“The
rib, coming as it does from the side, seems to denote partnership. The
rib signifies … a lateral relationship as partners, to work and to live,
side by side” (“Lessons from Eve,” Ensign, Nov. 1987, 87).
David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
God has ordained that
marriage be between a man and a woman.
“Two compelling doctrinal reasons help us to understand why eternal marriage is essential to the Father’s plan.
“Reason
1: The natures of male and female spirits complete and perfect each
other, and therefore men and women are intended to progress together
toward exaltation.
“… For divine purposes, male and female spirits are different, distinctive, and complementary.
“… The
unique combination of spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional
capacities of both males and females were needed to implement the plan
of happiness. Alone, neither the man nor the woman could fulfill the
purposes of his or her creation.
“… Because
of their distinctive temperaments and capacities, males and females
each bring to a marriage relationship unique perspectives and
experiences. The man and the woman contribute differently but equally to
a oneness and a unity that can be achieved in no other way. The man
completes and perfects the woman and the woman completes and perfects
the man as they learn from and mutually strengthen and bless each other.
‘Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the
man, in the Lord’ (1 Corinthians 11:11; italics added).
“Reason
2: By divine design, both a man and a woman are needed to bring
children into mortality and to provide the best setting for the rearing
and nurturing of children. …
“A
home with a loving and loyal husband and wife is the supreme setting in
which children can be reared in love and righteousness and in which the
spiritual and physical needs of children can be met. Just as the unique
characteristics of both males and females contribute to the
completeness of a marriage relationship, so those same characteristics
are vital to the rearing, nurturing, and teaching of children” (“Marriage Is Essential to His Eternal Plan,” Ensign, June 2006, 82–84; see also “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 129).
