The Importance of Multiplying and Replenishing the Earth as Known by Prophets and Demographics

                                 
 Its been a crazy few weeks and haven't had time to update my blog lately. That will be changing. For a class that I am taking we are keeping up on a blog which is great because it is still keeping in focus on what I want to express to you.
     This week in class we were able to view "The New Economic Reality: Demographic Winter" It is two separate parts The first part you can click on the title and to view the second part you can click here. Now even though it may seem long I plan to summarize a little about the video.

     In the video it talks about three key things population, birth rate, and fertility rate. They reference a big event we call in history as the baby boom. It also talks about how it wasn't long ago that we thought we wouldn't be able to feed our families and that the world was growing too big. Sadly though we were so concerned about the population increase we forgot one thing and that was the replacement rate through the fertility rate. For the replacement to remain steady we need a 2.13 rate and we are below those rates is what the video talks about. It is very interesting and I highly recommend that you watch them.
      Now you may ask what happened Nate? Why are you focusing on demographics? The reason I started with that is because it helps us understand just a little better the purpose and need for families. Families are essential to God's plan. President Kimball has some word of counsel to offer to those of us who may ask but look at the world it is corrupt? or how can we afford more than 1 or 2 children. He says "You did not come on earth just to "eat, drink and be merry." You came knowing full well your responsibilities. You came to get for yourself a mortal body that could become perfected, immortalized, and you understood that you were to act in partnership with God in providing bodies for other spirits equally anxious to come to the earth for righteous purposes. And so you will not postpone parenthood. There will be rationalists who will name to you numerous reasons for postponement. Of course, it will be harder to get your college degrees or your financial start with a family, but strength like yours will be undaunted in the face of difficult obstacles.

"Have your family as the Lord intended. Of course it is expensive, but you will find a way, and besides, it is often those children who grow up with responsibility and hardships who carry on the world’s work. And, John and Mary, do not limit your family as the world does. I am wondering now where I might have been had my parents decided arbitrarily that one or two children would be enough, or that three or four would be all they could support, or that even five would be the limit; for I was the sixth of eleven children. Don’t think you will love the later ones less or have few material things for them. Perhaps like Jacob, you might love the eleventh one most. Young people, have your family, love them, sacrifice for them, teach them righteousness, and you will be blessed and happy all the days of your eternal lives."
     I share this quote because I agree with President Kimball on this. He helps us see that WE need to sacrifice for them. He also tells us that we made a partnership with God to come to earth and find an eternal companion and then provide bodies for the Spirit's waiting. If we who confess to be members of the church have fears of child bearing and how many children to have that is fine. It is understandable. What is not understandable is to not go to the Lord with your spouse and ask in prayer Lord help us to do thy will. We promised him we would multiply and replenish the earth. Maybe you only should have two children if that is what the Lord wants you to have. Don't just have two children because that is what YOU think can financially be afforded. If the Lord wants you to have six children well then have six children. I know he doesn't just want us to do something and then not provide a way for us to accomplish what he wants us to do. We need to have faith like Nephi and say as he does in 1 Nephi 3:7 I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
     It is my hope that you will watch the video and even if you don't feel inclined as say a religious person then watch the videos and understand what is happening based on your decision to not multiply and replenish the earth.

Success In Marriage and Family

Recently as I was studying "The Family: A Proclamation To The World". The part that stuck out to me is about how to be successful or happy within your marriage and your family life. The part I found interesting says: "Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. "
     After reading that, I did some reflecting on my own marriage, how it applies to me and felt a desire to expand upon these and how they help me in my own marriage. Even though I haven't been married as long as some  people that may tackle writing about success in their own marriages, I know these principles are true and apply to us all, no matter how long we have been married.

     1. Faith- Faith is an important part of marriage. What is faith? In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary  there are two definitions they are "strong belief or trust in someone or something" the second "belief in the existence of God: strong religious feelings or beliefs" Both definitions are great examples of what I feel to be a success in my marriage. I have faith in God. Also, my wife and I are of the same faith. This helps our marriage because we believe the same things. We support each other and help each other to be better and truly live the principles of our religion. I believe religion is a part of healthy  relationships. But even to those who find themselves not to be religious, you MUST still have faith in your marriage. You must have a strong belief or trust in your spouse. You must believe that they will be faithful to you and only you, that they will be someone you can trust with your deepest emotions, someone you trust to talk to, and someone you honestly feel you have faith in.

