Lying, cheating, and stealing are becoming an "acceptable norm? among high-school and college students, says Ralph Wexler, speaking for the Joseph and Edna Josephson Institute of Ethics. In a recent survey, the Institute reported that 61 percent of the high-school and 32 percent of the college students polled admitted to having cheated on an exam during the past year; 33 percent of the high-school and 16 percent of college students said they'd stolen something in the last year; and 16 percent of the high-school and 32 percent of the college students said they'd lied on a resume or job application.

National and International Religion Report, quoted in Signs of the Times, June, 1993, p. 6

We had the meanest mother in the whole world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from other kids had, too.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison. She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.

We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do. She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds. Then, life was really tough! Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them. While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.

Because of our mother, we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property, or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault. We never got drunk, took up smoking, stayed out all night, or a million other things, other kids did. Sundays were reserved for church, and we never missed once. We knew better than to ask to spend the night with a friend on Saturdays.

Now that we have left home, we are all God-fearing, educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was. I think that's what is wrong with the world today. It just doesn't have enough mean moms anymore.

Source unknown

One Wednesday evening, as we were preparing for mid-week service, a little boy who had just moved into our community, was riding his bike in the church parking lot.  One of our deacons spotted the five year old boy and decided to invite him to church.

"Young man, do you live close by?", he asked.

"Yes, I live in that house right down there," he replied, pointing to his new home. 

The deacon asked, "Do you go to church anywhere?"

"No, we don't go anywhere." the young boy replied.

"Would you like to come to Sunday School this Sunday?" the deacon asked.

"What do they teach in that Sunday School?", questioned the boy.

"They teach Bible Stories and tell you about Jesus."  replied the deacon.

"Do they teach any math, in this Sunday School?  If they do, I'm not coming!" the little lad declared, emphatically.

At five years old, this little lad had been introduced to math and had already determined he had enough of it to last him for the rest of his life  This gives us a chuckle, but I wonder how many boys and girls have seen "our brand" of religion and have decided they have already had enough to last them for the rest of their lives.