Religious families operate somewhat differently than those that are not religious. Their values and family patterns are set by their faith in God, and they view their family life as an extension of their faith. In this section, we will explore how religion impacts families and also how religion can be incorporated into everyday family life. Some material will be for all religious families, regardless of faith, others for some subsets of religious families, such as Christians. The second section will specifically discuss how LDS (Mormon) families operate and will often suggest ways people of other faiths can incorporate this into their own lives.
Mormon families believe they can be a family for eternity, so they are highly motivated to make their families work. As a result, they impliment many programs, both at church and at home, to help make eternity a reality for their family. These include weekly family nights and councils, daily scripture study and prayer, and open discussions of goals and values.
Stories of Real People Using Faith Through Trials
Wayne Osmond: How his faith sustained him after the diagnosis of a brain tumor.
Teaching Children Values:
Once a week, gather your family for a family night. Teach a value that matters to you and play games afterwards. Following are some lesson plans for your value-based family nights.
Teaching Children About Trust and Trustworthiness: Help your children understand why they need to become trustworthy and also to evaluate who to trust in their own lives.
Helping Children Plan for Success: Help your children have successful lives by teaching them to make a road map and a plan for their lives.
Teaching Children to Achieve Excellence: Helping older children and teens work to do their very best at all times.
Persuasion and Influence: Teaching in a way that shows your children you care about them will increase the likelihood that they will listen.
Help Children Choose Good Music: Show your children the impact of music on their lives and help them make Christ-like choices in their music selections.
Helping Children Overcome Jealousy: Help your children and teens understand the roots of envy and find ways to overcome it.
Teaching Children About Unity: When your children work together in unity, everyone is happier.
Teaching Children About Good Health: Help your children learn to enjoy an active lifestyle and to make healthy choices.
Teaching Children Good Manners: Courtesy makes home life more pleasant and helps your children to be welcome in society. Teach them manners through a brief lesson, role playing, and practical experience.
Teaching Children to Obey Their Conscience: Listening to guidance from the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit can keep your children spiritually safe.
Teaching Children to Be Cheerful: This lesson for young children will help them learn to understand cheerfulness as a choice for themselves, and also teach them how to cheer up others.
Helping Children Make Wise Choices and Decisions: Help older children understand the important things in life must be planned and prepared for and show them how to make decisions.
Teaching Children About Charity: Charity is the pure love of Christ. Help your children put it into action.
Accountability: God gives us commandments and gifts, and holds us accountable for their wise use. Help your children learn to be accountable for their actions.
Agency: Teaching children to make wise choices protects their spirituality and enhances their opportunity to grow up well.
Community Service: Help your children choose a way to service their community.
Civic Responsibility: A good follow-up to the community service lesson. Help your children learn to influence their governments even if they can’t vote.
Education: Help your children develop a plan for improving their educational skills and getting into college.
Goals: Teach children that a successful life begins with achievable goals.
Helping Children Overcome Fears: Fear can get in the way of achieving goals.
Helping Children Manage Anger: Teach appropriate ways to cope with angry feelings.
Teaching Children to Have a Good Attitude: We choose our attitudes, and this lesson can help your children learn how to do that.
Helping Children Develop Character: If God wrote your obituary, what would you want it to say? Help each member of your family become the person God wants them to be.
Teaching Children Gratitude: Grateful people are happy even amidst trials. Teach your children to notice and express gratitude for their blessings.
Helping Children to Learn Line Upon Line: Learning and wisdom don’t come instantly. Help your children understand why they need parents to provide limits and why they must take their time learning and growing.
Teaching Children to Journal: Keeping a journal helps children preserve their lives and make wise choices.
Religious Family Life:
Family: The family is the basic unit of society and needs to be built up to protect against the influences of the world.
Inclusion of God as the “Third Cord” in Marriage:
Excerpts from: Threefold Cord: Marital Commitment in Religious Couples By Nathaniel M. Lambert, Florida State University and David C. Dollahite, Brigham Young University.
Youth-centered Approaches to Religious Conversation: Selections from: Talking About Religion: How Religious Youth and Parents Discuss Their Faith by David C. Dollahite and Jennifer Y. Thatcher Brigham Young University Forthcoming: Journal of Adolescent Research
Family Scripture Study: How to plan a brief morning scripture study for your family to strengthen their faith.
Raising Children: The Bible offers guidance for religious parents.
Four Key Ideas for Raising Religious Children
Reclaiming a Wayward Child: When our children make wrong choices it can be difficult, but we must continue to love them and have hope that they will repent.
Lost Sheep: Blessing the Wayward and the Struggling: We have a responsibility to seek the lost sheep and help them return to the ninety and nine.
Learning-Centered Homes:
Parenting Children With Learning Disabilities
A child with a learning disability can do anything anyone else can do, but may have to do it differently and work much harder at it. Learn how a parent can help the child have a successful life in spite of, and even because of, a learning disability. (Read more)
Creating Learning Centered Homes
Every home should be a house of learning, where children are taught to value life-long, self-directed learning. (Read more.)
List of all education articles on the website
How Mormon Families Work:
Family Home Evening: A weekly evening set aside for family fun and spiritual education can bring your family closer and help your children learn your values.
Engaged Spirituality: Training your children to live a religious life every moment of the day increases the likelihood their faith will take root.
Marriage
Morality - Morality is essential to a strong society as well as to a strong marriage and eternal happiness.