![\"Tocqueville](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-17-at-6.19.30-AM-150x150.png\")
Lane Lytle, SPARTANBURG, SC | CLASS OF 2027 | POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, RELIGION, ANCIENT GREEK AND ROMAN STUDIES MINOR<\/p><\/div>\n
Why the American Family Matters to Me<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe American Family is a concept that is very close to my heart, especially as a young man hoping to start a family in the next five years. The discussions held by the Tocqueville Institute shed light on empirical data that truly illustrates the state of our unions.<\/p>\n
Insights from Brad Wilcox and Melissa S. Kearney<\/strong><\/h2>\nAs part of this lecture series<\/a>, Brad Wilcox and Melissa S. Kearney were invited to speak. Dr. Wilcox is the author of Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization<\/em><\/a>, while Dr. Kearney wrote The Two-Parent Privilege<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\nUpon hearing these titles, I was immediately intrigued. How would the lectures unfold? Would they reflect the political polarity between Democrats and Republicans, or would they serve as self-help guides for marriage? I was happy to discover that they were neither. Instead, Dr. Wilcox and Dr. Kearney delivered complementary lectures that shed light on marriage in the United States.<\/p>\n
![\"Brad](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
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The Link Between Marriage and Happiness<\/strong><\/h2>\nDr. Wilcox stated that people who report being in a good marriage are 545% happier<\/strong> than their single counterparts. Upon hearing this, I wasn\u2019t shocked. As a Christian, I believe I am called to dwell in community with others, and what is marriage if not a community?<\/p>\n\n“Man by nature is a social animal.” \u2014 Aristotle<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nSimilarly, the Bible states in Ecclesiastes 4:9, \u201cTwo are better than one because they can help each other up,\u201d and in Colossians 3:14, \u201cLove binds everything together in perfect harmony.\u201d With both early social scientists and Scripture affirming the connection between happiness and human relationships, one must ask: Why have marriage rates declined since the 1960s?<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Decline of Marriage and the Faith Factor<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhile many explanations can be proposed, I argue that the decline is due to the absence of the Faith Factor<\/strong>. Dr. Wilcox supports this idea in his discussion of those he calls the \u201cFaithful.\u201d He states:<\/p>\n\n“Their ties to their local religious communities and their faith endow their marri<\/strong>ages and family lives with deep spiritual significance\u2026 providing practical, social, emotional, and even financial support when it comes to handling the ups and downs<\/strong>\u00a0of modern family life.”<\/strong> (Wilcox, p. 27)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Impact of Secularization on Modern Life<\/strong><\/h2>\nDr. Kearney, on the other hand, focuses on the upbringing of children, a topic somewhat disconnected from the Faith Factor, yet not entirely foreign to it. Federal policies have shifted away from religious influence, and as a result, faith has become less interwoven within American society. The absence of religion in schools contributes to this growing disconnect.<\/p>\n
In agreement with Dr. Wilcox, I believe that future generations of Americans must return to faith. The societal rebellion of the 1960s ushered in an individualistic culture, and as this individualism grew, marriage rates declined.<\/p>\n
\n“If America loses its religious roots, will we not lose our other institutions as well?”<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nChurch attendance and religious affiliation have also fallen in the United States. Given the rise of individualistic culture, I believe the answer is yes.<\/p>\n
<\/h2>\nRestoring Faith for a Stronger Society<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe decline in marriage rates, fertility rates, and overall happiness since the 1960s indicates that we are missing a vital element of our society. The preservation and promotion of faith in American society must be restored.<\/strong><\/p>\nFor the sake of our nation\u2019s future, we must return to the foundation of our unity. The state of our unions can only be restored and strengthened through a reunion with faith<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n“To be in community with one another, we must first be in community with the Divine.”<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Why the American Family Matters to Me The American Family is a concept that is very close to my heart, especially as a young man hoping to start a family […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1418,"template":"","update-categories":[8],"class_list":["post-1416","furman-update","type-furman-update","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","furman-update-category-student-blogs"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lectures\/1416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lectures"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/furman-update"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lectures\/1416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1427,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lectures\/1416\/revisions\/1427"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"furman-update-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update-categories?post=1416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
