A satisfying life is everyone's pleasant dream. But the irony is that in as much as one honestly aspires it he or she does not often attain it. A close scrutiny of a cross section of society would enable one identify that despite towering claims, howbeit true they may be, of scientific and technical advancements in the field of medicine, communication, transportation, technology, etc and highly improvised life styles as never before, life has become all the more burdensome, monotonous and less appealing. Many affluent, rich and famous, who live in densely populated cities, are victims of loneliness. Suicide among them is increasing at alarming rate. So everyone should probe into the reasons for such denigrating trend and try to remedy it.

Background: God Jehovah by His Mighty hands and deeds liberated Israelites from the bondage of Pharaoh. He divided Red Sea and they passed it as if through dry land. He gave them food and drink as and when they needed. But people grew discontented and murmured, which kindled God's wrath. They wandered in the wilderness for 40 years until the entire rebellious generation perished. Jehovah was with Joshua as He was with Moses and did mighty deeds through Joshua. He divided river Jordan and the people passed it as if through dry land. Joshua divided the land among the tribes of Israel. When Joshua became old he gathered elders and all tribes of Israel at Shechem and reminded them how Jehovah by mighty deeds delivered them out of bondage and admonished them therefore not to turn right or left from the statutes given through Moses so that they could enjoy prosperity of the land without fear of enemies. He made it clear that they are free statutes given through Moses so that they could enjoy prosperity of the land without fear of enemies. He made it clear that they are free to choose either good or evil, life or death. He closed his admonitions with his resolve that he and his house will serve the Lord. House in the Hebrew context includes children, grand children, and servants.

People responded saying they would also serve the Lord. Joshua, a leader par excellent, was not content only with mere admonitions but startled the audience with astounding commitment. Present-day leaders ought to take note of his exemplary quality. Leaders without sense of responsibility and followers without sense of direction are the worst problems of our times. Joshua was undauntedly frank. Would Christians be frank, shun evil ways and take up a position for right cause? If so, our families, our parishes, our society and nation would become paradise on earth! Real problem confronting the society is not the existence of immorality or injustice but Christian's compromising attitude and aversion to stand up against sin. Are we not ordinary people making extraordinary claims as Dr Radhakrishnan said? Believers like Telemachus and leaders like Joshua are glaring need of our time.

Family: Concept about family is twofold namely 1, secular and 2, Christian. Secular concept of family is fast growing, especially in USA, in outright defiance to natural law of survival surpassing all known moral standards. Ancient and religious definition of family has become obsolete. Popular tendency displaced radical ideas instead and accordingly any two consenting adults regardless of sex can live in unison and be called family! Some states already replaced, 'domestic-partner,' against 'husband, wife,' etc. Leaders, both secular and religious, lost vision and have become mere victims of affluent gay and lesbian protagonists and for the same reason Legislative, Judiciary and religious systems miserably failed to discern value and dignity of human life.

C ertain religious leaders who bear "Christian" nomenclature have become advocates and defenders of such deviant, unnatural and sinful way of life and that is all-the-more appalling. To speak against immorality is considered antisocial and intolerant. There is heavy clamber for media attention. Immorality is not new invention but as old as mankind. The exception is that never before it was popular, accepted standard or life-style as of these days.

Christian family: Christian family derives its existence and meaning from the infallible Word of God, both oral and written. The establishment of family is elucidated in the creation account itself; thereby signifying family as the basic necessity for human survival. God established the first family in the Garden of Eden by uniting man and woman together, Adam and Eve, with the primary intent to obey God, live in harmony, procreate, subdue and preserve all creations. Thus family is the divine institution. There is nothing to compare with it. Who ever impedes with it acts in rebellion with divine standards and hence sin.

C hristian family is a miniature of heaven on earth. But attitude, Milton calls it mind (Paradise Lost), is that makes it a heaven or hell. It is not necessary to indulge in an evil act but an evil thought suffice to make family life as miserable as hell. Iago would harbor doubts, Othello would surely doubt and Desdemona would suffer, no matter how faithful she is. There are infidel wives to honest husbands and infidel husbands to honest wives and both induce problems. It is therefore essential that both husband and wife should invariably know the divine precepts and keep vigil about family. Ignorance is no defense and would lead to many uncalled for miseries.

