Newspaper Page Text
6B
FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 2006
Changes in family structure
jeopardize child's moral code
QUESTION: Why do
you think kids are more
sexually active today
than when I was young?
Lust is certainly not new.
What is causing this gen
eration to be so promis
cuous?
DR. DOBSON: There
are many factors that have
brought
on the
epidemic
we re see
ing, not
the least
of which
is the
trash that
is beamed
to teen
agers on
television,
in mov
ies and
9k jsssiip
Dr. James
Dobson
Focus on the Family
www.family.org
from the rock music indus
try. Young people today are
bombarded by immoral
entertainment that models
promiscuous behavior and
teaches them that “everyone
is doing it.” The diminish
ing influence of traditional
Christian teaching is also
responsible for the changing
m6res of our kids.
There is another extremely
important consideration that
has been identified recently
by behavioral research. A
team of researchers from
the Oregon Social Learning
U.S. Catholicism faces a money crunch over retired sisters
By RICHARD N. OSTLING
AP Religion Writer
With tens of thousands of
U.S. nuns over age 70, the
Roman Catholic Church is
facing a massive financial
shortfall for the care of retir
ees in religious orders - a
gap that over the long term
dwarfs costs from the clergy
abuse crisis.
Though billions of dollars
have been salted away, there
still remains an unfunded
future liability of $8.7 billion
for current nuns, priests and
brothers in religious orders.
The financial hole is project
ed by a consulting firm to
exceed S2O billion by 2023.
A June survey by the
church’s National Religious
Retirement Office, not yet
released to the public, puts
spending for retiree care at
$926 million last year alone.
That compares with a total
of $499 million received over
the last 18 years from annu
al special parish collections
to aid retirees.
The retirement realities
far overshadow the burden
from well-publicized sexual
abuse cases, which have cost
the American church more
than $1 billion since 1950,
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Center found that parental
divorce plays a direct role in
fostering sexual experimen
tation among adolescents.
The investigators tracked
the behavior of 201 junior
high and high school boys
who lived in “higher crime
areas.”
They found that the boys
who had sexual intercourse
at an early age tended to be
those who had experienced
two or more “parental tran
sitions” (divorce, remarriage
or repartnering). Only 18
percent of these promiscu
ous boys came from intact
families. By contrast, 57
percent of the virgins came
from homes where divorce
had not occurred. On aver
age, these abstinent boys
had experienced less than
one parental transition.
A similar study was con
ducted on young women
by sociologist Lawrence
L. Wu of the University of
Wisconsin, Madison. He
studied 2,441 white women
and 1,275 black women,
and found that there was a
strong correlation between
those who bore babies out
of wedlock and those who
had been through a “change
in family structure” when
growing up. Wu concluded
that the stresses of divorce
and remarriage on children
are directly implicated in
with tens of millions of dol
lars in pending claims.
In some ways, religious
orders face the same prob
lem as many governments:
increasing numbers of older
retirees need benefits, but
there are fewer workers to
support them. America’s
younger workers pay now
for the Social Security bene
fits of seniors, while younger
religious support their older
generations by caring for
them.
Sisters, who make up 82
percent of retirees, are espe
cially vulnerable.
Between 1965 and 2005,
their numbers plummeted
from 179,954 to 68,634,
according to the Center for
Applied Research in the
Apostolate at Georgetown
University.
With far fewer younger
novices being recruited, the
majority of sisters are now
more than 70 years old, the
retirement office’s new sur
vey said. Even though sis
ters usually work until age
75, caring for the retired
population is a huge task.
The problem is discussed
in the new book “Double
Crossed: Uncovering the
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out-of-wedlock childbearing.
In study after study now,
we are seeing that divorce,
single-parenting and family
disruption are unhealthy for
children.
This is not to criticize
those who find themselves
in those circumstances, but
neither can we continue to
deny that intact, two-parent
families are the healthiest,
and contribute directly to
a stable society. If that is
true (and the evidence for
it is overwhelming), then
our public policies and gov
ernmental agencies should
favor and encourage tradi
tional families. Anything
that undermines or weakens
them, such as confiscatory
taxes or governmental intru
sion, should be viewed with
suspicion.
The future of the nation
depends, quite literally, on
millions of strong, commit
ted and loving families.
Dr. Dobson is founder and
chairman of the board of
the nonprofit organization
Focus on the Family, P.O.
Box 444, Colorado Springs,
CO. 80903; or www.family,
org. Questions and answers
are excerpted from “The
Complete Marriage and
Family Home Reference
Guide” and “Bringing Up
Boys, ” both published by
Tyndale House.
Catholic Church’s Betrayal
of American Nuns”
(Doubleday) by former New
York Times religion editor
Kenneth Briggs.
The book’s main theme
is that church authorities
vetoed sisters’ hopes for dra
matic changes that would
provide more freedom and
effective ministries in the
aftermath of the Second
Vatican Council.
When Briggs completed
his research, the annual care
cost was running at SBOO
million and aid collections
then totaled S4BO million.
