Family, it's about Diversity

Historically, families have provided the social, economic and pro-creative needs of individuals. Families living in close proximity to each other make up larger units in society, such as towns, cities and countries. If this sounds like a 4th grade social science lesson, it is because the Morg seems to have forgotten this basic tenet. They seem to think they have a corner on what constitutes a family. They seem to think families did not exist before the church existed and told people how to be a family.

Family arrangements in the United States have become more diverse with no particular household arrangement representing half of the United States population.^[16]

The chart is from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family

 It shows that there is not one single group that is a majority that constitutes a family style in the USA. Historically, there have been many family types, as well. The patriarchal family, with the man at the head of the family, with the mother staying at home raising the children is a modern concept of what defines a family. It also does not define the majority of family styles in the USA or the world as a whole.

I like to think of the world as a box of crayons. It has many colors. I get to choose any of the crayons in my box to color my world with. When I was a Mormon, I felt like my crayon box was limited to two crayons, black and white. If I chose the black one, I was evil, therefore I was only left with the white. This flies in the face of the concept of free agency where we are supposed to have choice. Do we have choice, or are we forced to choose only one way? I was told that was Satan's plan. Is there only one family choice in the Mormon religion: get married in the temple, raise many children, pay tithing to the Mormon church. Or are there other choices? Can I be a single Mom?  Can someone choose to not have children? Can a gay couple have children? Or is there only one way? Is there there just one way to have a family?

Is my family not a family because it does not fit your mold? No, Mormon church, you do not get to define me. I love my family and it is every bit as valuable to me as your family is to you.