General Information

Podcasts

Mormon Discussion: “The Backdrop and Context of The Family A Proclamation to the World” (LINK) “Radio Free Mormon: 020: Making Doctrine Out Of Nothing At All” (LINK)

Mormon Mormon Matters: “418-419: Exploring the Messages in and Responses to Elder Dallin H. Oaks’s Recent General Conference Talk” (LINK)

Mormon Expression: “Episode 282: Why The Church Cannot Reform On The Gay Marriage Issues” (LINK)

Official First Presidency Letters

Nov. 1991, “Standards of Morality and Fidelty” (LINK)

Feb. 1994, “Same Gender Marriages” (LINK)

Accounts of the Announcement of the Proclamation

Chieko Okazaki’s account that the Relief Society Presidency knew nothing about the Proclamation (and would have made some changes to it) (LINK)

Aileen Clyde’s account that President Hinckley asked the to rewrite their talks to focus on The Family (LINK)

Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting February 2008, Boyd K. Packer talk entitled “The Proclamation on the Family” (LINK)

Blogs

Previous Proclamations

January 15, 1841 : A Proclamation of the First Presidency of the Church to the Saints Scattered Abroad (Nauvoo, Illinois) Reviews the progress of the Church in spite of hardships and persecution

: A Proclamation of the First Presidency of the Church to the Saints Scattered Abroad (Nauvoo, Illinois) April 6 and October 22, 1845 : Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Proclamation was apparently made in response to a revelation given January 19, 1841

: Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints October 21, 1865 : Proclamation of the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles Issued to members of the Church to correct certain theories about the nature of God

: Proclamation of the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles April 6, 1980 : Proclamation of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the organization of the Church

: Proclamation of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Online Boards

(Potential) Authors of The Proclamation

Elder Oaks basically admitted, in his October 2017 General Conference talk, that neither the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles nor the First Presidency wrote The Proclamation

Kirton McConkie: Salt Lake City law firm, known as “The Church’s law firm”, potentially made final revisions

Bruce C Hafen: BYU Law Professor and Provost, specialized in Family Law, made General Authority 6 months after The Proclamation was announced

Lynn Wardle: BYU Law Professor, specializes in Family Law

Richard Wilkins: BYU Law Professor, director of the World Family Policy Center at BYU

Court Cases in which The Church has used The Proclamation while filing amicus briefs:

April 1997: Baehr v. Miike (LINK) September 2010: Perry v. Schwarzenegger (LINK) January 2011: Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. US Dept. of Health and Human Services (LINK) January 2013: Hollingsworth v. Perry (LINK) August 2014: De Leon v. Perry (LINK) February 2014: Kitchen v. Herbert (LINK) April 2015: Obergefell v. Hodges (LINK) January 2017: Gloucester County School Board v. G.G. (LINK) The Proclamation was not included in the following: 1996: Amicus curiae brief with Hawaii’s Future Today (LINK)

2013: U.S. v. Windsor

No Standing in Hawaii Case

In February 1995 the LDS Church petitions to join the case. A lower court denies the request in March 1995 (the Hawaii Supreme Court upholds the lower court’s decision stating that they lack standing/interest.). Nine months after the lower court’s denial The Proclamation is introduced to the Church and after that it is used in an amicus brief in the same case. This is wording of the court’s rejection of their application:

Thus, Applicants have failed to describe “an interest relating to the property or transaction which is the subject of the action.” Because the requirements of intervention by right are stated in the conjunctive, it is necessary for Applicants to meet all four criteria set forth in Ing. Failure to meet even one prevents intervention “by right” under HRCP Rule 24(a)(2). Accordingly, we hold that, because Applicants have failed to present such an interest in this case, the circuit court did not err in denying Applicants’ motion to intervene “by right” pursuant to HRCP Rule 24(a)(2).

Pre-Proclamation General Conference Talks similar to The Proclamation