Teenage Moral Crisis

Author Topic: Teenage Moral Crisis  (Read 6892 times)

Offline moparmaniac59

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Teenage Moral Crisis
« on: April 17, 2009 - 09:25:20 PM »
I am just sitting here looking over the news again for the past few days. I live near Virginia Beach, VA. It's not a bad area, a lot of military and big tourism attraction with the beach, Bush Gardens, Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown battlefield. A large melting pot of many cultures and income brackets. It's supposed to be one of the top areas of the east coast to live.....but our kids are killing each other. Gangs are a big part of it. Last week an 18 year old high school senior was sitting in a parking lot waiting for his girlfriend. A man walked up to his car, shot and killed him and ran off. No arrests. Wednesday, two teenage boys (best friends 17 & 16 years old) were at one boy's home. Mom downstairs, dad upstairs. There's a knock at the door. It's two young men. The boys go out on the porch and talk to the two for about ten minutes. Mom tells them to close the door because it's cold. Then shots fired. One boy runs in with a gunshot to the stomach, while running inside he is shot a second time in the back of the head. The other boy is shot in the head. Both killed. Strangers run off. No arrests. Two or three weeks ago three teens are shot in a driveby. No deaths, but teens hospitalized. I think one critical. No arrests. This week three teen boys from Landstown HS in Virginia Beach were arrested for planning to blow up the school and commit mass murder. They had two sawed off shotguns and 28 home made bombs. The one was fasinated with Columbine and said he was in the "Trench Coat Mafia" I just wondered what would have happened had they not caught them. I think it's a wake up call to parents to get involved in our kids lives. Talk to them, and a big one...LISTEN to them. Ask questions. Be there for them. Look in their room. I'd rather be accused of snooping then find out my kid was a cutter or pervert or drug addict. These kids in gangs are looking for something they didn't get at home or in their community...acceptance. I see it. I work with youth in my church. A lot of kids are hurting and have no one to listen. No one to talk to. No one to show love to them. It's tragic and a little too late to make a change when your kid is facing capital murder charges. It's a scary world and alarms me with all the murder. I hope if you're a parent, you are involved in your kids lives. Love them while they're home. Give them a piggy back ride if they ask. Go to their ball games. Read a story to them. Give them a hug, because one day they won't ask anymore!!!

                                                  Matt B.
Matt




Offline Topcat

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Re: Teenage Moral Crisis
« Reply #1 on: April 17, 2009 - 09:49:49 PM »
One of the things I feel that really helps kids is to get them involved in sports activities at an early age and keep them motivated in them. One problem is that now many sports activities are being cut from schools or being considered getting dropped for varoious reasons but mainly school budget issues. Another problem; too many are veering off that course and going to videos. We all know that there are violent video games out there. Some say that these are a beginning point of influence that creates them to do violent acts later on in their life. That's a debate of it's own. Some will say it does influence and some say it's all in the individual and how they turn out.

Mike, Fremont, CA.


Offline 71ChallengerSE

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Re: Teenage Moral Crisis
« Reply #2 on: April 17, 2009 - 10:13:54 PM »
My sister knew the 18 year old senior that was shot and killed in the parking lot. I almost went to Landstown HS, but I decided to go to the Math and Science Academy at Ocean Lakes HS, I don't know any of the people that were involved but I wonder why they would ever want to do anything like that. Its strange what kids my age are doing these days. I just don't understand why they do what they do. The Challenger and Scouting take up most of my time besides school and they are both great outlets for emotion, frustration, and energy. My dad says that buying a kid a project car is one of the greatest things a parent can do for a kid because they learn life lessons, they are spending money and time wisely, and the parents always know where the kids are (out working on the car :working: ). Mopars are great learning tools.

Offline lemming303

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Re: Teenage Moral Crisis
« Reply #3 on: April 17, 2009 - 11:51:47 PM »
The two main roots of the problem are no parenting and a lack of a Christian upbringing. Video games have no influence whatsoever as long as the parent is there to help the kids understand what is real and what is not. And to make sure their kids don't play those games.

I play a game called Halo on XBox live all the time. You have a microphone where you can talk with those you are playing with. Halo is a game that is rated M, meaning mature only. It says on the box "graphic violence, language" and so on. Kids really should not be playing this game, especially on the internet where they are interacting with older people as well. You should hear some of these kid's vulgar mouths. They sound as bad as when I was in Marine Corps boot camp! It's because their parents give them the game and expect it to be the babysitter.

