The Family Proclamation in Context

Contemporary views on marriage and family have changed significantly over time. How much of our understanding of marriage and family is shaped by societal norms versus prophetic guidance? In this episode, professor of Church history and doctrine Michael A. Goodman examines the secular and spiritual context surrounding “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” He discusses how the rise of expressive individualism, the sexual revolution, divorce rates, cohabitation, and other factors have played into the cultural and legal shifts in marriage norms. As he delves into the spiritual context of the proclamation, Professor Goodman outlines how it serves as more than a mere policy statement but a reaffirmation of eternal truths and doctrines. 

Publications:

• “The Family Proclamation: The Secular and Spiritual Context” by Michael A. Goodman and W. Justin Dyer (Religious Educator, 24.2, 2023)

• “Religion and Perfectionism” (BYU Studies Quarterly, 63.4, 2024) 

• “Individual, family, peer, and religious community predictors of adolescent religious deidentification” by Sam A. Hardy, Russ Amelang, and Michael Goodman (Applied Developmental Science, 2024) 

• “Religion and LGBTQ Suicidality: A Systematic Review” (Archive for the Psychology of Religion, 2023)

• “Constancy amid Change: Latter-day Saint Discourse on Gender and Sexuality” by Michael A. Goodman and Daniel Frost (BYU Studies Quarterly, 61.3, 2022)

• “‘Oh Say, What Is Truth?’: Approaches to Doctrine” (BYU Studies Quarterly, 60.3, 2021) 

• “‘Line upon Line’: Joseph Smith’s Growing Understanding of the Eternal Family” (Religious Educator, 20.1, 2019)

• “The Influence of Faith on Marital Commitment” in By Divine Design (Religious Studies Center, 2014)

Click here to learn more about Michael A. Goodman