Family – Page 2 – Family Council

Traditional Marriage: A Pillar of Our Civilization

Apr 24, 2023Jerry CoxFamily2023 Traditional Family Values Series, Family, Marriage

This is part of Family Council’s ongoing series outlining the importance of traditional family values in society. Today’s installment highlights the value of traditional marriage.

Even though governments and courts in America have moved to redefine marriage in the past decade, traditional marriage between one man and one woman is still an essential building block of society.

Below are a few key points to consider.

Traditional Marriage is a Fundamental Institution

Marriage between one man and one woman is an institution that has existed for millennia. It has served as the foundation of countless civilizations — including our own.

It’s easy to forget, but no nation on earth recognized same-sex marriage before the year 2000. There is virtually no history of same-sex marriage in America — or anywhere else, for that matter — prior to the past 23 years.

The marriage of one man to one woman has been the bedrock of western civilization for almost a thousand years. Marriage licenses were issued in colonial America more than a century before the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

There is nothing hateful in wanting to uphold the pillars that help support our civilization, and there is nothing wise in tearing those pillars down.

Supporting Traditional Marriage Goes Hand-in-Hand with Supporting Religious Liberty

Traditional marriage and religious liberty are deeply connected, because many religions recognize marriage as a sacred institution between one man and one woman.

Christians believe marriage is a part of God’s created order. People of faith should be free to live out their religious convictions regarding marriage.

Unfortunately, we have heard time and again about Christian photographers, bakers, florists, and wedding chapel owners being investigated and dragged into court because they declined to take part in a same-sex wedding or ceremony. Sometimes the Christian business owners win their cases. Other times they lose.

Devaluing marriage and redefining it in society have set the stage for this type of conflict.

Traditional Marriage is Good for Children and Families

Traditional marriage provides a supportive environment where children can thrive. It also is one of the most effective ways to combat poverty and promote economic mobility.

In 2012 Heritage Foundation published an exhaustive report identifying marriage as a determining factor in whether or not a family lives in poverty.

The report found “being married has the same effect in reducing poverty that adding five to six years to a parent’s level of education has.”

Bottom line: Traditional marriage — a lifelong union of one man to one woman — is good for everyone.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

Traditional Family Values: The Nuclear Family

Apr 19, 2023Jerry CoxFamily2023 Traditional Family Values Series, Family

This is part of Family Council’s ongoing series outlining the importance of traditional family values in society. Today’s installment focuses on the value of the nuclear family.

The nuclear family consisting of a married mother and father with their children is a cornerstone of our society.

Below are two key points to consider.

The Nuclear Family Provides Stability and Structure

Strong families are essential for building strong communities and a strong society. The nuclear family provides a foundation for that to happen.

Families offer a stable environment where men, women, and children to flourish and contribute to their communities.

The nuclear family is especially important for children, because it provides them with stability and structure. Children thrive when they are raised in a home with a married mother and father who are committed to one another and to their children.

The Nuclear Family Helps Prevent Poverty

Marriage and family provide a hedge against poverty.

An exhaustive report from the Heritage Foundation found that people were 82% less likely to experience poverty when they graduated from high school, then got married, then had children, and then remained married.

The same study found children from single-parent homes were:

More than twice as likely to be arrested for a juvenile crime;
Twice as likely to be treated for emotional and behavioral problems;
Roughly twice as likely to be suspended or expelled from school; and
A third more likely to drop out before completing high school.

A 2014 study by officials from the National Marriage Project found, “Growing up with both parents (in an intact family) is strongly associated with more education, work, and income among today’s young men and women.”

Marriage and the nuclear family provide a hedge against poverty and other bad outcomes for children.

Family Council Recognizes Arkansas’ Ten Longest Married Couples

Apr 20, 2022Jerry CoxArkansas Longest-Married CoupleFamily, Longest Married Couple, Marriage

*Above: Cleovis and Arwilda Whiteside attended Family Council’s 2018 Longest-Married Couple reception at the Governor’s Mansion in Little Rock.*

LITTLE ROCK, AR – Cleovis and Arwilda Whiteside of Whitehall, Arkansas have been recognized as Arkansas’ Longest Married Couple. Married 82 years, they met at church and were married on July 24, 1939, in Clarendon, Arkansas. Cleovis, age 100, was 17, and Arwilda, age 96, was 13 when they married.

Family Council, a pro-family organization located in Little Rock, recognizes Arkansas’ Longest Married Couple each year. This marks the second time the Whitesides have been recognized as Arkansas’ Longest Married Couple. Family Council Executive Director Jerry Cox said, “Mr. & Mrs. Whiteside are a shining example to us all. They made a marriage covenant with one another almost 83 years ago, and, by the grace of God, they kept it.”

Their story begins when Arwilda and her friend Caroline were walking home from school and some boys began to chase them. Caroline told Arwilda to run to Cleovis, because he would protect them. He did, and he made the boys leave Arwilda and Caroline alone. Years later, while attending a church box supper, Cleovis bought Arwilda’s box supper for twenty-five cents that she had prepared for the event. Caroline then commented that “one day Cleovis will be your husband.” And so, on July 24, 1939, Cleovis and Arwilda Whiteside were married. It rained so hard on that day that only his parents, her family, his best friend Detroit, and the minister who trudged through the rain with his horse and buggy, were able to attend. The minister arrived at 11:00 that night to finally marry them at 11:30 just before midnight. The Whitesides have kept their marriage covenant ever since.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson recognized the couple’s milestone with a special letter. The couple will be honored in a ceremony at their church in White Hall, Arkansas, on April 24 where they will receive the Governor’s framed letter, an engraved silver platter, a Bible, flowers, and other gifts.

In addition to the Whitesides, Family Council released the names of Arkansas’ remaining top ten longest married couples.