This presentation is meant to be viewed by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are contemplating divorce.

1. Latter-day Saints: Before You Consider Divorce,
Consider Counsel from the Lord’s Leaders
An Unofficial Publication – Not Published by the Church

2. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ has instructed leaders that
allegations of abuse are to be taken seriously, victims should be believed,
adding that: "Church leaders should never disregard a report of abuse nor
counsel a member not to report criminal activity to law enforcement
personnel.” If you or your children are in a dangerous situation, you should
seek safety as soon as practicable.
Support for U.S. survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence are
available 24/7 at 1−800−799−7233 and www.hotline.org. If you or
someone else is in danger, please call 911 immediately.
The following slides are primarily intended for those
who are not being abused physically, sexually, or mentally.

3. I regret that there are some men undeserving
of the love of their wives and
children. There are children
who fear their fathers, and
wives who fear their husbands.
If there be any such men within
the hearing of my voice, as a servant of the
Lord I rebuke you and call you to repentance.
President Gordon B. Hinckley`

4. HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to
love and care for each other…
THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage
between man and woman is essential to His
eternal plan….
WE WARN that the disintegration of the
family will bring upon individuals,
communities, and nations the
calamities foretold by ancient
and modern prophets.
THE FAMILY: A Proclamation to the World
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

5. “Why do we have this
Proclamation on the Family
now? Because the family is
under attack...
“We are trying to make the
world better by making the
family stronger.”
President B. Hinckley

6. “The Family Proclamation also reminds us
that ‘husband and wife have a solemn
responsibility to love and care for each
other... Meanwhile, mortal
misunderstandings can make mischief
in a marriage. In fact, each marriage
starts with two built-in handicaps. It
involves two imperfect people. Happiness
can come to them only through their
earnest effort.”
President Russell M. Nelson

7. “Priesthood authority has been
restored so that families can be
sealed eternally. So brethren,
your foremost priesthood
duty is to nurture your
marriage—to care for,
respect, honor, and
love your wife.”
President Russell M. Nelson

8. “True love blooms when we care more about another person
than we care about ourselves. That is Christ’s great atoning
example for us, and it ought to be more evident in the
kindness we show, the respect we give, and the selflessness
and courtesy we employ in our personal relationships.”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
“True love blooms when we care more about another person
than we care about ourselves. That is Christ’s great atoning
example for us, and it ought to be more evident in the
kindness we show, the respect we give, and the selflessness
and courtesy we employ in our personal relationships.”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

9. Relief Society General
President
1974-1984
“A strong marriage takes strong
individuals equally committed to
calling forth the best in themselves
as well as in their eternal partner.
A husband must give his support if
a wife is to adequately use the gifts
God has given her. A wife must give
her support if her husband is to
lead the family.” Barbara B. Smith

10. “Physical abuse is uniformly and unequivocally condemned
in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If it is
possible to be more condemning than that, we speak even
more vigorously against all forms of sexual abuse. Today, I
speak against verbal and emotional abuse of anyone
against anyone, but especially of husbands against wives.
Brethren, these things ought not to be.”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

11. “In that same spirit we speak to the sisters as well, for the
sin of verbal abuse knows no gender. Wives, what of the
unbridled tongue in your mouth, of the power for good
or ill in your words?... A woman’s words can be more
piercing than any dagger ever forged... Sisters, there is no
place in that magnificent spirit of yours for acerbic or
abrasive expression of any kind...”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

12. President
Thomas S. Monson
"Brethren, let’s treat our wives with
dignity and with respect. They’re our
eternal companions. Sisters, honor
your husbands. They need to hear a
good word. They need a friendly
smile. They need a warm expression of
true love."

13. “[Sisters] Just because we can do it on our own
doesn’t mean we should. We are guardians of
the marriage covenant
and we need to work
together to
keep the family strong.”
Sis. Carole Stephens
Relief Society
General Presidency

14. "Pray for the love which allows
you to see the good in your
companion. Pray for the love
that makes weaknesses and
mistakes seem small. Pray for
the love to make your
companion’s joy your own. Pray
for the love to want to lessen the
load and soften the sorrows of
your companion."
President Henry B. Eyring

15. “There may be now and again a
legitimate cause for divorce... But
I say without hesitation that this
plague among us, which seems to
be growing everywhere, is not of
God, but rather is the work of the
adversary...”
Gordon B. Hinckley

16. “Do not miss living through
the difficult times with
your companion.”
Elder Russell M. Ballard

17. "A happy and
successful marriage
depends on two good
forgivers, or as
President Gordon B.
Hinckley pointed out, 'a
high degree of mutual
toleration.’ ”
Elder & Sister Lynn Robbins
Presidency of the Seventy

18. “The divorce itself does not constitute the entire
evil, but the very acceptance of divorce
as a cure is also a serious sin of this
generation. Because a program or a pattern
is universally accepted is not evidence
that it is right....
“It is certain that almost any good man and
any good woman can have happiness and a
successful marriage if both are willing to pay
the price.”
President Kimball and his wife Camilla
Spencer W. Kimball

