Social Trends

In our last class we discussed the research on societal trends of the family over the last 50 years. We learned, in some great detail, that the family structure is under serious attack. We found that divorce rates are up, premarital sex is up, number of marriages are down, cohabitation is up, number of kids are going down, the number of people living alone are going up, social activities in families are going down, there are more mother's at work, and there is a rise in the number of births to unwed women. We were then asked to discuss in small groups whether or not these issues are Significant, Interesting, or No Big Deal to us. The results of the class startled me. In a class of approx 50 students issues of fewer kids, mothers at work, social activities, and cohabitation were very mixed. Lots of people felt they were simply interesting and some even thought they were no big deal. My group came to the consensus that all these issues were significant and were REAL threats to the family today. I thought back to recent and past General Conference addresses and all of these issues were either mentioned or spoken about in great detail. Satan is working overtime to destroy the family. These issues are just a few of the ways that he fights against the family and according to these statistics his methods are doing more damage than we realize. I believe these issues are real and that they important to keep in mind as we deal with our families so that we do not become the statistic. May we all reach and cleave unto the Lord for strength to fight off the advances of the adversary and find lasting happiness in our family.