Posted on 09/20/2011 9:08:44 PM PDT by ReformationFan
Last week, David Brooks of The New York Times wrote a column on an academic study concerning the nearly complete lack of a moral vocabulary among most American young people. Below are some excerpts from Brooks' summary of the study of Americans aged 18 to 23. (It was led by "the eminent Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith.")
"Smith and company asked about the young people's moral lives, and the results are depressing …
"When asked to describe a moral dilemma they had faced, two-thirds of the young people either couldn't answer the question or described problems that are not moral at all …
"Moral thinking didn't enter the picture, even when considering things like drunken driving, cheating in school or cheating on a partner …
"The default position, which most of them came back to again and again, is that moral choices are just a matter of individual taste …
"As one put it, 'I mean, I guess what makes something right is how I feel about it. But different people feel different ways, so I couldn't speak on behalf of anyone else as to what's right and wrong …
"Morality was once revealed, inherited and shared, but now it's thought of as something that emerges in the privacy of your own heart."
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
“Failure of parenting..:
I agree. I understand that our society not only tempts young people with immorality but also persuades them not to “judge” an act as wrong. The media, music, television, schools... all have a part in it. That being said, it is up to the parents to instill and enforce morality. It starts very young... it is “wrong” to hit your sibling, it is wrong to steal, it is wrong to lie (yes.. even over a simple thing like eating a cookie). I have taught my children if presented with a moral question (and we’re not right there or someone who can truly help them) to remember the Ten Commandments. The answer is in them or with prayer.
So?....Just exactly when it this going to happen? With high taxes and both parents working just exactly when is this quality time? When is it going to happen even if one parent can be at home?
Children need 10 to 12 hours sleep. Even teenagers need a solid 9 to 10 hours.
There is the 1, 2, or 3 hours waiting for and riding the school bus.
Next, comes 6 to 7 hours in GODLESS and socialist schools where they **must** think and reason godlessly just to cooperate with the GODLESS and socialist indoctrination.
There is the after school activity spent in the company of other children who attend godless schools.
Then there is 1 to 3 hours of GODLESS homework.
The child does need some time to play outside and often it is in the company of children who have also been indoctrinated in the GODLESS schools.
If parents would enjoy an hour or two on the computer and social networks and/or watch a TV program, why wouldn't we expect that children wouldn't want the same? Ah! The problem though is that one to two hours is again spent with other children who also attend GODLESS indoctrination camps, and the TV programing is designed by GODLESS Marxists who aim is to destroy that child's family values.
Overcoming this tsunami of godless and socialist indoctrination is a daunting task even for a stay at home parent and likely impossible for family with two working parents. And....The Barna Foundation research shows that this is indeed the case. Fewer than 10% of children ( from highly active and deeply believing Christian homes) who are sent into the government indoctrination camps are active in their religion 2 years after graduating from the GODLESS and socialist indoctrination camps. ( Do a Google search.)
And...By the way would should hold any teacher or government school worker in contempt and distain. They are eating the souls of our nation's children in exchange for a paycheck and pension. If they really loved children they would be doing everything possible to see that these children could escape the government camps.
Yeah! I am shouting. I am exasperated.
The inflammation started with the progressives and Marxists of the 19th century. It merely bloomed into a full blown abscess in the 1960s.
Please remember that Bill Ayers and his wife were promoted to positions of power by powerful people of my father ( born 1913) and my grandmother's ( born 1894) generations. These two evil people had plenty of help getting to where they are today as so-called “distinguished” professors and that help didn't come from hippies.
“Just exactly when is this going to happen?”
I understand your frustration completely. It does seem with public schools, working parents, other tasks to do... that time spent with our children is limited. However, evenings and weekends do provide some time if the parent(s) are willing to seize it. An hour at mass or church sets the stage for conversation. Turn off the radio in the car and talk about right/wrong, good/bad. For younger children, there are wonderful books out there that a parent can read to them that deal with morality (in a children’s world with childlike characters). The idea is not to surrender but swim against the tide and MAKE the time. If that involves NOT social networking or doing much for the parent’s pleasure/leisure time then that is what it takes. The alternative is devastating IMHO.
Again.....Let's look at Bill Ayers and his wife. They are in positions of power as “distinguished” professors and community organizers because MARXIST progressives of my father and grandmother's generation put them there!
The godless, socialist, progressive, Marxist rot has been eating away at the foundations of American society since **before** John Dewey in the 1800s. The 1960 was merely an inflammation that had been festering for a long time blooming into a full=blown abscess.
