The Decline of Fathers, A THREAT TO FREEDOM

Summary

This episode explores the critical role of fatherhood in freedoms survival, in shaping individual lives, communities, and the nation. It highlights alarming statistics on fatherless homes and offers practical steps for fathers to strengthen their families and preserve freedom. It explains that one of the best steps is to be a father and why it is critical to every long-term preparedness plan!

Keywords

fatherhood, family, freedom, society, parenting, community, statistics, preparation, prosperity, legacy, prepper

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Key  Topics

The impact of fatherlessness on crime and society

Statistics on fatherless homes and youth outcomes

The importance of fatherhood in family and national prosperity

Practical steps for fathers to strengthen their families and prepare to avoid hardship

The spiritual and societal significance of fatherhood

Chapters

00:00 The Importance of Fatherhood

02:53 Statistics on Fatherlessness and Its Impact

05:16 The Role of Fathers in Society

08:14 The Crisis of Fatherlessness

11:02 Fatherhood as a Leadership Role

13:59 Preparing for the Future as a Father

16:48 Building Strong Family Bonds

19:29 The Economic Impact of Father Absence

22:38 Action Steps for Fathers

25:02 Conclusion and Call to Action

All 18 citations are primarily listed in the order they appear in the episode.

 [1] America First Policy Institute. (2023). Fatherhood and Crime: Fact Sheet. America First Policy Institute, Stacey Schieffelin. Retrieved from https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/issues/fact-sheet-fatherhood-and-crime

[2] Office of the Attorney General Prevention Framework (OAGP). Fatherless Statistics: Verified 2026 Data. Compiled in Wifitalents.com Statistical Review, published February 12, 2026, verified May 12, 2026. Retrieved from https://wifitalents.com/fatherless-statistics/

[3] U.S. Census Bureau. (1967–2023). Historical Data on Single-Parent Households: Current Population Survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau.

[4] U.S. Census Bureau. (2023). America's Families and Living Arrangements. Table C3. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau.

[5] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Vital Statistics Reports: Births to Unmarried Mothers, Historical Trends 1967–2023. National Center for Health Statistics.

[6] U.S. Census Bureau. (2024). Income and Poverty in the United States: 2023. Current P0pulation Reports, P60-282. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

[7] U.S. Department of Health & Human Services / U.S. Census Bureau. Youth Suicide Statistics from Fatherless Homes. Aggregated by The Fatherless Generation Statistical Repository; corroborated by Fix Family Courts (2025).

[8] National Fatherhood Initiative. (2023). Father Absence Statistics. Germantown, MD: National Fatherhood Initiative.

[9] Tuttle, A. T. (1971, October). The things that matter most. General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ensign, December 1971.

[10] Fagan, P. F. (1995). The real root causes of violent crime: The breakdown of marriage, family, and community. Heritage Foundation Backgrounder No. 1026. Washington, DC: The Heritage Foundation.

 [11] Clements, A. D., et al. (2021). Father presence and adolescent substance use: A logistic regression study (N=685). Journal of Family Studies.

[12] Columbia University Center on Addiction. (2011). Adolescent substance use — The role of family structure. New York: Columbia University.

[13] Perry, L. T. (2004, April). Fatherhood, an eternal calling. General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ensign, May 2004.

[14] Christofferson, D. T. (2016, April). Fathers. General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ensign, May 2016.

[15] NORC at the University of Chicago. (2022). General Social Survey (GSS): Religious Attendance Trends Among Youth, 1967–2022. Chicago: NORC.

[16] Kamp Dush, C. M. (2011). Relationship-specific investments, family chaos, and cohabitation dissolution following a nonmarital birth (N=1,624). Family Relations, 60(5), 586–601. AND Perelli-Harris, B., et al. (2017). Why do cohabiting parents separate? A cross-national comparison. Demography, 54(2), 631–659.

