Women in particular benefit greatly from
supportive friendships where they can help and lift each other.
But
when the confidence and intimacy of these friendships supplant or
threaten the communication between spouses, or between the couple and
inspiration, these friendships can be a poor substitute at best--and
potentially much worse.
The danger is not because [their] recommendations are ill-considered, but because they threaten to unseat the Family Executive Council,
and thus endanger all decisions and roles.
In our opinion, this is
among the greatest dangers facing our families today. It is more subtle
and insidious than some of the great evils we vigorously guard
against: addiction, infidelity, debt, etc.
And yet, a family where the
core unit--the married couple--is not regarded as sovereign has little
defense against the things that threaten it, no matter what their
source or intention.
The Family Way 
