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Author | Topic: Children and your beliefs | |||||||||||||||||||||||
jar Member (Idle past 421 days) Posts: 34026 From: Texas!! Joined: |
Jasonb was asked
quote: and he replied:
No I haven’t, nor would I ever. I believe in absolute truths so it would be very hypocritical of me to teach my children other ways. As a fellow Christian, I would hope that you would reconsider that position. GOD is. God is not Christian, not Jewish, not Muslim. God is. As your kids grow up they will come in contact with people that belive as they do, and many more that do not believe as they do. They will meet Atheists, Mormons, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and many with no faith at all.Their beliefs will be challenged. Faith is between the individual and God. To make that faith as strong as possible, one that will be able to withstand challenge and temptation, it must be tested and tempered. The best way to do that is by exposing your kids to all of the other moral systems that have developed over the years. Unless you believe that Christianity cannot stand comparision to those other systems, the best thing you can do for your kids is to help them explore all of those other systems. While Christianity is the only way for Christians, it is not the only way. The Jews pray to the same GOD that you pray to and that same GOD has made compacts and covenants with the Jews. They cannot be hurt by learning about the other ethical systems out their, and they can strengthen their own base by becoming familar with the others. Aslan is not a Tame Lion
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nator Member (Idle past 2196 days) Posts: 12961 From: Ann Arbor Joined: |
quote: OK, that's one. You said that there are "many" examples. "Many", to me, would be at least in the thousands, if we take the entire world population as a whole. Of course, the Taliban number in the hundreds at least, and most of them were raised in very radical fundamentalist religious environments.
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Jasonb Inactive Member |
Please read Jesus Among Other Gods by Ravi Zacharias. Then get back to me on this.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/...{Shortened display form of URL, to restore page width to normal - Adminnemooseus} This message has been edited by Adminnemooseus, 08-11-2004 12:30 AM Jason B
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Jasonb Inactive Member |
Well you got me. I shouldn’t have used Many if I wasn’t willing to take the time to back it up, which I’m not. But I did came up with one example to show some on this thread that if you give your child absolute freedom to make up their own mind about religion, you should be prepared if their decision is extreme. I am not saying that it will happened, but the possibility is there, and you should prepare yourself for that possibility. Jason B
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nator Member (Idle past 2196 days) Posts: 12961 From: Ann Arbor Joined: |
quote: Well, sure, but don't you think it is much, much more likely that children will become religious extremists by being taught that there is only one true religion? Don't you think that teaching them that your way is the only correct way is likely to make them less accepting and tolerant of differing viewpoints? Remember, I was given only one option WRT religion, and I left it behind.
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Glordag Inactive Member |
Sorry to bring up an old thread, but I was away from home for a week or so, so I couldn't reply.
Thanks for all the replies, they were all very interesting and helpful. I especially liked NosyNed's account, and I think that is the end result I'd be happiest with, but getting what -I- believe to be the best end result isn't necessarily what I'm aiming for. I commend RingoKid's approach as well, as it seems quite appropriate given his/her stance. As for the claim that, if you are Christian, you may only raise your child as a Christian, this seems a little silly. As it was pointed out, shouldn't the Christian belief stand up to the rest if it is the "true" belief? How can letting a child make their own educated decision be an improper method of raising them? I would really like to hear a little more on this point. Another interesting point was that children might grow up to do something radical, such as joining the Taliban. This definitely touches on one of the main concerns I tried to express in my original post. With all of the influences of the outside world, how can you help your child stay away from some of the more dangerous ones while still maintaining an unbiased atmosphere? Also, an early congrats to DC85 (I think I got the name right). I wish you the best of luck with your family.
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DBlevins Member (Idle past 3802 days) Posts: 652 From: Puyallup, WA. Joined: |
I wasn't raised in a religious family. Neither of my parents believe in God, though my mother was raised in a household that went to church. The values and morals I was brought up with did not need some invisible god. I was brought up with the belief that you treat others with respect and treat them like you would like to be treated. I went through a phase in my life where I attended church with friends and even became "born again". My parents were supportive and offered to drive me there if I needed.
It seems to me that raising your child in an educated and informed household allows him or her to make their own choices about what they believe. Many of the deeply religious people that I have met had parents who were also deeply religious and enculturated their child with their belief. The choice of whether to believe or not was taken away from them.
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Darwin Storm Inactive Member |
My wife and I have discussed this topic extensivley. I am an atheist, however my wife is a lutherian christian. We both believe that our children should be exposed to both our viewpoints, and when they get older they can make their own decisions. Of course, it does help that we both have a similar view on rational thought and the scientific method. Frankly, as long as my children can rationaly evaluate and make decisions for themselves as adults, I don't care if they choose to accept a religious faith or not.
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Jasonb Inactive Member |
quote: One of my favorite preachers and authors, John Piper, put it this way
quote: Jason B
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Firebird Inactive Member |
JasonB, Thank you for posting such an eloquent defense of teaching your belief to your children.
I certainly answered my children's questions about my own faith as well as I could, but also those about other people's beliefs. The only thing I did in addition was made sure I understood what I believed and why, and that I lived by my beliefs. A good Catholic friend once said to me " there is a far stronger way to influence than by preaching and exhorting, and that is by drawing closer to God and letting Him shine through us like a light". And I think that applies to all religions. In fact, IMO it is not which denomination, but the quality of the adherance that counts most.
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Glordag Inactive Member |
Firstly, thanks for replying and clarifying to me exactly why some Christians feel that they must bring their children up in this way. I certainly see your/his point, but I just can't agree with it. But then, I guess that's as much a belief thing as anything between Christians and non-Christians. I won't even bother listing my objections to the four points, as I'm sure you already know what they are. I can't say I like the mindframe, but everyone has a right to raise their own children how they see fit, and that's just life.
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