World Congress of Families 7

The latest gathering of the premier international family convention has just finished in Sydney, Australia, and it was a raging success. The WCF has become the most important event on the pro-family calendar, and the latest meeting just finished again demonstrates why this is such an invaluable gathering.

Started by American social commentator and family expert Dr Allan Carlson, the Congress was first held in Prague in 1997. Five other major events were held between that initial congress and the one just completed. Geneva, Mexico City, Warsaw, Amsterdam and Madrid were the venues, and a number of regional conferences have also been held.

In Sydney some 600 eager delegates were able to spend three full days listening to numerous authorities on family, marriage and related issues. Along with Dr Carlson were other international keynote speakers such as Patrick Fagan, Bradford Wilcox, Janice Shaw Crouse, Steve Mosher, Miriam Grossman, Ian Grant, Ted Baehr, and Bob McCoskrie.

Australian keynote speakers included Ian Harper, George Pell, Peter Elliot, John Anderson and Patrick Parkinson. Over 100 other speakers were on hand, including Sharon Slater, William May, Warwick Marsh, Rabbi Shimon Cowen, Paige Patterson, David Phillips, Miranda Devine, David van Gend, John Ballantyne and Bob Day.

The theme of this WCF was “Happy Families, Healthy Economy: A New Vision for National Prosperity and Social Progress.” One speaker after another demonstrated how the well-being of families leads directly to the well-being of nations. Healthy, functioning families make for healthy, functioning societies, while broken families result in broken economies and broken countries.

A wealth of data, fact and evidence was marshalled, along with inspiring stories and testimonials. Numerous other marriage and family topics were covered, including:
– The Causes and Cost of Family Breakdown
– What Families Are Best for the Economy?
– Philosophical Roots of the Cultural Revolution
– Secular Humanism and Family Values
– Demographic Winter
– The Impact on Children of Legalising “Same-Sex Marriage”
– Economic and Social Costs of Abortion
– Healing Post-Abortion Trauma
– Work of the Home: A True Profession
– AIDS Prevention through Strengthening Families
– Marriage as an Instrument of Human Development
– The Pornography Industry
– and Reaching the Next Generation with a Pro-Family Message

A conference dinner featured the world-renowned photographer Ken Duncan and his work. After these very full three days, the 600 present left revived, reinvigorated and enthused about standing tall in the defence of marriage and family.

Yet incredibly there were some who did not even want this conference to go ahead. For example, Alex Greenwich, NSW member for Sydney and Chairperson of Australian Marriage Equality, actually wanted the conference to be monitored for “hate speech”.

WCF Managing Director Lawrence Jacobs said, “Perhaps, it is Mr. Greenwich who should be monitored for possible human rights violations for imposing a radical, secular worldview that privileges a few adults at the expense of the natural family and the rights of children to be raised by a married mother and a father in their own home.

“The definition of the natural family derives from the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) adopted in 1948 and binding on all United Nations member states of the world. The UDHR states (Article 16:3), ‘the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the state.’

“This is the human rights basis and inspiration for our use of the term ‘natural family’ and the WCF mission to provide sound scholarship and effective strategies to affirm and defend the natural family, thus renewing a stable and free society.”

Jacobs also said of the history of WCF, “In all of that time, no elected official has ever been successful in censoring a Congress for our expression of support for the natural family and the presentation of research, ideas, and solutions to our modern-day economic and social problems. In Amsterdam on the third day of WCF V, left-wing newspapers which disagreed with us, actually defended our right to be in the city and present our research and ideas to help children and families.”

Nonetheless protestors did come to the Sydney conference, seeking to disrupt things, but the police did a good job of keeping them at bay. But just imagine: actually protesting the family. One might as well target a conference extolling the advantages of breathing, or eating. Just think if those topics were attacked as being intolerant, bigoted and judgmental.

The very fact that we have to put on international conferences to defend and promote marriage and family shows just how far we have degenerated as a society. Up until recently, everyone simply enjoyed and did family, as we simply eat and breathe.

But today we actually have to justify why we think family is good, and marriage an honourable estate. Our topsy-turvy world now celebrates and encourages attacks on marriage and family, while regarding the upholding of these historic social institutions as somehow being a bigoted and hateful thing.

As long as this climate of moral inversion and mental mushiness persists, then conferences such as this will always be needed. As G K Chesterton once wrote, “This triangle of truisms, of father, mother and child, cannot be destroyed; it can only destroy those civilisations which disregard it.”

