proclamation. I'll be honest and say I'm not a big fan of how the church presents and teaches this document because I feel like it's somewhat misrepresented. Specifically, I think church leaders want it to be viewed and treated as a revelation though they'll quietly admit that it's not actually a revelation in the strict sense.

In a 2010 conference talk, Boyd K. Packer did call it a revelation, but that wording was changed in the published version of the talk.

Original statement:

Fifteen years ago, with the world in turmoil, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issued “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” the fifth proclamation in the history of the Church. It qualifies according to the definition as a revelation and would do well that members of the church to read and follow it.

Published, revised statement:

Fifteen years ago, with the world in turmoil, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issued “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” the fifth proclamation in the history of the Church. It is a guide that members of the Church would do well to read and to follow.

When other leaders talk about it, they seem careful not to call it a revelation or the word of god or anything like that while simultaneously seeking to suggest that it is a binding document on the level of scripture.

The fact is, the church has a canonization process. If the Proclamation were indeed a revelation, it should be put to a sustaining vote by the membership and added to the Doctrine and Covenants. If it's not a revelation, then we have to be open to the fact that it may be an incorrect or incomplete interpretation of doctrine.