Dear Friends,
For Americans, "freedom" is central to our identity. We are the "land of the free, the home of the brave." Our media and culture tell us that with the progression of "LGBT rights" and with the expansion of "safe spaces" on college campuses, we are now a more free and inclusive society. So are we now happier and more satisfied as a result? R.R. Reno of First Things has pinpointed a "politics of vulnerability" that clearly shows we are anything but.
As Reno writes, current developments have instead led to "new dissatisfactions." He elaborates: "It's telling that the institutions with the most highly developed rhetoric of inclusion are the most elite, which is to say the most competitive. Again the paradox: The most successful kids with the greatest opportunities seem to be the ones most eager for protection [i.e. "trigger warnings" and "safe spaces"]." Among LGBT activists, we see example after example of lawsuits being utilized when bathroom policies and wedding cake referrals are deemed "hateful." Why does this occur? When the most basic human forms of authority and societal structure -- the family and the church -- are torn down in the public square, people can't help but feel increasingly vulnerable. What does this lead to? Reno explains: "Without a trustworthy Father in heaven (and often without a father in the home), the rising generation is more and more likely to ask big government (and a culture of political correctness) to provide security and comfort."
A true understanding of "freedom" can go a long way in restoring this sense of security and comfort that many have lost. As believers know, true freedom is not merely the ability to choose something amongst a multitude of options; it is the ability to become who we were made to become -- a child of God. As children, we learn about God's love and authority -- the surest source of genuine security and comfort -- through our parents' example and the faith they instill in us, in both literal and symbolic ways. We in turn pass this example and faith on to our children, and they to theirs, etc. In this way, a society's well-being and hopeful future depend upon the strength of the family.
Thank you for your prayers and for your continued support of FRC and the family.
Sincerely,
Dan Hart
Managing Editor for Publications
Family Research Council
FRC Articles
- When Politicians Play Doctor, Patients Always Lose! - Ken Blackwell
- A Supreme Decision - Cathy Ruse
- Debunking Right Wing Watch - Travis Weber
- Setting the Record Straight on RFRA (Again) - Travis Weber
- Human-Animal Hybrids Are a Violation of Human Dignity - Andrew Guernsey
- Protect Your Military Chaplains from a Bully - Chris Gacek
- Expanding the Definition of "Parent" Expands the Power of the State - Peter Sprigg
Religious Liberty
Religious Liberty in the Public Square
- Massachusetts: Churches may be covered by transgender discrimination bans, as to 'secular events' - Eugene Volokh, The Washington Post
- How A Cakemaker Became An Enemy Of The State - David Harsanyi, The Federalist
- Why a Nurse and a Pastor Object to Being Forced to Help Abort Babies - Leah Jessen, The Daily Signal
- Christian could be fired for refusing to watch LGBT 'inclusivity' video - Fr. Mark Hodges, LifeSiteNews
- Churches are 'more free to speak' about elections than they think - Claire Chretien, LifeSiteNews
International Religious Freedom
- Religious freedom advocates want US to put teeth into its rhetoric - Matt Hadro, Catholic News Agency
- Scholars Ask Why Religious Repression Is Rising Despite International Pressure - Bettina Krause, Adventist Review
Military Religious Freedom
- West Point: "Valid Concerns" About Post-Game Football Prayer - ToddStarnes.com
- Air Force IG Report Ignores Assault on Civilian in Travis Retirement Debacle - John Q. Public
Life
Abortion
- How to be pro-life without all the yelling - Maria Garabis Davis, Aleteia
- 5 facts that show Planned Parenthood is an abortion corporation - Susan Michelle, Live Action
- Of 12,000 Women Infected With Zika, All Gave Birth to Healthy Baby. Women Don't "Need" Abortion - Brad Mattes, Life News
- Planned Parenthood's shocking ties to eugenics go far beyond Margaret Sanger - Carole Novielli, LifeSiteNews
Adoption
- Couples Who Adopt Are "Real Parents" - Christopher O. Tollefsen, The Public Discourse
- Missionaries of Charity forced to drop adoption services in India - Nirmala Carvalho, Crux
- Best Friends From Chinese Orphanage Reunite In Tear-Jerking Adoption Video - Steven Hoffer, The Huffington Post
Bioethics
- The Dangers of Abandoning the Terminally Ill In Suicide Prevention - Wesley Smith, First Things
- Adult Stem-Cell Transplants: A Journey of Faith Backed by Science - Peter Jesserer Smith, National Catholic Register
Obamacare
- The Incredible Shrinking Obamacare - David Brooks, The New York Times
- It's time to kill the ObamaCare penalty - Betsy McCaughey, New York Post
- When Exchanges Collapse, ObamaCare Penalizes You Even If Coverage Is Unaffordable - Michael Cannon, Forbes
- Consumers in 17 States Face Double-Digit Rate Hikes Under Obamacare - Melissa Quinn, The Daily Signal
Family
Economics
- Would strengthening the economy really reduce abortions? - Murray Vasser, Live Action
- The August Jobs Report Was So-So. That's Bad News. - James Sherk, The Daily Signal
- The Crisis of America's Nonworking Men - Rachel DiCarlo Currie, Acculturated
Marriage
- Tammy Trent: A Story of Hope After Loss - Focus on the Family
- The Long Shadow of the Nurture Assumption - Robert VerBruggen, Family Studies
- To Whom Do Children Belong? Melissa Moschella's Defense of Parents' Rights - Christopher O. Tollefsen, Public Discourse
- Why I Rejected Elizabeth Gilbert's Vision of Life and Love - Naomi Schaefer Riley, Family Studies
- Catholic Marriage Won't Change, Tim Kaine's Bishop Says - CNA/EWTN News
Faith/Character/Culture
- Getting Morality Wrong - Joe Heschmeyer, Word On Fire
- Conservative politicians are embarrassed by social conservatives. It's time to stop caring. - Jonathon Van Maren, LifeSiteNews
- I'm back from Calcutta and still having nightmares - Jeffrey Bruno, Aleteia
- I Am Happily Married to God -- as a Consecrated Virgin - Carmen Briceno, Cosmopolitan
Human Sexuality
- When 'Liberty' Forces 18 Girls Into a Single-Stall Shower Room - James Gottry, The Daily Signal
- My Same-Sex Attraction and My Brother's Disease: On Suffering and Serenity - Jean C. Lloyd, Public Discourse
- For the Sexually Exploited, the Church Should be the Safest Place - Mary DeMuth, The Stream
- Taxpayer-funded treatment could render 'transgender' 8-year-olds sterile for life - Ben Johnson, LifeSiteNews
- Even Political Left Frustrated with US Focus on Everything Homosexual - Austin Ruse, C-Fam
Human Trafficking
- Senate puts the heat on Backpage.com to halt human trafficking - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- Head Of Anti-Human Trafficking: Islamic State Directly Profiting From People Smuggling - Chris Tomlinson, Breitbart
Pornography
- Is Looking at Porn the Same as Cheating? - Eddie Capparucci, The Christian Post
- Spoiler Alert: Porn Kills Your Libido - Mark Judge, Acculturated
- A Single Person's Guide to Fighting Against Porn & Fighting For Love - Fight the New Drug
