Marriage is the Foundation of Civilisation
The Ruth Institute is celebrating National Marriage Week in the USA, February 7-14, by launching its online Marriage Resource Centre. “We’re always eager to promote lifelong married love, especially this past year when couples faced so many challenges getting married,” said Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D., president and founder of the Ruth Institute.
The Ruth Institute’s celebration of National Marriage Week seeks to inspire people to get married and stay married, by showing them the benefits of marriage to individuals, children, and society at large.
“Marriage is the foundation of civilisation, the most reliable social structure for raising helpless bundles of self-centred neediness (namely infants) to become responsible, caring adults. Children raised by their married biological parents, are better adjusted, better students, and more likely to avoid destructive adolescent behaviour, including drugs, alcohol, and crime.”
“More importantly,” Morse continued,
“children are entitled to a relationship with both parents, unless an unavoidable tragedy prevents it. Every person, without exception, is entitled to know the identity of their parents, which is the key to knowing their genetic background and cultural and social heritage. Lifelong married love protects these legitimate interests of children.”
The Marriage Resource Center hosts inspiring stories of couples who overcame COVID-19 lockdown obstacles to get married this past year. The Ruth Institute’s celebration will also include interactive posts on their Facebook page, as well as a host of videos and articles.
The Marriage Resource Center provides a helpful Marriage Fact Sheet, interviews with family scholars on the philosophy and theology of marriage, and perhaps most importantly, practical resources to help couples live out their marriage vows.
Morse noted,
“The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights calls families formed through marriage, ‘the natural and fundamental group unit of society,’ which is, ‘entitled to protection by society and the state.’
“Married men and women are healthier, happier, live longer and are more successful than their single counterparts. But sadly, in the United States, marriage is on the decline. While 70% of American adults were married in 1970, by 2018, that figure had fallen to 50%. Men and women are also marrying later in life and having fewer children — all to the detriment of society.”
Morse concluded,
“Without marriage, we become isolated individuals committed only to ourselves, our career, and the latest fads. We invite everyone to join the Ruth Institute in celebrating National Marriage Week.”
Morse made these marriage arguments in her 2001 book, Love and Economics: It Takes a Family to Raise a Village.
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