[17] Bible, Malachi 4:6, Proverbs 22:6, Psalm 78:4, Deuteronomy 6:6–7, Joshua 24:15

[18] The Aggregate Cost of Crime in the United States, by David A. Anderson, https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/jle/vol64/iss4/7/?utm_source=copilot.com

• Guest Name: Colonel Tobin Griffeth, Retired

Don't just survive, live for freedom, properly prepare, and thrive!

Transcript

The Importance of Fatherhood

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Right now, somewhere in America, a boy is sitting in a courtroom, a jail cell, or principal's office, or alone, without guidance, maybe in the dark, wondering, is there really a purpose in my life? And what's the single most common factor in that boy's story? His father was not there. Today we're asking the question that many in the world would try to avoid. Could the collapse of fatherhood be the single greatest threat to American freedom and prosperity? Welcome to Rise for Freedoms, where we unite to prosper in freedom's light, transforming ourselves and others to survive and thrive in a very troubled world. Well, welcome back to Rise for Freedoms. I'm Colonel Griffith, retired. Not only am I a retired senior military officer, but I'm a former judge, attorney, entrepreneur, JRTC instructor, seminary graduate, and youth pastor, and most important of all, a successful father and husband. And together we'll change the world. And every one of those had a common theme. I saw troubled youth after troubled youth after troubled youth that needed guidance. Well, welcome to the only show that prepares you to be free, prepare, and prosper in this world and in the world to come. Yesterday was Father's Day, and it made me think. And I began to do some research, many of the things I already knew, but the world for decades has been beating up on the traditional family structure and fatherhood especially. And I want to talk about why fathers matter to your freedom, to your family, to your nation, and quite frankly, to your eternal future. In case you're new to the show, the four pillars of future and success in this world and the world to come that we discuss in every show are freedoms, which kind of encompass family, faith, faith and action in our physical and financial future, preparedness to protect and defend those freedoms in our family and our faith, productivity, that every citizen has a responsibility to improve upon the talents and skills that they have, and prosperity when we do those things that are right and good, not

Statistics on the Impact of Fatherlessness

SPEAKER_00 2:53

only for ourselves, but for our children and for the future. In short, freedom helps us prosper, be more productive and prepared for this life and the life to come. Today we'll show you that every one of those pillars of freedom, every single one, is weakened when fathers are absent from the home. And we'll show you what you can do about it. First, we'll talk about what's going on and what you need to know about how fatherhood impacts your freedom and your freedom to prosper. In the second part of the show, we'll apply what we all have learned, helping us to improve and transform ourselves to be more productive, prosperous, and properly prepared. Then we'll wrap it up with some practical steps to help you properly prepare, be more productive, and prosper in freedom's light so you and your family can survive and thrive in a troubled world. If you love freedom, faith, and want to see the world prosper, please like and subscribe, receive our free newsletter, and join our community as we promote freedom, preparedness, and prosperity across the world. So let's get into it. So the core I did today is the foundation that nobody really is talking about. And then I want to start with a number for you. I want to start with the number six. Six. Not six percent, six times. A boy raised without a father in a home is six times more likely to end up in the criminal justice system. Some stats out there say up to 20. When you add up the prisons, policing, courts, victim losses, private security, loss of productivity in crime across the United States, we spend up to five trillion dollars every year, with around half a trillion dollars or more tied to the loss of productivity and incarceration alone. Can you imagine? If we could reduce that alone or get rid of it completely, within seven years, we'd balance our budget, despite being almost $37 trillion in