Until sanity returns to the West, and family is once again regarded as the supreme good, and a blessing unequalled, we will have need for such conferences. Long may the World Congress of Families prosper. Thanks again Dr Carlson and others for bringing it about.

And the Australian team, led by Mary-Louise Fowler, which was responsible for putting on this invaluable conference, must also be heartily congratulated. It was an outstanding event, and the conference team did a superlative job.

However, if you are now feeling a bit let down because you missed out on the conference, you can always join us again next year. See you in Moscow, September 10-12, 2014.

http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/9794371997.html
http://www.news.com.au/national-news/australian-gay-rights-advocate-alex-greenwich-compared-to-stalin/story-fncynjr2-1226633250943

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13 Replies to “World Congress of Families 7”

  1. Thanks Bill. What an outstanding and righteous event to take place in our nation. I wish thousands of us could have attended it. Maybe next time. But if those 600 go out and spread the word, all the more seeds are being sewn for a righteous resistance in this nation.

    Dee Graf

  2. Hi Bill, do you think the numbers are disappointing? Many mega churches have in excess of 600. It does make me wonder where peoples’ priorities lie. So glad it went well though.

    Liz Gee

  3. Thanks Liz

    Yes I am 100% with you. One Sydney church alone could have send over 20,000 folks to this vital conference. I suspect not one person came from there, or any of the other mega-churches. They seem more interested in building their own kingdom and entertaining themselves than in dealing with the vital issues of the day, such as standing up for two of the most important institutions which God has created: marriage and family.

    Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

  4. It was a privilege to attend this conference. The calibre of the speaker and the quality and diversity of the presentations was extraordinary. As you say we left, “revived, reinvigorated and enthused about standing tall in the defence of marriage and family”. It was also exciting and encouraging to hear and see photos of the huge peaceful rally in France with apparently over 1 million attending in support of marriage and family and the continuing expressions of support in France and by French citizens in other countries including Australia.

    Brad Salisbury

  5. Thank for your inside report – it is one of the most important conferences. It is unfortunate that christian community not more support and talk about it. I personally did not think it necessary for me to travel interstate as i had not much voice in the Church. I had spoken many time with my leaders about it. My view that thing should be spoke and allowed to be discuss in the service. I hope that will happen as the silent is the killer and pastor think they had only to preach good sermon!
    Luigi Rosolin

  6. Modesty perhaps prevented you from mentioning your own contribution to the Congress. Thanks Bill for your support and for your presentation on natural marriage on the Thursday afternoon. It proved impossible to hear all presentations as some were scheduled concurrently with others. But the presentations I did hear were both informative and challenging. I encourage all who could not attend to obtain the DVD package which includes every session and every presentation – 100 hours or so of excellent content!

    Graeme Mitchell, FamilyVoice Australia
    Member of the Local Organising Committee, WCF VII

  7. A personal highlight for myself was the premier of the film “On Understanding Same Sex Attraction”. My son converted to homosexuality when he was 15 and this film offered us renewed hope that one day we can get him back to his natural state with therapy and love, so he can marry a wife and join us in the Kingdom of Heaven, where he belongs! I now *know* that he can be healed of his sickness and when he is healed that we can welcome him back into the family.
    Claire Field

  8. Thank you Graham for making sure Bill’s name gets the mention it deserves. I thought he must have been a speaker, or would have been very surprised if you hadn’t been, Bill.
    I tried to comment here yesterday, asking for the details of how to order that dvd set Graham just mentioned. Not sure what happened to my comment, I usually don’t have any problems.
    Gods richest blessings
    Ursula Bennett

  9. I’m honoured to even read about this event. It brings a tear to think we have to. Humbled by such people fighting for the last thread, Family.
    Lord I pray, that their words return full.
    Daniel Kempton

  10. For those who were not & cannot attend Conferences such as this, is it possible for the Conference Speeches etc to be put on line to get the word out!
    Thanks for all you do Bill. God bless you.
    Barb Hoc

  11. As far as I can tell, the WCF website has not been up-dated since before the congress.
    Please keep us informed if you can.
    Many blessings
    Ursula Bennett

  12. What a magnificent statement of positive family values! And how extraordinary that anyone should want to protest *against* the family!
    As a New Zealander I was pleased to see our great Bob McCroskie contributing to the conference.
    Will you really be in Moscow next year? How remarkable! Won’t it make ol’ Lenin turn in his tomb?!
    Dominic Baron, NZ

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