Two Scriptures About Marriage (5:52)

You can look at two critical scriptures to see the beauty of how good relationships can be. Then compare those scriptures to what marriage was like at the time those scriptures were written. The two scriptures are Ephesians 5:22 and 5:25.

Jews (2:33)

Jewish men had a low view of women. They were treated much like servants. Jewish men typically would pray, “God, I thank you that I am not a Gentile, a slave, or a woman. Amen.”

Greeks (2:05)

While the Jews’ viewpoint of women was low, it was even worse with the Greeks. The Greeks did not even need a legal procedure for divorce. At least the Jews had a legal process created by God and relayed to them in Deuteronomy 24.

Romans (5:29)

Okay, what about the Romans? The Romans’ view of marriage was even worse than the Greek's because divorce was the norm. It was so easy to divorce that Jerome, an ancient Roman writer, specifically talked about a woman marrying her twenty-third husband and, the husband, his twenty-first wife!

Think About It (6:04)

When you read Ephesians 5, the Apostle Paul reminds you of something you should know. But when you think about what you just read, Paul is not reminding his original readers of something they knew. He is telling them something completely new, something they have not heard.

Downfall of the Family (8:46)

Dr. Zimmerman’s research shows that every civilization starts in a good place. Then it declines and breaks apart. Remember the impact of entropy – the second law of thermodynamics – all things tear down, disorganize, scatter and decay over time unless energy is applied.

8 Signs of an Atomistic Society (8:24)

In addition to the family styles, Dr. Zimmerman gave eight symptoms you can see in any civilization demonstrating the Atomistic family style. In other words, if these eight symptoms are present, civilization is in the final stage of decline.

Five Family Styles (3:24)

Add to Zimmerman the research documented by Westley and Epstein in their book The Silent Majority. This was quite interesting because of their initial theory. They theorized that there were five family styles.

Damage to Children (8:27)

So, with the four remaining family styles, which did they find best for the children? Only one is good. And the others, not so good. Without a doubt, the styles can create significant problems for children. The worst style for children is the mother-dominant home. Their research provided this list about the children in that style.

Articles to Consider (7:04)

Most of these quotes are from books or articles from 1970 to 1995. Even though they are 30+ years old does not negate the content. Also, things are most likely worse now than these quotes reveal. It may not be true but read and you decide.