The Role of Fathers in Society

SPEAKER_00 5:23

debt. Fatherless children are somewhere between three and twenty times more likely to be incarcerated than children from two-parent homes. Let that just land with you for a moment. Not a little more likely, not twice as likely, but six times more likely. So we're going with the number six. It's most of the studies have shown right around in that area. 70% of long-term prison inmates grew up in fatherless homes. 60% of youth gang members, and 85% of all children who show behavior disorders, you guessed it, are in fatherless homes. So the world out there can beat up on the traditional family and the father as much as they want. But if you get a good man and a good father in a home, he can make a world of difference, not only in that home, but in the eternal and total and entire life of those who he properly raises. We'll talk about mother roles later, and they're indispensable. Two incredible parents. There is nothing that can bless a child more or this country or our freedom. That's from the Office of the Attorney General's Prevention Framework and the American First Policy Institute. Those are well-known studies. You can scream at cops or whatever else all you want, but really the buck stops with getting fathers in the home, raising the children the way they should be. Now I want you to hold that in your mind and then ask yourself: are we talking about a crime problem in America? Are we really talking about a father problem? Because if we want freedom, real freedom, a safe nation, full of opportunity, of self-reliance, of civil order, America standing strong on the world stage, it doesn't begin with any legislation or promise of what the government can do for you. It doesn't begin with a new government program that requires more government people to be employed and tell you how to run your life. It begins in the home. And one of those critical pieces, it begins with the father.

Data on the Fatherlessness Crisis to America

SPEAKER_00 8:03

Here's some data. Why it matters, data that we can't ignore, to help give you the full picture. Because what's happening to America's family is not a footnote, it should be a headline, and it's ignored. In fact, if you discuss it many times, you are shunned for even mentioning it. I'll just go since my year of birth until today. But if you really follow the numbers throughout the history of America, it would tell you that it was much worse than this. But this is just in my lifetime. Since 1967, children in single-parent homes have nearly tripled. They've gone from 11% to 32%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And I believe that those numbers are even underreported, but we don't have time in this show for that. Here's another number: one in four American children, that's 18.4 million, live without a biological father in the home. And among the most troubled communities, among black children, that's sad to say that that number reaches 64%. Can you imagine if we could change just the fathers in the home alone, the way that would raise income throughout the United States, the way that would bring stability? The power that would come, the prosperity that would come. Five trillion dollars every year would take care of any of the poor. We could do miraculous things with that to do good in the world. And it just starts with maybe having a father step up and do his job. Or people understanding the importance of it and pushing things that create the desire for the father to be in the home and to act like a real man. Forty percent of all births in America are now to unmarried mothers. That's up from 8% in 1967. It is more likely now, for the first time in America, that a child will either be born in a home without a father or be from a broken home. Single mother families have a poverty rate of 31.2% compared to only 5.7% to married couples that have a father in the home. The median household income gap between the two? $60,300.

Fatherhood as a Leadership Role

SPEAKER_00 10:49

63% of all youth uh suicides, you guessed it, come from fatherless homes. 75%. You say there's a drug problem in America? I tell you there is, but there's also a father problem that could help prevent it. 75% of all children in substance abuse treatment centers come from fatherless homes. I know when I worked in the high schools. I know when I worked as a military judge. I know when I worked in the juvenile court system. How sad it was to not have a father in the home. And the odds were that that was probably the case. Hear me clearly. This is not about politics. And it's definitely not about blaming mothers who are among some of the most heroic people in the nation in trying to raise their children in father's homes. It's about acknowledging a devastating wound in the fabric of our society that's ripping away at our ability to stay and remain free and to raise our kids in a way that they can live a happy, free life. And when this happens, then we scream and yell about the rich and want to turn to the government to answer our problems. And the first step to healing a wound is just admitting it's there. If you can't admit it, you can't conquer it. This isn't new. Many church leaders and religious leaders have been signing the warning for decades. One of the talks that I loved and that I read was by elder Theodore A. Tuttle, who stood in front of his church congregation and told them about some Greyhound dogs. Now, these these Greyhound dogs were race dogs, and they were bred to chase live rabbits. But ironically, in the article that he was reading, he read about how a live rabbit ran across and the dogs never chased it. They had been so used to chasing mechanical dogs or things that really they weren't meant to do that they had forgotten how to do what was most important. Their instincts had been trained away from reality. Is that what's happening to us? Slowly but surely. Likewise, maybe if we chase only paychecks instead of paychecks to take care of the family and putting the family first, and we do things like not look up the rising sun or tell our children how much we love them to help them uh do the things they need to do. If we chase our lust or our selfish desires, or a crowded calendar in front of those things that matter most, instead of uh family or a chat with a sick friend or befriended neighbor, or to tell some bedtime stories to your children or grandchildren. Are you chasing a mechanical dog? Does that sound familiar today? Man, I say this with with all love and respect. We've got to step it up. We have been chasing mechanical rabbits, and in the meantime, what matters most and what is the backbone of America is breaking. We have confused what matters most. We have told ourselves that working long hours was fatherhood. It's a piece of it. And our children have grown up starving for something that we cannot buy. I'll tell you how to spell love. T I M E with your child. I'm so grateful for a loving father that helped me.

