All posts filed under: Family

Those who get along with their parents in their teen years may live longer, study finds

12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12 ESV) The fifth of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20 states that we are to honor our Father and Mother. It is also the only commandment that comes with a promise that the Hebrews would live long in the land if they did. And a recent study conducted by researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has come to a similar conclusion, Study Finds reports. In their study, the group tracked 15,700 adolescents aged 12 to 17 over a 14-year period and discovered that those in their teen years who maintained a healthy relationship with their parents lived a longer life than those who didn’t. “The overall pattern of these results suggests strong relationships between adolescents and their mothers and fathers leads to better health and well-being in young adulthood,” said Dr. Carl Ford in the group’s news release. The study also found that those teens with better relationships …

Cancel culture targets a Mother’s Day sign at Toronto school

In the lead-up to Mother’s Day, an elementary school in Toronto Canada, Kew Beach Junior Public School, put up a cute message on their school sign to honor moms that simply read: “Life does not come with a manual. It comes with a mom.” We have one day which we set aside each year to honor the sacrifice that moms have made for us, and now it seems the perpetual ‘outrage’ mob is coming after that. Shortly after the message was put up, someone complained about the sign on social media calling it ‘harmful’ and ‘exclusionary’, the Toronto Sun reports. Well, a day or so later the school caved, and the message was taken down. We all have a mother, and it seems we can’t even set aside one day to honor them in our modern enlightened culture. As Jerry Agar explained in his Toronto Sun article, “When you are attacking Mom, you have reached the literal bottom of the barrel.” “I would not be writing about this because some socially active trouble maker took …

Single mother suing state of Oregon alleging it denied adoption because of her Christian faith

A single mother of five children is suing the state of Oregon alleging it refused to allow her to adopt because of her Christian faith, the Daily Caller reports. Jessica Bates is being represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) in the court case. According to ADF’s new release, Bates, whose husband died in a car accident six years ago, had applied to adopt two siblings, under the age of ten and because of their older age were not prime candidates for adoption. In its news release, ADF alleges that Bates was turned down “because individuals seeking to adopt must agree to ‘respect, accept, and support … the sexual orientation, gender identity, [and] gender expression’ of any child the department could place in an applicant’s home, and Bates could not agree to this because of her faith.” “Oregon’s policy amounts to an ideological litmus test: people who hold secular or ‘progressive’ views on sexual orientation and gender identity are eligible to participate in child welfare programs, while people of faith with religiously informed views are …

Has persecution come to the schools of America?

Public schools in action

A teacher at Churchill High School in Eugene, Oregon is on paid leave after someone exposed one of his assignments where he asked students to write a sexual fantasy. Oregon Live provides a description of the assignment. “You will write a short story of a paragraph or two. This story is a sexual fantasy that will have NO penetration of any kind or oral sex (no way of passing an STI),’’ the assignment read. “You will choose 3 items (romantic music, candles, massage oil, feather, feather boa, flavored syrup, etc) to use in your story. Your story should show that you can show and receive loving physical affection without having sex.” As well, the students were asked to write down the initials of a fellow student they would like to explore this sexual fantasy with. The assignment has since been removed from the school’s curriculum. READ: Oregon High School Teacher Had Students Write About Sexual Fantasies and Reveal Classmates They Would Have Sex With AND Oregon teacher at center of sexual fantasy assignment controversy placed …

School district pays $100,000 after banning a woman who exposed the sexually explicit material available in school libraries

A Georgia school district will be paying the $100,000 in legal fees of Mother Bears, a local parent’s group, after it banned one of its members from attending board meetings, The Blaze reports. The group took legal action against the Forsyth County School District when Alison Hair was banned after reading sexually explicit excerpts from a book entitled, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” during a February 2022 board meeting. Mother Bears was attempting to sound the alarm about the type of materials available in public school libraries. During Hair’s first attempt to read from the book available at her son’s middle school, she was interrupted by a board member and stopped from reading the pornographic passage. After Hair attempted to read from it again at a second meeting, the school board sent a letter banning her from attending further school board meetings. This resulted in Mother Bears launching a lawsuit against the school board in July 2022. The Blaze provides more details of the successful lawsuit: “People cannot fairly pass judgment on books that they …

