The Family

Key Idea: All members of a family are equal and equally important - all all have equal responsibility for their family

What is a family ?

• A husband and a wife with children (Nuclear family);
• A biologically related group (Extended family);
• People living in one house (Compound family);
• One parent family;
• The group one grows up in.

The family is our basic social unit. It is the smallest and most common group in our society. It is found in every country and in every age through history. Every family is different and may vary greatly from the "ideal" family in the soap powder ads !

Family life and the Bible

In the Hebrew Testament there are specific references to the family;

"Honour your mother and Father" [Exodus 12, 5th Commandment]
"Listen to your Father who gave you life and do not despise your mother when she is old"
[Proverbs 23:22]

In the New Testament we read in Luke's gospel that Jesus was a good son to his parents. When he was older he was very concerned for his Mother, who was a widow, and at his death he asked his friend John to look after Mary his mother after he was gone (John 19). Jesus taught that human beings, as well as giving love, need to receive it. In terms of the family it means that all the relationships (parent-child, brother-sister etc.) should be loving, caring, loyal and respectful - treating people as individuals in their right. The ideal Christian family life is founded on;

Duty: Husbands and wives should respect each other. Children should respect their parents' authority. Children are to be cared for and treasured, each individual in the family should work hard to keep the family happy and stable

Love:Families are based on love. It is a deep and spontaneous kind of love that is freely given and received.

Pressures on the family

There are many social and economic pressures and problems which the modern family may face:

• Living apart from each other;
• Unemployment & financial pressures;
• Easier divorce mean more one parent families;
• Higher expectations from marriage;
• Both parents having to work;
• Violence & emotional tensions;
• Longer life expectancy and better medical care means longer marriages

The church and the family

All the Christian churches put great emphasis on the family. It is seen as an institution that is necessary for the stability of society and one that is ordained by God.

"All members of the family, each according to his or her own gift, have the grace and responsibility of building day by day the community of persons making a family a school of deeper humanity. This happens when there is care and love for the children, the aged and the sick; where there is a sharing of goods, of joys and of sorrows"

Pope John Paul II

The emphasis which Christianity gives to the family is reflected in the activities and organisation of the church.

• Marriage is seen as the basis for family life and this is marked by a special ceremony.
• Children are seen as a gift from God. The ceremonies of Baptism and confirmation welcome the young person into the family of the church.
• Worship involves the family in many ways, the Sunday service in many churches is called the family service.
• Politically the church is and has been opposed to legislative measures which it sees as threatening to the family, eg: the relaxation of the divorce laws.

The family of the church For a Christian they are also part of a much larger family, all those who belong to their church and to the Christian church as a whole. This family will also offer them support and comfort, and share in their times of joy.

see also: Marriage and Divorce & re-marriage