     2. Prayer- Again you may ask what is prayer and what if I don't consider myself the religious type? Never fear. Even though I feel religion can help you have a successful marriage, the definition of prayer isn't just communicating with God. In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary there is another definition that I find to be interesting and still keeps with the theme of having a successful marriage and family life. It says, "an earnest request or wish". In our lives we may need to pray for different things in order to be successful such as patience, kindness, and love toward your spouse. You may have to make an earnest request of yourself to do these things and there may be things that you make as an earnest request to your spouse, in order for your marriage to work. Prayer has been important in my own marriage.  I have had to, at times, pray for patience in certain areas of our marriage when I wanted things to be done a certain way. At times, I have had to pray for knowledge of when it is best to just keep quiet because what I have to say isn't that important and could cause more problems. I have learned as I pray that sometimes things don't go your way and you may seem to sacrifice; but, some things are better sacrificed than to cause contention with your spouse. I don't mean to say you sacrifice the big things that need to be solved. You sacrifice the small things such as organization of things in a particular way. I am a very organized and sometimes very messy person. At times though, I want things organized in a certain way. My wife at times isn't as organized or not as good at organizing things in a certain way that utilizes space. Even though at times it is hard for me, that doesn't mean that I have to be super crazy about it. I can sacrifice and make the organization we have work or instead of getting upset, I can talk about it and reorganize it. Then, she can follow the new organization plan. Many times we have times we could argue or be upset with one another and it is best to pick and choose your battles. Sacrifice is an important part of marriage.

     3. Repentance- Repentance or to repent is changing from ones ways and becoming new. In religion we repent of our sins, which is changing from our sin that we have committed and becoming better or changing ones mind. In our marriages we have to be willing to repent. There are things about each of us in our relationships that we will come to change over time and one of the things we will do is repent in our marriages. We will make mistakes and those mistakes will cause us to have regrets or sorrow for what we have done. It will be in those times that we must repent, in order to build and strengthen our marriage.

     4. Forgiveness- To those who have had relationship experience this seems to be really obvious. As I said in the last part of repentance, we make mistakes and so do our spouses. In married life, forgiveness can be the hardest part of having a successful marriage, not that I have found it to be hard yet. I find it better to forgive my wife and continue on the path of a successful marriage. I have many different friends with various problems in life and others that I hear about. I now have a knowledge of struggles within marriage and there is a list of things that can be hard to forgive such as an unfaithful spouse, abuse, pornography, and other serious things that can be hard to be forgiven. I believe that all of these eventually should be forgiven; but, staying in the marriage is another debate. If your spouse abuses you, they must be willing to get help; but if such happens to you, you have to make the decision to stay married or not. But mistakes that may not end your relationship will more than likely point you in the direction of a marriage counselor. In order for your relationship to work in marriage, you MUST forgive one another. If you want it to work, it is an important step in order to have a happy and successful marriage. 

     5. Respect- This another big one. We must respect one another in our marriage. As my wife and I have respect for one another, our love for each other grows stronger. We are happier because we give and are given the respect we deserve. Respect for each other helps you to grow. Respect as one of its definitions is a feeling of admiring someone. When we admire our spouses we can grow closer to them and that helps us to be happy and successful

     6. Love- Another great principle of marriage. Love can be the hardest one though. It may seem easy; but, it isn't. We can't just tell each other we love each other. That is important. But, what ways can you show you love each other? My wife is probably the best at this. I remember how she showed that in January and February. January was my birthday and I remember she had planned to make a cake for me. Being that my birthday was Sunday we celebrated early with a dinner with friends and then bowling and cake. She made a Ninja Turtle cake. This wasn't just some simple cake.  The idea was simple maybe, but there was work involved. The dinner may have not been cooked by her that night, but it was one of my favorite restaurants. Sunday she made me a roast, potatoes and all the fixings for my birthday. This may seem like nothing to some, but for me because of the work and thought put into the effort,  I remember that. It was a way I knew she loved me. Another time was Valentines day when she had bought several things and had sweet notes and things she had found on Pinterest. This is another great example of her showing her love for me. What I am saying is that there are lots of ways to show we love our spouse. We have to know our spouses enough to be able to tell them we love them by our words and actions.

