Four Moral Dilemmas Facing Families
Our Children Don't Stand a Chance
![You can do something to start reversing these trends in American society. You can do that today by evaluating your own relationship with God. Get out your Bible and read His Word. A little boy in a large concrete drain tube playing.](https://www.ucg.org/files/styles/full_grid9_breakpoints_theme_top_hat_mobile_1x/public/image/article/four-moral-dilemmas-facing-families-our-children-dont-stand-a-chance.jpg?timestamp=1512417911)
Given the groundswell of attention given to the issue of gay marriage in the last decade and the increasing acceptance of homosexuality, the recent Supreme Court decision is not surprising. What is surprising to me is the level of publicity given to this particular issue by both the media and religious organizations over the years. We have far more severe moral problems in this country that we should be working to address as much as, if not more than, gay pride. Here are four of them that are wreaking havoc on the children of this country.
1. We are killing our children
We are killing more than 1 million unborn children each year in America through abortion. Since Roe v. Wade made abortions legal in 1973, there have been over 54 million—almost one sixth of the population of our country today. This is a genocide that few acknowledge or feel the impact of today! For example, this is part of the reason why Social Security is going bankrupt: We have killed the labor force that should have been paying into it.
2. We are not giving our children stable family lives
Forty percent of American children are born out of wedlock. Additionally, 41 percent of "first marriages" end in divorce. These situations are difficult for the parents involved, but the real tragedy is how it affects their children. This lack of stability and support for children at home correlates with nearly every bad outcome you could want for your child, from having sex at an earlier age to spending time in prison.
If that weren't bad enough, divorce causes emotional and psychological scars on children that last for years, and that burden is impossible to quantify. No wonder our loving God said, "I hate divorce!" and, "To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty" (Malachi 2:16, New Living Translation). What mother (or father, for that matter) wants to see their child suffer as a result of their failed marriage?
3. We do not teach our children about God at school
In 1962, the landmark court decision of Engel v. Vitale determined that public schools could not hold school-sponsored prayers. This single court ruling has been sensationalized over the decades as "kicking God out of public schools." However, in the light of what has followed, can we really deny that God has been marginalized in the classroom? Children are at school for one third of their day for five days a week during the academic year. The curriculum actively tries to exclude the God of the Bible in order to avoid the appearance of pushing Christianity on unwilling young minds.
But the opposite is actually happening—by leaving God out of our children's education, we are pushing secularism on unwilling young minds. This creates a cycle that pushes children of each new generation a step further away from a loving God who wants to help them live a good life.
4. We do not teach our children about God at home
This is the most unfortunate and most uncomfortable reality in America. We do not follow God's commandments. We do not study the Bible. We do not teach His ways to our children at home because we do not know God ourselves. God does not want it to be this way! When we do not follow God—whether as individuals or as a nation—we suffer for it. The hardships mentioned in this article about divorce and sex outside of marriage are proof enough of that suffering. But God's commandments reveal a way of life that is fulfilling and loving, that makes us successful, and that ultimately leads to eternal life with Him! Every other way of life leads to heartache, hardship, and worry, not to mention death.
Thankfully, you can do something to start reversing these trends in American society. You can do that today by evaluating your own relationship with God. Get out your Bible and read His Word. When you know what to do, start doing it. When you are ready to share what you've learned with others, do your best to lead them towards the only thing that can save America from itself: obedience to the living God.