The family unit is the key to human flourishing
The Family Foundation works to uphold important principles such as life, marriage, and parental authority, but there is something that ties them all together - the family. It is the family unit, also known as the nuclear family, or more accurately the “natural” family. Most of the issues we see today can be traced back to a misunderstanding or deviation from the Biblical family unit. God did not leave us without guidance; in fact, He left us a blueprint for the family unit all throughout Scripture. When we adhere to this blueprint, society flourishes. When we deviate from it, society collapses.
What is the Biblical model for the family unit? We see the model as early as Genesis. “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Gen. 2:18), “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Gen. 1:27), “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:6). The foundation of the family unit is marriage, and Scripture is clear that marriage is between one man and one woman for life.
The model doesn’t end at marriage; we are to be fruitful and multiply. The next stage in the family unit is to create a family. The Bible again provides us with a framework: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) This Biblical model is not just something God decided we should do, it truly is the key to human flourishing. The family unit is the first institution God created. It is the foundation for society, and it is of utmost importance that it be upheld.
What does the natural family model offer to society? It provides the best way to care for and raise children. The natural family has been proven to provide the best growing environment for children for physical health, mental health, education and many other areas (MARRI). The family unit is beneficial not only for the child but for the community and the nation as a whole. William D. Gairdner, an olympian and Staford scholar, suggested that “[i]n the pure financial sense, the family is the original and still is the unequaled charitable organization in the world.” More importantly, the natural family clearly utilizes the designs God has given to each gender, with specific roles for mothers and fathers and the God-given skills necessary to carry out those roles. As a society, when we allow forms of marriage like gay marriage, we deprive children of the necessary instruction and nurturing that only a mom or a dad are equipped to provide.
The natural family unit promotes adoption and foster care. When we talk about a natural family we of course include adoption and foster care. “Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress…” (James 1:27) There is a unique and monumental opportunity for adoption in the United States. Since the overturning of Roe women are looking for alternatives, and adoption is an incredible solution that promotes life and hope. Just as Christians are grafted into God’s family, adoption is a natural part of the natural family.
How does abortion undermine that natural family unit? Abortion is a grievous act that has plagued our nation for decades, and it, along with the sexual revolution of the 60’s and 70’s, have contributed to the devaluing of the natural family unit. According to CDC statistics, “[i]n 2019, unmarried women accounted for 86% of all abortions (CDC).” In contrast, the family unit, by design, has safeguards against “unplanned pregnancy.” The first being abstinence before marriage. Sex is a God-given gift, but when we distort and abuse this gift, there are bound to be ramifications. A natural outcome of sex is pregnancy, and when a father and mother are married, they are more capable of handling the financial and emotional responsibility of bringing that child to full term and raising that child in a loving home. The natural result of sex for unmarried couples is the same, but the difference is the unmarried father and mother are less likely to have the money, time, or ability, to properly care for the child. (BGSU) Hopefully, with the recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, which overturned Roe v. Wade, we’ll have the opportunity to promote more abstinence programs in schools, and ensure that pregnancies occur when the father and mother are married and have the abilities to lovingly care for the child.
Why is the natural family unit under attack? Because the natural family has always been the cornerstone of society, it’s the obvious target of secular humanists who seek to destroy the family unit in order to advance socialistic values. In fact, the founder of the Socialist Revolution, Karl Marx, wanted to eradicate the natural family as the first step to Socialism, “The education of all children, from the moment that they can get along without a mother's care, shall be in state institutions.” One of the obvious places we see this is in the Public School System where children in classrooms all across the country are being taught values contrary to the Bible. We see this in replacing marriage between a man and a woman, with a marriage of two people that are the same sex. We see this in abortion ending the child’s life before the family is even created. If we agree that the family is God’s institution and we are made in God’s image, this is an attack on the Image of God. When God’s design for the family is corrupted, it is inevitable that our entire society will also be corrupted.
What does this mean for us? As believers, we are called to submit to God’s design, but this design does not restrain us; in fact, it offers ultimate satisfaction and flourishing. The advantages of the natural family are indispensable, the benefits go on and on; education, poverty, stability, child development, and many more. (Lovetoknow) The natural family is not just the traditional framework it is a beautifully designed guide to human flourishing designed by and mirrored after the Trinity itself. That is why The Family Foundation will continue to advocate for policy that promotes the natural family. The Biblical model of the family is proven best for society and is the key for human flourishing.
Sources
Abortion Surveillance — United States, 2019 | MMWR (cdc.gov)
American Children's Family Structure: Two Biological Parent Families (bgsu.edu)
By Campbell Alexander (2022 Intern)