The IMPORTANCE of Family

           The values and virtues of family play an important role in our society today. The four letter word “Love” has been thrown around one too many times and has lost its root value in God’s word. According to God’s word; 1 John 3:1 states, “How great is the love the Father that has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” (Bible, NIV). The love of God factors into our family life as we live and represent his love in our society today. Family is an important factor to our humanity today in decreasing the poverty rate. It is stated that being raised in a married home decreases the probability of living in poverty by 80 percent (Rector, 2010).

            The ethical dilemma foresees that traditional family values are not important to our American society anymore; it is the root cause to why our government has a welfare system. The family system has the most impact on who individuals becomes within their humanity. Within our society, it is believed that the media has a role of explaining the definition of a family. We ought to believe that the values within a traditional family of the church should and will change the repercussions of the welfare system based on the government.

            Virtues are kinds of characteristic traits that we ought to seek and sustain; they come from deep within of our own human nature (Westin, 173). Our moral values come from what we believe personally within our own lives. Our environmental surroundings contribute to our moral beliefs. Based on our family life or the influence of our growing up years, we have gained knowledge and belief of our own virtues and values. The Christians shared virtues such as faith, hope and charity; are all a part of our character traits of staying close to God throughout our lives (Westin, 177). The scriptures play a role in what we believe as our faith, virtues and values.

            According to Reuschling; “Who we are informs the decisions we make and how we act in the world” (120). Reuschling also states that good characteristics of human qualities lead to a good life of virtue (121). Christian virtues are based on what is morally right according to the scriptures. We must live according to God’s word in acts of living to represent the love of God.

            Coinciding with scripture; God speaks in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Bible, ESV). This passage in itself shows the greater importance of how families should live and apply the scriptures to their daily lives. As families, we are commanded to live within and share the love of God in our homes. The scriptures role is to help us face reality and foster a moral vision of committing to the truth of God’s word (Reuschling, 153). God’s word speaks of the truth in how we should respond and grow in our faith. We need to study the word to know how we are called to live in society.

            Through facing the reality of life, families are not seen as important according to statistics. Children that live in single parent homes are 50 percent more likely to experience poverty as adults when compared to children from married homes (Rector, 2010). This proves that the role of family plays an important role in our society today. The welfare system is actually hurting the value of married families. There is more support to single parent homes rather than married families (Rector, 2010). According to Rector, he states that the Government should provide factual information on the role of healthy marriages to reduce the poverty rate (Rector, 2010).

            In referring to movies and the media, the families are seen as single parent homes, divorced homes or broken families. The traditional married home life with one mom and dad is the best place for kids to be raised in, although, today we live in a broken and fallen world (Family Values).  Due to our broken society and multiple perspectives and beliefs of morals, traditional families are not valued highly any more within our society. Today’s value in society includes the importance of having loving and caring relationships (Family Values). Yes, this is important to our society but, it is long lost from the roots of traditional love and marriage. Scriptures share that God is Love. 1 John 4:8 states, “but anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love (Bible, NLT). God is the center of all love and the four letter word cannot be thrown around out of selfish ambition. Love is a selfless act. 1 John 4:16 shares “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.” (Bible, NLT). God always acts in love. The bible stresses on the importance of love because God is the one who loved us first. Love is to be identified as an action through compassion and commitment to those that are around us. As God loved us first, our actions should reflect and represent the love that God has on the whole world. John 3:16 says, “For God so Love the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him, shall not parish but have everlasting life” (Bible, NIV).  The church and the traditions of the Christian faith become irrelevant to our moral bearings, and salvation is not a personal decision to accept Christ and be saved from sin (Reuschling, 159).

            The Christian faith plays a role in what the church body believes is morally right. According to Reuschling, we are often confused by the complexity of moral questions and yearn for the days when it appeared that right was right and wrong was wrong and everyone knew it (145). Today, with our world’s problems it is believed that the importance of family and its morals are now an ethical issue. Our society has so many different perspectives and views of what values and virtues mean to each of us at a personal and family level. In Christian ethics, it can be understood that we live in a broken world and the problem can only be solved spiritually (Reuschling, 145). This is a means to society, that we must build relationship with God and understand that his love is what overcame and overcomes the world. John 16:33 states, “I have told you all this so that in me you may have peace. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (Bible, NLT). The word of God is truth and we must believe it with our virtues, values and faith in God.

            Our self-conscious plays a big part into what we believe and agree with morally. As we face these ethical dilemmas, we need to make judgments about what is right and good (Reuschling, 145). Our conscience is a source to all guidance of our own decisions and behaviors and forms our moral character (Reuschling, 145-46). Within Christian ethics it is believed that the Christian community plays a role in moral consciousness and formation (Reuschling 158). The body of believers is important to the community of Christians. God works through a body of believers who share the love of God and put his love to action. God is the center of all relationships through the belief of care ethics. Our value and purpose of Christian ethics involves our moral beings of believing the truth. Through the knowledge of our Christian values, the traditional family is important to the well-being of our society.

            The social welfare system should not be a means to our society today. If the body of believers would believe the truth of God’s word and put it to action in our daily lives there would not be a reason for the welfare system. As the church, we need to love and support the beliefs of a traditional family. We need to come together within a community of believers and do what God has called us to do; put love in action. We need to be a supportive community and not a judging, selfish, condescending society. May we believe with complete faith and trust in God that our root beliefs in the word of God is what will guide our moral conscience to love the world as God called us to. 

Sources:

"Critical Issues." Family Values. Volume 1. Issue 2. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.             http://www.leaderu.com/critical/family.html

Rector , Robert. "Married Fathers." America's Greatest Weapon Against Child Poverty. (2010):     Web. 12 Dec. 2012. http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2010/06/married-fathers-     americas-greatest-weapon-against-child-poverty

Reusching, Wyndy. Reviving Evangelical Ethics. Grand Rapids, Michigan: BrazosPress, 2008.     120-159. Print.

Westin, Anthony. A 21st Century Ethical Toolbox. 2nd ed. Oxford, New York: Oxford    University Press, 2008. 173-177. Print.