In his new book, author Andrew K. Coakley has chosen to take on a subject matter that can be described as daring and somewhat controversial – yet timely. Adopting the mindset of putting all the chips on the table, the book "How Daddy Issues Can Become God Issues" tackles the problem of fatherlessness, its cause, and its negative effects. Coakley makes a salient point - that the problem of fatherlessness has become a part of the Bahamian landscape, to the point where it goes unrecognized and unacknowledged.

At the same time, he said the negative effect of fatherlessness continues to raise its ugly head in the Bahamian community and presents itself in a downward spiral of increased crime, bad behavior and low self-esteem among the youth - many of whom are growing up without a father in the home.

"How Daddy Issues Can Become God Issues" presents an overview of the prevalence of fatherlessness, exposes its plethora of negative effects and its far-reaching consequences, that - unbelievably - can even affect one's relationship with God," said Coakley.

"Fatherlessness has become so prevalent in the Bahamian psyche that many Bahamians no longer considers it a problem worthy of attention," he said. "It's become a part of our everyday lives and has entrenched itself as a part of our culture. But when you have a nation where close to 70 percent of homes are being ran by single mothers, it's easy to see how fatherlessness has negatively affected our communities overall."

"That means so many of our kids are being raised in homes where they have no clue of what a father looks like. While this modern, matriarchal, social media age, have no problem with the plight of the Bahamian male and father, the truth is, the missing man in the home has created a generation of children who were missing that much-needed mindset and information that could only come from a father or from a male perspective."

In the book, the author details some of the negative effects of this fatherlessness, including high crime rates, increased prison terms (mainly among black males), increased sexual addiction, high school dropouts and difficulties by many children when it comes to social adjustments, friendships, and behavioral problems.

The book has dedicated specific chapters, which delves more in-depth into how fatherlessness can affect one's self-esteem, not just in childhood, but all the way into adulthood. Quoting psychologists, psychiatrists and other authority experts, "How Daddy Issues Can Become God Issues" reveals how many people with trust issues sometimes come from fatherless homes and how every child has that deep-seated need to have someone to whom they can look too to fight for them.

Coakley said it also digs into the on-going discussion about the proposed attack on masculinity, as undertaken by the feminist agenda.

From a spiritual point of view "How Daddy Issues Can Become God Issues" makes bold statements like, "a father is to be a child's first glimpse of God", it talks about the sins of our fathers, why the Devil wants to bind the strongman, what happens when homes lose its priest and how our non-existent relationship with our earthly fathers have affected how those raised in fatherless homes see their Heavenly Father.

"Many people don't even think about the fact that our lack of a relationship with our earthly fathers can cause us to struggle in our relationship with God, our Heavenly Father," said Coakley. "Consider this for a moment, people going into church and hearing the preacher make pronouncements like God is our Heavenly Father and that he cares for us, may bring excitement to some people who hear it, but when they go home and close their door, the reality of fatherlessness slaps them in the face like a wet towel on a cold morning.

"We may think that its automatic to just relate to God as our Heavenly Father, simply because he's God. But in reality, when you've had an earthly father who abandoned you, no matter how much you read in the Bible where God promises to never leave you nor forsake you, you will find that promise hard to accept or believe.

"The Bible tells us that God promises to supply all of our needs, yet your experience of having an earthly father who never provided your needs, will crush your faith. There are Christians in churches all around the world who are struggling with their faith, struggling to believe God for certain things, because they were raised in fatherless homes. It's possible that the reality of their experiences and the environment in which they were raised is making their faith complicated and difficult.

"I guess it's safe for me to say that the negative effect of fatherlessness is far reaching."

Coakley admonishes fathers to realize the important role they play in the lives of their children, even if they don't live in the same house with those children. He points out that in spite of what some people on social media may want to suggest, fathers are critical to the raising of children in today's society.

"If children are only raised by a single parent, those children will only view life through the eyes, the perspective, the opinion of that single parent," he said. "That means our children will be unbalanced, because having the ability to view life through the lens of both a mother and a father, can help to raise a more stable adult. Why? Because men and women see things differently, they think differently, respond to situations in different ways and therefore have varying views about the world."

While "How Daddy Issues Can Become God Issues" is a challenge to all men to take up their role as fathers, the book also appeals to women, many of whom may themselves have been raised in a single parent home, or who may be struggling in their faith, and finding it difficult to relate to God, their Heavenly Father.

The book is available on Amazon in both hard copy or digital copy. To obtain a direct link to the book on Amazon, buyers can access it through the author's website at https://drewfiles.wixsite.com/mysite or check out his youtube channel "from the drewfiles", where he discusses the book chapter by chapter.

Coakley has previously published five other books.

The post New book tackles the critical issue of fatherlessness in Bahamian society appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

The post New book tackles the critical issue of fatherlessness in Bahamian society appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

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