Kids are required to do lots of things against their will.If the kid wants to go that's great, but is it right to drag him there against his will?
Kids are required to do lots of things against their will.
How many kids would attend school ... if it were a choice for them ?
..a HS friend of mine was NEVER taken to church as the parents left it up to the kids
guess what? she's an atheist
Some years ago a young teenager came into an AOL 'Religious Discussion' chatroom and told us he hated being dragged off to church by his parents every sunday, so me and a few other adults advised him to refuse pointblank to go.
Apparently his parents must have later complained to AOL about us for giving "bad advice", and we were gently warned by an AOL Host to watch our step in future..
Were we in the wrong or what?
Disobedience to parents is breaking a commandment, punishable by death from stoning in public.
Granted, local laws prohibit this now. But your advice has no grounding.
If parents were paragons of virtue that'd be fine, but sadly many couldn't properly parent a pet cockatoo let alone a child.
And the kids will drag their own kids off to other "better" activities of their own choosing. The kids get the message that the parents care, and it really doesn't matter how they care.On the other hand no doubt some kids deliberately become atheists to spite their parents for dragging them off to church against their will..
..Your advice to kids to disobey adults was quite wrong.
If parents give kids bad advice they deserve to be disobeyed..
"Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12)
Schools are, generally, good ... and a benefit to a child's development. Obviously, it should not be a bad school ... and, sometimes, home-schooling might be the best alternative.What if a school is no good, for example is some teachers are trying to influence kids with their own anti-christian propaganda?
I never had kids, but if I had, I would have kept a close eye on their schools, and if the school didn't shape up i'd have transferred them to a better school, or even home-schooled them myself..
This is not really that bad, ... and rather typical. There will be times that a parent's view of their child's proclivities ... will be bewilderment. That's because people (including parents and kids) are different, ... and part of parenting/maturing ... is learning to accept the differences that make us all special in our own way.As a kid I overheard my dad saying to my mam about me- "He's nutty! No don't laugh, I really do mean it, he wastes all his pocket money on silly plastic model aeroplanes then hangs 'em on string from his bedroom ceiling in full view of the street, I dread to think what the neighbours are saying about him, when's he going to grow up and start saving his money instead?"
Perhaps he'd have preferred it if I'd joined the local street gang and run wild with them instead of sitting quietly up in my room building models?
People become atheists ... because they don't wish to have a relationship with God.On the other hand no doubt some kids deliberately become atheists to spite their parents for dragging them off to church against their will..
As long as we keep in mind that God is the ultimate judge of what advice is "good" or "bad", this is reasonable.If parents give kids bad advice they deserve to be disobeyed..
"Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12)
My parents took us to church from the time we were born ... AND ... made sure that we understood that our own faith was our own decision.From my experiences growing up listening to my dad talk about Jesus, going through a painful divorce where I lost him, then being sent to a church that hated me and my sister, when we were like, 10, let me see if I can give any advice on giving advice.
A child of a Christian should be raised to love Jesus. Whatever parenting techniques are used, the love of Jesus should be in a child's heart. This should not be done by force or coercion or merely hoping sending them to church will make a Christian out of them, but should be done through gentle teachings, loving testimonies, family prayers, and such things. Answer a child's questions. Even the hard ones. I had big questions and had no one to answer them.
My dad instilled a love in me for Jesus when I was a child. After being spiritually abused by a local church, i fell away from the faith for about a decade. Afterwards, when i started having spiritual experiences i could only understand through the Christian belief, all that i had been taught about Jesus was like a seed in my mind that grew me into a Christian today. Now I am in love with Jesus, and I thank God and my earthly dad every day for all that led me to follow Jesus presently.
Forcing a child - or anyone, for that matter - to follow Christ will only result in broken hearts. A child should be lovingly taught about Jesus the Creator and Savior. A child should not feel stress or pressure in serving Jesus.
If a child is raised to love Jesus, even if they fall away, if they ever hit rock bottom like I did, returning back to Jesus will be rather natural.
That said, your advice wasn't bad. There are a number of reasons why a child would not feel welcome in a modern church. A local SBC affiliated church called me stupid, told me I stunk, and made fun of me for being a child of a divorce. Needless to say, if my child felt even an ounce uncomfortable going to a church, I would not force them to go. Being a Christian does not come from sitting in a church once a week. It is a decision to let go of this world and follow Jesus. That does not come through force.
Parenting is one of the most sensitive subjects on the face of the planet, so I mean no offence, but I feel some Christian parents take the wrong approach, when I'm living proof of an approach that worked for me. Gentle and kind, loving and caring, unforceful. I was raised to think for myself, instead of being told what to think. That worked wonderfully for me. Jesus be with us all
My parents took us to church from the time we were born ... AND ... made sure that we understood that our own faith was our own decision.
The six of us ALL grew up to be lovers of Jesus ... AND decided that it was important to expose our own kids to faith in God, as well ...
I am so glad that God was able to reach into the self-described dysfunction of your family situation ... and rescue you to Himself. All homes are not good ones ... and all churches are not helpful, ... though, once again, in the general case, ... the scriptures advise us not to forsake gathering together with the brethren.Hello A Thinker. Our lives were very different then. By the time I was 6 my parents were divorced, and when I went to church at age 9, I was mentally abused by them, for whom I pray that God will open their eyes and they seek repentance and God's grace. I did not have two Christian parents or a loving church to call home. My mom's side of the family did not want us to serve God and our church we were sent to tried to lock us out of God's Kingdom.
I am a living testimony against that congregation that God will save whom He will save, and that no man can stop God's mighty works. If God had not directly intervened in my life, I would be lost today. Thankfully, I learned who Jesus is, and learned to love Him at a young age. That said, it's best to teach your children yourself the truth, because there are an amazing number of false teachers in the world today. I have learned personally that the devil wants to destroy children. Divorce is really a horrible thing. But God is good
Sunday services usually last a few hours. There are 168 hours in a week. A child's best teacher is the parent, who spends way more time around them.
I also understand that different people are different. Different personalities, circumstances, environments, lessons learned, and so on shape us all into the people we are. A one size fits all approach to parenting will not work with everyone. It's easy to teach a standard of perfection in people's lives and circumstances, but perfection is hard to find in this world. 1/2 of marriages in the US end in divorce. It's easy to see why there are so many broken people in this country.
It is always best to treat each other with kindness and humility, which I hope I have shown to you today. If not, I apologize, I am a fiery person in heart, haha! I hope you have a nice day, A Thinker. God be with you.