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Difference between revisions of "Question: Was “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” drafted by lawyers in Hawaii in response to legal concerns the Church had over the legalization of gay marriage?"
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==Question: Was “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” drafted by lawyers in Hawaii in response to legal concerns the Church had over the legalization of gay marriage?== | ==Question: Was “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” drafted by lawyers in Hawaii in response to legal concerns the Church had over the legalization of gay marriage?== | ||
| − | === | + | ===Church leaders were likely not aware of the Hawaii case until after it had arisen=== |
| − | It is claimed by some that “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” was drafted by lawyers in Hawaii in response to legal concerns the Church had over the legalization of gay marriage. | + | It is claimed by some that “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” was drafted by lawyers in Hawaii in response to legal concerns the Church had over the legalization of gay marriage. Mormonr.org argues documents how "[i]n 1993, the Hawaii Supreme Court began hearing a case on gay marriage, known as Baehr v. Lewin (later Miike).<ref>Baehr v. Lewin (1993) was a case where three same-sex couples petitioned the Hawaii Supreme Court to recognize their unions.</ref> In 1994 the brethren begin the process of writing the proclamation in a 'revelatory process' with members of the Quorum of the Twelve."<ref>The Family Proclamation was published in 1995. Dallin H. Oaks explained that it was developed over the course of a year: "Subjects were identified and discussed by members of the Quorum of the Twelve for nearly a year. Language was proposed, reviewed, and revised. Prayerfully we continually pleaded with the Lord for His inspiration on what we should say and how we should say it." [https://mormonr.org/qnas/NqoXl/origins_of_the_family_proclamation/research#re-0RpZ3x-YH6khb DHO offers an account of the Proclamation].</ref> |
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| + | Dallin H. Oaks' new biography ''In the Hands of the Lord: The Life of Dallin H. Oaks'' (2021) authored by Richard Turley provides additional context: | ||
<blockquote>During the fall of 1994, at the urging of its Acting President, Boyd K. Packer, the Quorum of the Twelve discussed the need for a scripture-based proclamation to set forth the Church’s doctrinal position on the family. A committee consisting of Elders Faust, Nelson, and Oaks was assigned to prepare a draft. Their work, for which Elder Nelson was the principal draftsman, was completed over the Christmas holidays. After being approved by the Quorum of the Twelve, the draft was submitted to the First Presidency on January 9, 1995, and warmly received. | <blockquote>During the fall of 1994, at the urging of its Acting President, Boyd K. Packer, the Quorum of the Twelve discussed the need for a scripture-based proclamation to set forth the Church’s doctrinal position on the family. A committee consisting of Elders Faust, Nelson, and Oaks was assigned to prepare a draft. Their work, for which Elder Nelson was the principal draftsman, was completed over the Christmas holidays. After being approved by the Quorum of the Twelve, the draft was submitted to the First Presidency on January 9, 1995, and warmly received. | ||
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Over the next several months, the First Presidency took the proposed proclamation under advisement and made needed amendments. Then on September 23, 1995, in the general Relief Society meeting held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle and broadcast throughout the world, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley read “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” publicly for the first time. | Over the next several months, the First Presidency took the proposed proclamation under advisement and made needed amendments. Then on September 23, 1995, in the general Relief Society meeting held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle and broadcast throughout the world, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley read “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” publicly for the first time. | ||
| − | During the period that the proclamation was being drafted, Church leaders grew concerned about efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in the state of Hawaii. As that movement gained momentum, a group of Church authorities and Latter-day Saint legal scholars, including Elder Oaks, recommended that the Church oppose the Hawaii efforts… | + | During the period that the proclamation was being drafted, Church leaders grew concerned about efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in the state of Hawaii. As that movement gained momentum, a group of Church authorities and Latter-day Saint legal scholars, including Elder Oaks, recommended that the Church oppose the Hawaii efforts…<ref>Richard E. Turley Jr., ''In the Hands of the Lord: The Life of Dallin H. Oaks'' (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 2021), 215.</ref></blockquote> |
===Boyd K. Packer gives additional context=== | ===Boyd K. Packer gives additional context=== | ||
| + | The above quotation from Dallin H. Oaks' biography notes that the initial impetus for drafting the proclamation came from Boyd K. Packer. Boyd K. Packer related the following about the origins of the proclamation at a devotional given at BYU in 2003: | ||
| − | |||
<blockquote> The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve issued a proclamation on the family. I can tell you how that came about. They had a world conference on the family sponsored by the United Nations in Beijing, China. We sent representatives. It was not pleasant what they heard. They called another one in Cairo. Some of our people were there. I read the proceedings of that. The word marriage was not mentioned. It was at a conference on the family, but marriage was not even mentioned. | <blockquote> The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve issued a proclamation on the family. I can tell you how that came about. They had a world conference on the family sponsored by the United Nations in Beijing, China. We sent representatives. It was not pleasant what they heard. They called another one in Cairo. Some of our people were there. I read the proceedings of that. The word marriage was not mentioned. It was at a conference on the family, but marriage was not even mentioned. | ||
