Alan J. Hawkins (born July 8, 1955) is a professor in the Brigham Young University (BYU) School of Family Life, a division of the university's College of Home Family and Social Sciences. He is the Camilla E. Kimball professor of family life at BYU.
Hawkins was one of the witnesses brought by the state of Iowa to argue in court against same-sex marriage.
Hawkins has done extensive research and written many publications on the role of fathers in child development, as well as on the role of pre-marital counseling and classes and other laws to reduce divorce rates. Hawkins currently serves as the chair of the Utah Commission on Marriage and as a member of the advisory board of the National Center for African American Marriages and Families at Hampton University.
Hawkins graduated from Ann Arbor Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kobe, Japan, from 1974 to 1976.
Hawkins married Lisa Bolin in 1977 and they are the parents of two children and have two grandchildren.
Hawkins holds a bachelor's in psychology (1979) and master's degree in organizational behavior (1984) from BYU and a doctorate in human developments and family studies (1990) from Pennsylvania State University. He has been a member of the BYU faculty since 1990. In 2000 he was a visiting scholar with the National Fatherhood Initiative and from 2003-2004 he was a visiting scholar at the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation of the Administration for Children and Families, a part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Hawkins was also one of the developers of the Marriage Moments program. [1] The plan for marriage education, with Hawkins as the lead author, was used by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton to run a federal government funded program to encourage marriage among African-American and Hispanic couples who were currently cohabiting. [2] Hawkins also co-founded with David Dollahite the website FatherWork. [3]
Hawkins focus in research has been on the importance of fathers and more recently on government educational initiatives to help couples form and sustain healthy marriages and relationships. He has also made statements questioning the wisdom of same-sex marriage, which have been quoted in articles by such commentators on the issue as Stanley Kurtz. [4]
Hawkins statements on issues such as covenant marriage have been quoted in papers throughout the United States, such as the Los Angeles Times on February 11, 2001. His studies showing marriage makes a difference to men's lives were cited in a Honolulu Star-Bulletin article. [5]
Hawkins testimony for the state of Iowa (opposing same-sex marriage) in the case of Varnum v. Brien . [6]
Hawkins recently wrote a 168-page guidebook for individuals at the crossroads of divorce with Tamara Fackrell. A free electronic copy can be obtained here The guidebook is designed to help individuals considering divorce, helping them think clearly about the decision, and providing research on important issues related to divorce and reconciliation. He edited with Lynn D. Wardle and David Orgon Coolidge Revitalizing the Institution of Marriage for the Twenty-First Century: An Agenda for Strengthening the Family (Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 2002). He also edited with Jay Fagan the book Clinical and Educational Interventions with Fathers. [7] He also co-edited with David Dollahite the book Generative Fathering: Beyond Deficit Perspectives. Hawkins was also one of eight principal authors of Twogether in Texas: Baseline Report for Marriage in the Lone-Star State. [8]
Hawkins has written several articles. Among these are "Perspectives on Covenant Marriage" in The Family in America November 1998, Vol. 12, No. 11, pp. 1–8.; [9] "Maternal Gatekeeping: Mothers Beliefs and behaviors that inhibit greater father involvement" (with Sarah M. Allen) in Journal of Marriage and Family, Vol. 61, no. 1; [10] "Are Fathers Fungible" (with D. J. Eggebeen) in Journal of Marriage and Family, Vol. 53, no. 4, p. 958-972; "Exploring Wives Sense of Fairness About Family" (with several others, but he was lead author) Journal of Family Issues, Vol. 16, no. 6; "The Role of Father Involvement in Personality Change in Men Across the Transition to Parenthood" (with Jay Belsky) in Family Relations , Vol. 38, no. 4, p. 378-384.
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From the earliest days of the Christian faith, Christians have viewed marriage as a divinely blessed, lifelong, monogamous union between a man and a woman. However, while many Christians might agree with the traditional definition, the terminology and theological views of marriage have varied through time in different countries, and among Christian denominations.
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between them and their in-laws. It is nearly a cultural universal, but the definition of marriage varies between cultures and religions, and over time. Typically, it is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually sexual, are acknowledged or sanctioned. In some cultures, marriage is recommended or considered to be compulsory before pursuing any sexual activity. A marriage ceremony is called a wedding.
"The Family: A Proclamation to the World" is a 1995 statement issued by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which defined the official position of the church on family, marriage, gender roles, and human sexuality. It was first announced by church president Gordon B. Hinckley.
Sealing is an ordinance (ritual) performed in Latter Day Saint temples by a person holding the sealing authority. The purpose of this ordinance is to seal familial relationships, making possible the existence of family relationships throughout eternity. Sealings are typically performed as marriages or as sealing of children to parents. They were performed prior to the death of Joseph Smith, and are currently performed in the largest of the faiths that came from the movement, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. LDS Church teachings place great importance on the specific authority required to perform these sealings. Church doctrine teaches that this authority, called the priesthood, corresponds to that given to Saint Peter in Matthew 16:19.
