Restore the core values of "Four Guards" and rebuild a happy family in society

Lecturer/Yang Ningya

▲Taiwan’s divorce rate has continued to rise over the past thirty years, ranking among the countries with the lowest fertility rates in the world. Yi Zhong calls on everyone to practice the "Four Guards" so that "home" can once again become everyone's beloved castle and the driving force for national progress. (Image source: http://www.peopo.org/news/resource/4593/download/106065)

The 2011 International Day of Families was initiated by the Christian community in Taiwan and the public joined hands to hold a happy charity walk in seven cities: Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Hualien on May 15. Pastor Yang Ningya, the general convenor, He delivered a speech at a Taiwan-wide press conference held before the charity walk on April 19. On that day, all major media sent personnel to interview and report on it. Thanks to the "Aimeng Family Cultural and Educational Foundation" for providing the summary and pictures of the speech. This speech is inspiring and thought-provoking not only for Taiwanese society, but also for Chinese communities and churches around the world.

Arouse crisis awareness

I remember that more than 20 years ago (the late 1980s), I saw a very shocking report: "Taiwan's divorce growth rate is the first in the world, and the juvenile crime growth rate is also the world's first." See this. I was deeply touched by this report: "This problem is too serious! If we don't pay attention to it, no matter who becomes the president, mayor, or legislator, there will be no way to save Taiwan."

Today, Taiwan's divorce rate has climbed to the highest level in Asia over the past decade, and is among the second and third highest in the world; our fertility rate is the lowest in the world. Today, Taiwan's family problems have become very serious. If we don't work hard to stop the problem from getting worse, we will perish as a species and as a nation! Even President Ma Ying-jeou has declared: "The declining birthrate is a national security issue!"

Therefore, the first goal of the "515 Happy Charity Walk" is to arouse Taiwanese folks' attention to family problems and to know how serious family problems are today. But the "Charity Walk" not only wants to let everyone know the seriousness of the problem, but the more important goal is to let everyone know that there is a way to have a happy family!

Over the past twenty years, the churches I have led with more than 3,000 people have proven that if we stick to our core values, troubled families can be cured. Over the years, our church's divorce rate has been almost zero and we have saved many families that were about to be broken up, so we are happy to share our past experiences with our fellow villagers.

Promote family core values: Four Guards

We know that the core value of a happy family is love. Although everyone can shout the slogan of love, how can we put it into practice in the family? The following four things can concretely demonstrate the content of this love and are also the core values of the family.

The first is "keeping promises"
Marriage is a covenant relationship, not a contractual relationship. The covenant is a life and death covenant, which will never be separated for life! The marriage of our previous generation still had the concept of covenant. Because of the covenant, they would not choose to divorce as soon as they encountered problems. The husband and wife would be tied together and have to solve no matter how big the problem is. If marriage is a contractual relationship, then the couple can terminate the contract at any time if they encounter any minor problem! Why is the divorce rate so high? The first is because there is no covenant relationship between husband and wife, and we have lost the core value of the best traditional happy family! Therefore, "keeping the promise" can bring about the promise of sustainable marriage.

The second is "keeping chastity"
We strive to practice the value of "chastity" in the church, that is, "sex" is used exclusively within the marriage of one man and one woman, and there is no sexual intercourse before or outside of marriage. This will bring about the physical and mental health of the whole family. The number of AIDS patients in Taiwan has exceeded 10,000. In the past, it was only prevalent among homosexuals. Now, more and more heterosexuals are also infected. I wonder how many other diseases will occur due to failure to maintain chastity? If we don't keep chastity, not only will our body get sick, but many other mental illnesses will also occur. Therefore, we must emphasize chastity in the relationship between men and women.

▲General convener Pastor Yang Ningya (fifth from right in front), seven city convening pastors/mothers, executive pastors, World Vision Taiwan President Du Minghan (fifth from left in front), eight well-known Christian artists, etc., united to light the cause Be passionate and declare to the society: There is a way to go and hope for a happy family!

The third is "Keeping one's duty"
Another very important factor for a happy family is that the husband must know how to be a husband and love his wife with self-sacrificing love; the wife must know how to treat her husband and children with love; the children must know how to use love to Treating parents and honoring them is called "keeping one's share." Every family member knows his or her role. "Keeping one's duty" means knowing and fulfilling one's role, which will bring harmony to the whole family, because everyone is doing his or her part.

The fourth is "keeping the promise"
Not only do we have to have children, we also have to raise them. The previous generation must be responsible for the next generation. We must keep the blessings God has given to every family and pass them on from generation to generation. The Bible says that children are a great inheritance given to families by God, but in this era, people don’t like this sentence very much. If we don’t give birth and take good care of ourselves, we will lose many of God’s blessings. Therefore, to "keep the inheritance" is to pass on God's blessings from generation to generation.

If our society can implement these four most basic core values of a happy family: "Keep promises," "Keep chastity," "Keep integrity," and "Keep inheritance," family problems will completely change. These have been proven in our churches. . Therefore, this "charity walk" not only allows everyone to pay attention to family issues, but also needs to practice these four core family values together. We must awaken people's awareness, learn humbly from the church, and work together with all people in society to believe that there is hope for Taiwan. We want to build a vibrant Taiwan and a happy family. On May 15th, we must go out happily and say to the entire country and society: "There is hope for our family happiness!"