In the month of May, the focus is on a central theme of the UPF: the family. The Peace Talk on 31 May was therefore dedicated to two UN days, the "International Day of Families" and "Global Day of Parents" and reaffirmed the timeless importance of the family across nations and cultures.
Two experts, Sylvia Pantel (picture below right) and Christoph Lindemann (picture above left), shared their insights with about 100 participants of the Zoom event moderated by Christian Haubold (picture above right, UPF Bonn). The question and answer session, which went beyond the given time frame, showed how much the topic is close to people's hearts.
In his introduction, Karl-Christian Hausmann (picture below left), chairman of UPF Germany, quoted examples of how family-relevant issues in our society are often presented by the state today, e.g.: "The role of the mother is a patriarchal construct, one should instead speak of 'loving persons'" (MDR broadcast on Mother's Day) or "Women who raise children are trapped part-time" (Bärbel Bas, Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs).
The first speaker, Sylvia Pantel, married mother of 5 children, former entrepreneur, member of the Bundestag 2013-2021, managing director of the Foundation for Family Values and deputy federal chairwoman of the newly founded party WerteUnion, stated that the social recognition of the achievements of mothers has always been a matter close to her heart. Under the Kohl government, she worked on a family policy concept ("Lust auf Familie – Lust auf Verantwortung", 1999, Desire for Family – Desire for responsibility), which was intended to noticeably improve the position of mothers - and under the Merkel government had immediately ended up being shelved.
Unfortunately, according to Pantel, there is still no real freedom of choice for mothers, because politicians of all governing parties rely one-sidedly on the full-time employment of women as well as institutional childcare from 1 year, which costs the taxpayer 2000 euros per child per month! It is alarming that the state is increasingly trying to replace parents, which it cannot do at all. Instead of strengthening the role of parents, there is currently a "very big attack against marriage and family at all levels and all along the line". Examples of this are the WHO guidelines for sex education in schools and kindergartens authorized by the health department, the Self-Determination Act, the attempts to include children's rights in the constitution, to introduce a basic child benefit, to abolish income splitting (German tax law that equalizes total income between spouses), to legalize surrogacy and - last of the many pieces of the puzzle - the plan to allow up to 4 parents on one birth certificate.
Pantel encouraged the audience to take a close look and defend parents’ rights. To support this, there are numerous studies and survey results that strengthen the position of parents and highlight the importance of the natural family, which is actually lived by the overwhelming majority of the population. On the website www.stiftung-familienwerte.de you will find information and suggestions on how to strengthen and defend the family, e.g. through targeted campaigns (https://lust-auf-familie.com).
The second speaker, Christoph Lindemann, studied comparative religion, psychology and oriental studies and is the community leader of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification in Giessen. Married and father of three children, he himself comes from a large family, where he was able to experience security, reliability and love. In his presentation, he shared impulses from different perspectives: From a psychological point of view, the family is the emotional "primary school" of life, where attachment experiences lay the foundation for empathy and our humanity. From a philosophical point of view, it is the ethical origin of society, the first "moral association" (Hegel), where the basis for responsibility is laid on the basis of trust and a sense of community.
From a theological point of view, the family is not a human construct, but of divine origin: the image of God, who created human beings male and female (Gen. 1:27) so that they would transmit life to children. God's fatherly-maternal nature is reflected in the father and mother, as the founding couple of the Family Federation always emphasizes. Lindemann further elaborated on this holiness of the family by explaining the vision of the Family Federation, as expressed, for example, in the "Blessing" initiative, which unites couples worldwide under a vision of peace.
"Peace begins in the family, where a culture of the heart is built up in a very practical way, without ideology," Lindemann affirmed. Even if the family can be a pain point for some, it remains deeply anchored in our souls as a place of longing. Without idealizing it, we could make our family a model of peace through lived relationships, where trust, responsibility and reconciliation are experienced and values are passed on.