20. “Justifiabledivorcesarerare....
Wearetalkingofthegreatmajority
thatcouldhavebeensalvaged,
couldhavebeensavedifwehad
tried and tried hardenough.”
President
Spencer W. KimballThe Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball,
pp. 314-315

21. “The kind of marriage required
for exaltation—eternal in
duration and godlike in quality—
does not contemplate divorce.”
Elder Dallin Oaks

22. “We continue to be
concerned with the rising
divorce rate. Every divorce
means saddened lives,
broken vows, neglected and
deprived children, and broken homes.
We decry divorce and feel that there
are relatively few divorces which are
justifiable.... “
Spencer W. Kimball

23. “The ultimate purpose of the adversary... is to
disrupt, disturb, and destroy the home
and the family.”
Elder Boyd K. Packer

24. "Christ'sidealpertainingtomarriageis
theunbrokenhome,andconditionsthat
causedivorceareviolationsofhisdivine
teachings.Exceptincasesofinfidelityor
otherextremeconditions,theChurch
frownsupondivorce."President David O. McKay
1969

25. “Brethren and sisters, when was the last
time you took your eternal companion in
your arms and said, 'I love you?’”
Elder David A. Bednar

26. “Latter-day Saints need not divorce—
there are solutions to marriage problems.
If, as husband and wife, you are having
serious misunderstandings or if you feel
some strain... you should humbly get on
your knees together and ask God our
Father, with a sincere heart and real
intent, to lift the darkness that is over
your relationship.... I solemnly assure
you that God lives and will answer
your humble pleas...”
Elder David B. Haight

27. “The remedy for most marriage stress is
not in divorce. It is in repentance. It is
not in separation. It is in simple
integrity that leads a man to
square up his shoulders and
meet his obligations.”
Gordon B. Hinckley

28. Express gratitude for what your
spouse does for you. Express that
love and gratitude often.
Elder Richard G. Scott

29. “I am satisfied that if we would
look for the virtues in one another...
there would be much more of
happiness in the homes of our
people. There would be far less
divorce.... There would be more of
forgiveness, more of love, more of
peace, more of happiness. This is as
the Lord would have it.”
Gordon B. Hinckley

30. “Priesthood authority has been restored so that
families can be sealed eternally. So brethren, your
foremost priesthood duty is to nurture your
marriage—to care for, respect, honor, and love
your wife. Be a blessing to her and your children.”
President Russell M. Nelson

31. President Thomas S. Monson
“In the three years since I was
sustained as President of the
Church, I believe the saddest and
most discouraging responsibility I
have each week is the handling of
cancellations of sealings... In most
cases divorce does not have to be
the outcome.”

32. "Being happily and successfully married is
generally not so much a matter of marrying the
right person as it is being the right person.”
President HowardW. Hunter

33. “Divorce can be justified only in
the most rare of circumstances,
because it often tears people’s
lives apart and shears family
happiness. Frequently in a
divorce the parties lose
much more than they gain.”
Elder James E. Faust

34. “If husbands and wives would only give greater
emphasis to the virtues that are to be found in
one another and less to the faults,
there would be fewer broken
hearts, fewer tears, fewer
divorces, and much more
happiness in the homes
of our people.”
Gordon B. Hinckley

35. “We live in a world in which the
whole concept of marriage is in peril
and where divorce is commonplace...
“Modern prophets have warned that
looking upon marriage ‘as a mere
contract that may be entered into at
pleasure … and severed at the first
difficulty … is an evil meriting severe
condemnation.’”
Elder Dallin Oaks

36. “Among the greatest of tragedies, and I think the most
common, is divorce. It has
become as a great scourge...
“There is a remedy for all
of this. It is not found
in divorce. It is found in
the gospel of the Son of God...
The remedy for most marriage stress is not in divorce.
It is in repentance.” Gordon B. Hinckley

38. “Marriage, in its truest sense, is a
partnership of equals, with neither
exercising dominion over the other,
but, rather, with each encouraging
and assisting the other in whatever
responsibilities and aspirations he or
she might have.”
President Gordon B. Hinckley

39. “Marriages are meant to last forever.”
Elder Dieter
Uchtdorf

40. “The best definition I know of marriage came from James
Thurber, a short story writer, who said simply, “Love is what
you go through together.” You have to work at this. You
have to work at a marriage. But every good thing that I
know of in this world you have to work at. I don’t know of
anything that comes easily. Schoolwork, you’ve got to work
at it. If you start a profession, you’ve got to work at it. If
you’re an athlete, you’ve got to work at it. If you’re a
musician, you’ve got to work at it. And you’ve got to work
at marriage.
The reason there are happy marriages, the reason there is
spiritual revelation and peace and the kind of affection we
feel for our spouses, it’s because, frankly, you work at it.
“And you’ve got to work at marriage....
God will help you.
“Of all the things in this world that He
will help you with, He will help you
with your marriages and your families
because it matters to Him at least as
much as it matters to you. He will help
you. But we’ve got to pitch in.”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

42. “Be assured that almost anything can be
worked out if you are resourceful and
if you are committed to making
your marriage work.”
President Thomas S. Monson

43. "The temple is an ever-
present reminder that
God intends the
family to be
eternal."
President Ezra Taft Benson