Why is the Traditional Family so important?
Family is the most important aspect of changing the future of our Country and our Church. Throughout history those societies that had a solid, traditional family, had far greater success in both material and spiritual realms. As society goes, so does the government. Looking back at each of the great Empires, we can see the exact same problems that brought them to their knees happening today. Just to name a couple, Rome went from strong society to a decadent one. All the vices popped up, homosexuality became rampant, abortions were accepted, adultery was common, greed, pedophilia, intemperance, you name it, it happened. It destroyed the Empire from the inside, while it was besieged from without. England, Spain, and France all had their Empires fail due to greed, immorality, and the abandonment of God. The family is the protector of all.
What does the Church say about the family? In the "Compendium" it says the family is "the first natural society, with underived rights that are proper to it, and places it at the center of social life." (No. 211). It is where children are first taught about right and wrong, are first introduced to Christ, and are first introduced to pride in family and country. Parents are bestowed with gifts from God to teach their children. Not anyone else. It is one of the parent's main duties to assure the proper education of their children. This can take several forms, but is extremely important. If you let the government, or the world, be the ones to teach your children, is it any surprise when have no respect for you, or the Faith, for authority, or the country? To often I think parents today forget that it is THEIR duty to make sure their children are properly educated.
What did the Founders of America, who established the government of the country, have to say? This is a bit harder to find, as at the time, the family was not under assault like it is today. Everyone knew marriage was between a man and a woman. Divorce was largely frowned upon, unless there was a very grave matter. Children out of wedlock was not acceptable. The father was their for his children. In the rural areas, the parents may be the only source of teaching for their children. The traditional family was viewed as normal, and necessary.
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other" says John Adams. Well doesn't that explain why we are where we are? I think it's easy to answer if we are a moral society. Do we value life? No. We kill babies by the millions. Do we value commitment? No, divorce and single parent homes abound. Do we value religion? Not at all, we cancel it and remove it at every turn. Do our representatives work for the good of the people? They all come out rich while we sit struggling, so I don't think so. Do we respect the rights of others? Patriot Act anyone? Unfair and excessive taxes anyone? Do we practice God's laws? No, we allow and even celebrate homosexuality, gender fluidity, etc. Do we practice responsible capitalism? No, we are as greedy as can be. Do we fit the definition of a moral and religious society? Definitely not. At the core of it all is the family. We must do better.
So what can we do? Here are a few ideas. One, live within your means. Less debt means a better likelihood of the dad being able to provide well for his family, and able to spend more time with his wife and kids. It allows the wife to focus on the home, and work only if she wants to, in ways that don't take away from the kids. Two, homeschool your kids. I realize this is a tremendous undertaking, and a huge sacrifice, but it is the surest way to make sure your kids are not indoctrinated by the outside world. Three, instill family pride. I think this was a huge loss from tradition. Fear of slandering the family name helped keep kids, and anyone with the name, from getting into trouble. Your name meant something. Bringing back family crests could be a great idea! Four, control the outside influences. Don't let your kids watch just anything, don't let them use phones or social media, and control the internet! Choose who is in their life. Five, encourage a love of good reading! This, to me, is one of the greatest gifts I received, and I have learned more from reading good books, than from many school classes.
I'll leave this here. Those are just five things that come to mind. Again, I don't claim to have all the answers, or the only answers. I just hope something I say sparks you to make a good decision for yourself and your family. Thank you for reading, and God bless!