Strong Marriages Build Strong Culture
稳固的婚姻带来稳固的文化
By Rick Warren — May 7, 2016
“Righteousness lifts up a nation, but sin is a disgrace in any society” (Proverbs 14:34 GW).
“正义使国家兴盛，罪恶是人民的羞辱。”（箴14:34 新译本）
God created marriage for the construction of society.
上帝为了建造社会而设立婚姻。
Marriage is the fundamental building block of every community, church, state, nation, society, and culture. If you know anything about history, you know that where marriages are strong, cultures and nations and empires are strong. You know that wherever marriages and families are weak, cultures and nations are in decline. We know that the more marriages are devalued, the more a nation is in decline.
婚姻是建造每一个社区、教会、省、民族、社会和文化的基石。如果你对历史有所了解，你就知道，哪里的婚姻稳固，这个文化、民族和国家就会稳固。你也知道，那些婚姻和家庭都很薄弱的地方，文化和民族就衰退。我们知道婚姻越是被忽视，民族就越是衰退。
It’s real obvious what direction our nation is headed right now. America is not getting better. It’s not getting stronger. It’s going the other direction. Why? Because we don’t value marriage and family any more. It’s all about “me.” We’ve got to do what’s best for ourselves. We’ve made individualism an idol.
显而易见的是，我们的国家将被引向何方。美国并没有变得更稳固。它并没有变得更加强大。它却在衰退。为什么？因为我们不再重视婚姻与家庭了。所有的事情都是关乎“我”的。我们总是去抓那些对我们自己最好的。我们把个人主义当做偶像。
But God never intended it to be that way! When we place a high value on marriage, we build up a society and make it strong. We need each other, and we need strong marriages.
但是上帝却从来没有这么打算！当我们把婚姻摆在很高的位置上时，我们建造了一个社会，并且使它变得稳固。我们需要彼此，我们也需要稳固的婚姻。
“Righteousness lifts up a nation, but sin is a disgrace in any society” (Proverbs 14:34 GW).
“正义使国家兴盛，罪恶是人民的羞辱。”（箴14:34 新译本）
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Talk It Over
讨论问题
In what ways have you seen American culture or your own culture decline as marriage and family are devalued?
你曾从哪些方面看出，当婚姻与家庭被忽视的时候，美国的文化和你自己的文化也在衰退的？
Why do you think it seems easier to value self over others?
你认为为什么人更容易看重自己过于别人？
How do strong marriages contribute to a stronger society as a whole?
稳固的婚姻是如何帮助整个社会变得更稳固？