Christian mother sues school for forcing her four-year-old child to participate in a gay-pride parade

A Christian mother in England has taken legal action against the school her four-year-old child attends, because teachers forced him to participate in a gay-pride parade in 2018, against his family’s wishes, the Daily Mail reports. In June 2018, Heavers Farm Primary School in London sent a letter to parents inviting them to participate in a gay pride parade on June 29, 2018. When Izzy Montague, 38, responded and asked that her child be exempt from attending, a teacher told her that attendance was mandatory. Montague says that she and her husband are devout Christians and do not believe their child should be forced to participate in an event that the family does not agree with. In an interview with Christian Concern (below), Montague said there were several parents who expressed concerns about their child’s participation in the parade, but were ignored. Montague added that these children did not consent to participate in this parade. Montague says that when she met with her child’s teacher in September, 2018, the teacher’s child was wearing a t-shirt …

Mom meets the son she saved after changing her mind while lying on the abortion table

CBN recently had a story about Melissa Coles, who in 1993 changed her mind about having an abortion while laying on the table and eventually met her son, whose life she spared. Coles, 18, was poor and unmarried made the decision as the doctor’s hand touched her leg to start the procedure. She blurted out ‘I can’t do this’ and the doctor rolling his eyes stopped. Unaware of what to do next, she later found out that adoption was an option. The story exposes the oldest lie in the abortion handbook, that the child is unwanted. The baby may not be wanted by the mother, for a variety of reasons, but there are thousands of families desperate for a child. In Coles’ case, it ended up being a Christian woman, who had given birth to two children who later died because of their disabilities. Coles gave birth to a baby boy in December 1993, who was named David James. Eighteen years later, Cole had a chance to meet the son she had given up for …

Why are enrollments in Public Schools continuing to drop?

The decline in the number of children attending public schools is continuing in 2023, according to reports The trend towards homeschooling or private schools started before COVID dropped, as parents were already becoming concerned about what is taking place in the public schools. But once COVID hit, the exodus quickly ramped up largely due to the erratic behavior of the public school in response to the pandemic. Parents had no certainty of which way school officials would go, who were seemingly changing their minds on a whim. According to data released by the National Center for Education, the number of children in the public school system dropped from 50.8 million in the fall of 2019 to 49.4 million in the fall of 2020, a drop of over one million students in the course of a year. In 1973, there were approximately 13,000 children being homeschooled by American parents. This had grown to five million by 2020 and this trend is continuing. As an example, the number of students being homeschooled in Texas increased five times …

Are left-wing children cutting off contact with conservative parents?

In an article for Townhall, entitled, “Why Many Conservatives Won’t Be With Their Children or Grandchildren This Christmas,” Dennis Prager writes of recent phenomena where left-wing children have cut off contact with their conservative parents. This even includes not allowing the grandparents to see their grandchildren. Prager noted that he wrote the article after being contacted by numerous parents via his radio talk show stating that they have been cut off from their children because of politics. In every instance, it was because the parents leaned right or voted Republican. After he wrote that article, several people commented on Townhall.org how they had also been cut off due to political differences: Vermonter: “Sadly this is a nationwide trend. Neither of my college-educated children have contact with me anymore. Yes, it’s painful, especially regarding my grandson. I have apologized for offending them, to no avail … .” After writing the article, Prager expected pushback from the left claiming this was one big conspiracy theory. Instead, the response, which he outlined in a follow-up article entitled “Leftists …

Strong marriages and good friends key to a long, happy life

In 1938, the Harvard Study of Adult Development started tracking the lives of 268 sophomores to find out what the keys were to a long life. One of the original recruits, John F. Kennedy would go on to become US president. Over the years, the study was expanded to include a few hundred more people. They were expecting to find eating right, exercising and avoiding drugs, smoking, and alcohol would be key factors. But the researchers were surprised to find that strong relationships, marriages and friends, were equally important to good health and long life. Robert Waldinger, a Harvard psychiatry professor and the study’s lead researcher, said: “It wasn’t their cholesterol levels that predicted how they were going to grow old. It was how satisfied they were in their relationships. The people who were the most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80.” […] “The surprising finding is that our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health. Taking care of …