Biblical position: There are two narrations derived from two traditions about the origin of family. 1, Yahwite tradition says, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helpmeet for him," Gen 2:18-25. This verse clearly adduces that ancient man, whom the modern man often reviles as primitive, had well-developed notion of human psychology. Moses is par excellent to all the modern psychological scientists. Man's loneliness necessitated creation of woman. It was God, not man, who first felt the need. God created woman out of man, and thereafter man comes out of woman, thus equated, not as subordinate or inferior but as equals, not as independent but as inter-dependant. God out of His own will created man and woman in the same fashion and quality to suit certain purpose.

I Adam exclaimed, "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh," that sufficiently prove woman was of equal make and design. It was God who brought woman to man. This edifies the deep-rooted tradition and Church position that God conducted the first marriage. Thus marital relationship is sublime, intense, deeper and sacred than all other relationships. There is nothing unnatural, undesirable, shameful or sinful in their relationship. Paul extolled the sanctity of marriage and vehemently condemned illicit relationship outside of marriage, Heb 13:4.

N Neither husband is complete without wife nor wife is complete without husband. Both are mutually complementary and help fill the void in the other. One who is lazy, uninvolved, abusive or disinterested to cheer up the life-partner can be with the spouse and yet feel lonely. Loneliness is creation of the mind and the greatest enemy of mankind. It leads to suspicion, disputes, violence, severance, anxiety, depression, dejection and even suicide. Honest, faithful and mutual love between spouses is the only effective antidote that God has prescribed.

Priestly tradition is comparatively new that says, "God created man in his own image, in the image of God created him; He created them male and female. He blessed them, be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it," Gen 1:26-28. This creation account is more specific and clearly establishes equality of sex. He being the crown of creations is endowed with dominion over all animate and inanimate creations. Since created in the image and likeness of God, unlike other creations, he has glory. By blessing to be fruitful and multiply God infused in them ability to partake in God's creative faculty and enabled them to thrive and enjoy life. Children are parlor between husband and wife and most important part of the divine program.

W oman equal and honorable: As explained above, both creation accounts clearly define different functions for male and female but emphatically deny superiority of either. The whole crisis is due to man's inability to properly comprehend divine perimeter which caused not only his own fall in as much as he lost the image of God but also caused deformity to entire order of creation. Despite prevalence of innate universal myth, especially among Jews, that woman is inferior to man Bible does not contemplate superiority based on sex. Woman's subjection to husband's authority is man's invention resulted from that fall rather, it is of later origin, Gen 3:16.

Equality of husband and wife is clearly stated in the Mosaic Law. "Honor your father and mother," Ex 20:12, Deut 5:16. "Whoever strikes his father or mother shall be put to death," Ex 21:15. "Whoever curses his father or mother shall be put to death," Ex 21:17. Women definitely occupied respectable position in the family and at times held influential positions in the society. Sarah, whom St. Peter complements as "holy woman who trusted in God and adorned being submissive," 1 Pe 3:5, advised Abraham twice and he obeyed. Rebecca guided Jacob to obtain father's blessings. Deborah judged Israel. Esther destroyed the enemy and saved God's people from ruin.

Morth Smooni is honored as martyr and saint for her valorous testimony of God. "A man who has taken a new wife he shall not go out for war, nor he shall be charged with any business but he shall be free at home for one year and cheer up his wife," Deut 24:5. Proverb 31 portrays woman as honorable, industrious, socially accepted and blessing to the entire family. "Virtuous woman is a crown to her husband," Pr 12: 4. "Wise woman builds the house" Pr 14:1. Peter advised husbands to dwell with wife with compassion and honor. He confers wives' exalted position as co-heirs to the grace.

