The Antichristian Phenomenon

Religion and family have had a close link throughout the history of humanity. The Catholic Church played a key role in the development of the family during their roughly 1000 year period in which the Vatican was the chief influence in European political and social aspects. Although it was mainly a union for economic purposes during the majority of human history, the Vatican strongly supported the family as a social unit, and to the present still is one of the main supporters of traditional family values.

One must consider the effects that religious belief may have on the family structure, and on individual members of a family.
Regular religious attendance is an activity which draws families together; furthermore, religion’s view of marriage as a sacred union may influence a couple’s marital stability, and make them more likely to stay together during more difficult times. Religious morals may also affect family life, such as dictating appropriate activities, for example summer camps or certain television programming, in which family members may take part in. Religious morals and beliefs may also have a strong effect on children, and may be a major influence in how a child’s personality is formed.

However, one may also find misconceptions about the role of religion in a family, such as the issue of whether to raise a child religiously or not. This is especially true in interfaith marriages, where conflict may arise because of a disagreement in values, which had never arisen before. Based on current studies, the hypothesis would assume that religious families spend more time together, and have closer emotional bonds when compared to families in which religion does not play a major role in. However, many of the studies found seem to be from Christian sources, and there may be a certain level of bias when they conduct studies involving their own religion. Additionally, the main religion focused upon in this essay is Christianity, as it is the prevailing religion in Canada, as well as in Western society.

Does religious attendance draw families together?

Regular religious attendance has a great potential to bring families closer together and unite them under a common topic or interest. Many Christian churches also have youth groups, which provide positive environments for children and youth attending religious services, and offer special summer camps and trips. If a family can unite and spend time together during church hours, it will strengthen their emotional bonds, which would be beneficial in the long run.

Additionally, according to Jones (2005), family is “vitally important to most religious traditions in 2 interconnected ways.” (p. 2981) The first would be various rituals and processes performed by, to, and for the family in order to help create and sustain the family unit, provide it with meaning, and also to function as an important symbol of a deity. (Jones, 2005) In this view, family is seen as an extension of the Christian God, and a major part of the Christian faith. Additionally, “Religious devotion, or the lack of it, has been associated with marital stability, family size, and premarital sex.” (Clark, 1998, p. 2) Secondly, those who attend religious services weekly tend to place greater importance on lasting relationships, being married, and having at least one child when compared to people who do not attend religious services; weekly attendees are also more supporting of the family and the nurturing role of women (Clark, 1998, p. 4)

Religion has a great potential to bring a family together, as it can be viewed as a similar life philosophy and shared activity, but extreme religion can also tear families apart. There are a number of cults who wish their members to isolate themselves from others, including their family members if those individuals do not agree with the cult’s agenda. There have been a number of extremely destructive Christian cults in the United States, such as the Branch Davidians, who isolated themselves in their compound near Waco, Texas and violently resisted ATF and FBI agents during a two-month siege, which ended with the compound being burned, and the loss of 82 lives, including 21 children. The Branch Davidian leader, David Koresh had also required that couples inside the compound dissolve their marriages, and the wives would be allowed to have sexual relationships only with him. Extreme religion is very destructive to any individual’s mental well-being, leading people to be deluded, and can easily break up even the strongest of family relationships. The Church of Scientology has also been known to require its members to break off contact with their families and friends, and focus solely on their studies within the cult and other Scientologists.

As with any regular activity, religion has the potential to unite families, but there are certain aspects of religion that can be very destructive to an individual, as well as their relationships to friends and family members.

Does religious devotion affect marital stability?

Marriage and family are seen as sacred unions in the Christian faith, and there have been studies that show regular attendees at religious services place more value on their marriage and their roles as parents than people who do not attend religious services.

According to Clark, W. (1998): “Weekly attendees of religious services – both mend and women – placed greater importance on lasting relationships, being married… “ (p. 4)

Clark’s (1998) study also found that:

Religion plays an important role in the formation of attitudes to marriage and subsequent marital behavior. For example, acceptance of biblical teachings about the sanctity of marriage and prohibitions against adultery may act as a barrier against divorce by reducing the likelihood of infidelity. (p. 3)

By socializing strong family values from a young age, biblical teachings influence adults to also be more forgiving of a spouse’s lack of love and respect, and religious couples are also more likely to stay married for the sake of the children. (Clark, 1998, p. 3) Married couples who regularly practice religion are more likely to work together, perceive more benefits from marriage, and are less likely to use aggression or reach no conclusions about their disagreements. (Fagan, 2006) Religious devotion may also help couples during hard times, thus making their marriage more stable.

Religious devotion could also become a problem in interfaith marriages, especially if one spouse is strongly religious while the other is not; this could lead to extended conflicts in values and beliefs. However, this would more likely be the result of poor choice of a life partner by both individuals.

How do religious morals affect family life?

Numerous morals can begin to take root from religious belief regarding one’s behavior as an individual and as a member of a family: lack of sexual relationships before marriage, a desire to help others, a greater ability for forgiveness, or the moral obligation to save others.