Youth hospital visits for suicidal thoughts increased 59% since 2016

According to a study published in Pediatrics journal, the number of youth (those aged 5 to 19) who have gone to the hospital because of suicidal thoughts increased 59% between 2016 and 2021, the Daily Wire reports. The study came to this conclusion after studying the hospital ER records for two Illinois hospitals, Northwestern University and Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital. The study found that children as young as five were talking about suicide. The study also noted that children were struggling with other mental health issues including anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. Though the study was limited to Illinois, the chief operating officer at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, California, Dr. Nicholas Holmes, said that they have noticed similar increases. Nine years ago, they had between one and two children coming to the hospital on a daily basis because of behavioral problems. Today, they are averaging over 20. READ: Study: Youth Hospital Visits For Suicidal Thoughts Rose 59% Since 2016

Disney-owned network releases disturbing satanic cartoon show

Parents and faith groups are expressing concerns about the release of a disturbing animated film, entitled “Little Demon”, by a network owned by Disney, FXX, CBN reports. Perhaps even more concerning than its name is the actual premise of this show. CBN provides more of the show’s details: “Little Demon,” a new animated show about a woman who mates with Satan and produces the Antichrist, is raising eyebrows and making cultural waves. But amid the cacophony of frustrated retorts to the show — which airs on the Disney-owned network FXX and stars Danny DeVito as Satan — faith leaders and media experts are sounding some consequential theological and practical alarms for parents and children alike. CBN adds this description of the show provided by the network: “Thirteen years after being impregnated by Satan, a reluctant mother, Laura, and her Antichrist daughter, Chrissy, attempt to live an ordinary life in Delaware but are constantly thwarted by monstrous forces, including Satan, who yearns for custody of his daughter’s soul,” reads the show’s description. Though FXX’s target audience is …

Sharp decline in reading and math scores of 9-year-olds during pandemic

According to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), young school-age children in America were severely harmed by the political decisions to lock down the country and close schools during the pandemic. The study found that there was a sharp decline in reading and math scores for nine-year-olds. Breitbart provides more details: Released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the new data shows nine-year-olds’ reading scores saw the steepest decline since 1990 (a full five-point drop) while math scores saw a record drop of seven points. The results were tracked by the special administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which has often been referred to as the “nation’s report card.” […] Noting classroom disruption, violence, truancy, cyberbullying, and absent teachers also rose during the pandemic, Carr said a variety of factors “contextualize” the data. […] To make matters worse, students who were already struggling pre-pandemic suffered an even steeper drop compared to their counterparts, dropping an average of 12 points in reading and math. Black students dropped an average of 13 points …

Study: Children from intact, married, families do better in school

When God created Adam and Eve, He gave a pattern for humanity to follow in order to build a successful society. It was simply this, create families. And God was very specific on what this detailed, it occurs when a man leaves his father and mother, and marries a woman starting their own family: 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24 NIV) And if we break from this pattern, with such things as polygamy, divorce, single-parent homes, not only will families suffer, but so will the children, and ultimately so does society. With a fallen world, I realize that things happen that are beyond our control, nevertheless this is the pattern that God set at the very beginning for success. And a recent study by the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) has come to a similar conclusion. It found that children do better in school when they are living in a home with both biological parents. Researchers Nicholas Zill, …

Majority of Britain’s children born out of wedlock for the first time in history

According to statistics released by the Office for National Statics (ONS) this week, for the first time in Britain’s history, the majority of children were born out of wedlock, Breitbart reports. ONS, which has been tracking these statistics since 1845, stated that of the 624,828 born in England and Wales in 2021, 320,000 or 51.3% were born to unmarried/unpartnered mothers. Between 1845 and 1978, the number of children born outside of marriage was typically less than 10%. However, by 1988, the number had risen to 34% and to 40% by 2000. READ: Death of Family: Majority of Babies Born Out of Wedlock for First Time in History RELATED: As a proud feminist, I still believe that marrying before starting a family is best for children AND for women, writes Louise Perry

