The US Census Bureau site indicates that the national marriage and divorce rates have declined from 2011 to 2021. Are people eschewing marriage in favor of living together? Marriage is established by God in the Old Testament and reaffirmed in the New Testament. Read Genesis 2:21-25 and Mark 10:6-9. Marriage is clearly monogamous and permanent until death.

Marriage fosters companionship, procreation and redemption. Redemption includes husband and wife committing to God’s plan for their lives and raising children to understand the Bible, to seek God for themselves, to find salvation, and to live a life pleasing to God and helpful to others.

My concern is for the children of unwed mothers who don’t have fathers. Money tempts and often women are all too eager to accept government cash as a replacement for a father. Of course, the big-daddy government is counting on this … and the recipient’s vote in upcoming elections. It’s the government’s very effective way of bribing and controlling.

Because the sense of belonging is so necessary to humans, when there is no father in a family, children will resort to other sources, e.g., usually gangs for boys. The nuclear family needs to be restored.

An intact family with a father as head of the household has many advantages. Some of these include being the child’s:

1. first teacher

2. provider

3. helper

4. encourager

5. protector

6. leader and

7. friend.

God regards the direct education of children by their parents as vitally important. Such education should be founded first of all upon the Word of God. Read Genesis 18:19 which is the first specific reference in the Bible to the teaching of children and indicating it is primarily the father’s duty.

1 Timothy 5:8 says, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

Ephesians 6:1-4 admonishes, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Marilyn Sager

Houghton