Religious families value their time spent together more, as “weekly attendees place more importance on home life”. (Clark, 1998, p. 3) In addition to placing greater value on the time spent together, religious families may also enjoy more activities together, such as church retreats. Youths who come from families which are actively involved in religious activities also tend to enjoy stronger family relationships than youths who come from non-religious families. (Williamson, 2003) Youth who come from religious families are more likely to enjoy good relationships with their parents, and they are also more likely to participate in family activities such as playing board games, eating dinner together, and traveling together. Youths whose parents attend religious services at least weekly are also more likely to have parents who were strict, but offered praise; parents who knew their close friends’ parents and where their children were when they were not at home; as well as fathers who were positive role models. (Williamson, 2003)

Religious morals in general have a positive effect on family life, although again, extreme religious devotion can inspire morals which enslave an individual to their faith rather than benefit their life.

How do religious morals affect children?

Young children have tender sensibilities, and they tend to internalize a lot of advice without critically thinking about it first, as their brain has not developed enough for them to think analytically of any issues they are told about. This can sometimes be tolerated, but when life values and crucial morals are involved, one must be careful what a child is taught. Once again, religion goes both ways towards socializing a child: It can be beneficial, and teach the child strong family values; or it can be harmful if the child is indoctrinated too strongly, and may lead to the child never developing an adequate level of critical thinking skills because they are taught not to question their beliefs and accept what they have been taught from the Bible.

A study from the University of North Carolina has stated that “Religious 12^th graders argued with parents less, skipped school less, exercised more, participated more in student government and faced fewer detentions, suspensions and expulsions.” (Williamson, 2003) If children are influenced early in life by religious values, they will retain those values, leading to less rebellion in their teen years, a portion of the study also concluded.

Children who regularly attended religious services with their parents well into their late teens have also been found to have a much stronger relationship with their parents, even when they reach adulthood and leave home. (Fagan, 2006)

Despite all the positive effects, parents who indoctrinate their children into faith too strongly from a very early age may harm the child’s psyche. The child may be taught only one way to explain and think about the world, such as the Biblical view. This can lead to the child being very close-minded in later years, even refusing to accept scientific facts, and holding contempt for other philosophies.

Are there any misconceptions about the role of religion in a family?

The typical assumed, stereotypical view of religion on the family is that it provides emotional and spiritual support, brings families closer together and provides strong, positive role models. However, this can be the source of conflict within families and communities.

Couples in interfaith marriages may tolerate each other’s views, but when they have a child, they may find they have strong differences of opinion regarding how the child should be raised. These conflicting views, such as which religion to raise the child in can lead to a break-up of the relationship. (Bortolotti, 1999)

Indoctrinating children into religious beliefs may also include forcing certain ideas upon a child that does not understand them. A 2-year old child is no more a Christian than s/he is a member of the Postal Workers Union, as they simply cannot understand the concepts and ideas upon which religion was formed.

Conclusion

In a modern ever-changing society, it is important to understand the family, which is one of the main societal and economical units that exist today. It is important to understand what factors contribute positively to a family environment, as well as which factors have negative effects on family aspects. As previously studied during the course, society faces many different problems, one of which is people deciding to have fewer children. Understanding the factors which lead to this occurrence is crucial in order to encourage couples to have more children, as well as providing positive, encouraging environments for any existing children. As religion has been one of the main driving forces promoting family values throughout a large part of human history, the link between religious beliefs should be clearly understood, in order to encourage and influence future demographics towards goals which will benefit society and the environment.

Having concrete studies about the effects religion, or lack thereof, has on the family would also help researchers who study the topic, as they would be better equipped to analyze, summarize, and draw conclusions from any new findings. Establishing a positive link between religion and better performance in school, and also lower rates of drug use in teenagers, may provide evidence on the debate of whether there should be prayer in schools or not, although this issue is more prevalent in the United States than Canada. Social service agencies may also suggest regular attendance at a religious service for people who have had to deal with a major crisis in their life, as the support system of a congregation group may help them cope better.

According to a number of studies, the hypothesis was relatively well supported, as a lot of studies showed evidence that religious belief was associated with closer family relationships, lower rates of isolation and depression, and overall, higher satisfaction in life.

Further areas which could be studied are the effects of religious belief on how an individual forms their values and morals, as well as more detailed studies regarding the impact of religious belief on many personal choices. A large part of the studies seem to be conducted by Christians in the United States, which may show a certain level of bias trying to elevate their own religion. These same kinds of studies should be done by international committees at a global level to truly get a clear view of the link between religious belief and families, and the link between religious belief and many personal choices.

Works Cited

• Bortolotti, D. (1999). Keeping the Faith.
• Clark, W. (1998). Religious Observance, Marriage and Family. Canadian Social Trends, Autumn 1998 (Number 50), 2-7.
• Fagan, P. F. (December 18, 2006). Why Religion Matters Even More: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability.
• Jones, L. (2005). Family. In Encyclopedia of Religion (Vol. 5, pp. 2981). Famington Hills, Mi: Thomson Gale.
• Williamson, D. (May 7, 2003). Religion linked to stronger family relationships, new research shows.

