Whose Values Are Family Values? | The Institute for Creation Research

Whose Values Are Family Values?

There is much talk of family values these days. Politicians of all stripes claim to be for "family values." But upon inspection, their lives are characterized by divorce and adultery, their children being raised by day-care centers, and their voting records in support of homosexual causes, pornography, abortion, euthanasia, etc. They seem to be asking voters to believe that words speak louder than actions.

Indeed, it causes us to ask just what are true family values and on what do we base them? I submit that family values are "creationist" values given to families by the Creator of families.

For example, consider the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it is said, that "by Him were all things created" (Colossians 1:16). "From the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh. . . . What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Mark 10:6-9).

It was "not good that man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18), so the Creator instituted marriage for the good of mankind. Eve had been formed from Adam's very flesh and bone, having been created from his side. Just as Adam and Eve were truly "one flesh" (Genesis 2:24), marriage yields a full unity between husband and wife. Neither Adam nor Eve could undo their "one flesh" nature. That is His design for us as well. As Jesus quoted Genesis to establish His own doctrine of marriage, He repeated the charge that the couple should "cleave" to one another in a lifelong union of fidelity.

Similar doctrines could be established from the Creator's designs for raising children (i.e., Genesis 1:28; Ephesians 6:4), regarding the benefit of work (i.e., Matthew 25:21; I Thessalonians 4:11), of abstaining from excessive debt (i.e., Proverbs 22:7), of the wife's primary responsibility in the home (i.e., Titus 2:4), etc.

Contrast this perspective with the applications of evolutionary thought, from "social Darwinism" to modern sociobiology, which seeks to apply animal behavior to human society. Just this fall there has been a spate of newspaper and magazine articles condoning infidelity in marriage because few animals limit themselves to one sex partner. "We are the descendants of animals, that behavior led to our evolution, and we have inherited their genes, so their behavior must be appropriate for humans," they seem to imply. One article even justified the philandering of President Clinton on the basis that the chief male gorilla has complete access to the females. Similar studies and claims are made for killing unwanted offspring, abandonment of the elderly, homosexual encounters, and abuse of females and children by males, etc.

Wrong thinking will always result in wrong behavior, and our country is suffering the results of wrong thinking and wrong teaching. Consequently, I encourage our readers to apply creationist/Christian thinking to their selection of our future political leaders.

*Dr. John Morris is President of ICR.

Cite this article: John D. Morris, Ph.D. 1998. Whose Values Are Family Values?. Acts & Facts. 27 (11).

The Latest
NEWS
Creation's Easter Message
While many Christians still consider the creation doctrine a fringe issue, a proper understanding of the Christian message finds creation at its core...

NEWS
ICR Veteran Don Barber Retires
Don Barber   After 34 years with the Institute for Creation Research, Director of Enterprise Technology Don Barber will retire...

CREATION.LIVE PODCAST
The Sanctity of Life | Creation.Live Podcast: Episode 23
Abortion is a big issue culturally and in the church. How can believers love our neighbors and act as the hands and feet of Christ when it comes...

NEWS
Plant Receptors Are Designed to Control Immunity and Development
God has designed plants to continuously track their environment.1 They do so with specially designed detectors (also called receptors) on...

CREATION PODCAST
Homo Naledi: The Lies Behind Evolution's Rising Star | The Creation...
Homo naledi, once evolution's 'rising star,' was considered to be a prime example of human evolution. But is it really proof? Or...

NEWS
A Subsurface Ocean on Mimas?
Scientists have analyzed data obtained from the Cassini spacecraft and concluded that irregularities in the orbit of Saturn’s moon Mimas indicate...

NEWS
In Theaters March 20 & 21: The Ark and the Darkness
Is Genesis true? What about Noah’s Flood? How did Noah fit the animals on the ark? Wasn’t it a local flood? Have you asked these questions? Though...

NEWS
Enigmatic Fossil Plants
The pre-Flood world thousands of years ago was unlike the world of today.1 Unfamiliar animals and plants were common, and there were a lot...

NEWS
Surprisingly Colorful Fossil Snail Shells
Finding organic compounds such as flexible dinosaur collagen and complete bone cells1,2 is becoming common, much to the shock and consternation...

NEWS
March 2024 ICR Wallpaper
"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said." (Matthew 28:6 NKJV) ICR March 2024 wallpaper is now available for mobile, tablet,...