Also, too many families anymore don't raise their kids knowing who God and Jesus are and what we should be doing to serve them. It's really sad, but that's the way it's going. Especially in more urban areas.
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Offline DoNotChallengeHer

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Re: Teenage Moral Crisis
« Reply #4 on: April 18, 2009 - 12:31:12 AM »
Subject: FW:  COLUMBINE WAS A SPIRITUAL EVENT (darrell scott speech)

 

Guess our national leaders didn't expect this, hmm? On Thursday, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton , Colorado , was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful.

They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a portion of the transcript:

"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good &evil in the hearts of men and women.. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out f or answers.

"The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart.

"In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent.

I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.


Your laws ignore o ur deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!



" Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational
systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the door s to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.

"As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your
own heart before casting the first stone!

My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to h appen!"

Do what the media did not - - let the nation hear this man's speech.. Please send this out to everyone you can. God Bless

Offline 71chally416

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Re: Teenage Moral Crisis
« Reply #5 on: April 18, 2009 - 12:56:23 AM »
Well I'm glad our country is now heading in the "right" direction. Our own government talks of how we torture prisoners, goes overseas and blames us for others woes, pits us against each other with class warfare and talks of how great the Muslim religion is. Sounds like a great plan to foster positive thoughts in our youth.  :2thumbs:
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Offline Aussie Challenger

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Re: Teenage Moral Crisis
« Reply #6 on: April 18, 2009 - 01:04:55 AM »
  Columbine was a tradgedy, the words spoken by Darrell Scott are so true.   :angelwings:
  All free nations are turning their backs on the very thing that made them great and free, Jesus Christ.   :2thumbs:
  It will get worse until politicians and the press do an about face and stop denying GOD.    :villagers:
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Offline torredcuda

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Re: Teenage Moral Crisis
« Reply #7 on: April 18, 2009 - 07:55:13 AM »
Well I'm glad our country is now heading in the "right" direction. Our own government talks of how we torture prisoners, goes overseas and blames us for others woes, pits us against each other with class warfare and talks of how great the Muslim religion is. Sounds like a great plan to foster positive thoughts in our youth.  :2thumbs:

Ya,let`s go back to torturing prisoners and declaring war on everyone just b/c we feel like it-much better example for our youth.    ::)

And God is not always the answer-how many preists have ruined kids lives by molesting them and how many other so-called Christians commit crimes?
« Last Edit: April 18, 2009 - 07:56:54 AM by torredcuda »
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Offline moparmaniac59

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Re: Teenage Moral Crisis
« Reply #8 on: April 18, 2009 - 09:01:11 AM »
Well, lets place blame where blame is due. I don't think God molested any kids. It was some really messed up men (priests). Man is in a fallen state and does some messed up stuff. Like suicide muslim bombers. I have been working with teens for years, good kids, bad kids, troubled kids. In over 20 years I have NEVER ever, ever seen a teen that was harmed or messed up in any way by discovering a spiritual dimension they never knew, by reading the word of God and coming into a personal relationship with Christ. Filling an empty void and discovering a love, peace and joy they never knew existed. I have however seen people that were empty, hurting, lonely, angry, bitter do some awful things. When we place our focus on man, we are headed for trouble. To me Christianity is not a religion, it is a way of life! :angelwings:
Matt

Offline Super Blue 72

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Re: Teenage Moral Crisis
« Reply #9 on: April 18, 2009 - 10:01:06 AM »
Wow, Matt, those incidences you posted in your first post are horrific.  So sad to hear about those type of things.  :(

When I think of wayward youth, the first things I think about are things already mentioned: lack of parental involvement/guidance and spirituality.  These are not the end all to these problems but I feel that it definately helps. 

Unfortunately, this is a product of our society.  Gone are the days one one spouse can be home to take care of the kids.  In all likely hood, the ones most to take care of kids are their parents (There are some exceptions of course...).  Both parents are often times forced to work to support the household and the kids are left to someone else to take care of.  When I was little (I'm 41 now) I never heard of an afterschool program to take care of kids and hearing that a baby sitter was coming over from one of my friends meant that his parents were going out only for their anniversary or something, a 1 or 2 time event per year.  People are busy, God has been forced out of people's lives unfortunately, I'm guilty of this too.  I attended a 6:30am service at Easter because I had other commitments regularly on Sundays with my family.  I'm not perfect.

Yes, it's true, that sadly many children's lives were screwed up because of the priest scandals (I live near Boston, MA where a lot of this happened)  and what ever religious groups starved/killed their kids supposedly in the name of God, but these are consious acts that people chose to do or so called felt God told them to do it.  God gives people freedom of choice.  What people do, God can not necessarily be held accountable for.  If I teach my kids not to steal, I did my best and yes, I will take some of the blame if my kid steals something, but ultimately, my kid did the action.  I can not control his every thought/action.
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Offline Sean

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Re: Teenage Moral Crisis
« Reply #10 on: April 18, 2009 - 11:42:31 AM »
It is truly a violent world we live in.  However, it has been that way for centuries.  Not much has changed to change our violent tendencies that have been instilled in us for centuries. 