Preparing for the Future, What God Said

SPEAKER_00 15:19

In Malachi 4, 6, we read, and he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children of their fathers, lest I come and strike the land, listen to this, with a decree of utter destruction. God understands what happens if we don't raise our children right. What happens to nation states? We've seen it again and again throughout history. You can attribute it to many things, and there is, there's a thousand cuts of rock down Rome. But look at all these nation states and see what happens when they supposedly get civilized. Do you hear the weight of that verse? God doesn't say if the hearts don't turn, he says, lest. As uh as in the if we don't fix this, destruction follows. Destruction of families equals destruction of communities. Destruction of communities equals destruction of nations. And this is not figurative, it's happening now. There is a reason why we are going in such big debt. There is a reason why the civility in society has decreased. And this is one of them.

Preparation and Freedom Depend on Family Bonds

SPEAKER_00 16:38

Freedom cannot survive without fathers. Here's what I want every freedom-loving American to understand. You cannot have a free society built on broken families. It's mechanically impossible. And one of your top preps should be building a family bond. Sounds crazy. You've probably never heard anybody else that tells people how to prep to make sure your family unit is strong. Nothing you could count on more. The pioneers understood that. Families needed to depend on each other and build a bond that was incredible. Children who you and society can count on will grow up as a result of it. When fathers are absent, then the government must try to fill the gap. And the people scream for it. The government becomes the provider through welfare. The government becomes the disciplinarian through the court system. The parents then expect the teachers to take care of things when really it gets so out of hand the teachers can't. The government then becomes the educator because no one at home is teaching, and eventually the government and free society break. And quite frankly, on each and every one of those steps that we hand something over to a teacher or to the government, we lose freedom. Every father who abandons his post, whether by choice or carelessness, or culture, or just confusion because of what he's being told by the world, hands another brick to the state. Build a wall from freedom. The Heritage Foundation, one of America's most respectable think tanks, stated it very plainly. It said this, listen to this quote. The same is true of crime. I think it's interesting that one of the top things that determines if you become a millionaire is your ability to find the proper spouse. And the two of you work together. These things were things that our forefathers fought for, and people flocked to America for the opportunity and freedoms it provides. You don't see people swimming across to get to Cuba or building boats to get there. And the few knuckleheads that say it never do it.

Impacts on our prosperity as individuals and a nation

SPEAKER_00 20:04

Here's some more extraordinary things. Listen to this. Children who feel closest to their fathers are 80% less likely to spend time in jail. If a father is in the home, alcohol abuse drops by 43%. Boys' illicit drug use are three times lower. Do you see that? The father is not some side character in a story. He is the shield, he is the wall, he is the fortress against every destructive force in culture that culture throws at our children. And that together with some loving and nurturing, that quite frankly, my wife does 100% better than me. Creates an incredible kid. Here's the takeaway. You want to lead this nation? Fatherhood is the best leadership. Our Heavenly Father put us here as his children. Read Romans 8. And I think one of the best things you can learn to get to know Heavenly Father, raise a child. Do your best, no matter how difficult it gets. The most important kind of leadership is fatherhood, and it always has been so. It always will be so. It is an internal responsibility. Part of your life, or the only part of your life, really, that will endure beyond the grave. Not your career, not Colonel Griffith. Not your title, Judge Griffith. Not your bank account. Oh, I have a million. Your fatherhood. And the legacy you leave.