It was then they announced that they were going to have such a conference here in Salt Lake City. Some of us made the recommendation: "They are coming here. We had better proclaim our position.”<ref> Boyd K. Packer, "[http://speeches.byu.edu/index.php?act=viewitem&id=180 The Instrument of Your Mind and the Foundation of Your Character,]" CES Fireside (2 February 2003).</ref></blockquote> | It was then they announced that they were going to have such a conference here in Salt Lake City. Some of us made the recommendation: "They are coming here. We had better proclaim our position.”<ref> Boyd K. Packer, "[http://speeches.byu.edu/index.php?act=viewitem&id=180 The Instrument of Your Mind and the Foundation of Your Character,]" CES Fireside (2 February 2003).</ref></blockquote> | ||
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| + | We note that [https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/dpibrochure.html the United Nations indeed held a conference in Beijing, China] (the Fourth World Conference on Women) from the 4–15 of September 1995 and [https://www.un.org/press/en/2004/pop897.doc.htm one in Cairo, Egypt] (the "Cairo Conference on Population and Development") in 1994. The Beijing Conference probably had little to no impact on the drafting of the proclamation given that the proclamation had already been drafted, substantially edited, and was about read to the Church by Gordon B. Hinckley on 23 September 1995. The Deseret News reported on 14 March 1995 that the United Nations was holding a conference celebrating the International Year of the Family that week in Salt Lake City.<ref>"[https://www.deseret.com/1995/3/15/19164375/world-focus-on-s-l-gathering World Focus on S.L. Gathering]," ''Deseret News'', March 15, 1995.</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | Thus, this is the potential narrative that arises: Boyd K. Packer read the proceedings of the conference in Cairo in 1994. Concerned about the conference coming to Salt Lake City in March of the next year, he provided encouragement for the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to write a proclamation. This initial drafting took place, according to Dallin H. Oaks' testimony, during the Christmas and New Years holidays of 1994. Church representatives then became aware of the legal concerns in Hawaii and, with the encouragement of Latter-day Saint legal scholars and Dallin H. Oaks, decided to formally oppose those efforts. The Associated Press reported on 24 February 1995 that the Church had announced its petition to intervene in the case.<ref>"[https://www.deseret.com/1995/2/24/19161078/church-joins-hawaii-fight-over-same-sex-marriages CHURCH JOINS HAWAII FIGHT OVER SAME-SEX MARRIAGES]," ''Associated Press'', February 24, 1995.</ref> In September 1995, the conference in Beijing happened and Church representatives attended the conference. They reported on their findings to top Church leaders. Minor edits (at best) are made to the proclamation. Gordon B. Hinckley then read the proclamation at the Relief Society meeting on September 23, 1995. In 1997, the Church included the proclamation as part of an amicus curiae brief regarding the case to the Hawaii Supreme Court.<ref>"Amicus Curiae Brief of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1997), Baehr v. Miike," Mormonr, accessed May 10, 2022, https://mormonr.org/qnas/NqoXl/origins_of_the_family_proclamation/research#re-0Z2bwi-L8jzYb.</ref> | ||
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| + | It's possible that Church leaders heard about the Hawaii case prior to Boyd K. Packer providing the major impetus for drafting the proclamation, but the primary concern, and perhaps the only concern in the consciousness of Church leaders, were the United Nations conferences. | ||
===The doctrines have long been taught by the Church=== | ===The doctrines have long been taught by the Church=== | ||
Revision as of 23:48, 10 May 2022
- REDIRECTTemplate:Test3
Question: Was “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” drafted by lawyers in Hawaii in response to legal concerns the Church had over the legalization of gay marriage?
Church leaders were likely not aware of the Hawaii case until after it had arisen
It is claimed by some that “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” was drafted by lawyers in Hawaii in response to legal concerns the Church had over the legalization of gay marriage. Mormonr.org argues documents how "[i]n 1993, the Hawaii Supreme Court began hearing a case on gay marriage, known as Baehr v. Lewin (later Miike).[1] In 1994 the brethren begin the process of writing the proclamation in a 'revelatory process' with members of the Quorum of the Twelve."[2]
Dallin H. Oaks' new biography In the Hands of the Lord: The Life of Dallin H. Oaks (2021) authored by Richard Turley provides additional context:
During the fall of 1994, at the urging of its Acting President, Boyd K. Packer, the Quorum of the Twelve discussed the need for a scripture-based proclamation to set forth the Church’s doctrinal position on the family. A committee consisting of Elders Faust, Nelson, and Oaks was assigned to prepare a draft. Their work, for which Elder Nelson was the principal draftsman, was completed over the Christmas holidays. After being approved by the Quorum of the Twelve, the draft was submitted to the First Presidency on January 9, 1995, and warmly received.Over the next several months, the First Presidency took the proposed proclamation under advisement and made needed amendments. Then on September 23, 1995, in the general Relief Society meeting held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle and broadcast throughout the world, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley read “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” publicly for the first time.
