Family

The family is the cornerstone of society. Marriage and family were instituted by God as the best way of providing for society's future and for allowing caring relationships that respect the integrity of the other person.

God created man and woman and told Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply" in Genesis1:28.

In Genesis 2:24, we are told "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."

Marriage is between a man and a woman. Society has recognised and registered marriage because of the benefits it gives to society as well as the benefits it provides to husbands, wives and children.

The family formed by the marriage of a man and a woman and their biological children is part of God's plan for the structure of society.

The extended family - with its grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins - is also important to the well-being of society.

We know that the family with a husband and wife and their biological children provides the best outcome for everyone - the husband, the wife and the children.

Research on the family

Much research has been done that shows this but people often ask... 'What evidence is there that this natural family is the best situation for society?'

One organisation in the USA has collated a lot of the social science research on the family, society and religion - gleaned from peer-reviewed journals, books and government surveys.
The Heritage Foundation has a searchable database of such research.

The Heritage Foundation's research database is on a separate website called Family Facts.
It is an extremely helpful tool in finding out what the research REALLY shows!

The website lists research areas by category - such as 'Children & Teens' and 'Marriage & Divorce'. You can also conduct your own search by topic, keyword or author.

Article: "Families are important"
Following the launch of a major study on families by the Australian Institute of Family Studies on 24 November 2004, Jenny Stokes (Families are important) has addressed some of the matters raised in the study - such as the make-up of families, divorce, the length of marriages and the use of statistics.

See the AIFS summary by clicking here.

Parenting

We've added a great resource called the Practical Parenting Top Ten List. Click the Parenting tab to read it.