As part of this lecture series<\/a>, Brad Wilcox and Melissa S. Kearney were invited to speak. Dr. Wilcox is the author of Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization<\/em><\/a>, while Dr. Kearney wrote The Two-Parent Privilege<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n Upon hearing these titles, I was immediately intrigued. How would the lectures unfold? Would they reflect the political polarity between Democrats and Republicans, or would they serve as self-help guides for marriage? I was happy to discover that they were neither. Instead, Dr. Wilcox and Dr. Kearney delivered complementary lectures that shed light on marriage in the United States.<\/p>\n Dr. Wilcox stated that people who report being in a good marriage are 545% happier<\/strong> than their single counterparts. Upon hearing this, I wasn\u2019t shocked. As a Christian, I believe I am called to dwell in community with others, and what is marriage if not a community?<\/p>\n “Man by nature is a social animal.” \u2014 Aristotle<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Similarly, the Bible states in Ecclesiastes 4:9, \u201cTwo are better than one because they can help each other up,\u201d and in Colossians 3:14, \u201cLove binds everything together in perfect harmony.\u201d With both early social scientists and Scripture affirming the connection between happiness and human relationships, one must ask: Why have marriage rates declined since the 1960s?<\/strong><\/p>\n While many explanations can be proposed, I argue that the decline is due to the absence of the Faith Factor<\/strong>. Dr. Wilcox supports this idea in his discussion of those he calls the \u201cFaithful.\u201d He states:<\/p>\n “Their ties to their local religious communities and their faith endow their marri<\/strong>ages and family lives with deep spiritual significance\u2026 providing practical, social, emotional, and even financial support when it comes to handling the ups and downs<\/strong>\u00a0of modern family life.”<\/strong> (Wilcox, p. 27)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Dr. Kearney, on the other hand, focuses on the upbringing of children, a topic somewhat disconnected from the Faith Factor, yet not entirely foreign to it. Federal policies have shifted away from religious influence, and as a result, faith has become less interwoven within American society. The absence of religion in schools contributes to this growing disconnect.<\/p>\n In agreement with Dr. Wilcox, I believe that future generations of Americans must return to faith. The societal rebellion of the 1960s ushered in an individualistic culture, and as this individualism grew, marriage rates declined.<\/p>\n “If America loses its religious roots, will we not lose our other institutions as well?”<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Church attendance and religious affiliation have also fallen in the United States. Given the rise of individualistic culture, I believe the answer is yes.<\/p>\n The decline in marriage rates, fertility rates, and overall happiness since the 1960s indicates that we are missing a vital element of our society. The preservation and promotion of faith in American society must be restored.<\/strong><\/p>\n For the sake of our nation\u2019s future, we must return to the foundation of our unity. The state of our unions can only be restored and strengthened through a reunion with faith<\/strong>.<\/p>\n “To be in community with one another, we must first be in community with the Divine.”<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Why the American Family Matters to Me The American Family is a concept that is very close to my heart, especially as a young man hoping to start a family […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1418,"template":"","update-categories":[8],"class_list":["post-1416","furman-update","type-furman-update","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","furman-update-category-student-blogs"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lectures\/1416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lectures"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/furman-update"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lectures\/1416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1427,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lectures\/1416\/revisions\/1427"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"furman-update-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update-categories?post=1416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Brad](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-02-at-11.49.25-PM-768x546.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Melissa](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-02-at-8.40.05-PM-768x508.png\")
<\/p>\nThe Link Between Marriage and Happiness<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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The Decline of Marriage and the Faith Factor<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"the](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2025\/03\/architecture-1850732_640.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Impact of Secularization on Modern Life<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"the](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2025\/03\/prayer-2544994_1280-768x514.jpg\")
<\/h2>\nRestoring Faith for a Stronger Society<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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