Please remember that all modern government schooling has been socialist from the beginning ( mid-1800s to early 1900s). It has been godlessly secular since my grandmother's day ( born 1894), and utter atheistic in its worldview since the 1960s. Why are we surprised that our nation is in a crises and our citizens can no longer reason rationally?
Very insightful!
Fellow Freepers, please read that above statement.
Speak for yourself but I’m 29 :p
Thanks for the compliment Cronos. :) You’re not so shabby yourself.
Can I rephrase this somewhat?
People still express **religious** beliefs, its just that they are the religious beliefs of the atheist secularists who dominate in the K-12 schools and the godlessly Marxist controlled culture.
Our country is is desperate need of spiritual revival....and....we must shut down the godless government schools, raze them to the ground, dig up the foundations, crush the concrete into dust, and salt the earth.
Regrettably they will follow the example of far too many of their elders regarding the unborn.
Christ said render unto God what is God's, and unto Caesar what is Caesar's, not mix them all up together.
I worked in a hospital ICU. We had **systems** put in place so that errors would be minimized. **Systems** were designed so that the **average** nurse, or one who was tired, or distracted, would still do a safe job even if she was having a bad day.
Yes, **Maybe** it is possible for a very very very very dedicated and highly focused parent to carve out some time to morally direct their children. The Barna foundation research indicates though that even in **highly** active and deeply believing families, the failure rate is very great.
Our nation needs better “systems” so that even the average or poor parent can have some success. Sending children into godless and socialist-funded schools where they learn to be comfortable with godlessness and socialism is NOT NOT NOT a good system for the good parent and has, even for them, a high failure rate. It is a DISASTER for the child with a less than perfect parent.
That whole question about saving your dog or a stranger is a tough one. I guess my answer would be “it depends”. I’m sure I’m not the only Freeper out there who has a dog that has literally saved a family member’s life.
When I was deployed to Iraq a few years ago and my wife was home alone with our 2 kids under age 2 and my dog attacked two people trying to break into our house. The would-be robbers beat feet. She’s a 90 pound Greater Swiss Mountain Dog and pretty intimidating. One of the reasons I didn’t feel so bad about being away was knowing my dog was standing sentinel in my house.
Now if I’m forced to either save my dog or a total stranger in a life-or-death situation...I’m having a hard time not choosing my dog. Maybe that makes me immoral. Sorry.
Now if it’s an innocent child or my dog, then I guess my dog goes to the happy hunting grounds and I have a clear conscience.
Please remember that Bill Ayers and his wife are distinguish professors in top named and highly influential universities because people of my parents and grandparents’ generations PUT THEM THERE. My dad was born in 1913 and my grandmother in 1894.
I attended Catholic schools until the 10th grade and government school in a “good” area for 11th and 12th. I graduated in 1964.
Even in the 50s and 60s there were teachers ( both Catholic and other) who were “edgy” and “kool” and ( oh so!) modern and pushing the envelope in reading assignments and class discussions. Please remember that these teachers in the 1950s and 1960s were trained by **progressives** who were born in the 1800s.
Godless, secularist, and Marxist dry rot has been eating away at our nation for more than a 150 years! It just “bloomed” in the 60s.
Exactly — the “trial” period of before marriage — why not extend it to marriage itself? that’s when marriage became just a union — why not gay marriage then? We brought it on ourselves allowing this step by step degeneration
you are kidding, right? how can anyone make fun of abortion? do they make fun of clubbing baby seals?
“...render unto God what is God’s, and unto Caesar what is Caesar’s...”
The tread is about thinking morally. We are not ruled by Caesar. We have a Constitution based upon “We the people of the United States...”
Christ’s Church extends to every aspect of our lives not just those buildings that we enter on Sunday.
Please read my posts #42 and #51.
The Barna Foundation research shows that even families that are highly active and very committed to their Christian faith ( in other word **GREAT** parents) more than 90% of their children fail to be active in their faith 2 years after graduation from high school.
Therefore....If you render your children to Caesar's schools don't be surprised that they learn to worship at the altar of Ceasar.
Not kidding. Although in her jokes she stumbled into truth. She said now that she’s 27 a lot of her friends are having babies. When they call to tell her they are pregnant she’s not sure whether she should congratulate them or offer to drive them to the clinic. She went to the 1st birthday party of a friends child and she wondered whether the baby could sense that she tried to talk the mom into aborting her. For a woman to talk about human beings so callously - as if children were nothing more than possessions and not even alive ... well, like you said, she wouldn’t joke about clubbing a baby seal. She would be booed off the stage.
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