P eter had in mind the marriage as a sacramental union, not merely as contract. He upheld the dignity, modesty and goodness of women by advising men to honor and conduct responsibly. He meant that the relationship with spouse had a bearing on one's relationship with God. Mention of woman, as "weaker vessel" may not be acceptable to modern woman. But this warns men not to exploit them because of physical weakness, 1 Pe 3:7. Paul insisted that husband had authority not over himself but over wife and wife had authority not over herself but over husband, 1 Cor 7:4. Ps 127 and 128 are the best homilies about blessed family.

However, considering contemporary turmoil, from an oriental view, sense of women's equality should evolve from women themselves. As would various instances testify, which are needless to ponder here, in-law quarrels, dowry demands and unsavory treatments meted out to young brides to extract dowry usually originate and escalate from in-law women. Occidental women's liberation movements, is equally misconceived and mischievous.

W omen sullied sex as commercial commodity, which is dishonor to womanhood. Christian perspective of equality is recognizing differences, contenting with God-gifted abilities, consciously discharging duties and mutually complementing in His program. (To be continued…..)

This most reckless stage develops a false pretense and thinks, more often than not, parents do not know much better. Here begins great set back, rather, parents reaping harvest of their own actions in the past. We are inclined to search for more worldly delights than God because of the fallen nature of mankind and its end result will be chaos and eternal perdition. God Almighty does not want all that happen to us. He wants us to grow profitably in Him and hence He gave His unfailing statutes for the benefit of mankind. The very purpose of choosing and appointing Abraham as father of many nations was that he "Shall command his children and his household after him, that they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment," Gen 18:19. "Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons," Deut 4: 9. "And thou shall teach them diligently unto thy children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up," Deut 6:7. Apostle admonishes us to, "Bring them up in discipline and instruction of the Lord," Eph 6:4. And that, "We have had human fathers who corrected us and we paid them respect, Eph 12:9. "Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it, Prov 22: 6

However, no one would appreciate any kind of discipline in the first place because it will be painful when administered but it will yield peaceful fruits of righteous in the future that will bring respect and honor to those imparting training, Heb 12: 11. I would add that those children, who were brought up without due discipline when they were yet unknowing good and evil, will, by all chances hate their parents; neither pay respect nor bring honor as they grow up spoiled. Such dereliction of duties from parents is defiance against the clear instructions (quoted above) of God. And the results will be, "Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon children and upon children's children, unto the third and to the forth generations," Ex 34: 7, Num 14: 18. For instance, Uzziah the king "Did that which was right in the sight of the Lord." He became excessively famous, wealthy and neighboring kings respected him and gave gifts. "When he was strong his heart was lifted up to his destruction; for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense." The priests under the leadership of Azariah went and told him not to do so as it was the duty of only priests but he did not yield. While holding incense in his hands he became a leper and according to the custom, he was cut off from the house of the Lord and spent rest of his life in solitary confinement, 2 Chr 26: 4-21. His son Jotham, as a child, was a mute witness to all that had happened to his father and developed a fear psychosis in his growing mind. He, as king, became very precarious about the affairs of the temple. He did everything right in the sight of the Lord, but he never entered into the temple of the Lord. His absence caused people to corrupt, 2 Chr 27: 2. Ahaz the son of Jotham, as child, never saw his father going to the temple. He saw corruption in the temple. He was never taught to seek the way of the Lord. No wonder, he developed extreme animosity towards temple and the Lord. So, he did not do that which was right in the sight of the Lord. He made molten images of Bali. He burnt incense in the valley of sons of Hinnom, burnt his children in the fire. The result; God delivered him into the hands of the king of Syria who smote him and then in the hands of the king of Israel who also smote him with great slaughter of his sons and households, 2 Chr 28: 1-6.

Take heed of the failures; generations suffered as a result of parents' misdeeds! Abraham deceived Egyptians, Abimelech telling lie concerning Sarah, Gen 12: 11-20, Gen 20. Isaac his son repeated the same error concerning Rebecca, Gen 26: 7. Jacob went a step further and deceived his blind father Isaac and brother. His sons virtually deceived Jacob concerning Joseph. Jacob was compelled to believe like a blind while he was still not blind, Gen 37: 32-35. We can dig out numerous instances to corroborate that children will do the same or even worse at times what the parents do or speak. Therefore beware, 'time and tide will wait for none,' teach ways of the Lord when the child is very young.