     7. Compassion- Compassion is wanting to help someone whether they be sick, hungry, in trouble, etc. In our marriage, we need to have a desire to help our spouses. Compassion can be one of the ways we show love to our spouses. We need to have  compassion for our spouses, in order to have a happy marriage. I am happiest when I have compassion for my wife. When she has been sick I find joy in helping her to recover or being able to care for her. I am able to feel good for my actions and she feels better because I am showing my love to her by serving her and helping her to feel better.

     8. Work- Another great thing. This could mean employment to provide for the family, work around the house, work in marriage, or whatever you find to be work. A working spouse that earns money helps provide for the family, which helps to have finances to provide for the necessities of your family. What I wish to focus on is  working together with my spouse. I have found this to be as much of a blessing as it is a trial. I feel great when my wife and I accomplish something together through hard work whether it is cleaning the house together, working on meal plans or grocery shopping, or financing. Whatever it is, I feel more accomplished because we have the same goals and desires. It can become hard when we are upset because of the burden of some work loads; but overall, work helps us to become closer and build the relationship up. 

     9. Wholesome recreational activities- This is a great way to stay healthy, relieve stress, have a little fun and break out of your comfort zone. Whether it is both playing a sport you like or going on walks or trying some new sport or activity together for the first time, it is a way to keep healthy physically and a way to relieve stress. The activities themselves may even serve the purpose of building your relationship up and causing there to be less stress in the home. Also, getting out and doing things by yourselves can help, so that you have time to focus on you and relieve a little stress and so that your communication with your spouse is helpful.

These are 9 things I find to be helpful in my marriage. I know that there are a lot more out there and to those of you seeking ways to have successful marriages or those of you whom have them I would love to hear your comments because honestly the goal in life is to be successful in whatever you set your heart and mind to. Whether it is education, relationships, sports, etc. My hope is that my insight can be of help, even if all you take are the 9 things I chose to talk about. I am so grateful that The First Presidency of the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints came out with the Proclamation. It can help us to have successful and happy marriages. I hope that you will take the time to read it and reflect on what you do and can do to improve your marriage. It will make you happier and help your marriage. The goal is always to become better.

Why Marriage between a Man and Woman?

I was reading an article recently from Elder D. Todd Christofferson a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Titled "Why Marriage, Why Family" In the article he starts off with a story about the 10 Christian martyrs of the 20th Century. He talks about one in particular by the name of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Who was a writer and some of his best papers were published as Letters and Papers from Prison. The one he shares in his story is a letter to Bonhoeffer's niece. It included these significant insights:

     “Marriage is more than your love for each other. … In your love you see only your two selves in the world, but in marriage you are a link in the chain of the generations, which God causes to come and to pass away to his glory, and calls into his kingdom. In your love you see only the heaven of your own happiness, but in marriage you are placed at a post of responsibility towards the world and mankind. Your love is your own private possession, but marriage is more than something personal—
it is a status, an office. Just as it is the crown, and not merely the will to rule,that makes the king, so it is marriage, and not merely your love for each other, that joins you together in the sight of God and man. … So love comes from you, but marriage from above, from God."

     As I started reading this article and saw this story about marriage being an office or the crown that makes the king. Bonhoeffer helps us see that marriage is from above, from God. Your love comes from you but marriage is more than just something earthly. This is why marriage is between a man and a woman. That is the way God intended marriage to be in this life and into the eternities.

President Hinckley gave a talk In General Conference in October 1999 titled Why We Do Some of the Things we Do In his talk he touches on Gay marriage. Remember this is only 16 years before the Supreme Court ruling but nevertheless a warning he gives to us. He says: "God-sanctioned marriage between a man and a woman has been the basis of civilization for thousands of years. There is no justification to redefine what marriage is. Such is not our right, and those who try will find themselves answerable to God.

Some portray legalization of so-called same-sex marriage as a civil right. This is not a matter of civil rights; it is a matter of morality."

I love that I found this quote by Gordon B. Hinckley and it expresses my belief that marriage has been the basis of civilization for thousands of years. Many say it is a civil right but President Hinckley tells us this is a morality issue.

