In the News...

Compiled by James Capo

Money Matters in Marriage
In a recent survey by Quicken, the financial management software company, respondents said that managing their finances is the biggest strain on marital relationships. OK, so we at Vertical Thought might question whether finances are really the biggest source of marital stress, but we certainly agree it's right up there near the top. (This survey was done by a financial company, so we can understand the possible bias).

Anyway, what did Quicken find were the major marital money problems? Overwhelmingly, the biggest problem respondents cited was not being able to control their partner's spending habits, at 44 percent. Another 21 percent cited "repeated questions about my spending habits," while 17 percent complained of their partner not sticking to an agreed-upon budget.

These were the top three, and they're really just different sides of the same problem: lack of financial discipline. So add them up, and you get 82 percent of all financial problems in marriage stem from lack of self-control, or not trusting a spouse's self-control, with money.

Other statistically significant problems were not agreeing on long-term goals (14 percent) and one partner hiding money from the other (5 percent).
Most people don't know that God's Word teaches us sound financial principles. You can read and learn about them in our booklet Managing Your Finances. It's available on our Web site (www.gnmagazine.org/booklets). And it's free. Now how's that for a no-stress financial decision and a good investment in your future marriage?

"Deadly Sins" No More?
Back in the 1200s, the Catholic philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas listed "Seven Deadly Sins"—severe, spiritually deadening stains on our character. These were: greed, sloth (or laziness), gluttony, envy, anger, pride and lust.

Today, according to a BBC poll reported in Parade Magazine, March 20, 2005, Brits no longer consider these to be deadly black marks against our character. Oh, greed is still bad, they agree. But the other six "worst sins" have been replaced with cruelty, adultery, selfishness, bigotry, dishonesty and hypocrisy, according to the majority of those polled.

So who's right? What are the worst sins? Have they changed? Who decides? Actually, different societies over the years have viewed different "sins"—well, differently. The question we really ought to ask is, "What does God (not society) say about sin?" God is the one who decides right and wrong, good and evil, sin and righteousness.

To hear what He has to say, we have to read His book, the Bible. And for a discussion of the "Big 10" from God's view, read our booklet The Ten Commandments. It's free, and you can request it at our Web site (www.gnmagazine.org/booklets).

Can TV Turn Us Into Bullies?
The more television children watch as four-year-olds, the more likely they are to become bullies in elementary school, according to a study by researchers at the University of Washington.

The study was published in the April 2005 issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, and it found that every hour spent daily in front of the TV increases the odds of bullying by 9 percent, regardless of how much other time parents spent with their children in "nurturing" activities including reading with them, museum visits and such.

Since about 60 percent of TV shows contain violence, researchers suggested a possible link there. The American Academy of Pediatrics has found that watching television is also linked to attention deficit disorder (ADD) and obesity, and suggests limiting television to one to two hours a day for young children, and no TV at all for children under two (Arizona Daily Star, April 10, 2005).

Movie Trend Changes Direction: Family Flicks Big Winners
American society has grown increasingly tolerant—even desirous—of seeing sin freely practiced in society and depicted in its entertainment. For years, moviemakers have been adding sex scenes, violence and profanity to their films just to get a coveted R rating, because G- and PG-rated films have not done as well financially at the box office in the past.

But now, the trend is reversing. According to USA Today, March 14, 2005, "For the first time in two decades, PG-rated films out-performed R-rated films in theaters, even though Hollywood cranks out many more [R-rated movies]."

In 2004, the 110 PG-rated films made that year earned a combined $2.3 billion at the box office, while the 540 R-rated films made earned $2.1 billion. John Fithian of the National Association of Theatre Owners said this is an indication of the growing strength of family filmgoers, who want movies everyone can enjoy.

Well, almost everyone, maybe. It seems most still prefer (or at least tolerate) "a little" of the more "adult-rated" content.

An additional 187 films rated the more moderately racy PG-13 earned as much as both of the other ratings combined, at $4.4 billion.

God's Word says we need to guard our minds and hearts against the corrupting influences all around us, and to think on those things that are true, honest, just, pure and good (Philippians 4:8). It seems more moviegoers are trying to apply this standard, at least to some degree, to their entertainment choices. How about you?

Monkeys Making News...
Charlie the Chain-Smoking Chimp
It seems that Charlie the chimpanzee at the Bloemfontein Zoo in South Africa has picked up a bad habit—literally. He has learned to smoke by picking up the discarded cigarette butts that visitors have tossed into his cage.

Zookeepers are trying to get Charlie to kick the habit. "It looks funny to see a chimp smoking," according to a zoo spokesman, and so the zoo is having difficulty getting visitors to stop contributing to his habit by tossing him more cigarettes. And Charlie isn't helping. He hides his cigarettes when the zoo workers are around (Associated Press report, April 22, 2005).

Capuchin Cop?
Officer Sean Truelove of the Mesa, Arizona, Police Department wants a new partner: a capuchin monkey. The officer, who builds and operates tactical robots for the SWAT team, feels that the three- to eight-pound primate with tiny, humanlike hands could be trained to unlock doors, search buildings and find suicide victims.

The Kevlar-clad monkey, wearing a tiny video camera and two-way radio, would be able to get into places no robot or human officer could go, and would "change the way we do business," he said. He's trying to raise $100,000 to buy and outfit the monkey, which he would train and keep at home the same way K-9 officers keep their canine partners.

Capuchins have been trained since 1979 to help disabled people with such things as having food served to them, brushing hair, opening doors and turning lights on and off (Associated Press report, April 25, 2005).

Evidence of Evolution? Famous Atheist Says No!
So does the fact that chimps and monkeys can be trained to respond to human commands and perform certain humanlike tasks (and even adopt human bad habits!) provide evidence for evolution? Some people think so, but the facts of known science (not the speculations of evolutionary theory) all argue against evolution, as many scientists will admit.

Professor of philosophy Antony Flew, probably the world's most famous atheist, recently recanted his belief in atheism. He stated in the new video Has Science Discovered God?, released this past December, that scientific research on DNA "has shown, by the almost unbelievable complexity of the arrangements which are needed to produce (life), that intelligence must have been involved."

For a study of the science behind creation, request or download our free booklet Creation or Evolution: Does It Really Matter What You Believe? from our Web site at www.gnmagazine.org/booklets.