Works Referenced

• Bortolotti, D. (1999). Keeping the Faith.

  This Internet article provides observations about several religious families around Canada. It has insight into some of the problems they may face, such as in marriages where one spouse is religious while the other is not, which sometimes results in conflict over how any children should be raised. Other issues may include recent parents who have a memory of the church being very strict, and therefore do not wish to raise their children in a religious environment. This article provides useful information for the headings “How do religious morals affect children?”, and “Are there any misconceptions about the role of religion in a family?”.

• Carson, T. & Cerritto, J. (2003). Origin. In New Catholic Encyclopedia (Vol. 10, pp. 482). Detroit: Thomson Gale.

  Surprisingly, the New Catholic Encyclopedia did not have an entry on family, although the entry on “Origin” mentioned family. It stated that family and state are the beginning of natural societies, which provides good information for the heading “How do religious morals affect family life?”. Although the information about family was quite brief, it will still prove helpful and be a good reference for the essay.

• Clark, W. (1998). Religious Observance, Marriage and Family. Canadian Social Trends, Autumn 1998 (Number 50), 2-7.

  This is the original article which attracted my interest on this topic. The article is relatively detailed, and shows several Canadian studies to support its arguments. Generally, the article describes how religious people place more importance on home life, have longer, happier marriages, and feel better about themselves. The statistics shown in the article will be helpful for the headings “How religious attendance draws families together”, “How does religious devotion affect marital stability?”, and “How do religious morals affect family life?”.

• Clark, W. (2003). Pockets of Belief: Religious Attendance Patterns in Canada. Canadian Social Trends, Spring 2003 (Number 68), 2-5.

  This is an article about the reports of a Canadian study on patterns of religious attendance in Canada. It talks about noticeable changes observed in contrast with past studies, such as a large drop in religious attendance in Quebec, or small increases in Toronto and Vancouver while the country was generally experiencing waning rates of attendance. The article also describes several factors which may influence attendance at religious institutions. It will be helpful when writing under the headings “

• Coontz, S. (2005). Marriage: a History. Toronto: Penguin Group.

  This book describes the detailed history of marriage throughout human history. Although it is mainly about marriage, there are some links to the effects of religion on marriage and how people choose partners, and the effect the Catholic Church has had on marriage and family life. Although the information is quite brief on the link of religion to family life, this source will prove valuable for the headings “How do religious morals affect family life?”, “How does religious devotion affect marital stability?”, and “How religious attendance draws families together”.

• Fagan, P. F. (December 18, 2006). Why Religion Matters Even More: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability.

  This is a detailed and thoroughly referenced article written by Patrick Fagan, a former employee of The Heritage Foundation, and holder of a doctorate in social policy from the University of Dublin. It provides summaries from numerous previous studies, which link religion positively to marital stability, family life, behavior of children and youth within families, and parent-child relationships, among many other factors. This resource is an excellent source of information for the whole essay, especially for the headings “How does religious devotion affect marital stability?” and “How do religious morals affect children?”.

• Gairdner, William D. (1992). The War Against the Family: A Parent Speaks Out on the Political, Economic, and Social Policies That Threaten Us All. Toronto: Stoddart.

  Although quite old, this book seems to be written from the point of view of a strong conservative Christian, and the author argues for the same conservative ideas Christian fundamentalists are arguing for today. The book covers a wide range of topics regarding the family and family life. Because of the slight bias of the author, this resource will prove useful when explaining the heading “Are there any misconceptions about the role of religion in family?”, as the author seems to hold opinions about family life which do not apply to every religious family.

• Jones, L. (2005). Family. In Encyclopedia of Religion (Vol. 5, pp. 2981). Famington Hills, Mi: Thomson Gale.

  The Encyclopedia of Religion offers a detailed definition of family. It also talks about the link religion holds to family, such as the religious purpose of the family, and its functions. It will prove helpful to explain several headings, such as “Are there any misconceptions about the role of religion in a family?”, “How do religious morals affect family life?”, and “How religious attendance draws families closer together”.

• Tossutti, L.S., & Wang, M. (June 1, 2006). Family and Religious Networks: Stimulants or Barriers to Civic Participation and the Integration of Newcomers?

  This is a detailed, 27-page university paper presented to the Canadian Political Association at York University by 2 associate professors. The paper talks about the influence of family and religious institutions to the socializations of many Canadians, and how they are often an individual’s first connection to the social world. One of the goals of the study conducted was to examine the relationship between family and religious networks, which will probably be the aspect of the paper I will mainly focus on when referencing my final essay.

• Williamson, D. (May 7, 2003). Religion linked to stronger family relationships, new research shows.

  This is a short news article, reporting on a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The study in question shows evidence that youth in families actively involved in religious activities tend to enjoy stronger relationships with their parents that youth whose families have little or no religious involvement. The short news report concludes by providing several statistics, and saying that this study may be a good start towards improving the quality of life youth enjoy in America. Although short, the article will provide good information for the headings “How do religious morals affect family life?” and How do religious morals affect children?”.

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