TruthBook Religious News Blog

Posted November 15th, 2007
by Mohit Joshi

Giving physicians a little training in religion and spirituality could help them build bridges with the families of very sick children, a new study has suggested.

The finding is based on a survey of 74 pediatric hematologists and oncologists at 13 elite hospitals from the U. S. News & World Report ranking of "honor roll hospitals. "

The survey was conducted by researchers at Brandeis University and the University at Buffalo.

It found that 47.3 percent of paediatric oncologists describe themselves as very or moderately spiritual, and 37.8 percent describe themselves as slightly spiritual.

However, what was also noted that while most oncologists say they are spiritual, and many are open to connecting with the families of very sick children through religion or spirituality, they typically lack the formal healthcare training that could help them build such bridges.

"Increasingly, religion and spirituality are being recognized as important in the care of critically ill patients and we know that many parents draw on such resources to cope with their child's illness, " said coauthor Wendy Cadge, a Brandeis sociologist.

"This study suggests that we should consider training to help physicians relate spiritually to families confronting life-threatening illness such as cancer.

"Research shows that many patients do not feel the medical system adequately meets their spiritual needs. By shedding light on how religion and spirituality connect to the practice of medicine, this study is a first step toward addressing such needs of patients and their families during a profoundly threatening chapter of life, " said Cadge.

The study appears in the journal Pediatric Hematology and Oncology. (ANI)

Labels: children, families, God, hemaologist, Mohit Joshi, oncologist, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, pediatrics, physicians, religion, sickness, spirituality

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Saturday, September 29, 2007

Children of divorce

Children of divorce
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 09/29/2007

Many children of divorce go on to have a complicated connection to faith, according to a study by Elizabeth Marquardt, who questioned 1,500 Americans ages 18 to 35 as part of a three-year survey of young adults from divorced families.

* Only 56 percent of children of divorce say they attended religious services every week or almost every week when they were growing up, compared to 74 percent of young people from intact families.

* Of those children of divorce who regularly attended a place of worship, 2/3 said no one from the clergy or congregation reached out to them when their parents split up; only 1/4 said that someone at church did reach out.

* As young adults, 68 percent of young people from intact families say they are "very" or "fairly" religious, compared to 55 percent of young people from divorced families. Further, 63 percent of young people from intact families, compared to 49 percent of children of divorce, say they are currently a member at a house of worship.

* More than 37 percent of children of divorce agree with the statement, "Religion doesn't seem to address the important issues in my life," compared to 29 percent of people from intact families. Almost half of children of divorce (46 percent) agree, "I believe I can find ultimate truth without help from a religion," compared to 36 percent of their peers from intact families.

* If children of divorce are religious they are more likely to be evangelical. In the survey, 41 percent of young people from divorced families describe themselves as born again or evangelical, compared to 37 percent of their peers from intact families.

* Children of divorce are more likely to say that their relationship with God is an outgrowth of lacking a loving father or parent when they were growing up, with 38 percent of them agreeing (compared to 22 percent from intact families), "I think of God as the loving father or parent I never had in real life."

Labels: children, divorce, Elizabeth Marquardt, faith, families, religion

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Friday, May 18, 2007

Why Religion (Still) Matters

by Gary Bauer

Posted: 05/18/2007

Sociologist Seymour Martin Lipset devoted a lifetime to studying what made America different. Like Tocqueville a century earlier, Lipset discovered that America's exceptionalism-what set Americans apart most distinctly from their European cousins-was founded on a set of values deeply rooted in religious practice. This religiosity was not only preeminent in shaping America's national character, but also elemental to understanding its unparalleled prosperity.

Lipset's observation about the indispensability of religious practice to American life came to mind recently with the release of a study on the societal benefits of religion. Released last December, "Why Religion Matters Even More: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability," has not gotten a lot of publicity in the media; but its findings are increasingly relevant, especially now as debates over religion's proper role in society continue to rage, and as the impact of religion on our politics has emerged as a decisive national campaign issue.

Authored by Pat Fagan, William H.G. Fitzgerald Research Fellow in Family and Cultural Issues at the Heritage Foundation, the report examines the last ten years of empirical research on the effects of religion on a host of social indicators.

Fagan's conclusion? Religion has never mattered more: to individuals, families and society at large.

Consider these findings:

* Research shows marriages in which both spouses frequently attend religious services are 2.4 times less likely to e nd in divorce than marriages in which neither spouse worships. In fact, researchers at Duke University Medical School found that religious attendance is the
most important predictor of marital stability.

* One study discovered that men who attend religious services at least weekly were more than 50% less likely to commit an act of violence against their wives than were peers who attended only once a year or less.

* W. Bradford Wilcox of the University of Virginia found that a father's religious attendance was positively associated with his involvement in activities with his children, such as one-on-one interaction, having dinner with his family, and volunteering for youth
activities. In fact, fathers' frequency of religious attendance was a stronger predictor of paternal involvement with their children than employment and income-the factors most frequently cited as pivotal.

