When it Comes to Kids, Marijuana, Faith Matters - Dr. Paul J. Dean
From the story:
Parents who hope that their efforts to communicate and involve their children in their faith will keep them from falling prey to the temptations of drug use have some good news from a new study to be released tomorrow: It works. The national study, conducted by two sociology professors from Brigham Young University, finds that religious involvement makes teens half as likely to use marijuana as their peers without religious participation. Their results settle a question that has been debated for years. While many intuitively believe religious training, particularly if it delivers a strong message against substance abuse, will deter teens from experimenting, the fact is the question has remained unsettled, scientifically.
read entire article here
At one level such research provides encouraging news. At the same time, parents, particularly Christian parents, must be aware of at least three critical dynamics.
First, mere morality or keeping our children from doing drugs is not the goal. Often we fall into the trap of thinking our children are spiritually safe if they avoid the “big sins.” That is certainly not the case. The real issue is always the heart. Our kids may avoid the “big sins” but still be enemies of Christ. We do want them to avoid drugs but we want more than that.
Second, the temptation to sin is ever present with our children, even those children who are born of God. Parents must be reminded that ongoing biblical instruction, serious worldview dialogue, and a developing relationship with their children are absolute necessities if they are to navigate the treacherous waters of a fallen world.
Third, we must also not forget that the real issue is not a positive home or church environment. Research has indicated that those factors alone have little impact upon the decisions kids make and whether or not they succumb to peer pressure. What makes the difference is a personal faith: a faith that belongs to the child himself/herself. In the final analysis, we must ever point our children to Christ as their only hope.
From the story:
Parents who hope that their efforts to communicate and involve their children in their faith will keep them from falling prey to the temptations of drug use have some good news from a new study to be released tomorrow: It works. The national study, conducted by two sociology professors from Brigham Young University, finds that religious involvement makes teens half as likely to use marijuana as their peers without religious participation. Their results settle a question that has been debated for years. While many intuitively believe religious training, particularly if it delivers a strong message against substance abuse, will deter teens from experimenting, the fact is the question has remained unsettled, scientifically.
read entire article here
At one level such research provides encouraging news. At the same time, parents, particularly Christian parents, must be aware of at least three critical dynamics.
First, mere morality or keeping our children from doing drugs is not the goal. Often we fall into the trap of thinking our children are spiritually safe if they avoid the “big sins.” That is certainly not the case. The real issue is always the heart. Our kids may avoid the “big sins” but still be enemies of Christ. We do want them to avoid drugs but we want more than that.
Second, the temptation to sin is ever present with our children, even those children who are born of God. Parents must be reminded that ongoing biblical instruction, serious worldview dialogue, and a developing relationship with their children are absolute necessities if they are to navigate the treacherous waters of a fallen world.
Third, we must also not forget that the real issue is not a positive home or church environment. Research has indicated that those factors alone have little impact upon the decisions kids make and whether or not they succumb to peer pressure. What makes the difference is a personal faith: a faith that belongs to the child himself/herself. In the final analysis, we must ever point our children to Christ as their only hope.
posted by IABC | 11:29 AM
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