We ask you, urgently: don’t scroll past this
Dear readers, Catholic Online was de-platformed by Shopify for our pro-life beliefs. They shut down our Catholic Online, Catholic Online School, Prayer Candles, and Catholic Online Learning Resources—essential faith tools serving over 1.4 million students and millions of families worldwide. Our founders, now in their 70's, just gave their entire life savings to protect this mission. But fewer than 2% of readers donate. If everyone gave just $5, the cost of a coffee, we could rebuild stronger and keep Catholic education free for all. Stand with us in faith. Thank you.Help Now >
Opinion: Free Societies Depend on Strong, Sacrificial Fathers and Truly Free Families
FREE Catholic Classes
God's love was most fully revealed to us through the life, Passion and death of Jesus. Jesus showed us what Triune love looks like. When the love of God is manifested in space and time, it looks sacrificial. And this is how we take back our freedom. We put our family and our roles as fathers ahead of ourselves. We unite ourselves with God through prayer and allow His Spirit to transform us and our work. And then we work through the means that are open to us to transform our community and our country.
Highlights
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
6/21/2010 (1 decade ago)
Published in Living Faith
P>KNOXVILLE, TN (Catholic Online) - Who would have guessed that the sexual revolution, which began in the sixties, would lead to the downfall of fatherhood and freedom in our great country? I did not; but as I look back over the years, it seems so obvious to me, now. This Father's Day perhaps we can take a closer look at the connection between fatherhood and freedom. Then we can look at some ways to take our freedom back.
A negative change took place in society when the men of my generation began looking at women primarily as objects to be enjoyed and fatherhood as something to be avoided or made secondary. Not surprisingly, when these men eventually became fathers, they often did not take good care of their families, and the relationships within the family have been weakened. We do not want to admit this about ourselves, but the high divorce rate, and other social ills attest to this sad truth.
As our family relationships have deteriorated and social ills have risen, the federal government has moved in to intervene. Unfortunately, this intervention appears to be making matters worse. One reason may be that these so-called professionals have been trained under the rubric of "prevention." This is a dangerous idea. It assumes the government can resolve or minimize our family and social problems by preventing them before they happen. It can be done, but I do not believe that it can be done without trampling our constitutional rights and turning us into a nation of victims.
In addition, this federalized "solution" can violate the principle of subsidiarity. Families are the first government. The role of government beyond them should be to support, respect and empower them; not usurp their rightful role. Of course, the devastated state of the family has seemingly invited this usurpation. In a particular way, men have abdicated their role of providing protection, real love and effective care.
This is precisely what has happened since the men of my generation began looking at women primarily as objects and fatherhood as something to be secondary. We can find many examples in the news. A few examples demonstrate the detrimental effects. They also altered my thinking. They are as follows:
In 1998, five-year-old Chaquita Doman made the mistake of throwing a temper tantrum at school. It must have been horrific because he was charged with battery, a felony, and arrested.
In 2007, six-year-old Desre'e Watson threw a tantrum while at school in Avon Park, Florida. The whole episode was caught on video. Three police officers responded to the call. They bent her over a table, handcuffed her, and carted her off to the jail where they booked the little felon.
At the other end of the spectrum, social workers, making a "well-being check" at 82-year-old Lillian Fletcher's Chicago home in 2007, called police who tasered her for "swinging a hammer" (apparently, Lillian did not want or need a "well-being check," until she was tasered, that is).
Five and six-year-olds do not commit felonies. It is not possible. They have not reached the age of reason. Therefore, arresting them seems irrational and cruel. Tasering an 82-year-old woman is a vulgar abuse of power, stupid and dangerous. According to the UN Committee Against Torture and Amnesty International, there is a significant risk of death and torture associated with the use of tasers.
Our country has come to a point where in some cases the police are physically and psychologically abusing little children and elderly women, and then justifying their actions. Their actions are not justifiable; they are intolerable, and they should never happen in a free society! This is not freedom.
As an aside, it is not my intention to single out police officers. There are many good ones, and we need good ones (Car 54 Where Are You?). The attitude reflected in these examples exists throughout government, and some private institutions as well. I used these examples involving the police for two reasons. First, because they reflect this attitude graphically and truthfully. Second, because they helped me appreciate that free societies depend on strong fathers. Of course, this does not mean that all societies with strong fathers will be free. History tells us otherwise, but I believe that healthy fatherhood helps promote healthy societies.
We need to face a fact: freedom and well being are hard work. Others can not give us freedom. Only fathers have the motivation to do what it takes. Only fathers truly love their wives, children and elderly parents - as fathers; and it is this love that pushes fathers to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their loved one's freedom and well being.
It is easy to see how this makes sense on a natural level, but it also makes sense on a theological level as well. Fatherly love is meant to image God's love, as, in a different way, does a mother's love. We have an idea what God's love looks like from the book of Genesis. "God created man in his image, in the divine image he created him, male and female he created them" (Gn 1:27). God is a Communion, a Trinity of Persons whose love unites in a perfect unity. This communion of God's love is imaged for the world in the family who lives it fully.
"The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it" (Gn 2: 15)."In First Comes Love, Finding Your Family in the Church and the Trinity" Scott Hahn reminds us that when God told the man to care for the garden, He meant that the man should protect the garden and all that was in it. The garden can be understood as Adam's home and Eve became the center of his home. Thus, Adam was to protect Eve from Satan. Likewise, it is the role of fathers to protect their homes, wives, children, and elderly parents.
God's love was most fully revealed to us through the life, Passion and death of Jesus. Jesus showed us what Triune love looks like. When the love of God is manifested in space and time, it looks sacrificial. And this is how we take back our freedom. We put our family and our roles as fathers ahead of ourselves. We unite ourselves with God through prayer and allow His Spirit to transform us and our work. And then we work through the means that are open to us to transform our community and our country.
-----
Michael Terheyden was born into a Catholic family, but that is not why he is a Catholic. He is a Catholic because he believes that truth is real, that it is beautiful and good, and that the fullness of truth is in the Catholic Church. However, he knows that God's grace operating throughout his life is the main reason he is a Catholic. He is greatly blessed to share his faith and his life with his beautiful wife, Dorothy. They have four grown children and three grandchildren.
---
'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'
Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online
Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.
-
Mysteries of the Rosary
-
St. Faustina Kowalska
-
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
-
Saint of the Day for Wednesday, Oct 4th, 2023
-
Popular Saints
-
St. Francis of Assisi
-
Bible
-
Female / Women Saints
-
7 Morning Prayers you need to get your day started with God
-
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
5 Biblical Warnings We All Must Heed
-
WHAT WILL IT TAKE? | Bishop Strickland Calls Out Silent Bishops in Strong Public Letter
-
Giants of the Fallen: Unveiling the Mystery of the Nephilim from a Catholic Perspective
-
Ancient Wisdom, Modern Choices: How Ecclesiastes 10:2 Illuminates Today's Political Divide
-
How Do We Know Truth? A Catholic Perspective
Daily Catholic
- Daily Readings for Monday, November 18, 2024
- St. Rose Philippine Duchesne: Saint of the Day for Monday, November 18, 2024
- Bless Me, Heavenly Father.: Prayer of the Day for Monday, November 18, 2024
- Daily Readings for Sunday, November 17, 2024
- St. Elizabeth of Hungary: Saint of the Day for Sunday, November 17, 2024
- Prayer to Saint Anthony of Padua, Performer of Miracles: Prayer of the Day for Sunday, November 17, 2024
Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.
Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.