| The attack on marriage |
| It is becoming increasingly apparent in many parts of the modern world that the decline in respect for marriage, and the resulting instability of family life are bringing many ugly and serious long-term consequences. In some areas the very survival of civil society appears to be under threat. The climate of permissiveness that has been promoted over the past half century in the name of freedom of the individual has encouraged many people to think that stable marriage of a man and woman does not matter. It is seen as just one among a number of options, including �trial marriage�, living together, homosexual unions, the �singles� culture and deliberate single motherhood. The words �marriage�, �husband� and �wife�, have in some countries become taboo even in official documents. We are now all �partners� so that nobody feels excluded. The threat to marriage and the family has come from various sides: From the fading of Christian and other religious beliefs and the moral systems they supported for centuries; from some sections of the women�s liberation movement and the gay rights groups; and from the media which has glamorized adultery and promoted �alternative lifestyles�. Developments in technology have also contributed. Labor saving devising at home has freed women from some of the labor of housework only to managing a job as well as home and children. Contraception and easy access to abortion have encouraged unmarried girls into early sexual experimentation. They have also led to a shrinking population in Europe. In the face of these social changes parliaments and other law-makers found it expedient to follow the fashion and make changes in the law to accommodate people�s desires and new �lifestyles�. Divorce was made easy. Abortion on demand was legalized. Laws against homosexual acts were repealed. Some countries made it lawful for prostitutes to operate and advertise their services on television. Several countries introduced legislation making it illegal for parents to smack their own children in the course of discipline! Caning in school was also widely prohibited, resulting in youth with total loss of fear of any authority. At the same time, human dignity and the spiritual values of faithfulness and commitment have been undermined by a relentless stream of violence and explicit sex on the screen, through the cinema, television, video and internet. Almost every child in the developed world now grows up with pornography, violence, rape and murder conveyed to him or her as fit entertainment for a human being. The rest of the world is fast catching up. |