8-22-06
Greetings!
I recently saw a striking article out of Lourdes(the Marian Shrine) Apparently a lively "entertainment" industry has sprung up with lots of bars and dance clubs. They've been having problems with drunken young people—who go to the Shrine during the day and then out for "fun" at night. One young person was quoted as saying "We're reverent all day…now it's time for fun."
Of course, they have missed the whole point. Compartmentalizing the faith, now's the time for reverence, later time for fun, etc. Pope Benedict XVI hit it on the head in Deus Caritas est, when he said Christianity is "above all a meeting with a person, the person of Jesus Christ." And that experience is life changing…your whole life, not just a compartment.
Those of us who are married, we don't leave the house and stop being married to our spouse. We carry them with us everywhere. They are a part of who we are. Likewise, Christ. The Christian should not be able to be described as a person apart from reference to Christ. In the same way as I can't be described without reference to my wife.
To do otherwise or "compartmentalize" Jesus is to miss the point.
Phil's Tidbits:
With school right around the corner, I came across these facts concerning homeschoolers. There's a fascinating quote based on a University of Florida study here.
"A University of Florida study showed that kids schooled at home don't lag in social development and are better behaved. Why? In the words of the study, 'homeschooled children behave better because they tend to imitate their parents, while traditionally schooled children model themselves after other children in the classroom.' In other words, the power of imitation is at work both in homeschools and in traditional schools. The only question is, who is the patter for imitation: parents or peers?"
-I've even heard the concern about "socialization" expressed about homeschoolers. The striking thing to me, having worked with homeschooled students, public school students, and Catholic school students, is that the easiest ones to talk too are indeed the homeschooled kids. And it makes sense as they are exposed to a wider age range of acquaintances then a normal school setting. I once heard it remarked that at no time again in their lives will students be in an environment where everyone is the same age. In essence, one could make an argument that homeschooling better enables a student to be productive in the various circumstances they find themselves.
The following is pretty impressive as well…
"Homeschool Hall of Fame:"
*Presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt
*College Presidents: John Witherspoon (Princeton), Timothy Dwight (Yale), William Johnson ( Columbia)
*U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justices: John Rutledge, John Jay, John Marshall
*Scientists/Inventors: Blaise Pascal, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin
*Authors: Mark Twain, C.S. Lewis
*Generals: Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, Douglas MacArthur, George Patton
-Both sections come from: Steve Wood, Legacy
Something that's pretty commonsense. What you expose yourself to has an impact on who you are. St. Paul exhorted the early Christians to surround themselves with the Love of God, and "hymns of praise." Imagine what the world would look like then….
Media's Nasty Impact on Youth
Themes of Sex and Violence Take Their Toll
CHICAGO, AUG. 19, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Recent studies confirm long-standing concerns about how the media influence children and adolescents. The Aug. 2 issue of the journal Pediatrics, published by the Illinois-based
American Academy of Pediatrics, contained two articles on the topic.
One of them, entitled "Exposure to Degrading Versus Nondegrading Music Lyrics and Sexual Behavior Among Youth," was based on telephone interviews with 1,461 teens aged 12 to 17. The group was interviewed three times: in 2001, 2002 and 2004. The average youth, according to the article, listens to music
1.5 to 2.5 hours per day, not counting music videos. Sexual themes are common in much of this music and range from romantic and playful to degrading and hostile.
The authors started by observing that there is strong theoretical justification for the notion that listening to sexual lyrics may influence adolescents' sexual behavior. Their study confirmed the theory, finding that "Teens who spent more time listening to music were more likely than those who spent less to initiate intercourse."
The article did point out that the correlation between the two factors is not definitive proof of a causal relationship. Nevertheless, the results showed that the more teens listened to degrading sexual music content, the more likely they were to subsequently initiate intercourse. By contrast, exposure to non-degrading sexual music did not lead to changes in sexual behavior.
"Reducing the amount of degrading sexual content in popular music or reducing young people's exposure to music with this type of content could help delay the onset of sexual behavior," concluded the article.
Bishop Doran, of Rockford, IL wrote a very strong column regarding the politics of life and death and morality. It's worth reading. The link is below. Incidentally, the Rockford Diocese has done pretty well in recruiting vocations under Bishop Doran's tenure.
http://www.rockforddiocese.org/observer/observer.asp#bishop
What an incredibly sad statement at the end…" She said, "I am not ashamed to say some lives are more worth living than others." Wow
BBC Feminist's Sordid Suicide Pact Made Public
By Hilary White
LONDON, August 15, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – This week, a popular BBC radio announcer told the public that she had entered into a "suicide pact" with friends should she be incapacitated by illness.
Jenni Murray, the presenter of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, a feminist and euthanasia advocate, said that she does not want to be "trapped" into caring for her mother who is ill with Parkinson's disease.
Murray, a member of the Order of the British Empire and a patron of the Family Planning Association, is airing her views tonight on a BBC television program called "Don't Get Me Started." Publicity material for the show says that
Murray "plans to end her own life when she becomes a burden to those around her." She discusses methods, including smothering with a pillow or injecting with drugs, with two friends,
The network said: "Jenni is angry that, having fought so hard to become liberated and independent, women are now being trapped into caring for dependent parents."
Murray complains that the law against assisted suicide is supported by a "religious minority" who hold to an outdated moral view that human life is inherently valuable and that children have a legitimate obligation to care for elderly parents.
The program highlights the growth, especially in Britain, of the idea of an "obligation to die." Most leading thinkers in the bioethics field endorse euthanasia and assisted suicide and often argue that elderly and ill patients have the obligation to end their lives to relieve pressure on families and the health care system.
In 2004, Baroness Mary Warnock, Britain's leader in bioethics, said unequivocally that the ill and elderly had an obligation to die as soon as possible so as not to burden relatives and the medical system. Baroness Warnock, called
Britain's "Philosopher Queen", said in an interview, "In other contexts sacrificing oneself for one's family would be considered good. I don't see what is so horrible about the motive of not wanting to be an increasing nuisance."
She said, "I am not ashamed to say some lives are more worth living than others."
God bless you!
Phil Lawson
For the latest info on St. Peter's, check out the parish website: www.saintpetercatholic.com
The Areopagus is a regular email for adults that includes various reflections, tidbits, news and events. Hope you find it fruitful!