Why God and fathers matter | Walter Backstrom

We live in a society where the roles of a father continue to diminish.

I watched an episode on “Oprah,” in which the author had written a book highlighting a new trend among middle-class women. The trend was divorcing their husbands. The reason was not putting down a toilet seat. Then they decided to hook up with another woman. They all talked about the emotional closeness they feel with another woman. It seemed like they were talking about the latest self-help book or how to lose weight.

Remember, in this society, it is all about me, myself and I. How utterly selfish.

I will assume since we live in a no-fault divorce state, and Mary can decide to hook up with Molly. No muss, no fuss.

Oh yeah, don’t worry about the kids. They’ll get over it. However, they will carry the scars of having no dad for a lifetime.

Science has made it possible for a woman to get pregnant without a man. What do we need men for, anyway? The feminist movement, the Hollywood elite, along with their willing allies in the liberal press, often portray men as a bunch of ne’er-do-wells. My question continues to be: What about the kids? I guess they can go to their female therapist to deal with their father issues.

Here’s a sobering fact: Seventy percent of African American children grow up without a father. Is there any wonder that problems in the black community never seem to get any better?

We live in a society that weakens the family out of selfishness — and misguided policies. When there is no father and no mother, you are asking for trouble.

I talk to kids of all colors, and eventually the question arises about their family. I generally ask if their fathers are around. Ninety percent say no, followed by tears and feelings of shame.

They often try to put on a brave face, as teenagers often do. But the pain and anguish in their faces overwhelms them. That tough image they try to portray forces them to bury their heads in their hands, and wee uncontrollably. It was heartbreaking.

Those disturbing trends of minimizing the role of fathers and embracing atheism is a recipe for disaster.

I was at my place of employment when a gentleman came up to me and said: “I like your writings, most of the time, until you start talking about that ‘God’ fellow.”

I told him I was going to put him on my prayer list. But based on his expression, I felt like what he really wanted to do was crucify me on the cross.

In a society that is always seeking the next quick fix, the next sex scandal or the next book that will teach you how to get thin and become a better person for $19.95, plus postage — I am not surprised that we are in this mess. AIG and Wall Street are just examples of unbridled greed. Nothing more, nothing less. The idea of community or the common good are only for conservatives and do-gooders. In a society that embraces abortion on demand, where millions of babies have been killed, life becomes cheapened.

Can you imagine living in a world where the only thing you believed in was yourself?

I realize that this sounds like the rant of what the elites would characterize as some “right-wing crazy” to be dismissed. However, these are the true heartfelt feelings of a father who believes in life.

I am so grateful to God that I chose life for my daughter. If I did not, who would I see at school? Who would I take to the daddy-daughter dance? Who would say to me, “You’re the best dad ever,” and who would I teach the ABCs to?

What is just as important: Who would I tell that you are a gift from God, made in his image and likeness? To whom would I say, when it is bedtime, that we say the Lord’s Prayer together?

I love this country, even with all its faults. I love my daughter, and I worship God. And I am not ashamed to say it.

No excuses.