| The Blessings of the Family and why it is under violent attack Dear friends and supporters of Life and the Family founded on Marriage Christmas Eve 2009 There are some very sinister things happening which Christians should be aware of which are designed to make this Christmas a particularly difficult and dangerous time for Life and the Family. The State and its organs, in particular the Law Reform Commission, headed by Catherine McGuinness, ably aided and abetted by their fellow feminists/secularists/Marxists in the media are bombarding us with wave after wave of attacks on civilisation, i.e. society organised on authentic Love as shown by Christ. In the past few weeks we have been told deceitfully by the media that the Supreme Court does not recognise a fertilised foetus as a human person; that there will be new legislation, all at the behest of the Law Reform Commission, that will give unmarried fathers the same rights as Married fathers to encourage them not to get married; legislation that will give rights commensurate with Marriage and "legitimacy" to people - couples of same or opposite sex - who have specifically chosen not to conform to the mores and customs of civil society by submitting themselves to the regulations of Marriage, necessary for ordered procreation and the optimum welfare of children - these co-habitants ludicrously have to prove their standing by claiming they are unlawfully having sexual intercourse outside of Marriage! (Ireland will be the first country in the world to legitimise such a thing, not even permissive Britain or Canada or California have dared to go that far); and yesterday we had the preposterous proposal that children as young as 14 should be able to consent to any involvement they wish with third parties without regard to the concerns of their Guardians. Catherine McGuinness, who has the audacity to label herself Mrs as if she respects the status of the Family, has shown, by this treachery to the Constitution, that she clearly never had the capacity to act as a Judge in the Supreme Court and all her judgements should now be carefully scrutinised with a view to deleting them if they fail, on examination, to abide by the principles required by the law and Christian teaching which are one and the same thing. The question that needs to be put is, who asked the Law Reform Commission to make such outrageous proposals in this area of settled law that can only have the desired effect of accelerating promiscuity and teenager rebellion and thus creating immense tension and conflict within the Family and society? I know of no sane person who could have asked for such and the Taoiseach with his "Guarantees" has assured us that the EU could not do so! The Law Reform Commission, described as "the Government's legal watchdog", somehow claim they are an independent body albeit funded by the government! Clearly they do what the government wants them to do. The latest proposal is so ludicrous it could never happen. If a 14 year-old consented to some involvement with a third party who is going to be liable for the inevitable negative consequences financially, emotionally and physically? Is it going to be the parents or the government? You can be certain that the government will do everything they can to avoid responsibility so the law could never allow a person, the parents to be legally liable for a minor and yet not have full control over them. For a parent to have the care of a child but not legal control over the child's education and welfare is the same as the present "Foster Care" regimes whereby the State pays adults to look after children who the State has legal control over. Everyone should by now know what happens to children in "Care" and their disastrous outcomes. Furthermore will the State from now on pay us parents wages and expenses to look after "their responsibilities"? Hardly. So why has McGuinness announced this nonsense now? The only reason is to cause utter chaos in Families at Christmas. She obviously hates Christ so much that she is prepared to do everything she can to make sure that the joy and peace and harmony that the birth of Christ represents is under as much stress as possible. She is literally and violently attacking our Faith and society by fomenting mutiny and insurrection by teenagers against their parents at this auspicious time of the year. The state's organs did exactly the same thing last Christmas with their "The Big Ballot" project which asked children what they wanted the State to do for them, i.e. what their parents had decided for good reasons not to do for them! The National Mens Council of Ireland are well aware of the Law and under it the State can not take any decisions regarding children's education and welfare who were born within the Constitutional legal institution of the Family founded on Marriage unless the heads of that Family - the Husband and Wife - have jointly asked the government to, so the question must be asked as to how can the State make legislation for children separately from the wishes of their parents acting as Guardians of their legal rights? However the subversives running the government obviously do not intend a simple thing like the Law to stop them because - despite losing the Children's Rights Referendum argument - they have now initiated these current waves of the secularist attack on our Family Faith and Freedom. The first wave was "feminism" where the State continues to fund the promotion of women to exercise 'rights' as individuals, even where they are an intrinsic and inseparable part of the Family Unit. This has the desired effect of fomenting dissatisfaction with her role as a Wife and therefore undermining the fundamental legal and Christian principle of the Family - that it act as a unit at all times through decisions made jointly by the Husband and Wife FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FAMILY