Christian News: Chris Pratt, the Christian Taliban, Jane’s Revenge, Ex Mafia boss, exorcisms on the upswing, NHLer Josh Manson, Canadian military chaplains, and a mother’s prayer

Here is a brief round-up of some Christian news this past week: Christ Pratt talks about religion Hollywood actor Chris Pratt found himself in a bit of controversy this past week, when in an interview with Men’s Health, Pratt said that he was not religious, but added that he had a relationship with God. “I think there’s a distinction between being religious — adhering to the customs created by man, oftentimes appropriating the awe reserved for who I believe is a very real God — and using it to control people, to take money from people, to abuse children, to steal land, to justify hatred. Whatever it is,” Pratt explained. When asked if he attended Hillsong, which has found itself in a pile of controversy recently, Pratt said he attended Zoe Church in Los Angeles. READ: ‘I’m Not a Religious Person’: Chris Pratt Addresses Online Backlash Concerning His Faith Facebook labels Jane’s Revenge a terrorist group? According to Life Site News, Facebook has labeled Jane’s Revenge a terrorist group and given it, Facebook’s strictest Tier …

Modern Morals: Yes, they are coming for the children

Are you angry? I can make you angry. Some opinions are extreme these days, and it is easy to be offended. One of the hottest new topics is the indoctrination of children to new moral standards. Our church had a summer VBS, a Vacation Bible School when I was a boy. We mostly had fun, and someone was very generous with the prizes for memorizing Bible verses. I remember large chocolate bars, that I had never even seen before. My brother told me to memorize, and memorize more, and I could have an amazing prize. I was diligent, I worked hard at memorizing, and just before I reached the pay-out day, a story broke in our city newspaper. The church was accused of bribing and indoctrinating children with unreasonable amounts of candy. In those days, that kind of influence over children was forbidden. The church immediately canceled the reward program. The issue was settled quickly, but there was one casualty of that war. One boy did not get the obscene amounts of chocolate, that he …

Should women stay home and raise children? Are you outraged by the question?

I did not know, but I have learned, recently, that there is an argument about women these days. The argument that surprised me is whether women should work in careers, out of the home, or if they should stay at home and raise children. Apparently, this is a fierce argument, for some people. Who knew?: So, what are the best answers? a) No b) Yes c) How dare you ask the question? No: Feminists struggled for decades to liberate women, and they should be free to work in careers and to make money, just like men. I think we know the rest of the story … Yes: A woman should build a family, with her husband. Families work better when the best nurturing partner stays home to raise the next generation. I think we know that old story … What?: How can I write about this topic, in this year? Haven’t we progressed past these old arguments? What is my best answer? We need to see our sickness. We have a bigger problem: our need …

Facebook censors a meme of boys playing accusing it of gender stereotyping

One of the co-founders of Army of Parents, an organization dedicated to fighting Loudoun County Public Schools’ woke agenda, alleges that Facebook censored one of its memes, the Daily Caller reports. The move reflected a major change in the censorship bureau at the social media giant. Last year, Erin Poe had posted a meme with photos of six boys that included them playing in mud and climbing fences with the words “Raising boys is not for the faint hearted.” Last year, it was fine, but when Poe decided to repost it this year, when it came up as a memory on her timeline, Facebook’s Politburo deemed the meme as gender stereotyping and removed it. Facebook censors then blocked Poe from accessing her page for three days. There was an added warning that a second offense would lead to a seven-day ban, and persistent posts deemed offensive by the politburo could lead to a permanent ban. READ: Co-Founder Of Virginia Parent Org Alleges Facebook Flagged ‘Raising Boys’ Meme To ‘Erase Gender Stereotypes’ According to Merriam-Webster: Definition …

