2
Ne 4:6 the cursing may be taken from you and be
answered upon the heads of your parents
Lehi
was concerned for the salvation of his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Doubtless, he was familiar with the scriptures like Ex 20:5-6, I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation
of them that hate me. And shewing mercy unto
thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Lehi wanted
Laman and Lemuel to be held responsible for the mistakes of their children. It
was because of this blessing that the Lord God will
not suffer that ye (Lehi’s grandchildren) shall
perish; wherefore, he will be merciful unto you and unto your seed forever
(v. 7).
A
careful review of the scriptures reveals that parents can be held responsible
for some of the sins of their children but children cannot be held responsible
for the sins of their parents. Parents can only be held responsible for the
sins of the children if they were negligent in teaching them of their duties.
This is similar to the responsibility of prophets—if they don’t call the people
to repentance they can be held responsible for the sins of the people (Ezek
33:4-6, Jacob 1:19). Speaking of parents who do not teach their children the
basic principles and ordinances of the gospel, the Lord has said, the sin be upon the heads of the parents (DC
68:25). See also DC 29:47-8. This is an exception to the general rule as taught
by Ezekiel, The son shall not bear the iniquity of
the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son (Ezek
18:20). Therefore, it is just for God to hold Laman and Lemuel responsible for
the sins of their children because they were negligent parents.
Joseph
Fielding Smith
“The
scripture in question is as follows: ‘... visiting
the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth
generation of them that hate me.’
“The
second Article of Faith reads: ‘We believe that men
will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.’
“…What
your question means, as I interpret it, is this: You have an idea that the
commandment means that when a man sins his children will be held responsible
for his folly and be punished for it, for three or four generations. The
commandment does not mean anything of this kind. The Lord never punishes a
child for its parents' transgressions. He is just and merciful. The real meaning
of this visiting of the iniquity is that when a man transgresses he teaches his
children to transgress, and they follow his teachings. It is natural for
children to follow in the practices of their fathers and by doing so suffer for
the parents' iniquity which they have voluntarily brought upon themselves.
NUMEROUS
PASSAGES SHOW MERCY AND JUSTICE
“There
are numerous other passages of scripture showing the mercy and justice of the
Lord and that they are not to be punished for the fathers' transgression. Here
are a few:
“’The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither
shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to
death for his own sin.’ (Deut 24:16)
“’But the children of the murderers he slew not: according unto
that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein the Lord
commanded saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor
the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to
death for his own sin.’ (2 Kings 14:6)
‘In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a
sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge.
But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that
eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.’
(Jer 31:29-30)
‘The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the
iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son:
the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the
wicked shall be upon him.’ (Ezek 18:20)” (Answers to Gospel
Questions, vol. 1, pp. 82-3)
Gordon
B. Hinckley
“Parents
haven’t measured up to their responsibilities. It is evident. A nation will
rise no higher than the strength of its homes. If you want to reform a nation,
you begin with families, with parents who teach their children principles and
values that are positive and affirmative and will lead them to worthwhile
endeavors. That is the basic failure that has taken place in America….parents
have no greater responsibility in this world than the bringing up of their
children in the right way….” (Ensign, Nov. 1996, pp. 48-9 as taken from Latter-day
Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 99)
Spencer
W. Kimball
“Though
the parents are not always charged with the failures of their children, we are
sure that many times the failures of the children could be charged to the
parents….We realize that there are times when belligerent sons and daughters
may draw upon themselves the condemnation, having totally ignored and failed
all the teachings that have been given them. But we the parents cannot escape
the responsibility that is ours of training our children…. As we think of these
young people who rebel against their parents and society, we wonder, have you
held your family prayers with regularity? Do you have your family home evenings
regularly? Are your children taught to be faithful and true? Most parents
protect their children with shelter for their comfort, tender care and medicine
for their illnesses, clothes for their looks and comfort, and food for their
taste and growth, but what do they do for their souls?” (Tokyo Area
Conference Report, Aug. 1975, pp. 38-39 as taken from Latter-day
Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p.99)