What ever happened to moral values in our land? Moral values in our culture were once developed primarily through the family, and basic to the understanding of the family was the deep awareness of the Judeo-Christian upbringing. In the Christian family in particular there was the concern for the focus on the teachings of Scripture. Proverbs 1:7 sets a pattern for the core of education: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” But, the fear or respect for the Lord God is increasingly being subtracted from education – from the cradle to the grave, and as a result the positive moral values are on the wane!

Some ask: “What are moral values, and what is the family?” The definition of moral values is becoming as loosely interpreted as the definition of family. The family is under attack from within with the lack of Christian commitment or at least positive moral fiber. It is under attack from without as many groups are even proposing homosexual families, and the definition of family becomes very nebulous. The media is increasingly ungluing the basic institutions of our land. This all has an effect on the educational patterns in our land. One result is much confusion to many about what really makes up morality and the family. But the relatedness of these is imperative for the right development!

People that have grown up in a tightly knit families where there is there has been genuine support and concern for well-being are more likely to have stronger moral values. But if you grew up in a home that was abusive or neglecting, or even too controlling with no general perceived interest in your well-being there is a more likely pattern for you to chose a path devoid of a strong connection between the two. The family is the first and primary school and basic to education throughout life!

John Locke (1632-1704), whose philosophy was basic to the formation of our nation, taught that the foundations of virtue are to be found in religion. He wrote in speaking of educating the youth that: “There ought to be imputed on his mind (the student) a true notion of God as an independent supreme being, author and maker of all things from whom we receive all our good, who loves us and gives us all things.” This is very much in accord with Proverbs 2:3-5, “If thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seeketh her as silver and search for her as for hid treasures; Then shall thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.”

Through the past fifty years there has been a huge shift in the way families are raised. Fifty years ago if one had a baby out of wedlock they were looked down upon, where today there are teens having babies in middle school, and it is applauded. It is at record heights! There are programs and support groups, and Uncle Sam kicks in financial support. It was not right to look down on the illegitimates, but neither is right to encourage it or applaud it. Nevertheless, it creates a problem in having the needed family structure in which to develop moral values. As the family erodes the moral values tend to corrode. And as the moral values erode the families corrode!

If there is a strong family upbringing and the child feels secure, whether it’s a religious house or not, they feel more confident in doing the right thing. They have better judgment when it comes to choosing their friends and they stay in a better position to handle peer pressure. The secret is making them care by showing them that you care. Through the Christ advent, we see our Heavenly Father cares.

Family living teaches way more than just instruction. Many parents try the “Do as I say, not as I do” method and find it backfires. But if the parents argue all the time, hit each other or the children; they show the kids that this is what life is like. So this what the children learn, and it is very difficult, if not impossible to reverse this.

One example common in many families is that the parents have fought the entire time that the kids were growing up. Then after the kids grow up and leave the nest, many parents just seek to close the book, but the story goes on. Many of these parents who neglected to form positive moral codes in their children often complain how they had tried and tried to talk to them, but the children would not listen. But the fact is that their actions spoke so much more loudly than their words. And the children left the nest without the moral training for life!

Most families are not dysfunctional, but the Christian faith is the best developer and redeveloper of families, and it provides the material for the right connection between the family and the best understanding of morality.

The breakdown in the family and the breakdown in positive moral values parallel each other. The Christian glue that holds them together is increasingly being removed from our culture that was once regarded as basic, from the government, the family, the school, and the church. We need to see what is happening and to seek to correct it!

by Joe Renfro, Ed.D., Radio Evangelist, Retired Teacher and Pastor, Box 751, Lavonia, Georgia 30553, 706-356-4173, joerenfro@alltel.net