It was a job perk. A recent gift from our head administrator was a free, private, advanced showing of the hottest movie of the decade: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2. Last Saturday, we waited for hours to get a chance to be one of the first Americans to see the conclusion of this beloved series. Fifteen minutes before the showing began, an armed guard arrived carrying two silver octagonal shaped cases, tagged and sealed with ribbon. It really was a pretty exciting experience!
Our oldest son was 11 years old when "Pottermania" began and our children will be among the only generation who actually grew up with Harry. It became a family tradition to plan a party with special treats and costumes, as we awaited the midnight release of each new book. Every year or so, a new volume arrived and the story became more complex, just as that of the lives of of our growing children.
The movie was great. It was well thought out and well executed. We were pleased and satisfied when it was done. Since then, I have spent a great deal of time thinking about the power of Harry and his friends. It is a good story, but I think we love it because it is more, it is a story not of individuals fighting against evil, but instead, a family's fight.
I think family is the unnamed superstar of the movie. We love Harry, but he wouldn't be the same without the deep love and acceptance of the Weasleys. Whether they started out at the center or not, at various times throughout the stories, this family is the eye in the storm for Harry, Hermione, Lupin and so many others. The battle between evil and good, is often over who controls the patterns of family life. As the movie progressed, the audience cheered wildly as the family, in its various configurations, stood strong. I felt deeply impressed at the power of family expressed by the faculty and students of Hogwarts. There were a lot of sniffs among the audience when this family stood firm to protect their children.
An article entitled "Strengthening the Family: The Family is Central to the creator's Plan, (Ensign, Dec 2004, 50-51) helps us see that what we think of as fiction and fantasy on the screen of a movie theater is actually based on the reality of our own individual family's daily life:
"The family, the most fundamental institution of society is under attack from all sides. Adultery, divorce, cohabitation, child and spouse abuse, homosexuality, abortion, teen pregnancies, pornography, disobedient children, economic struggles, and increasing unwillingness among married couples to bear and rear children--all these and more are proof that the adversary understands very well the central role the family plays in the destiny of God's children. . . .
"Even in such circumstances, we need not fear. God is with us. In the end good will conquer evil. In the here and now, however, we must take our place on the front line in this war that began in the premortal world and do all we can to preserve and protect the sanctity of the family.
"The family is the primary support structure in God's plan to help us resist evil, overcome weakness and work out our salvation. For this reason we should do all we can to strengthen the family in these days of confusion and opposition."
Spoiler alert: The family ultimately wins the battle, and when it's all over, we are glad to have been part of it, from the beginning to it's glorious end! Thanks to you all.
Showing posts with label Ensign. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ensign. Show all posts
Monday, July 11, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
The Constitution--A Glorious Standard
On September 16, 1986, President Ezra Taft Benson delivered an address at BYU entitled The Constitution--A Glorious Standard. This Brigham Young University devotional was later reprinted in the Ensign in September, 1987. It is well worth our time to read the entire address. The following are a few excerps:
"To understand the significance of the Constitution, we must first understand some basic, eternal principles. These principles have their beginning in the premortal councils of heaven.
"The first basic principle is agency. The central issue in that premortal council was: Shall the children of God have untrammeled agency to choose the course they should follow, whether good or evil, or shall they be coerced and forced to be obedient? Christ and all who followed Him stood for the former proposition-freedom of choice; Satan stood for the latter--coercion and force.
"The second basic principle concerns the function and proper role of government.. . .The most important single function of government is to secure the rights and freedoms of individual citizens.
"The third important principle pertains to the source of basic human rights. Rights are either God-given as part of the divine plan, or they are granted by government as part of the political plan.
"If we accept the premise that human rights are granted by government, then we must be willing to accept the corollary that they can be denied by government. I, for one, shall never accept that premise. We must ever keep in mind the inspired words of Thomas Jefferson, as found in the Declaration of Independence:
"The fourth basic principle we must understand is that people are superior to the governments they form. Since God created people with certain inalienable rights, and they, in turn, created government to help secure and safeguard those rights, it follows that the people are superior to the creature they created.
"The fifth and final principle . . .basic to our understanding of the Constitution is that governments should have only limited powers. The important thing. . .is that the people who have created their government can give to that government only such powers as they, themselves have in the first place. . .they cannot give that which they do not possess." (Ezra Taft Benson, "The Constitution--A Glorious Standard," Ensign, September 1987.)
"To understand the significance of the Constitution, we must first understand some basic, eternal principles. These principles have their beginning in the premortal councils of heaven.
"The first basic principle is agency. The central issue in that premortal council was: Shall the children of God have untrammeled agency to choose the course they should follow, whether good or evil, or shall they be coerced and forced to be obedient? Christ and all who followed Him stood for the former proposition-freedom of choice; Satan stood for the latter--coercion and force.
"The second basic principle concerns the function and proper role of government.. . .The most important single function of government is to secure the rights and freedoms of individual citizens.
"The third important principle pertains to the source of basic human rights. Rights are either God-given as part of the divine plan, or they are granted by government as part of the political plan.
"If we accept the premise that human rights are granted by government, then we must be willing to accept the corollary that they can be denied by government. I, for one, shall never accept that premise. We must ever keep in mind the inspired words of Thomas Jefferson, as found in the Declaration of Independence:
'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.'
"The fourth basic principle we must understand is that people are superior to the governments they form. Since God created people with certain inalienable rights, and they, in turn, created government to help secure and safeguard those rights, it follows that the people are superior to the creature they created.
"The fifth and final principle . . .basic to our understanding of the Constitution is that governments should have only limited powers. The important thing. . .is that the people who have created their government can give to that government only such powers as they, themselves have in the first place. . .they cannot give that which they do not possess." (Ezra Taft Benson, "The Constitution--A Glorious Standard," Ensign, September 1987.)
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