This paper examines competing conceptions of family values in urban America by contrasting the Judeo-Christian perspective with the secular perspective. Beginning with a historical background of the term "family values" in American society, the paper traces how political parties, religious groups, and civil organizations have defined and deployed the concept differently. It then analyzes the Judeo-Christian view, which grounds morality in divine authority and upholds the traditional nuclear family, against the secular view, which treats moral standards as relative and embraces diverse family structures. A direct comparison of both perspectives across issues such as marriage, sexuality, divorce, and gender equality leads to the conclusion that secular ideas have increasingly displaced traditional values in urban America.
This paper examines family values in urban America through the lens of two competing frameworks: the Judeo-Christian perspective and the secular perspective. The goal is to draw out the key differences between these two worldviews as they relate to family values in urban American society.
The paper begins with a background look at family values in American society and how different sectors of the society define or describe the concept. The second and third sections examine the Judeo-Christian perspective and the secular perspective on family values in urban America, respectively. A direct comparison of the two perspectives follows before the paper concludes.
The term "family values" became widely used in the urban American context in the late twentieth century. It was broadly used to refer to a set of morals or beliefs that promote social interaction and family unity, and it was also invoked in the context of childhood development to provide children with a societal framework. The set of morals or beliefs encompasses issues such as the roles of marriage, childbearing, divorce, sexuality, and gender roles. Arnold and Herbert (194–220) wrote that these morals not only influence how society interacts with the family, but also shape the legislative policy of a given country.
Adler (197–236), writing from a perspective more inclined toward evangelical Christian conservatism, described family values as social and political beliefs that help the family unit serve as the essential moral and ethical unit of society. Previous research conducted on the American public shows that urban American society views family values as closely related to Christian values. Another segment of the population describes family values as taking care of one another, loving and supporting each other, while others define them as possessing good values and knowing the difference between right and wrong.
According to David (12–14), politicians in urban American society have increasingly used the topic of family values to win over conservative voters. In the political arena, the definition of family values differs according to political affiliation. Republicans, for example, perceive family values to encompass principles such as promotion of traditional marriage, opposition to gay marriage, promotion of traditional education, opposition to the legalization of abortion, promotion of abstinence education, and laws that safeguard children from exploitation and obscenity.
Democrats, on the other hand, have used the concept of family values in their platforms to promote ideas such as acceptance of gay marriage and single-parent families — which represent non-traditional American family structures — acceptance of adoption by gay couples, universal health care, financial assistance, and social programs for families. Civil society organizations such as Planned Parenthood, Parents and Friends of Gays and Lesbians, and the People for the American Way have also used the concept of family values to promote ideologies including adequate maternity leave, affordable childbearing, family planning, gay marriages, and single-parent families. Gillis (23–46) and other critics of the Democrats argue that the Democratic Party and such organizations use the concept of family values to promote alternative family structures rather than to uphold the conservative set of morals associated with the traditional family.
The Republican Party has consistently argued in its campaigns that the world has been experiencing a decline in family values since World War II. A report released by the Institute for Social Research in 2001 supported this claim. The research focused on family values and attitudes — including the role of sex in society, divorce, childbearing, and extramarital sex — from the 1960s onward, aiming to observe specific changes over time. Its conclusion noted that since the 1960s there has been increased tolerance toward diversity in family values and toward behaviors that fall outside the traditional family structure.
The report further noted that gender equality has grown increasingly prominent, as women have taken on key roles in the family and in decision-making processes that were traditionally dominated by men. Moreover, divorce has become more widely accepted, and the cohabitation of unmarried couples is no longer a societal stigma.
Popenoe (527–542) lamented in his studies that the decline in family values in urban American society is attributable to the economic and social environment, in which parents are more committed to their work and social lives. This has led to a diminishing of parental influence during child development, which consequently results in children reaching adulthood without having internalized traditional family values.
Mark (122) used the term Judeo-Christian in his studies to refer to a set of morals or beliefs held jointly by both Christianity and Judaism. Judeo-Christian values are particularly prominent in urban American society, where they are understood as promoting ethical accountability, free will, doing what is right, and, most importantly, the teachings of Christ and the Biblical prophets.
In American society, it is argued that Judeo-Christian values — though not directly enshrined in the Constitution — form the building blocks of the country's laws and have a basis in the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." In light of the Declaration, Judeo-Christian values in American society can be summarized as creativity, liberty, and honoring the life given by our Creator. Although the separation of Church and State is clear, it is equally evident that God is not entirely removed from public life. This is confirmed by public swearing-in ceremonies that typically end with the phrase "so help me God," and by the common political expressions "God bless America" and "In God we trust." These phrases demonstrate that even urban American society continues to practice Judeo-Christian values.
Gillis (44–46) listed several values that can be considered Judeo-Christian and that have their basis in the Constitution, the Holy Bible, and the Declaration of Independence. These include: the sense of right and wrong; wisdom; the sacredness of truth, without which justice and liberty are unattainable; human life as a gift from God; America's liberty as a gift from God; human creativity as a gift from God; hating evil; loving one's neighbor; sacrificial giving; and courage, among others.
The Judeo-Christian perspective on family values in urban America holds that religion is the ultimate source of morality and that the traditional family is an essential element of American society. The American Family Association exemplifies this perspective: in an effort to promote Judeo-Christian values within the family context, the organization advocates that urban American citizens realign their culture to reflect traditional family values and Biblical truth.
In summary, Davison and Alan (89–112) note that the Judeo-Christian perspective on family values in urban America is firmly opposed to gay relationships and marriages, pornography, abortion, fornication, cohabitation of unmarried couples, certain aspects of feminism, and the complete separation of the State from the Church.
"Empirical and relativist challenge to religious values"
"Side-by-side contrast on marriage, truth, and gender"
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