I would suggest that parents ought to nurture them religiously. The problem is that we are in a situation where religion is negatively influencing. At the same time we must admit that church also has substantial responsibility in molding the character of children. This can be achieved through Sunday school where Bible, prayer, liturgy, faith matters, moral, ethics, values, life story of fathers and so on are taught. Parents, priests and church leaders should join hand in hand to achieve this pursuit. By no means this is a lesser task. I suggest even adult education through conventions, seminars and retreats so that parents can equip themselves to deal with the situations. However, this does not mean that children brought up in church education do not turn bad. I do not mean that children brought up in very congenial background would always be perfect. Do our part and leave rest to God. Bertrand Russell, a known anti-Christian, who authored a book, "why I am not a Christian" had a Christian background. His mother was a committed Christian. Sigmund Freud, who said against God's existence as, "fairy tales of religion" and about religion, "religion as a universal obsessional child neurosis" and "religion is a mere illusion derived from human wishes" was brought up in a strong religious background.

A.T. Kovoor, founder of rational movement, also came from a very religious family. His father was a priest. Dr. Robert Coles, author and psychologist, describes that some children suffered from obsessive and destructive habits that were related to their childhood education and due to their deep commitment on certain religious conceptions. David Larson, renowned psychologist says, "Research shows that religiously inclined and those coming from religious back ground suffer less psychological problems. They recoup faster. Those who regularly go to church are less disturbed in emotional encounters," Reported on 'firm foundations' radio on 5.5. 97. What model we should emulate in upbringing of children, is a confusing question. Bernard Hoffman, expert on youth, offers the following tips. "(1) More parenting courses. (2) More parental involvement beginning at birth. (3) School-required anger management classes. (4) Good adult role models," Bucks county Courier Times dated 5.7.97. These suggestions though mainly based on secular concept they apply to spiritual context also. Opportunities are bleak to receive the warmth of grand parents' love these days due to various constraints but that grand parents are the best source of molding children's habits is an undeniable fact. Truly, faith as well as values is traditionally handed down from forefathers to grandparents and to parents and to children. "When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, I am persuaded is in you also," 2 Tim 1: 5.

CJews refused to worship Hellenistic Gods instead of Jehovah. They faced persecution at the hands of Antiochus (BC 175-164). A family of seven children and their mother Smoony were one by one threatened and subjected to torture by cutting off the organs, burning in fire and so on. Their mother Morth (Saint) Smooni encouraged them to defy the orders of the wicked king saying, "My sons, I do not know how you were formed in my womb. I am not the one who gave you life and soul. I did not give you shape and image you distinctly posses. He who is Creator of the whole universe, Creator of mankind, who knows every heart, created and formed you... Therefore give honor to your mother, be of courage, strength and cheer, and do not submit to the wicked king. Suffer the persecution and we will join together in glory," 2 Mac 7: 22-23. This is very powerful testimony and a role model worthy of emulation. Secondly, Hanna thus prayed, "Lord of hosts, if you will give thine handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto the Lord," 1 Sam 1: 11 and she literally did so, verse 28. This is the kind of mothers (and fathers) who surrender to God in prayer, seek divine guidance before every action, dedicate the children to the will of God, instill spiritual life in them, disdain from all things that would bring discredit, feed them with Word of God, show them the right path, teach them the right values that are love, honor, trustworthiness, law abiding, good demeanor, and instruct them to respect others. "We have to see to it that the TV is turned off and our kids get into the books. We have to monitor their friendships and acquaintances. We have to teach them a solid work ethic and appreciation of their history. We have to provide the strong surrogate male Christian models they so desperately need. We have to show them how to save, spend and give... and how to reject the negative values thrust upon them," 'Guiding your family in a misguided world, By Dr. Anthony T Evans, page 169. '