do not automatically justify abortion. Abortion is a most serious matter. It should be considered only after the persons responsible have received confirmation through prayer. Members may counsel with their bishops as part of this process. (General Handbook: Serving in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 38.6.1, ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

Where can I learn more about the truths taught in the family proclamation?

The following are a few talks you may choose to study:

Dallin H. Oaks, “Parents and Children,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 61–67
David A. Bednar, “We Believe in Being Chaste,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 41–44
Neil L. Andersen, “Children,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 28–31

Supplemental Learning Activities

Raising children in righteousness and providing for their needs

If students could benefit from learning more about the Lord’s command for parents to raise their children in love and righteousness, consider the following idea.

After studying paragraph 6 of the family proclamation, explain that early in this dispensation the Savior rebuked the Prophet Joseph Smith and other Church leaders for not giving proper care to their families. Invite students to read Doctrine and Covenants 93:40–50, looking for what the Lord taught. Ask students to share what they discovered. Point out that although the responsibility to raise children in righteousness rests upon parents, children can help their parents fulfill the Lord’s commandments. Consider asking questions like the following:

How might you support your parents in their sacred responsibility to raise your family “in light and truth”? (Doctrine and Covenants 93:40).
What are some ways teenagers could be “more diligent and concerned at home”? (Doctrine and Covenants 93:50).

After students respond to the previous questions, consider arranging them into small groups to brainstorm additional ways they can assist their parents. The following are some of parents’ responsibilities included in the family proclamation. Consider assigning each group one of the topics to discuss:

Providing for the physical and spiritual needs of their children.
Teaching their children to love and serve each other.
Teaching their children to keep God’s commandments.
Teaching their children to be law-abiding citizens.

After students have been given time to brainstorm, invite them to share some of their ideas. Consider listing their ideas on the board. Conclude by asking a question like the following:

How might supporting your parents in the Lord’s responsibilities for them prepare you for righteous parenthood in the future?

Accountable before God

To help students understand the sacred obligations parents and family members have before God, consider asking them if they have ever had a babysitter care for them while their parents were away. You could also ask if they have ever watched over children from another family. Invite students to list on the board characteristics or attributes that parents might look for when selecting a babysitter for their children.

Why do you think a parent would want a babysitter who is trustworthy and responsible?
Why might God have high expectations for those who serve as earthly guardians to His spirit children?

Invite students to read paragraph 8 of the family proclamation and share any feelings or insights they gain from it. Testify that God cares deeply about all His children and desires that our family relationships last into the eternities.

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love all children

To help students feel the love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for children, consider showing the Book of Mormon video “Jesus Christ Prays and Angels Minister to the Children” (5:52). Invite students to record insights and impressions while watching and to be prepared to share. If the video is unavailable, consider reading this account with students in 3 Nephi 17:11–25.

5:53