Could it be?
A study by a Mississippi researcher says kids with religious parents are better behaved and adjusted than other children. This study, which relies on the observation of parents, is said to be the first to look at the effects of religion on young child development.
Comments (10)
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Morality produces discipline. The question is which Moral framework is internally and externally consistent and sustainable?
The Christian Worldview is exclusive, consistent and therefore produces a parent and child and home that is socially disciplined and holds in high regard human life. The CWV supports government as it is instituted by God for the protection of the people and is a demonstration of His Common Grace to all men.
The problem arises when other worldviews are examined and found to be foundationless and inconsistent as they are functionally idolatrous, autonomous and simply unsustainable.
Yes, I claim exclusivity and by challenging you will do the same. The question is; Who is the Creator and how do we know Him?
The Bible demonstrates the Creator, Jesus Christ and exposes Him to man in anthropomorphic terms. Men are saved by Grace, may God be grace-ful to you.
Posted on April 29, 2007 8:27 AM
Funny, I thought the first words of the US Constitution were "We The People". The government was instituted by the governed.
The formation of the universe (or the many multiverses some notable science theorizes) needed no Creator, to my understanding. Others may take a different view. Exclusive points of view on how such events came about are not required for living an ethically sound life.
I would think that discipline can be achieved through several avenues; raising children calls on a whole panoply of strategies, sometimes just to get them to sleep or eat their peas. Exclusivity may work on the youngest, but the challenges multiply as the years progress. Eventually, one may well be confronted with difficult and complex questions that demand flexibilty rather than rote dogma.
I can think of many other worldviews that are equally consistent as "CWV". I personally don't ascribe to any that rely on supernatural explanations. All of those fall apart because they require belief in the very entities that are in question before one can proceed to investigate the validity of their ethical guidelines.
Unless one detours around the crucial "cause" or "origin", and simply wish to critique said ethics on pragmatic or "universally accepted" grounds. Then one is back begging questions. So much circular reasoning makes the head spin.
Posted on April 29, 2007 11:13 PM
So Eric Rudolph and Paul Hill are examples of the CWV the first poster wrote about, and somebody like Ghandi would represent those who cannot possibly hold life in high regard as not having been raised by parents holding the CWV.
Interesting.
Posted on May 1, 2007 6:44 AM
Back to the question at hand: does religious upbringing have a salutary effect upon the young. With or without the study, the answer is a resounding, YES!
That being said, there are all kinds of variables in the mix. Sometimes those who are raising Christian (for our purposes) children are not very good at it, or have serious problems of their own to deal with, or are out-influenced by environmental sources, etc. And then there is Rudolph and Hill: adults make choices that are their OWN, and do not necessarily reflect biblical viewpoint at all.
As a rule (which is what studies show) the behavior of Christian children, raised in a consistent, healthy Christian environment should reflect a high moral sense, respect for elders, and find meaning and purpose in their life goals. All of this stems from core biblical/Christian values and teachings. But it is not child’s play, it is HARD WORK!! We raised our children in this manner and they are happy, productive, godly and purposeful young adults who are raising their children in like manner; which children are pleasant, respectful, sharp and loving.
So, I assert that there is, and should be, a marked difference between children raised in a biblical framework and those who are raised in a secularist, morally relativistic and God-less environment. The chaos, murder, immorality, poor academics and disillusionment in our schools generally is sad testimony to this reality. It was Daniel and his three cohorts that outshone the others. It was Jesus who taught the scribes at twelve. It was the successful minister, Timothy, who could point to his fine upbringing, etc.
Successful non-Christians would almost to a man or woman have been nourished on culturally residual biblical values in their homes or environments. Without these truths and morals NO ONE can be successful in life: a quest for the Truth, respect, kindness, love, devotion, nobility, hard work, etc. Theses things are divinely given to all humanity. All truth is God’s truth, no matter where it is found and discovered (general revelation, Romans 2: 12-16) For Scripture tells us that the Imago Dei is part of the very created nature of all peoples (St. John 1: 9).
Intellectually brilliant persons everywhere, at all times, can readily observe what works and what doesn’t work, and set up their religious and social life accordingly. The problem is sin and what to do about it. Sin undoes all the benevolent effects of divine establishment; thus the absolute necessity of the Atonement. It is Christ who greatly inspired Gandhi, even though the example he encountered did not impress him. It is the Law/Word of God and the transforming power of the Gospel that lead individuals and cultures into all truth and prosperity – IF they continue to obey His Law/Word. To the extent that unbelief, error and sin enter into the picture, to that extent the promised blessings are muted and derailed. Such is modern America and the post-Christian West generally.
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall TEACH THEM DILIGENTLY to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
10 “SO IT SHALL BE, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— 12 then BEWARE, LEST YOU FORGET the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13 You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him . . .”
Hear, O America . . .
Posted on May 2, 2007 9:36 AM
"The problem is sin and what to do about it. Sin undoes all the benevolent effects of divine establishment; thus the absolute necessity of the Atonement"..........................
nikos you are right on........but unfortunately secularist have no concept of sin, thus they see no correlation between the course and nature of our environments and the impact sin has upon them. the 'revealed' truths of Gods word has the liberating power to set us free from our own devices and beliefs that WE are in control - and allows us to realize that God is in control and that time is marked (even though to many it does not appear so) and that we should honor and glorify God at every opportunity. if we (Christians) had to do this alone, we would be and are great failures - but fortunately with God all things are possible. Amen ..............
Posted on May 3, 2007 9:30 AM
Many "successful non-Christians" (do you mean in an economic sense?) were nurtured in cultures completely alien to any biblical influence, Nikos. Even in this country, some were raised on values hewn from the land itself, and Native beliefs, which were also uncoonected to the Christian bible. And please don't assert some "God wrote the biblical truth in their parents' hearts" or some such untenable and insulting proposition.
Posted on May 5, 2007 10:39 AM
Once again, it is impossible to carry on a reasonable discussion when someone claims that all and every ounce of available "Truth", whether formulated on Earth or a planet far, far away, is entirely co-opted and owned by one particular proclaimed entity, dispensed in exactly the way the club members who belong choose to believe.
Posted on May 5, 2007 10:42 AM
This study merely points out that Christians raise conformist sheep.
Posted on May 6, 2007 11:24 PM
Rational, If this were so (and it's not)then there whould be one church and no dissenters, denominations or church splits - no Reformation or divisions of any kind, if all Christians were sheep-like clones. It's just not so.
I will certainly admit that some groups have descended into a fundy, cult-like uniformity. But in a world of infinite permutations, that kind of thing will surely happen. But the Bible records many disagreements among the Apostles: Peter and Paul over eating with the Gentiles, Paul and some at the Jerusalem Council about what to require of the Gentile Christians, et al. All politcal and social movements have their lockstep variants. Your blanket statemtnt is puerile, thoughtless and ill-informed mass ad hominem argumentation.
Posted on May 7, 2007 8:37 PM
Oh yeah, "be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12. It is a good thing to be confomred to God's infinite, eternal and absolute truth. "this world" is a maze of distortion, confusion and realtivism, which produces Columbines, V-techs, Jihdist thugs and the all the rest of the evil, horror and death we are seeing so much of today.
"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
4: As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of thy youth.
5: Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them . . ." Psalm 127
and
Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.
4: Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.
5: The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.
6: Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel. Psalm 128
These passages say it better than I ever could.
Posted on May 7, 2007 8:50 PM