For Father's Day this year, faith leaders from around the country shared their thoughts with Fox News Digital about the importance of dads in the lives of their families.
Here are a few compelling comments — words that have staying power far after the special day for dads has come and gone.
"Young or old, male or female, we all look in the stands for our dad and consider his presence and influence one of the most important factors in life, for good or bad," said Tim Clinton, president of the American Association of Christian Counselors, based in Lynchburg, Virginia.
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"Dads have a profound impact on the life of a child by what they say and do or what they don’t say or do," Clinton also told Fox News Digital in an email.
"The research is clear," he said. "If we were able to stem the fatherlessness issue, our kids would be more able to handle peer pressure, less given to substance abuse, more secure in their male and female identities, less likely to experience mental health issues — and more."
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Said Clinton, "Our prayer is that of Malachi 4:6: ‘And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers.’ To the dads showing up, your kids see you. See you at the game."
Pastor Jesse Bradley of Auburn, Washington, told Fox News Digital — addressing dads directly — that while many other people "can accomplish your job at work, replace you on your weekend men's league team or serve where you volunteer, you are the only person in the world who is the father of your children."
That special role, said Bradley, who runs Grace Community Church and is himself a dad, "should be cherished and be very high up" on the priority list.
Said Bradley to dads, "Enjoy your kids and connect with them daily. Listen to their fears, find activities that are meaningful, give them wise advice, make memories together, read the Bible, open up your heart, be at their games, go on trips, pray with them – and try out your best dad jokes."
He also said, "God is with you every step of the way."
And "the truth is that being grateful and intentional as a dad leads to the profound joys of fatherhood."
Alex McFarland, a youth, culture and religion expert from Greensboro, North Carolina, told Fox News Digital, "Even ancient pagan civilizations recognized fatherhood by immortalizing their gods as male."
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He said, "They understood the significance of men in society. I think they understood what current social trends ignore: Societies that devalue fathers risk their demise."
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Fathers, he said, "are essential to a stable, enduring, morally sound and economically resilient society."