US Christian schools are being overrun with applications

CBN reports that with all the controversies engulfing public schools in the US, Christian schools are seeing a marked increase in applications. Since Cornerstone Chapel’s Senior Pastor Gary Hamrick announced the church would be setting up a private Christian school in the fall of 2023, it has received over 2,500 applications for its 500 elementary and middle school positions. The church, based in Leesburg, Virginia, is located in Loudon County which has become the battleground over parental rights in public schools. However, the problems don’t seem to be isolated to Loudon County, as the school has also received applications from 27 other states. As well, over 450 teachers have already applied for jobs. CBN writes: The multimillion-dollar project is Hamrick’s response to what’s playing out in public school systems across the country.  Loudoun is considered the face of the nation’s culture war, for more than a year, parents have railed against everything from sexual assault on campus to critical race theory and transgender policies.  Teacher Tanner Cross’s dismissal for refusing to call students by preferred pronouns …

Study: High social media usage may cause mental health issues for teens?

According to a study conducted by Cambridge University’s Digital Mental Health program, social media may be causing mental issues in teens, particularly as they enter puberty. The study, reported by The Verge, noted that it came to this conclusion from studying the results of seven surveys of 72,000 individuals between 2011 and 2018 and a survey of 17,000 between the ages of 10 to 21. The study found that higher social media usage resulted in teens having ‘low’ self-esteem and ‘poor’ body image, which showed up when they entered puberty, and also at the time they were ready to leave home. The Verge reports: “Narrowing in on adolescents, the team found that for people in the 16- to 21-year-old age range, both very low and very high social media use were both linked with lower life satisfaction. In 10- to 15-year-olds, there wasn’tmuch difference in life satisfaction between kids reporting low and high social media use. But in that group, girls with high social media use had lower life satisfaction than boys.” READ: Social media …

Poll reveals that most Gen Z and Millennials oppose abortion after a heartbeat detected

Though a slim majority, I was pleased that a recent poll revealed that the majority of Gen Z (born between 1999 and 2015) and Millennials (1981-1998) opposed abortion after a baby’s heartbeat was detected. The Christian Post reports that a pro-life organization, Students for Life, surveyed 853 individuals between the ages of 18-34 in early January. In the survey, the group was provided information that a baby’s heartbeat can be detected at 21 weeks and then asked if they supported abortion after this point. The poll found that 52% stated that abortions should be banned after 21 weeks, compared to 48% who said that abortions should still be allowed. In the same poll, the students were asked about their feelings on Roe vs Wade, the 1973 Supreme court case that legalized abortions across the US. Initially, 60% stated that they ‘very strongly’, ‘strongly’ or ‘somewhat’ supported Roe vs Wade. However, attitudes changed slightly after the pollsters provided the group with more information on the infamous court case. Overall support for Roe vs Wade dropped to …

Cory Brooks: The problem of fatherless children in America

With Chicago becoming the most dangerous city in America, Cory Brooks, the pastor of New Beginnings Church, started a 100 day and night vigil on a rooftop in Woodlawn in an effort to raise money for a new community center to help fight the rising violence in the city. Each night, Brooks releases an episode related to the violence affecting his community.

Nearly half of Americans state inflation is causing financial hardship

According to a Gallup poll conducted in Nov 2021, 45% of Americans stated that the country’s inflation rate is causing ‘financial hardship.’ The Blaze noted that 10% of those surveyed said that inflation is having a ‘severe’ impact, meaning that they are struggling to maintain their current living standard. The survey also found that those on the lower end of the pay scale were the hardest hit, with 71% of those earning less than $40,000 annually reporting that inflation is becoming a problem, compared to only 29% for those earning over $100,000. The Blaze added that in October 2021, prices for consumer goods had increased by 6.2% compared to Oct 2020 and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization stated that in November, ‘commonly traded food commodities’ were 27.3% higher than in November 2020. READ: Nearly half of Americans say inflation has caused them ‘financial hardship’: Gallup A report this week also said that the country’s surging gas prices are having a significant impact on the poor. READ: Report: Surging Fuel Prices Hurt Poorer Americans the …