Voter Values #3

This is week 3 of 4 articles which I am going to provide my thoughts and others such as the Family Research Council (www.FRC.org). Obviously these thoughts will focus on the upcoming election. Today’s thought comes from Mr. J. Kenneth Blackwell Senior, Fellow for Human Rights and Constitutional Governance at Family Research Council.

Politicians often argue the solution to reducing crime is more government programs or building bigger jails. Yet government cannot adequately address the underlying problems of criminal behavior or fill the holes in people’s lives. What families need more than government programs are married fathers and mothers together in the home and faithful churches on the corner. Within families, children learn how to govern their lives. Churches help to reinforce these principles and strengthen the family in its role. When these institutions are weak or absent from peoples’ lives, society becomes increasingly dependent on government to impose restraint. The evidence is overwhelming; when families are broken, children are more likely to engage in criminal behavior. Having both mother and father as mutually supporting authority figures in a child’s life to provide leadership and security is vitally important for a child in many ways, both physically and emotionally.

Researchers find, for example, that: Children raised in non-intact homes are more likely to engage in violent crimes; Children who grow up without a father in the home are also significantly more likely to be incarcerated as adults; Children and youth in married-parent homes are also less likely to be victims of violence and maltreatment; and Children in married-parent homes are far less likely to experience other types of child abuse (emotional or sexual abuse).

Sadly, it is not always possible for a child to be raised by a married mother and father, yet more can be done to address the high rate of unwed childbearing in the United States, which has soared over the past five decades, as well as the historically high divorce rate. Churches need to teach there is an authority higher than man-made government and our rights are gifts from a loving God, not privileges granted by government. Faithful churches inform the conscience about right and wrong, teach that each life has a purpose and individuals are responsible for their lives and others’. Individuals who attend church regularly, compared to those who attend rarely or never, are significantly less likely to engage in violent behavior against their partners. Research also shows, for youth, involvement in religious communities and groups may protect them against engaging in delinquent behaviors. Youth who participate in religious activity, such as prayer, reading or watching religious content, are less likely to display antisocial behavior.” The family is the incubator of liberty. Religious congregations reinforce the principles taught in the home and support the family in its role of raising the next generation. Society thrives when families and religious communities are strong and when the principles they cultivate inform the daily choices and personal conduct of their members. Government cannot replace the kinds of support offered by the family or a religious community.

Do you know where your candidate stands on Traditional Marriage? If not, find out!

Do you know where your candidate stands on Religious Freedom? If not, find out!