AS A WHOLE. Under the Constitution the State can not lawfully provide services to children. It can only provide services to parents who require them for their children. The second wave was to promote "UN-marriedism" through funding Lone Parent Allowance and now unmarried father's rights and co-habitation. The third phase of the attack on the Family is being implemented under an ideology best described as "Childrenism" which describes the State's intention to use children, precisely as they exploited women, to champion their rights and welfare AGAINST THE REST OF THE FAMILY AND SO CAUSE CERTAIN DISHARMONY AND EVENTUAL DISINTEGRATION of the Family unit. The State is doing this because, according to their interpretation of the Law, only fully intact FAMILY UNITS have Constitutional rights and once there is any problem (created by the State) within the Family the State then feels it can lawfully step in, override those rights and micro-manage our every action, similar to the totalitarian regimes of Eastern Europe. The Family founded on Marriage is the public expression of Freedom and Christianity. The love - self-sacrifice - required by Spouse/parents to put each others needs and the welfare of the children before their own - is a constant example to their children and to the rest of society of how we should all live. By destroying the institution of Marriage the subversives in the State intend to eliminate the ethos of Christianity from public life altogether. The Blesings of the Family and why it is under violent attackTT The Family and Christianity in Ireland will be mortally wounded if this project is allowed to progress. Fortunately the Law is clearly on our side and we intend to have this legislation struck down on the basis that it is an impermissible attack on the Family, in a similar argument that was used to stop the Ombudsman for Children in her tracks when she tried something similar with the "Big Ballot for Children" project last year, but more importantly we will need the support of good Christians who realise that the attack on the Family is an attack on the practice of Christianity at its heart and who will put the Manhattan Declaration into practice in their lives. (www.manhattandeclaration.org) Ireland's Prisoner of Conscience. One of the greatest supporters of the Family founded on Marriage, Maurice Lyons is still incarcerated in the Midlands prison. He has been there for six months now and will remain there, he is told, until he signs an undertaking that he accepts that the State, through their courts, can make a unilateral "no-fault" Judicial Separation order. They have been doing this for many years but Maurice has exposed that they have never been given jurisdiction to do such a thing and that there is a conspiracy between the government organs of the Legal Aid Board, the Courts Service and the gardai to ambush and coerce the Spouse who remains faithful to their Marriage to give the State jurisdiction by making an "Appearance" and so indicating that they also want the state to dissolve their Marriage. Whilst there is a necessary moral jurisdiction for the State to assist the innocent Spouse and children where one of the Spouses has deserted or otherwise abandoned their duties the courts are now universally implementing their unlawful "no-fault" orders AGAINST the innocent spouse who remains open to Reconciliation. Those subversives running the State have fully reneged on its Constitutional pledge "to protect with special care the Family founded on Marriage and to defend it from attack." Maurice's case is appealed to the Supreme Court. I have personally asked twenty solicitors to assist him and have written to a hundred more. It is of the greatest shame to a once useful profession that not one solicitor in Ireland is willing to associate themselves with Maurice's cause as he exposes this scandal presumably because of the huge loss of revenue that it will precipitate for the family destruction industry. Having exhausted all channels of assistance Maurice is going to represent himself with the support of the National Mens Council of Ireland. He tries to respond personally to all those who have supported him but I wish to thank those who have generously and sometimes anonymously shown their support for his great cause and his suffering for his Family. I am sure you would all join with me when I next speak to him to thank him and let him know that we are all praying that his Family be relieved from this torment. Fortunately the Law is clearly on the side of the Family and Truth but there is now scant regard for the law in the lower courts and open disrespect for it from government through their quangos and so we will need the support of good Christians who realise that the attack on the Family is an attack on the practice of Christianity at its heart. Cardinal Brady asked for this at the Ceifin conference when he stated, "My key message today is thus: The priority of the Family over society and over the State has to be reaffirmed. The Family does not exist for society or the State, but society and the State exist for the Family, … those who are committed to the probity of the Constitution, to the moral integrity of the Word of God, and, to the precious human value of Marriage between a man and a woman as the foundation of society, may have to pursue all avenues of legal and democratic challenge to the published legislation." Any politician who does not do their utmost to repel this attack can not claim to be a Christian or to have the interests of civil society at heart. Their constituents will not forget or forgive them for their silence and acquiescence at the time of the next election. Below is an article by an associate group, United Families International which reminds us at this special time of why the Family is so important and explains why those who wish