Did Christian parents invent a new religion to protect cultural norms?
“Motherhood is the highest calling of a woman.” “Parents are supposed to be the king and queen ruling over the household.” “Parenthood is a battlefield.” “The stress of parenting is meant to point you to how much you need Jesus.” “Having as many kids as possible proves that you are trusting Jesus.” Have you heard any of these before? These are not to spread condemnation, but I wonder if we as culture had to invent new rules to a new religion to protect the cultural value that permeates every aspect of American life: rugged individualism. Devoid of extended family, friends, neighbors, church, or society, moms and dads have no one else to rely on but each other. The only way this fantasy was going to work was if dad made the money while mom took on all the household responsibilities, and the childcare, and all family relationships, and everything else, alone. Christian parents don’t believe that it takes a village to raise a child—it o...