Tuesday, December 8, 2009

The family’s under attack? When?

I’ve been thinking about it, and i’ve realized much of what it is that bothers me about claims that the family is “under attack” (whatever that actually means)—the evidences supporting that claim are nearly always purely anecdotal, and terribly subject to confirmation bias. For example (to present an anecdote i’ve actually heard), i’ve heard evidences such as someone criticizing a family’s size presented as proof that the family is under attack. Really? Has anyone ever told these people that they have a very nice family? Shouldn’t that be taken as evidence that the family is not under attack?

7 comments:

Heather the Mama Duk said...

I think people mean the family is under attack via the media and prevailing opinions on the role of women. Plus there's the whole over-scheduling/dividing up the family/barely see each other as a family thing.

David B said...

Good to know that we’re part of a church that would never, say, book any of its members from 7:30a to 5:00p on Sunday, but rather let them spend the Lord’s day of rest with their families.

Or, put another way, do we need to buy a collective mirror?

Michelle said...

I've already made my opinion known on the "family under attack" topic. But I will say that I don't like the attack in reverse. We've been criticized at church by people with several kids for only having one child. You don't often hear about those attacks, but they exist.

Heather the Mama Duk said...

Our stake as well as our previous two are actually very specific about lowering the number and length of meetings, particularly on Sunday. There has been a huge push over the last few years to keep the families together most of Sunday, including the families of the bishop and his counselors.

David B said...

@Heather: Your stakes have been different than ours. Our last stake was the best i’ve seen, but even that one kept the bishop working on church business most of the day every Sunday except one day “off” per month. (They were good at limiting what was done during the week, though.)

Our current ward, the bishop’s at church all day every Sunday, and is booked two or three evenings a week—and he’s not nearly alone in that sort of schedule, it’s just easiest to point to a bishop’s load as a rough yardstick between wards.

Heather the Mama Duk said...

Ahhh, proof that the East Coast is the BEST!!!

Anonymous said...

Let me second Heather TMD. The family is under a more or less veiled attack. Gay marriage never was the biggest worry to me, since here civil unions have been going on for a while.

Actually, gay marriage may even end up strengthening family by focusing on the natural will to live in family units, that has been downplayed by the "feminist revolution".

In other subjects, I guess the bishop's total load is more important than his Sunday schedule? I mean, he has Saturdays off work, no?