American Family Association Defends the Institution of Marriage as Statistics Indicate Notable Decline
TUPELO, Miss. — A recent report by the Christian Post highlighted a disturbing new trend in American society. According to the 2021 American Family Survey, nearly 50 percent of Americans believe that traditional marriage is “old fashioned” and not needed to make a strong family unit. The new survey indicates “that the number of people who believe marriage is needed to create strong families (52%) has declined by ten percentage points since 2015, when over six in ten Americans said the same.” The study noted that some factors that play a role in people avoiding marriage are fear of divorce and a lack of religious affiliation.
American Family Association (AFA, www.afa.net) Executive Vice President Ed Vitagliano responded to this troubling statistic, arguing for the necessity of marriage in a healthy society. Vitagliano stated, “There are a number of sociological signposts to indicate that a culture is in the process of decaying, but a decline in societal importance placed on monogamous marriage between a man and a woman is the most critical of all. Support for monogamous marriage indicates a healthy culture; disregard for it indicates just the opposite.
“But strong marriages are not just a bulwark against cultural decay—they are a blessing for the individuals within them. The social sciences are catching up with the Bible in this respect––and have been for decades––as the evidence continues to pile up to demonstrate that loving marriages are an instrument of grace to the husband and wife. Plus, loving marriages provide safety, strength, and moral training for children that come out of that union of man and wife. For those reasons and more, the fight for biblical marriage must continue, and the church is the institution that must lead that fight.”
AFA is dedicated to bringing the U.S. back to biblical basics. They have recently created “By Design” – a project to reintroduce America to the scriptural definition of marriage. “By Design” reclaims the truth of marriage and family as defined by God. The hope for “By Design” is to remind the American people that God’s plan is always perfect; He created a flawless design for marriage, and by adhering to and following His Word, human civilization can thrive while celebrating the true purpose of marriage and family.
For over 40 years, AFA has operated within the mission to inform, equip and activate individuals to strengthen the moral foundations of American culture and give aid to the church here and abroad in its task of fulfilling the Great Commission. Founded in 1977, AFA has long been on the front lines of America’s culture war. Today, AFA is one of the largest and most effective pro-family organizations in the country, with nearly a million online supporters and approximately 160,000 subscribers to the AFA Journal, the ministry’s monthly magazine. Find AFA Action Alerts here. In addition, AFA owns and operates nearly 180 radio stations across the country under the American Family Radio banner.
View the media page for AFA here. For more information on American Family Association, visit www.afa.net or follow AFA on Facebook or Twitter @AmericanFamAssc.
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To interview American Family Association Executive Vice President Ed Vitagliano, or another AFA spokesperson, contact [email protected], Beth Harrison, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Deborah Hamilton, ext. 102.
