The Jehovah’s Witnesses have emphasised adherence to Bible principles to foster family unity, saying that lack of unity had ruined some homes.
Recall that by means of a resolution (A/RES/47/237), the United Nations General Assembly had set aside May 15 of every year for the International Day of Families celebration.
A statement signed by the spokesman for the Witnesses in Nigeria, Olusegun Eroyemi, said one of the key issues affecting families in recent times was the lack of unity.
The statement stated that this breakdown in the cohesive values that once bonded families, especially younger children and teenagers, causes members now to seek guidance, direction and validation from sources outside the family.
“In addition, increasing access to technological tools makes it easier for family members to connect with acquaintances outside of the home. Sometimes, this actually triggers isolation from one’s family members”,it said.
It added that economic pressure tends to encourage both parents to work full time outside the home, reducing bonding time between couples and between parents and children.
The statement added that heavily competitive academic program for school-age children also increases the pressure for families to find a balance and bond together.
“Across the world, the greater majority of mankind believe that a divine, higher form of life, is responsible for human life on earth. In the Bible, for instance, Genesis 1:27 states that, “God went on to create the man… male and female.” And in Ephesians 3:15, it further states that, “every family… on earth owes its name [to God]”, it stated.
The statement stressed that for over 100 years, Jehovah’s Witnesses have published millions of books, magazines and tracts, with a significant portion of these dedicated to Bible principles that provide a basis for family happiness. Feedback from readers show that these Biblical injunctions have helped millions to enjoy a happy family life.
“Some of the books and articles on family life and happiness published by Jehovah’s Witnesses include: Your Family can be happy; The Secret of Family Happiness and Enjoy Family Life. Additionally, there are several articles on jw.org including the Help for the family series: Bible principles found in these publications have helped readers”, it added
“Our marriage is not running smoothly… We are always fighting. We couldn’t communicate without it being an argument. Sometimes we completely feel like giving up on the marriage. Studying the Bible saved our marriage. It wasn’t just the Bible principles that you read, but we saw them being applied [by others].
“All of a sudden, I could see the cause and effect of a Bible principle. The impact that it was having was tremendous. We could see how to apply Bible principles and make them work. As soon as we started to make an application of them, our marriage took a complete turnaround”, the statement added.
