The liberal media recently attacked President Zuma for remarks he made on the “People of the South” TV show. Among other things, Mr. Zuma said,” it is not good for women to be single”.
In response to media criticism, the Presidency released a statement declaring that “President Jacob Zuma’s comments are informed by the need to strengthen the family as an institution”.
The Green Paper, released by the Department of Social Development, states that “Various societal forces, such as high levels of poverty and inequality; high unemployment, particularly among young people; teenage pregnancies; crime; unwanted pregnancies; HIV and AIDS; illiteracy; gender inequalities; absent fathers; former spouses or partners who impede fathers from playing a role in the lives of their children; domestic violence; and high numbers of orphaned and vulnerable children are acutely pronounced in South Africa, – due to weakening family structures.”
The statement says, “In a 2009 study, the South African Institute of Race Relations noted that family life in the conventional sense did not exist for many South African children. For example, almost 25 per cent of the country’s under-18’s were growing up without their biological parents.
The number had increased by about 100 000 a year, from 3.7 million in 2002 to 4.2 million in 2007. The number of children who had lost one or both parents to AIDS stood at 1.4 million.
In addition due to migrant labour and the economic situation, most children grow up in female-headed households with absent fathers. There is a disjuncture between the ideal of the family and the cherished beliefs about what families are and should be, and the role of both parents.”
Although I do not agree with everything in the Green Paper on Families, the document does summarise the most significant challenges facing the family in SA fairly accurately.
Predictably, Mr Zuma’s remarks and the Green Paper on Families were attacked by homosexual activists – who blame the natural family for all manner of social dysfunctions.
The facts are the two-parent biological family has proven to be the best environment in which to raise children. The natural family is also the most stable social unit to support a healthy and prosperous society – despite the best social engineering efforts of anti-family groups in SA.
The Church must encourage and support government to find real and lasting solutions to many of the social challenges ailing society. Society is only as strong as the family. So let’s start there.
We must therefore oppose policy proposals that undermine family life – like decriminalised prostitution, outlawing spanking in the home and usurping parental authority over children.
Extreme liberal laws on abortion, homosexuality and pornography, has plunged the nation into a downward moral spiral that many fear may be too late to rectify.
However, Jesus declared “With God all things are possible.” Matt 19:26. The Church possesses the authority and power to pull South Africa out of its downward moral spiral.
Together you and I can make the difference! Please help me defend the family and advance Biblical truth in Parliament, the media and general society. FPI will keep you informed and updated.
South Africa will never be a free nation until the Truth of Jesus Christ makes us free.
If we do it God’s way it will always be the right way. AMEN
There is no other way but God’s Way. The family institution must be preserved and let us follow the discipline of raising children in the knowledge of God as explained in the Bible as the only way for a stable family leading to a stable nation. Man’s way has led to disasters all the time and numerous examples have been provided in the Bible. There is need for reaching out with the Good News to those compnents of society that are yet in the dark!