Family History Is YOUR Personal Responsibility | Theodore M. Burton (1972) | LDS

Send us Fan MailIs family history really MY responsibility — or the Church's? In this episode of Thinning of the Veil, host Tia Smith shares a classic that reframes the whole question: "Genealogy: A Personal Responsibility," given by Elder Theodore M. Burton — then a leader of the Church's Genealogical Department — at the October 1972 general conference. For Latter-day Saints (LDS), his answer is direct: this is your personal, individual responsibility, and no organization can do it for you.Elder Burton makes the case for what he calls "priesthood genealogy" — because finding names and dates is only the finding of facts; without priesthood ordinances, facts alone don't save anyone. He teaches that our first duty is to our own direct-line ancestors, that this is a family affair for children, youth, and parents alike (not something to postpone until we're old), and that through temple ordinances we become "saviors on Mount Zion" for those who are waiting on us. Tia also draws out his striking view of what it means for the earth to be "smitten with a curse" — how, without the welding link between the generations that Elijah restored, mortality itself can become a curse rather than a stepping-stone.Along the way, Elder Burton weaves in Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and President Joseph Fielding Smith — who taught that preaching the gospel is the greatest responsibility of the Church, while seeking after our own dead is the greatest individual responsibility we carry.Q: Whose responsibility is family history and temple work? (LDS)A: Elder Burton teaches it is each member's personal, individual responsibility — not the bishop's, the stake president's, or the Church's alone. The actual work must be done by individuals, and it belongs to children, youth, and parents together.Q: What is "priesthood genealogy"?A: Burton uses the term to stress that genealogy is more than finding facts. Names and dates alone don't save anyone; it's the priesthood ordinances performed in the temple that redeem our ancestors — making it a priesthood work.Q: What does it mean to be a "savior on Mount Zion"?A: It means qualifying ourselves for the temple and performing the saving ordinances for our own direct-line ancestors — welding the chain between the generations, as Elijah was sent to restore.Family history is a personal responsibility — and one of the most eternally consequential ones we have.▶️ WATCH & LISTEN🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25📖 BOOKPatterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B📱 CONNECTInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veilFacebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thinningoftheveil💛 SUPPORT THE SHOWVenmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveilPayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone needs to hear.#ThinningOfTheVeil #FamilyHistory #Genealogy #TempleWork #LDS #LatterDaySaints #Elijah #SaviorsOnMountZion #ComeFollowMe #PriesthoodCITATIONS:Theodore M. Burton, "Genealogy: A Personal Responsibility", Oct. 1972: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1972/10/genealogy-a-personal-responsibility?lang=engSupport the show