The Family

In the 24th chapter of Successful Marriages and Families it states, "Abuse involves hurting, demeaning, and controlling others, and often the worst types of abuse take place within families. Abuse comes in many forms, has many causes, is common, and can have profound consequences." The topic of divorce is a touchy subject, rightfully so. But, it is something that needs to be openly discussed so we can see the warning signs. There is something very important that I want to say, and that is, WOMEN are capable of abuse too. NOT just men. I have discussed previous topics that I am emotionally invested in, and this is one of them. It is found that children are more "prone" to physical abuse they are still not of the age to properly stick up and fight for themselves. Child abuse is something that I would never tolerate and have the hardest time comprehending. These tiny humans are the most precious in God's eyes because of their purity and their innocence. To think ...

One of my favorite movies to watch is called Book Club . It is about these women, who are friends, who have been a part of a book club since their youth. One is married but feels like her marriage has lost that "spark", one is a widow, one believes marriage is unnecessary, and the other is divorced. They all come very different backgrounds when it comes to men and their relationships. The reason why this is one of my favorites is because these women are mature, strong, and I LOVED watching their relationships change and flourish. It was so interesting to me and it truly made me want to wait to get married until I am older because I feel that the later in life you are, the later you find love, means that the love is more sincere and deeper. In the ninth chapter of Successful Marriages and Families , it discusses the topic of marriage later in life, whether you are newly married or celebrating a long wedding anniversary. Within the church, there is a lot of of counsel and pri...

In 1991, the First Presidency issued a statement regarding abortion. In this statement they proclaimed, "In view of the widespread public interest in the issue of abortion, we reaffirm that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has consistently opposed elective abortion." The First Presidency knew, in this time, that the topic of abortion would be a much discussed topic and the center of many arguments at this day in age. The First Presidency wanted the world to know the church's official stance on the issue. In this same statement, the First Presidency brought up a few instances where abortion may be "acceptable" if it is discussed between husband and wife, talked with about the bishop, and confirmed by prayer. These instances are: incest, rape, the health or life of the woman is in serious jeopardy, and if the baby is said to have severe defects that will not allow the baby to live after he/she has been born. Even in these cases, it does not mean t...

One of the most important cases in United States history regarding marriage as a fundamental right is Obergefell v. Hodges. Before 2016, same-sex marriage was illegal in this country. According to the 26th chapter in Successful Marriages and Families, same-sex marriage had never been legal in "any nation on earth." To me, this is a very sad reality for this world. Everyone should have the right to marry whom they love, no matter your own personal beliefs. Expecting others to believe in what we do is a complete breach of freedom and agency. There is a story that was presented in this case that has stuck with me. It is an experience that the petitioner, James Obergefell had with his partner, John Arthur. In 2011, John Arthur was diagnosed with ALS. Both James and John decided to commit to each other before John would eventually pass away. They were from Ohio, where same-sex marriage wasn't legal, so they decided to travel to Maryland to be married. John was very sick at t...

Imagine this: you and your boyfriend have been together for about 2 years and are EXTREMELY safe when it comes to sexual intercourse. You, nor your boyfriend, have ANY intention of having kids at this point in your relationship. Out of the blue, you are starting to feel sick in the mornings and just feel out of it-groggy almost. Then it hits you-you're period is late. You're thinking, "No. No, this CANNOT be happening. I haven't missed a day of my birth control and we use ALWAYS use protection." You start to freak out but don't want top jump to conclusions too quickly and cause unnecessary panic. You run to the nearest store and grab a pregnancy test and get home as fast as possible. About an hour later you see it, it reads positive. You're pregnant. Questions start pouring through your mind, "What do you tell your boyfriend? Do I keep this baby or do I get an abortion? I don't have money OR time for this. I'm not ready for such a big responsi...

In the 7th chapter of Successful Marriages and Families, it discusses the importance of understanding that marriage isn't always unicorns and rainbows. There are some bitter, hard things that you will have to overcome, and it is SO important to realize that before you get in. If you have this notion that marriage is always perfect and happy, that is just going to make it even harder when you have to go through those hard times. In this chapter, it mentions how the media, novels, and society is making people believe that marriage can be a form of women's oppression. It mentions the book Eat, Pray, Love, which happens to be one of my favorite movies. The message that was taken out of it though was how a woman left her career and most importantly, her marriage. However, I don't agree with this because I see it as a woman who felt stuck, who tried ways to help her situation and couldn't seem to find a solution, and someone who was unhappy in EVERY aspect of her life. We s...