Our Father Knows Best

Those of us who advocate for traditional values are sometimes accused of trying to take the country back to the 1950s, to a decade known for popular images captured in TV programs such as “Father Knows Best.” While the 1950s were far from a perfect era, some of the qualities associated with it are reassuring to families.

It was a time when two-parent families were the norm and children could pray in public school classrooms. It was a time when children were safe to play in the neighborhood and laws protected pre-born children. During this period of American history, our society acknowledged God, valued families and protected innocent human life.

While no one can, or would want to, turn back the hands of time, the direction of our public policies and cultural trends continues to move further away from promoting stable families and sheltering vulnerable human life. The last 50 years have brought seismic social change to our communities, nation and world — so much so that the days of “Father Knows Best” are a distant memory.

Atheists are in court to prevent school children from reciting the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. Innocent human life remains at risk through abortion, destructive embryo research and human cloning. Marriage — the most stabilizing influence in civilization — faces unprecedented attack by those who want to redefine it to include unions between individuals of the same sex.

Protecting life and marriage

At Focus on the Family, we believe our heavenly Father knows best. Scripture tells us human life is sacred because it bears God’s image, and marriage — between one man and one woman — is a reflection of God’s likeness (Genesis 1:27). We honor the Creator when we protect human life and respect marriage. While not every American recognizes the value of Christian teachings, our nation was founded by men and women who recognized a sovereign God.

More than three decades of aborting pre-born children have opened the door to destructive embryo research — experiments that dissect living humans in the name of scientific curiosity. At the same time, human cloning is pushing mankind across yet another threshold — that of creating new human life for its destruction in research experiments. Respect for life is slipping further from our grasp.

The sacred union of matrimony is also a targeted institution. With help from the courts, homosexual activists are making slow but steady progress in their bid to dismantle the centuries-old definition of marriage.

In recent years, voters in 18 states have fought these activists by passing state ballot initiatives declaring marriage as only between one man and one woman. These state constitutional marriage amendments find support among voters because people recognize the value of stable homes in a stable society, and they know redefining marriage to allow homosexual unions is a step in the wrong direction, especially for our children.

A deteriorating society that erases God from the minds and hearts of its people, disregards the value of life and toys with marriage, impacts every one of us. None of us are immune from the negative consequences of such decisions.

Protecting your family

The rights we hold dear as American citizens come with responsibilities. The right to live in a democratic republic includes the responsibility to participate in the process. The right to vote entails the responsibility to be registered and go to the polls. The right to free speech carries with it the responsibility to take a stand so your voice and values can be heard.

One easy way to participate is to sign up for Focus on the Family’s daily CitizenLink e-mail. You can find more information on this helpful resource at www.citizenlink.org.

For those of us who remember the ’50s — and for those who don’t — we must ask ourselves, “What kind of world do we want to leave our children and grandchildren?”

Will it be a culture that acknowledges God, honors marriage and defends life? Or one in which society eradicates religious freedom, discards the importance of a stable family and devalues vulnerable human life? Our heavenly Father does know best, and it’s up to us to bring His design and wisdom to the public square.