Beginning of the End

Importance of Prenatal Training

Afraid that they would make some mistake, the husband prayed, “Let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.” BOE 281.3

When the Angel appeared again, Manoah asked, “What will be the boy’s rule of life, and his work?” The previous instruction was repeated—“Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. ... All that I commanded her let her observe.” BOE 281.4

To be sure that the promised child was properly qualified for his important work, the habits of both the mother and the child needed careful control. The habits of the mother will affect the child for good or evil. She must be controlled by principle, practicing temperance and self-denial, if she wants the best development for her child. Unwise advisers will urge the mother to gratify every wish and impulse, but by God’s command the mother is placed under solemn obligation to exercise self-control. BOE 281.5

And fathers as well as mothers share in this responsibility. If the parents are intemperate, the children often lack physical strength and mental and moral power. Liquor drinkers and tobacco users may transmit their intense craving, inflamed blood, and irritable nerves to their children. Immoral people often pass along a legacy of unholy desires and even terrible diseases to their children. Each generation tends to fall lower and lower. To a great degree, parents are responsible for the impairments of the thousands born deaf, blind, diseased, or with mental disorders. BOE 281.6

Many have not taken the effect of prenatal influence seriously, but the instruction sent from heaven to those Hebrew parents shows how our Creator views this matter. BOE 282.1

A good legacy from the parents must be followed by careful training and forming right habits. God directed that the future judge and deliverer of Israel should never, even as an adult, use wine or strong drink. Lessons of temperance, self-denial, and self-control are to be taught even from babyhood. BOE 282.2