During the period that the proclamation was being drafted, Church leaders grew concerned about efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in the state of Hawaii. As that movement gained momentum, a group of Church authorities and Latter-day Saint legal scholars, including Elder Oaks, recommended that the Church oppose the Hawaii efforts…[3]
Boyd K. Packer gives additional context
The above quotation from Dallin H. Oaks' biography notes that the initial impetus for drafting the proclamation came from Boyd K. Packer. Boyd K. Packer related the following about the origins of the proclamation at a devotional given at BYU in 2003:
The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve issued a proclamation on the family. I can tell you how that came about. They had a world conference on the family sponsored by the United Nations in Beijing, China. We sent representatives. It was not pleasant what they heard. They called another one in Cairo. Some of our people were there. I read the proceedings of that. The word marriage was not mentioned. It was at a conference on the family, but marriage was not even mentioned. It was then they announced that they were going to have such a conference here in Salt Lake City. Some of us made the recommendation: "They are coming here. We had better proclaim our position.”[4]
We note that the United Nations indeed held a conference in Beijing, China (the Fourth World Conference on Women) from the 4–15 of September 1995 and one in Cairo, Egypt (the "Cairo Conference on Population and Development") in 1994. The Beijing Conference probably had little to no impact on the drafting of the proclamation given that the proclamation had already been drafted, substantially edited, and was about read to the Church by Gordon B. Hinckley on 23 September 1995. The Deseret News reported on 14 March 1995 that the United Nations was holding a conference celebrating the International Year of the Family that week in Salt Lake City.[5]
Thus, this is the potential narrative that arises: Boyd K. Packer read the proceedings of the conference in Cairo in 1994. Concerned about the conference coming to Salt Lake City in March of the next year, he provided encouragement for the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to write a proclamation. This initial drafting took place, according to Dallin H. Oaks' testimony, during the Christmas and New Years holidays of 1994. Church representatives then became aware of the legal concerns in Hawaii and, with the encouragement of Latter-day Saint legal scholars and Dallin H. Oaks, decided to formally oppose those efforts. The Associated Press reported on 24 February 1995 that the Church had announced its petition to intervene in the case.[6] In September 1995, the conference in Beijing happened and Church representatives attended the conference. They reported on their findings to top Church leaders. Minor edits (at best) are made to the proclamation. Gordon B. Hinckley then read the proclamation at the Relief Society meeting on September 23, 1995. In 1997, the Church included the proclamation as part of an amicus curiae brief regarding the case to the Hawaii Supreme Court.[7]
It's possible that Church leaders heard about the Hawaii case prior to Boyd K. Packer providing the major impetus for drafting the proclamation, but the primary concern, and perhaps the only concern in the consciousness of Church leaders, were the United Nations conferences.
The doctrines have long been taught by the Church
The doctrines contained within the Proclamation are doctrines long taught by the Church. We address this elsewhere on the wiki.
Notes
- ↑ Baehr v. Lewin (1993) was a case where three same-sex couples petitioned the Hawaii Supreme Court to recognize their unions.
- ↑ The Family Proclamation was published in 1995. Dallin H. Oaks explained that it was developed over the course of a year: "Subjects were identified and discussed by members of the Quorum of the Twelve for nearly a year. Language was proposed, reviewed, and revised. Prayerfully we continually pleaded with the Lord for His inspiration on what we should say and how we should say it." DHO offers an account of the Proclamation.
- ↑ Richard E. Turley Jr., In the Hands of the Lord: The Life of Dallin H. Oaks (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 2021), 215.
- ↑ Boyd K. Packer, "The Instrument of Your Mind and the Foundation of Your Character," CES Fireside (2 February 2003).
- ↑ "World Focus on S.L. Gathering," Deseret News, March 15, 1995.
- ↑ "CHURCH JOINS HAWAII FIGHT OVER SAME-SEX MARRIAGES," Associated Press, February 24, 1995.
- ↑ "Amicus Curiae Brief of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1997), Baehr v. Miike," Mormonr, accessed May 10, 2022, https://mormonr.org/qnas/NqoXl/origins_of_the_family_proclamation/research#re-0Z2bwi-L8jzYb.