Because the evolution of man, kids have gone from throwing rocks at each other to throwing bullets.  That is what has changed.  Additionally, technology has been leveraged to make the distribution of such stories lots easier.  40 years ago, how often did people on the west coast hear about news on the east coast?  Now with the internet, you can disseminate information on an event minutes after it happened.

My opinion, based on my own life experiences has left me with this:  It is a parent's responsibility to raise a child to be a productive individual in today’s society.  That means finding out who they hang out with, what music they listen to, where they go online, what they are hiding in their rooms, etc...  If you are not doing that, you need a reality check on what your role as a parent is.  Additionally, it is a parent's responsibility to guide, direct, and influence the actions and thoughts of their children.  You need to keep you children in check.  If you don't know how to do that, get help. 

Parents don't raise their children on autopilot.  Open communications are key.  Get and stay involved.  Parents have 18 years to instill morals, ehtics, and values in their children.  During those 18 years, I feel parents are just as responsible AND accountable for the actions of their children.  If a child commits a crime, punish the parents too.  The child commits manslaughter, charge the parents with the same crime.  Right now, parents are only responsible for their adolescent children, make them accountable too!  May be harsh, but it will get parents attention!!!

Sean

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Re: Teenage Moral Crisis
« Reply #11 on: April 18, 2009 - 12:10:17 PM »
Our society, and our species, have a great capacity for ugliness and a great capacity for beauty, too. The best way to live is to be positive, I guess.

For me, I am a good person and an atheist. And why did I turn out into a good person with a higher education? Family and friends. That's the key. People need to be involved with each other and their lives. Not just parents. But, sadly, most people don't do that. Maybe my generation or the next one will start to actually care about each other? Maybe...

Offline 70burntorangeT/A

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Re: Teenage Moral Crisis
« Reply #12 on: April 18, 2009 - 12:22:00 PM »


And God is not always the answer-how many preists have ruined kids lives by molesting them and how many other so-called Christians commit crimes?

Im not trying to get into a religious battle with anyone here but i truly believe that GOD IS THE ANSWER. I live in the area of the US known as the "bible belt"  The majority of the people in the community and in my high school attend church. Genaerally everyone in the community gets along with everyone else. In our area there are VERY FEW sencless killings, I can think of only one that has happened in my town in the last 6 years. When people stray away from God their life goes down hill. I consider myself very lucky to live in the area i do, especially when i hear about all of the murders, rapes, school shootings, ect in the news, My school has no metal detectrors, guards or even security cameras for that matter, because where i live there is no need for them, and there shouldnt be. I know that the reason there is such little of this stuff going on in my area is because of the fact that the majority of the people are christains, they teach their children the difference between right and wrong. People have respect for each other and each others property. Why cant more of the USA be like this?
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Offline 71chally416

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Re: Teenage Moral Crisis
« Reply #13 on: April 18, 2009 - 01:02:43 PM »
Of course there are some bad Christians. When 75% of the country is Christian that's expected.
There's a few bad Muslims too. Apparently thousands of them that don't mind blowing up women and kids with car bombs thinking they will have sex with virgins.

They had a good segment on Fox yesterday about some of the disadvantaged kids in DC that have been going to charter schools, like the ones the Obama kids attend (He won't put HIS kids in the public schools there...) Congress is cutting the money off for them dispite the fact that the kids get a much better education, they don't want to leave them, and the public schools there are a huge failure despite having more taxpayer money-per-student than any school district in America (Probably because of all the cops and metal detectors they have to use...) Yet another case where GWB got it and this guy doesn't. :grinyes:
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Offline wunderless

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Re: Teenage Moral Crisis
« Reply #14 on: April 18, 2009 - 01:53:12 PM »
Another atheist here that lives as a decent human.
It isn't religion that saves you, if it gets you through the day great, but that isn't the defining factor of being a good human.  Many religious households raise "bad" people, many non religious households raise "bad' people, the point being, they were raised by someone. 

Instilling the proper values, then enforcing those values, into a child are the foundation to raising and producing a respectable human being.  Whether for you that is religion or not, it's up to you and is probably none of my business.  But to simply say the reason for this happening, or that happening, is simply because of a lack of belief in a god is untrue.
Blaming video games, movies, music or a lack of religion is, simply put, a cop-out. 

And yes I know the irony in making a general sweeping argument against a general sweeping argument... but I'm crazy like that.
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