Thirty years ago, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a bold declaration on family life. At the time, many saw it as stating the obvious. Today, it reads as prophecy. Never before has the family unit faced such cultural and legal challenges. Never before has it been so important to reaffirm the principles that “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” teaches.
The twentieth century was a time of political and cultural upheaval in the United States. After the initial marriage and baby boom of the 1950s, Americans’ attitudes toward family and marriage began to change radically through the sexual revolution of the 1960s. No-fault divorce, first introduced in California in 1969, became widespread through the 1970s. By 1995, the median age of first marriage had risen from approximately 20 years old to 24 for women (and from ~23 to ~27 for men). Cohabitation was also on the rise — for example, among first marriages formed in 1990–1994, 56 % were preceded by cohabitation, up from 41 % in 1980–1984. And the public’s attitude toward same-sex marriage was beginning to soften.
Addressing his remarks to the women of the Church in the Relief Society session of the October 1995 General Conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley made history by proclaiming truths about marriage, family, and gender that the secular world was beginning to abandon. He invited members to study the proclamation, saying, “We commend to all a careful, thoughtful, and prayerful reading of this proclamation. The strength of the nation is rooted within the walls of its homes.”
President Hinckley’s invitation is even more relevant today than it was in 1995.
In the year 2025, the once ubiquitous truths contained within “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” are criticized by many for being outdated, irrelevant, and even bigoted. The average age of marriage has risen again to 29 for women and 31 for men, according to U.S Census Bureau data published in 2022.
Even more worryingly, gender ideology has become mainstream on social media and college campuses. Lines from the proclamation such as, “Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose” are sources of conflict – even within the protective “bubble” of Church services and Sunday school classes. Many members of the Church – teenagers, young adults, and older adults alike – self-censor in order to avoid offending those who might be uncomfortable with the proclamation’s teachings.
Where does BYU stand in all of this? What is the role of young adults in the Church when it comes to defending the values expressed in the proclamation?
While BYU is not immune to increasing hesitancy about marriage and family formation, BYU students have the unique opportunity to take classes designed to prepare them for their future families. Courses such as The Eternal Family and Preparation for Marriage teach students how to incorporate the principles of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” in their current and future family relationships.
One student recounted her positive experience in an eternal families class, saying, “After General Conference of April 2025 when Elder Andersen gave his talk on the Church’s stance on abortion, my professor didn’t shy away from talking about abortion and the Church’s stance on abortion, and had us all write an essay where we’re teaching a friend who is pro-choice about our views on abortion.”
National patterns may point away from early marriage and family formation, but BYU students stand out as an exception. According to BYU’s Facts and Figures webpage, 18% of the student population of BYU was married during the Fall 2024 semester. Most universities in the United States have marriage rates in the low single digits. BYU’s married student population is an encouraging example of how individuals can pursue education and self-improvement while establishing families.
As members of the Church and BYU students, we have a special responsibility to be champions of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” We who know the family’s crucial role in the Plan of Salvation should be the most ardent advocates in favor of traditional marriage and the protection of life. It is our calling to protect the vulnerable who fall prey to shifting cultural ideologies about gender. It is our duty to love God’s pattern for marriage, regardless of whether or not the world loves us for our views.
Perhaps thirty years ago it was easier to openly affirm the Church’s teachings on the family. Admittedly, the values that “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” expresses are no longer popular in the broader culture, and the social consequences of our beliefs are real. True conviction, however, is most potent when it is tested.
As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the proclamation, members of the rising generation must each decide to be courageous speakers of truth. More importantly than that, young adults must voluntarily take up the mantle of adulthood and prepare themselves to establish eternal families. Jesus Christ already saved the world, but by our personal actions, we can change it.
The Cougar Chronicle is an independent student-run newspaper and is not affiliated with Brigham Young University or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Cover Photo Source: https://masfe.org/temas/vida-santos-de-los-ultimos-dias/estatua-templo-de-provo-city/
