But as for why religious organizations might provide more of a boost to family life than secular organizations designed to do the same thing, that’s still somewhat of a mystery, said Annette Mahoney, a psychologist at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, also not involved in the research. Mahoney wondered: “Is there anything about religion and spirituality that sets it apart?”
Hmmm.... could it be God? Just an educated, somewhat informed guess. They fall short of saying this because they don't ever say exactly what religions they are talking about. OK - here's my second favorite quote:
University of Virginia sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox, who was not involved in the study, agrees. At least for the most religious parents, “getting their kids into heaven is more important than getting their kids into Harvard,” Wilcox said.
LOL! That one almost made me fall off my chair! You know, I wish that one were completely true. Sometimes, we lose that heavenly perspective where our kids are concerned. It was pretty humbling reading that considering the amount of time this year I've spent fretting about which reading class my daughter is in or which math class she'll get into next year. I need to be more heavenly oriented in my thinking I believe.
In our study on Colossians, we talked today about this very thing. My friend and BS leader mentioned a phrase I'd never really heard before, but it really intrigued me, in relation to putting off our old selves and putting on our new. "We are no longer earthly beings having a spiritual experience but spiritual beings having an earthly experience." I've got to be thinking more like that.
Really, the most disturbing thing in this article was the tiny part about how detrimental it can be to a child growing up in a home where religion is regularly argued over. One might assume that would give a child an "open mind" about religion, but it would appear that just the opposite is accomplished. Food for thought, I guess!
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