unknown 21:59

That

SPEAKER_00 22:00

Is the thing that isn't to her. Here's an interesting piece. Keeping your family unified and caring for each other has been found to be one of the greatest factors in increasing your wealth, happiness, and health. It's work. But everything it's worthwhile is work. And it's not always enjoyable. Oh, but it's so incredible. Despite a world that has grown openly skeptical of fatherhood, I boldly say to all those that can hear my voice, believe in fathers. Believe in the ideal. Be one of the men who puts his family first and understand that good fathers are unique and irreplaceable. The numbers speak for themselves. You can argue against it all you want.

Action Steps to Prepare and Prosper

SPEAKER_00 22:58

I love one of the scriptures in Proverbs. It says, and it's so true. So so true. Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Good fathers create more good fathers. Children who are more productive, children who are more happy, children who are more stable. Glorious deeds of the Lord and freedom are not passed through institutions. They're passed, not passed through policies. They are most often passed through families, through your example. From father to child, from heart to heart, from story to story, from generation to generation. Here's one clear takeaway. A nation's freedom is only as strong as its family's. If you get nothing else out of it, that you should know. Put that one in the bank. And a family is only as strong as its father's. If you want to protect liberty, be present. Be faithful. Be a father. You're listening to Rise for Freedoms. I'm Colonel Griffith, and we'll be right back. If you love freedom and want to build a brighter future that is built on truth, and prepare for what is happening in the world today. Become part of our family. Join our community. Hit subscribe. Follow our show. Go to ariseforfreedoms.com and sign up for our free newsletter. Then share it and share what this show tells you with somebody else. You do not want to miss what's coming. The world needs you. Now do something about it and Arise for Freedoms.