* Research b y Arthur Brooks of Syracuse University highlighted the robust relationship between religious practice and charitable giving. In a general survey population religious individuals were 40% more likely than their secular counterparts to give money to charity and more than twice as likely to volunteer.

* Eighty-seven% of over 100 studies reviewed concluded that religious practice is significantly correlated with reduced incidence of suicide and depression.

Research further shows that, as Fagan explained in a recent interview, "the single biggest new finding was the effect of religious practice on the poor. There is an intriguing indication that they benefit more than those with more income, and benefit significantly." Religion's impact on the poor, studies reveal, is especially compelling on outcomes related to drug use, academic progress and juvenile delinquency.

In one study of young males from impoverished inner-city Chicago and Philadelphia, for instance, researchers found that a high level of religious attendance was associated with a 46% reduction in the likelihood of using drugs, a 57% reduction in the probability of dealing drugs and a 39% decrease in the likelihood of committing
a non drug-related crime.

Fagan's research demonstrates that, on an entire range of outcomes-from domestic abuse, educational attainment and marital stability to substance abuse, violent crime and even immigrant assimilation-the practice of religion is a powerful predictor of personal wellbeing and societal stability.

Some may wonder how religion can have such a profound effect on so many seemingly unrelated social indicators. It is because, as Fagan explained, religious practice transforms people at a fundamental level. "It changes the man or woman, not the outcome. The changed man or woman then has many different manifestations of their changed self...in their relationships with others, with work, with material things, in family life, in citizenship. They don't set out to do things differently. They set out to be different persons, and then we see all these different changes."

That's a point worth repeating. Religious practice extends beyond mere inputs and outputs, moving deeper to change hearts and minds, and foster values like charity, humility, patience, prudence and compassion, which in turn affect the decisions people make and, thus, the outcomes they experience.

In the end, Fagan's research reveals, in his words, "a steadily growing body of evidence from the social sciences [that] demonstrates that regular religious practice benefits individuals, families and communities, and thus the whole nation."

It also highlights a paradox that even casual observers of American life can appreciate: At a time when many politicians rail against the infusion of religion into public life, science is establishing religious practice to be a potent antidote to many of our most entrenched social problems.

Labels: charity, families, Martin Lipset, religious practice, society, the poor, values

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Friday, May 11, 2007

Moms could use a little help from dads

Friday, May 11, 2007
Brent Castillo

There's no doubt that mothers are special. I've seen ones who have a bottomless well of forgiveness when their kids continually mess up. Most of the moms I know expend enormous effort trying to feed their children properly and making them presentable in public. And we all know the cliche can be true that "he's got a face only a mother could love."

A 2005 study shed light on why. It was done for the Mothers' Council and sponsored by the University of Minnesota, University of Connecticut and the Institute for American Values. More than 93 percent of the mothers surveyed said the love they feel for their children is unlike any other love they have experienced.

It's so strong that it often extends to other people's children. More than 92 percent agreed with the statement, "After becoming a mother, I found myself caring more about the well-being of all children, not just my own." And 8 out of 10 said mothers are more responsible than other adults for children in general.

The Barna Group recently published research that confirms what many church-goers already suspected: Moms also take the lead role in spirituality in the home. According to the research, mothers are more likely than fathers to attend church, pray, read the Bible, participate in a small group, attend Sunday school and volunteer time to a non-profit organization.

The council's survey also showed that more than 41 percent of the respondents worked full time. It seems to be something most feel compelled to do. Only about 16 percent said they prefer full-time work, and most would rather work part time or from home.

But staying home is no cakewalk. Many stay-at-home moms feel they never get to leave their work, because home is their job.

We expect a lot from our mothers, and they usually deliver. Unfortunately, less than half feel appreciated most of the time, the survey showed, and one-in-five felt less valued by society since becoming a mom.

We're wearing out our women. And it makes me wonder, where are the men?

These women didn't become mothers on their own.

Men, including me, need to shoulder more of the burden. It's time for them to step up to the plate -- and serve it to their kids. Men could start by pitching in more around the house, going to church with their families and turning off the TV to talk to their wife and kids.

When men get serious about being a husband and a dad -- and do so in that order -- it pays off. All members of traditional families generally do better financially, socially and even mentally than those in alternate family forms.

Some men, especially those who are married, are doing things right.

Sixty-eight percent of married mothers named their spouse as their primary source of emotional support. That number steeply drops off to 52 percent for co-habitators. And while most mothers felt responsible for day-to-day care of their children, nearly 50 percent said they share that responsibility with their spouse or partner.

This coming Mother's Day, let's be sure to tell our moms how special they are. And dads can prove they mean it by putting their words into action.

Brent Castillo is a member of The Eagle's editorial board. Reach him at 316-268-6516 or at bcastillo@wichitaeagle.com.

Labels: Barna Group, Brent Castillo, children, families, fathers, Institute for American Values, mothers, Mothers' Council, stay-at-home