Worldview Truth

Consider the story of Domenic Johansson:

If you wish to research this story more here are some resources:

Friends of Domenic Johansson

Return Domenic Johansson To His Parents (Facebook Group)

You may have heard the phrase “it takes a village.”  Hillary Clinton popularized the phrase with her book by that name in 1996.  It is short for an old African Proverb:  “Ora na azu nwa.”  It is translated as “It takes a village to raise a child.”

Wikipedia, quoting other sources, says this (I added the bold emphasis and formatted the bullet points):

…a few examples of African societies with proverbs which translate to ‘It takes a village…’:

• In Lunyoro (Banyoro) there is a proverb that says ‘Omwana takulila nju emoi,’ whose literal translation is ‘A child does not grow up only in a single home.’

• In Kihaya (Bahaya) there is a saying, ‘Omwana taba womoi,’ which translates as ‘A child belongs not to one parent or home.’

• In Kijita (Wajita) there is a proverb which says ‘Omwana ni wa bhone,’ meaning regardless of a child’s biological parent(s) its upbringing belongs to the community.

• In Swahili, the proverb ‘Asiyefunzwa na mamae hufunzwa na ulimwengu’ approximates to the same.”

Who carries the responsibility, privilege, and authority to raise children?  The Collective in the form of the State?  The Church?  The Family?

As you can see through the Johansson story – ideas have consequences!  If the governing authorities believe that children belong to the collective or the state they will try to force parents to raise their children a certain way.  They may even kidnap children to achieve their goals!

Genesis 1:28 says:

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 2:24 says:

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Picture Courtesy of Marina Avila

At the very beginning of time God created the family.  One man and one woman were man and wife and it was their job to “…be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion…”

You can see why Satan would hate marriage and hate family and wish to destroy them.  Family is the means by which human beings fulfill their destiny.  It is the “machine” by which the next generation is created and then raised.  (It is also a symbol of Christ’s love for His People – but that is for another article.)

If we as human beings decide to reject God’s Design and Command and make up our own standard for raising children there will be consequences.

The human race has done just that.  We have decided that “the Collective” by means of “the State” has sovereignty over the family.

The Bible presents to us a different vision:

• Parents are God’s vehicle for provision and protection for children (I Timothy 5:8).
• Parents are God’s vehicle for discipline and training for children (Proverbs 13:24, Proverbs 22:6, Proverbs 29:17).
• Parents are very specifically God’s vehicle for children to be raised up Knowing Him!  (Ephesians 1:6).
• Parent’s are God’s vehicle for passing on an inheritance to their children:  (Proverbs 13:22).
• Children are a heritage for their parents, not for “everybody:”  (Psalm 127:3-5).
• Children are to look to their parents for protection and training:  (Ephesians 6:1-3).
• Ultimately, children become the means for caring for parents in their old age:  (Deuteronomy 5:16; Ephesians 6:2,3; Matthew 15:4,5).

The contemporary “we-as-humans-are-our-own-god” vision:

• The State is the final authority over children (Family Laws and Courts).
• The State trains and disciplines children (Public Education).
• The State is responsible to care for children from the cradle to the grave (Welfare).
• The State collects the inheritance (Inheritance Taxes).
• The State takes care of parents in their old age (Social Security, Medicaid, etc.).

“The State” in contemporary society is basically “the governing will of the collective,” although it is often more like “the governing will of the self appointed elite.”

Spend a couple of minutes thinking about how these thoughts affect your life in every area:

• Your political opinions (civil government)
• Your opinions about taxation.
• Your education philosophy
• Your philosophy of economics and property
• Your philosophy of welfare
• Your philosophy of how to change the world

Know this:  You have most likely spent your whole life being fed a steady diet of man-centered philosophies for living.  You most likely evaluate all of your thoughts and opinions based on that philosophy.  Yes, even if you are a Christian!

I was raised as a Christian with an “above average” exposure to Christianity and how it applies to life, yet I find I am constantly re-evaluating what I believe and how I live in light of the burning flame of the Bible.

You may have seen all of the issues talked about on your television (politics, controversies, etc.) as individual issues that could be evaluated one at a time.  Take another look.  You may be surprised to see how many bad ideas out there are basically designed to destroy the family in all of it’s function before God.

The world right now wants you to give over all of your responsibilities to the state.  Especially your children.

Do not obey the world, but rather obey God!

Can friends, neighbors, churches, etc. assist the family in raising a child?  Sure.  But we must always remember that God has given the privilege, authority, and responsibility for children to parents, not to “all of us.”