     Never mind that many of us in our lifetime just saw the redefinition of marriage and the basis of all civilization that we know. It wasn't long ago that many if not all of us disagreed with this popular trend that is occurring of political correctness and changing of society's main beliefs and views. Now don't misunderstand that I do not have any respect for people with a different sexual orientation. I respect them and believe they have certain rights. I am grateful that in Utah the church has fought for the LGBT community to have rights to housing, employment and other rights that we deserve. But marriage is not our right to redefine. It is something given from God and is of an Eternal nature. We can not change the Eternal nature of God given blessings on earth. As President Hinckley says those who tried and actually succeeded in changing this law will be answerable to God. 

     Elder Christofferson continues with another great insight in his talk. He says:A family built on the marriage of a man and woman supplies the best setting for God’s plan to thrive—the setting for the birth of children, who come in purity and innocence from God, and the environment for the learning and preparation they will need for a successful mortal life and eternal life in the world to come. A critical mass of families built on such marriages is vital for societies to survive and flourish. That is why communities and nations generally have encouraged and protected marriage and the family as privileged institutions. It has never been just about the love and happiness of adults. Another reason why marriage is for a man and woman is shown in this quote from his talk that Marriage has never been about just the love and happiness of adults.

     We learn from this quote that marriage is actually selfless and not selfish. We should marry because we love each other but it is about birthing and raising families centered in God. 

So from the things I learned in this talk I was able to  pull 3 things out from my study. 

1. Marriage is of God and is given by him, 

2.Marriage between a man and woman is a morality thing and not a civil right that I enjoy

3. Marriage is a selfless act and not just a selfish thing we do out of love but is the creation of a family.

     I know marriage is suppose to be between a one man and one woman. It is where families can succeed in this setting and marriage is given of God and cannot be changed no matter what society thinks. I hope that no one takes this message to mean that I dislike those who are for Gay marriage. I believe that they still deserve respect and certain rights. I know that marriage is not a right that can be given of man but can only be given by God. Marriage is an Eternal principle that cannot be changed. What can be changed is how we as a society treat our brothers and sisters of this life. We must treat everyone with kindness. Just as a loving parent loves their child it doesn't mean that they support everything they do. We can love those who believe differently but not support there decisions. We may not even be able to change their belief or views on this but we can be a friend to them. That is my hope that we love everyone.

Introduction of Nathan Blumenberg

      Hi Everyone,

     To those reading I have pondered for awhile about actually getting into blogging. As times are changing and as time has gone by since I have been married I have thought about doing this. In today's world there is a lot of debate on marriage and family and what that consists of in the views of the world. Many of the places that I will pull information for blogs that I write will come from articles on marriage and family. These will come from various sources such as from lds.org and other articles I come across in my study of marriage and family. I have chosen as my major for a Bachelors degree Marriage and Family Studies at BYU-Idaho. My interest in writing this blog is to share my beliefs and views on what marriage and family means to me. That means I will pull from various sources and quotes. That doesn't mean that my opinions will reflect various organizations views but that I find those things to be true in my life and marriage. Enough though about disclaimers and beliefs of other organizations. A little about me. My wife and I met in an interesting way through online dating but more specifically through an app called Tinder. Though it worked for us it is not something I would recommend to others. I have heard many things bad about it such as a place to find sex, NCMO's(Non committal make outs) and other things that are not consistent with finding a healthy relationship or marriage. This was a new app that came to Rexburg and at first was nothing but harmless but with time things find a way to become more corrupt. It seems to be the trend of society to take something good and use it for all different types of purposes. Moving back to my meeting my wife. We  went on several dates and after a couple months we were engaged and then last December on the 27th day in 2014 we were married in the Sacramento LDS temple.

Since that day I have reflected on the joy and happiness that day. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and as members of the Church we believe we can be sealed to our spouse for time and all eternity. This belief brings both myself and my wife great joy knowing we can be together forever. It is a goal as members of the Church to prepare and live worthily to enter these sacred temples for that blessing. If we continue to live worthily we believe we can live with God again as Eternal Families. I am so happy to be married to my wife and that her and I value are marriage. Not everyday will be easy I have found in the short time we have been married but it is worth it everyday being married to her. My joy and excitement and wanting to help others has been my motivation to write a blog and share my views and insights. I hope you will enjoy the things I have to write about and that it can bring insights into your own lives. 

-Nathan Blumenberg