What is Family?
When writing an article about family, we should probably start with a definition, the origin of family, what makes up a family, etc. Those facts are becoming increasingly diluted in today’s world.
Let’s start with: What is a family?
Genesis 1:27-28 (TLV) says, “God created humankind in His image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them. God blessed them and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, fill the land, and conquer it. Rule over the fish of the sea, the flying creatures of the sky, and over every animal that crawls on the land.’”
Genesis 2:24 (TLV) says, “This is why a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife; and they become one flesh.” (By the way, no matter what homosexual activists say, Jesus did address the issue of homosexuality, especially on the marriage issue, when in Matthew 19 He quotes from Genesis 2:24.)
Thus, God created male and female – marriage and family. So, God’s plan for family is one man, one woman and children. Any attempt to redefine marriage, whether it be multiple spouses or same-sex partners, is against God’s Word. Scripture is very clear on God’s design for marriage.
Since the US Supreme Court Obergefell decision on June 26, 2015, which reinterpreted the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteen Amendment to say same-sex couples have a “fundamental right” to marry, we have seen an increasing disinterest among our nation’s youth the get married.
Here are some disturbing facts from statista.com:
In 2021, the median age for the first wedding among women in the US stood at 28.6 years. For men, the median age was 30.6 years.
In 2021, the marriage rate in the US stood at six per 1,000 people of the population. This is a decrease from 1990 levels, when the marriage rate was 9.8 marriages per 1,000 people.
In 2019 the Pew Research Center found “Among people ages 18 to 44, a larger share have cohabited at some point than have been married (59% vs. 50%).”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the marriage rate in Pennsylvania is 5.4 per 1,000 residents. There are 11.5 births per 1,000 females 15-19 years of age. Specifically, the CDC reports that 39.7 percent of all births are to unwed mothers in PA.
As we see more cohabitation, more babies born to unwed mothers (thus, likely born into poverty), the government has stepped in to “help”! This help has created more dependency on government, as it has worked to replace family and the church.
Again statista.com: In 2022, over 3.8 million children living with single mothers who never married were receiving food stamps in the U.S. Additionally, 1.4 million children living with divorced single mothers were receiving food stamps.
Government policies that impact families also include paid family and medical leave, free childcare, free universal pre-K, free school breakfasts and lunches, free community college, etc. However, nothing is free; thus these government programs negatively impact some families, while aiding others! The question is: Can families be rescued?
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