Margaret Gallagher is an American writer, socially conservative commentator, and activist. She wrote a syndicated column for Universal Press Syndicate from 1995 to 2013 and has written several books. Gallagher founded the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, a small, socially conservative think tank. She is also a co-founder of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), an advocacy group which opposes same-sex marriage and other legal recognition of same-sex partnerships; she has served as president and as chairman of the board of NOM.
Sociology of the family is a subfield of the subject of sociology, in which researchers and academics study family structure as a social institution and unit of socialization from various sociological perspectives. It can be seen as an example of patterned social relations and group dynamics.
LGBT parenting refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people raising one or more children as parents or foster care parents. This includes: children raised by same-sex couples, children raised by single LGBT parents, and children raised by an opposite-sex couple where at least one partner is LGBT.
Sexuality has a prominent role within the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which teaches that gender is defined in the premortal existence, and that part of the purpose of mortal life is for men and women to be sealed together, forming bonds that allow them to progress eternally together in the afterlife. It also teaches that sexual relations within the framework of opposite-sex marriage are healthy, necessary, and ordained of God.
All homosexual sexual activity is condemned as sinful by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in its law of chastity, and the church teaches that God does not approve of same-sex marriage. Adherents who participate in same-sex sexual behavior may face church discipline. Members of the church who experience homosexual attractions, including those who self-identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual remain in good standing in the church if they abstain from same-sex marriage and any homosexual sexual activity or sexual relationships outside an opposite-sex marriage. However, all people, including those in same-sex relationships and marriages, are permitted to attend the weekly Sunday meetings.
Patricia Rosarie Casey is an Irish psychiatrist, academic, journalist and conservative commentator on social issues. She is Professor of Psychiatry at University College Dublin and consultant psychiatrist at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin. She is known for her regular column with the Irish Independent newspaper, and her conservative views on a variety of social issues.
Marriage privatization is the concept that the state should have no authority to define the terms of personal relationships such as marriage. Proponents of marriage privatization, including certain minarchists, anarchists, libertarians, and opponents of government interventionism, claim that such relationships are best defined by private individuals and not the state. Arguments for the privatization of marriage have been offered by a number of scholars and writers. Proponents of marriage privatization often argue that privatizing marriage is a solution to the social controversy over same-sex marriage. Arguments for and against the privatization of marriage span both liberal and conservative political camps.
A gatekeeper parent, in legal setting, is a parent who appoints themself the power to decide what relationship is acceptable between the other parent and the child(ren). The term is broad and may include power dynamics within a marriage or may describe the behaviors of divorced or never married parents.
In the United States, the traditional family structure is considered a family support system involving two married individuals providing care and stability for their biological offspring. However, this two-parent, heterosexual, nuclear family has become less prevalent, and nontraditional family forms have become more common. The family is created at birth and establishes ties across generations. Those generations, the extended family of aunts and uncles, grandparents, and cousins, can hold significant emotional and economic roles for the nuclear family.
David Dollahite is a professor of family life at Brigham Young University (BYU) who specializes in the effects of religion on marriage, family life, and youth. He is a co-leader of the American Families of Faith project. He is a family life coach who focuses on helping men become better husbands and fathers and helping couples strengthen their marriage.
Monte Neil Stewart is the founding president of the Marriage Law Foundation, the former United States Attorney for Nevada, and a former Special Assistant Attorney General and Counsel to the Governor of Utah.
Concerns regarding same-sex marriage and the family are at the forefront of the controversies over legalization of same-sex marriage. In the United States, an estimated 1 million to 9 million children have at least one lesbian, gay, bi, trans, intersex, or queer parent. Concern for these children and others to come are the basis for both opposition to and support for marriage for LGBT couples.
Valerie M. Hudson is an American professor of political science in the Department of International Affairs at The Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University as of January 2012. Prior to coming to Texas A&M, Hudson was a professor of political science at Brigham Young University for over 24 years. She is most noted for having co-authored the book Bare Branches which discussed the effects of China's demographic decisions on sex ratios in China and other countries.
Michael E. Lamb is a professor and former Head of the then Department of Social and Developmental Psychology at the University of Cambridge. In 2003 Lamb was the recipient of the 2003–2004 James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award from the Association for Psychological Science.
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Because of its ban against same-sex sexual activity and same-sex marriage the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a long history of teaching that its adherents who are attracted to the same sex can and should attempt to alter their feelings through righteous striving and sexual orientation change efforts. Reparative therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual, or their gender identity from transgender to cisgender using psychological, physical, or spiritual interventions. There is no reliable evidence that such practices can alter sexual orientation or gender identity, and many medical institutions warn that conversion therapy is ineffective and potentially harmful.