He reports that the annu
al collections generate more
than twice the receipts from
the next largest special
appeal, showing the regard
parishioners have for the
sisters and other retirees.
Briggs writes that the
looming financial threat
“sapped the creative ener
gies of communities.” But
Sister Andree Fries, the 64-
year-old executive director
of the U.S. retirement office,
disagrees.
She says “the impact is
more minimal than one
might think” because mem
bers of orders “are very
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CHURCH
Man of faith and courage
I experienced difficulty in
my attempt to share inspi
rational thoughts this
week. A special brother
in-law was laid to rest only
the day before. Upbeat
thoughts drift through
my mind but do not linger
long enough to be written
down.
Upbeat thoughts - that’s
my clue. Other than the
thought of my 85-year-old
brother-in-law’s depar
ture, the only thoughts
that linger of him are defi
nitely upbeat. I had known
Neal and his family long
before my marriage to his
wife’s brother. The family
was special to me during
my childhood, and the spe
cialty has never worn off.
POWELL
From page 3B
a depression on their grand
father’s farm.
It was partially filled with
water, providing an envi
ronment inhabited by tad
poles and frogs. One day I*
caught my little sons throw
ing rocks at the frogs and
told them to quit.
They didn’t understand
why until I found a juvenile
book on frogs that included
a story about little children
throwing rocks at frogs. In
the story, one of the frogs
raised his head and said
much about mission” and
not worrying about their
future needs. Also, orders
are “spending their future
retirement money for cur
rent bills” - so they are
not uncomfortable at the
moment.
What about the projected
multi-billion-dollar gap? “Is
it a big number? Yes,” Fries
said. “Am I discouraged that
we’ll ever get there? I’m
sobered, but not discour
aged, because religious are
can-do people.”
Some religious orders
are financially healthy, but
Fries’ office reckons that
only 4 percent of current sis
ters are adequately funded
for their retirement needs.
Typically, the problem is
worst in smaller orders.
Religious orders are total
ly independent from dio
ceses in administration and
finance.
But they often serve in
schools and other parish
or diocesan institutions, so
bishops and parishioners
naturally feel a responsibil
ity to help.
The religious orders’ plight
first gained national atten
tion with a 1985 Wall Street
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What made Neal so spe
cial? To begin with, he was
Earline Cole
Reflections
marvbobl 7@hcllsouth.net
especially as one by one, he
lost his wife, both sons, and
his second wife to cancer,
leaving him without imme
diate family.
Through it all, though
heart-broken, his faith
to the little children, “Your
fun may be our death.”
My sons never forgot that
lesson and grew up kind
hearted to animals.
Frogs occupy a prominent
place in scripture. When
God sent plagues on Egypt
to punish Pharaoh for not
releasing the Hebrews from
bondage, the third plague
comprised an invasion
of frogs. The Nile River
became so overrun with
frogs that they marched
inland to the houses of the
inhabitants.
The Egyptians found
frogs in their beds, their
ovens, and their baking
pans. Considering the trou
ble one frog caused me, I
Journal article by John
Fialka. Contacted by fel
low Catholics who offered
donations, Fialka helped
organize Support Our Aging
Religious, which pioneered
in fundraising and last year
received $1.4 million to aid
retirees.
The U.S. bishops then fol
lowed suit, sponsoring their
first annual collection in
1988 under the new retire
ment office, co-sponsored
with three organizations of
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never faltered. A pastor at
Neal’s graveside service
quoted him as saying to
the end, “I have had a good
life.”
Need had a good life
because he chose to have
a good life. He has now
entered into a better one,
leaving behind his two
devoted daughters-in-law
who were more like daugh
ters to him and their fami
lies whose spiritual inheri
tance will increase in value
through generations to
come.
“In all things shew thyself
a pattern of good works; in
doctrine shewing incor
ruptness, gravity, sincerity,
sound speech that cannot be
condemned;” (Titus 2:7).
himself.
Nothing
preten
tious, just
down-to
earth Neal.
He was
a man of
faith and
courage.
This was
reflected
through
his life,
can’t imagine the utter bed
lam of a frog invasion. I’m
surprised Pharaoh didn’t
capitulate then to Moses’
demands.
Frogs are also mentioned
in Revelation. When the
sixth angel poured out
his bowl of wrath on the
Euphrates River, three
frog-like creatures came
forth from the mouth of the
dragon, the beast, and the
false prophet. Do you sup
pose Noah carried frogs on
the ark or left them in the
surging water?
During the meanwhile,
does anyone have a solu
tion for little frogs burrow
ing into my flower pots and
destroying my plants?
women’s and men’s orders.
The annual December
collection was scheduled to
cease next year, but at their
June meeting the bishops
agreed to extend the pro
gram another 10 years.
Also, the retirement office
plans' to increase training
for orders on how to manage
investments, buildings and
other assets.
Hundreds of orders have
been forced to sell off assets
to cover expenses.
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