to have totalitarian control would want it to be eradicated. The executive would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported the work of the National Mens Council of Ireland and the Family Rights and Responsibilities Institute, especially those who have put their own lives personally on the line through the work they do in the Family Integrity and Marriage Reconciliation (FIRM) Self-Help Group. You can be assured that we will continue with our work according to our motto "Doing what men have always done - protecting their Families, Faith and Freedom". Your participation in this great work will make all the difference. Wishing you and your Family a joyful and harmonious Christmas celebration Holy Father, You call us to share the power and promises of Your Son, Jesus Christ. We pray that we may become a holy Family, so alive in His Spirit of loving kindness and justice, that we each become the Apostle You call us to be, with the wisdom and courage to change the world according to Your will and purpose. Amen God bless, Roger Eldridge Chairman, National Mens Council of Ireland Executive Director, Family Rights and Responsibilities Institute of Ireland National Office: Knockvicar, Boyle, Co. Roscommon Website: www.family-men.com Email: familymen@eircom.net Telephone: 00353 (0) 7196-67138 *** From: United Families International <ufi@unitedfamilies.org > The Blessings of the Family for Nations and Homes Yet during this Holiday Season, as so many turn their thoughts towards family and loved ones, it is important to step back from the fight and remind ourselves why the family is so worthy of defense-why we, as individuals, communities, and nations, cannot survive without the blessings of this indispensable structure. The Importance of the Family The family is the basic unit of society through which every individual is blessed, by which every generation is raised, and upon which every nation is built. Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, once said, ""The family is the building block of society. It is a nursery, a school, a hospital, a leisure center, a place of refuge, and a place of rest." This statement captures the profound and varied blessings provided by a loving and healthy family. These are not simply pleasant gifts that can be substituted with alternative and varied relationships. The traditional family-with a loving father and mother caring for their biological children-is uniquely structured to best provide the love, support, acceptance, and stability necessary for individuals, children, and societies to thrive. The Blessings of the Family for the Individual Both men and women are blessed by stable marriages and families. Research consistently shows that individuals within strong families are happier, healthier, safer, more financially sound, and more productive. They experience less depression, take better care of themselves, are happier at their jobs, find more fulfillment in life and experience less illness. Additionally, marriage and families provide innumerable intangible blessings-such as love, belonging, security, self-sacrifice, and purpose-that are not found or developed as fully in any other relationship. Individuals are at their most loving and self-sacrificing within families. The Blessings of the Family for Children: The evidence in support of the family is in no place more unanimous and convincing than in research on the importance of family for the development and happiness of children. Study after study indicates that strong families-with a married biological mother and father-are the best environment for rearing children. Children raised in traditional families have fewer psychological problems, do better in school, have higher self-esteem, are less likely to use illicit drugs, build stronger relationships, and have fewer behavioral problems than children from broken or single-parent homes. Although the ideal relationship between a married, biological mother and father cannot always be met, all evidence indicates it is an ideal worth striving for. The Blessings of the Family for Society: Theodore Roosevelt once captured the importance of the family when he said, "[I]t is the life of the family upon which in the last analysis the whole welfare of the nations rests. . . . The nation is nothing but the aggregate of the families within its borders." Strong nations are built out of strong families, not the other way around. No government policy or community program can ever replicate its structure or fulfill its manifold functions. The family provides the ideal structure through which the most natural and ennobling human affections are focused to promote the safety, welfare and development of all involved. It channels biological drives towards love of others, ensures the well-being and education of children, ties every generation to the next, and secures the welfare of every individual by providing a familial safety net. Government can never create enough programs to compensate if this structure fails. Strengthening Families: As the New Year approaches let us all recommit ourselves to strengthening and enjoying our own families. We cannot stave off the attacks of those who would see the family erased from society unless our own families are vibrant and strong. This simply means we must continue doing what so many of us already do: spend time together, communicate, sacrifice for each other's welfare, and promote the happiness of spouse and children. These simple acts not only bring happiness and fulfillment to our own lives but literally strengthen our nations and bless our posterity. We at United Families International are grateful to each of you for your support to the cause of families. We couldn't do our work without you. We wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season and a very Merry Christmas! Sincerely, United Families International |