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Humanism & the Family or Humanism's View of the Family vs. God's Family Introduction: In a little while we will be singing a song of invitation. We hope you will think about your soul and ask the question, "What must I do to be saved?" There is no question more important than that one. The answer is, the will of God. That will is revealed to us in the Bible. The theme throughout the Bible is the salvation of man. From the Garden of Eden to the Day of Pentecost and beyond we see God's eternal plan for redemption. Through Jesus all can be saved. We hope that if are not a Christian you will do what Jesus and God demands this morning. We have been studying the subject of humanism. It is not new nor does it claim to be new. "Humanism traces its roots from ancient China, classical Greece and Rome, through the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, to the scientific revolution of the modern world." Humanist Manifesto I. We see the humanist in Romans 1 as they rejected God and became foolish in their speculations. Humanism is like an octopus as its many arms branches out into many areas of our lives. One of those areas is our families and humanisms desire to re-define and restructure the home. I) What Does the Family Provide? Genesis 2.18 A) Companionship -- a sense of belonging B) Place for physical needs to be met, rearing of children, food, clothing, shelter, sexual needs, etc. C) Training and instruction -- we teach our children D) Spiritual instruction is to be in the home, Deut. 6.6-9; Ephesians 6.4; 2 Timothy 3.14-15 1. Many of our children's first spiritual lessons will have been around the dinner table, or at bed time. 2. Remember reading a little Bible story book and talking to my mom as she ironed the clothes. II) Humanism and the Home A) National Organization for Women (NOW) 1. Marriage is social and not spiritual a. Dictionary.com gives the following definition of marriage: the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc b. Notice the "religious" or spiritual nature of marriage is hardly talked about. 2. NOW has in the past viewed marriage as an arrangement by which men have dominated women. a. Women expect to do menial task such as cooking, sewing, cleaning, taking care of babies, etc. b. Obedience or submission is wrong c. Women should teach their daughters to not get married. 3. Over the last few years more of an effort has been made to make marriage simply a legal contract. 4. Advocate homosexual marriages as part of a person's right to their own sexuality. 5. In the 1970's there was the Equal Right Amendment (ERA) it failed to become an amendment but many of the things it advocated has become law. B) Results 1. See God as our Heavenly Father or the Son of God being omitted from Bibles. 2. Women at home being ridiculed 3. Government programs to substitute for the family. a. Our children are being seen as wards of the state and the parents deriving their authority from that state. b. "where the state is empowered by the majority of humans, it should possess unlimited authority over the family and even may (probably should) eradicte the religious establishment. In effect, the state may impose its standard of truth, justice, and virtue as long as the majority has elected the decision-making officials. -- Shadia Drury (2007) "Judicial Activism' and the Conservative Revolution" c. Tax credits given to families sending their children to day care. 5. Efforts have been made to push for homosexual marriages. a. DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) states that a homosexual marriage in one state may not be recognized in another state. b. The National Organization for Women calls on President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder to withdraw the U.S. Department of Justice brief filed in support of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and to publicly renounce this discriminatory law. -- June 16, 2009 III) The Bible & Marriage A) A Divine Institution (Relationship), Matthew 19.5-6 1. Between three parties; God, a man, and a woman a. This leaves out multiple partners, two men or two women b. The relationship between the man and woman as husband and wife is to be one of love and commonality. Colossians 3.19; Ephesians 5.25, 28-31 c. Man is to treat his wife as the weaker vessel, 1 Peter 3.7. Weaker vessel is one more delicate, also more valuable. C) The Three C's of Marriage 1. Communication - teenagers spend hours on the phone, text messaging each other, in class talking to each other. a. Don't quit talking to each other after you get married. b. Do you know what is going on in your home? With your children? What are they learning at school? Who are they hanging around with? 2. Care -- 1 Timothy 5.8 means to provide a. Are we training our children? b. Are we providing what our marriages need? 3. Consideration for others a. Women are generally better trained at being wives and mothers than men are at being husbands and fathers. b. It has been said that no one is as sick as a man, Colossians 3.18 C) She needs to be honored for her role as mother and wife 1. Titus 2.4-5 gives us a job description for the younger women 2. The home should be the center of activity for the family. 3. Men are to be just as involved in the home as women; roles are different but each has a role to play, Titus 2.6-8 D) Value children 1. How many passages in the Bible speaks of children as blessing? Psalm 127.3-5; Proverbs 17.6 2. Often children are seen as a hindrance to our life style. Recent commercial with Tim Tebow and his mother. It never mentioned abortion but it did talk about the difficult decision his mother had to make while carrying Tim. It received a lot of criticism from those pro-abortion. 3. Know your children, talk with them Conclusion: We may not be able to change the way our society views marriage but we can make sure our homes are following God's word. Be loving husbands and wives; value our children, and be thankful for our homes. |