Conclusion and Specific Action Steps for You

SPEAKER_00 24:54

And part two of the show. And we're going to talk about properly and productively preparing to prosper. Welcome back. Let's just shift to that productive, properly prepared, and prosperous part. How do these relate to really preparing for what is to come? Because information without application is just entertainment or dead facts if you don't do something with it. This would focus is on being a father who is present, intentional. And yes, I'm going to say it, spiritual anchor. And if you're not a father, this also applies to you because every man has the capacity to be a father figure to someone who's out there. I've acted as a bigger father figure many times, whether it was teaching at church, working with a youth group, working with JROTC cadets, or just working with some of my son's friends who needed more help. Perhaps the most essential part of fatherhood's work is to prepare children's hearts, if you will, and turn them towards their perfect Heavenly Father. Why do I say that? It's because when you look to perfection and seek perfection in fatherhood, following an obedience, you develop a new you. So as the father does what he should by example, he can demonstrate what a truly productive and prosperous family and life looks like from day to day. More often children mirror us than we ever want to admit. If a father can do this, he will have given his child perhaps the key piece to prosperity in this life and in the life to come. Additionally, not only have you blessed your children, but statistics also show that you likely have blessed the lives of your grandchildren and many following generations. When you pass, your incredible example and things you have done do not. That is both a spiritual truth and a true lasting preparedness strategy if you really want to bless the lives of your children. If you want them to be prosperous, if you want them to be happy, if you want them to be off the drugs, if you want them to do the things that are right, you need to do your part. The child is anchored in faith is a child that is protected from some of the greatest threats our culture can throw at them. And as a teammate that you can count on no matter how hard it gets, because nothing is stronger than a bond of love. Research backs this up. As true fathership has declined across the United States, weekly religious attendance for youth has dropped from 40 to about 20% since 1967. The data shows that children who worship regularly or weekly have dramatically better outcomes across every measure we discuss today. Fathers who lead in family worship are not just fulfilling religious obligation, they are building resilient, prepared, flourishing children. Fathers who are in the home, also their children's math scores, social skills, everything shoot through the roof. Less depression. Deuteronomy chapter six, verses six through seven, it says, and these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. Ye shall teach them diligently to your children. And then it talks about when you lay down and you rise up, and in other words, all the time. That is not a Sunday only command. That's a daily, breath-by-breath command. A father is not a weekend event, it's a lifestyle. We talk about sacrificing our lives for others, and everybody likes to quote that scripture and has a really cool I got one up here on the wall, and you have a really cool scripture with a soldier there with a weapon and wings out behind him. And that's true, but you can also sacrifice your life for your children, and it's the same thing, if not even more incredible in some ways. All right. So the preparedness in strike. Now let me give you one more piece of data that directly impacts your preparedness. 64% of cohabitating unions, I'm sorry, within five years will dissolve. Parents who cohabitate and decide not to get married are two to four times higher separation risk within five years of having a child. So what am I trying to say? In anything in life, commitment matters, whether it's marriage, fatherhood. The covenant of marriage is just not a romantic ideal. It's just not something you go in because she's hot. It's a structural fortress for children. When the structure holds, the children thrive. When the children thrive, society and this country thrives. When it crumbles, everything downstream gets worse. Being prepared as a family means protecting your family structure, being one, truly being one. It means fighting for your marriage. It means getting help when you need it. It means choosing covenant over convenience every single day. Why does this matter? Because it protects your productivity, your happiness, and your prosperity. Because a stable home produces stable, productive children. The next generation of free, prosperous, productive citizens. And it saves your own wealth. This is just not sentiment. This is strategy. This is reality. This is truth. So what are some action steps? Here are the action steps for fathers this day. Number one. Schedule a time every week with your child. No phones, no agenda. Ask them what they're thinking about. What worries them? What do they dream about? Just listen. Talk. Have a good time. Get to know them. And get to the point where they want to be around you. Presence is one of the most powerful gifts you can give. Sometimes even when they act like they don't want it. Number two. Start or restart a family worship practice. Doesn't have to be long. Five minutes of scripture or prayer before going to school. Ten minutes of gratitude talking about what you're grateful for in the day at the dinner table where you eat together. Begin and let your children watch you seek and maybe even occasionally stumble towards your heavenly father. Elder Christopherson has reminded us, uh, a church leader once said, A father who reads scripture with his children acquaints them with the voice of the Lord. I love that statement. So, third, share this episode with every family, father, husband, and young man you know. And the data is clear. One of the most effective interventions for every single social problem we face is a committed, present, good father or father figure. Be one. And encourage every man in your life to be one too. Consider drafting uh something that you can hang on the wall, maybe. I'll give you a fourth. This is just if you want to go the extra mile. Call it your family mission statement. What do you want to stand for? What are your family's core values? And then post it somewhere visible where it can remind you each and every day, all of you, what you stand for. A family with a mission is a family that endures. From freedom, we learn that fatherlessness is not just a footnote. It's America's urgent crisis. Boys without fathers are six times more likely to enter into the criminal justice system. Sixty-three percent of youth suicides come from fatherless homes. One in four American children, eighteen million plus grow up without fathers in their home. And every absent father hands one more brick to the government to build a larger, more controlling state and lose their freedom. Freedom and fathers are not a separate issue. They are the same issue. And from productive to prepared to prosper, we learn what your next steps are. Schedule times of presence with each child. Begin or renew your family worship, and share this message with every man and family that you know. And then maybe you can say this, as is said in Joshua twenty four fifteen, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.com or can be sent to you if you sign up for our newsletter. Now transform your life and help transform our world. And join us in this cause of freedom. Help us spread the message. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcast. Share this message with every family, father, grandfather, mentor, and young man in your life. Join our community newsletter. And if this has moved you today, leave a review. It takes 30 seconds. And it helps freedom-loving families like yours find the show. Arise for freedoms and make the world a better place. Don't just survive, but properly prepare, prosper, and thrive. Good day.