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You see a temporary fix for the worlds problems--- Jesus gave all the permanent fix to problems like that for free--this is what they should be receiving--the permanent fix = Matt 6:33-- Therefore, keep on seeking-FIRST- the kingdom and his( Jehovah) righteousness, and all these other things will be added( sustenance, covering, spirituality)--Jesus promised his Father-Jehovah would provide all 3 things daily if one applied that single teaching.
How blind certain religions are that claim to serve Jesus--they keep giving the temp fix( a handout)--but fail Jesus and those they try to help by not giving them the permanent fix.---Why is that?
Because they are compassionate, not cruel.
Look up the dictionary definition of compassionate. I'm pretty sure you know all about cruelty.
You see a temporary fix for the worlds problems--- Jesus gave all the permanent fix to problems like that for free--this is what they should be receiving--the permanent fix = Matt 6:33-- Therefore, keep on seeking-FIRST- the kingdom and his( Jehovah) righteousness, and all these other things will be added( sustenance, covering, spirituality)--Jesus promised his Father-Jehovah would provide all 3 things daily if one applied that single teaching.
How blind certain religions are that claim to serve Jesus--they keep giving the temp fix( a handout)--but fail Jesus and those they try to help by not giving them the permanent fix.---Why is that?
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27
How blind certain religions are that claim to serve Jesus--they keep giving the temp fix( a handout)--but fail Jesus and those they try to help by not giving them the permanent fix.---Why is that?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TroutDude
Because they are compassionate, not cruel.
Look up the dictionary definition of compassionate. I'm pretty sure you know all about cruelty.
When my JW friend who had sort of cut ties with me after she became a JW told me that she was struggling financially, my husband and I gave her "a handout" (that we actually needed pretty badly ourselves at that time) to tide her over through the rough times, not a lecture on religion. And that was when I was a Christian fundy and desperately afraid for her eternal soul. She didn't seem to have a problem accepting it and, as a matter of fact, indicated that she deserved it because she served Jehovah. Guess we didn't do the right thing.
This thread makes me so sad... I'm not yet a parent, but I absolutely hope that I can pass on a love of God to my children some day. Not force-feed it as so many of the bitter people here lament, but lovingly show my passion for God and pray for my children on a daily basis. I believe in generational sin, and it breaks my heart to see so many people lost as a result of their parents' shortcomings. As a future father, I pray I can adequately be the leader and nurturer my wife and children need. God-willing, I will.
“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." - Matthew 18: 5 - 6
You see a temporary fix for the worlds problems--- Jesus gave all the permanent fix to problems like that for free--this is what they should be receiving--the permanent fix = Matt 6:33-- Therefore, keep on seeking-FIRST- the kingdom and his( Jehovah) righteousness, and all these other things will be added( sustenance, covering, spirituality)--Jesus promised his Father-Jehovah would provide all 3 things daily if one applied that single teaching.
How blind certain religions are that claim to serve Jesus--they keep giving the temp fix( a handout)--but fail Jesus and those they try to help by not giving them the permanent fix.---Why is that?
I am not about to spout some useless scripture in your bible while a hungry child cries.
Certain religions who claim to serve Jesus refuse to lift a finger to help another human being. They call feeding the hungry a hand out. They prefer to hand out tracts to those who cannot read. They do not volunteer at the local homeless shelter, because, God forbid they might have to lift a finger. There is no heavy work in handing out tracts. I find those religions arrogant and selfish. They are not the heavy lifters.
Why is that?
I see them. God sees them.
Last edited by RonkonkomaNative; 10-26-2015 at 03:31 PM..
This thread makes me so sad... I'm not yet a parent, but I absolutely hope that I can pass on a love of God to my children some day. Not force-feed it as so many of the bitter people here lament, but lovingly show my passion for God and pray for my children on a daily basis. I believe in generational sin, and it breaks my heart to see so many people lost as a result of their parents' shortcomings. As a future father, I pray I can adequately be the leader and nurturer my wife and children need. God-willing, I will.
“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." - Matthew 18: 5 - 6
Good for you...that is exactly what the Bible means by training up a child in the way he SHOULD go.
As my husband and I had very bad experiences of having the Christian religion, of the fundamentalist/Biblical literalist dogma, forced down our throats as children, we were determined our own kids would not be subjected to any pressure. As there is no evidence to support any religion it is up to the individual to decide for themselves. Our girls are Christians, one an Anglican Priest, fortunately they are not fundies/Biblical literalists which would be hard to take, but up to them of course.
Do other posters let their children decide for themselves?
I think religion is like any other value system. If you believe in it, why wouldn't you teach it to your kids? I think the kids get to decide when they're 18 and not living on the parents' dime. But before that point, I think 'let the kids decide' is kind of crazy. Kids need guidance from their parents. Nothing wrong with them evaluating what they were taught & rejecting it if they're adults, though.
But a lot of religious parents force their beliefs on their kids, and go ballistic if their children don't believe as they do. I was threatened with hell-fire if I didn't convert!
So you went the opposite extreme. Neither is healthy, IMO.
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpg35223
The notion of letting a child choose speaks to a deep societal issue. We have become the culture of the child, where we dance around them banging tambourines, indulging their whims. Children are not adults. Never have been and never will be.
To use an analogy, if you allowed your child to choose his meals for himself, you could wind up with a child with a terrible diet. If you allowed your child to make his own decisions about education, the odds are good you'd have a functional illiterate on your hands. If you allowed your child to make his own decisions about sex, controlled substances, and a host of other social ills, you might wind up with some serious issues. Hell, just read the news. It's littered with the results of parents giving children enough rope to hang themselves.
Mind you, this is when some smug, self-important parent will predictably brag about her child always eating a balanced diet, doing homework without being asked, and making wise decisions about his or her friends. To which I say, that's nice. You beat the odds.
Because even the smartest child doesn't necessarily possess wisdom, which comes from both one's life decisions and one's ability to observe of the effects of decisions made by others. In fact, I can pretty much say that it is the rare child who does. Instead, it is the job of the parent to equip that child with the ability to make wise decisions in anticipation of adult life.
So people who say "let the child choose" don't really understand children very well, nor do they understand being a parent. When it comes to childhood autonomy for matters of faith, the supporters miss two very important points. First, the parents have the absolute right (And, I might add, responsibility) to imprint their values on the child. I mean, if you have children, you are constantly communicating your world view to them in ways large and small. Every time you correct your child about not throwing something in the recycling bin, saying unkind words to another child, hitting the dog, or the other zillion typical childhood offenses, you impart your prevailing view of How Things Should Be In The World. So if you correct your child on how he thinks or acts in the world, yet you look askance at parents insisting on their children attending church with them, then you are guilty of hypocrisy.
Second, just letting the child choose essentially acts as an obstacle to the parents' own spiritual growth and religious life. I mean, if you're letting your six-year-old stay home from church, are you going to leave your child at home alone? Of course not, for that would be incredibly irresponsible. So, in order to fulfill some misguided ideal about a child choosing his spiritual path in life, the parent has to stay home with the child, effectively allowing the child to dictate the parent's spiritual development. Or, conversely, if your precocious eleven-year-old suddenly wants to go hang out at a Catholic or Baptist church, that essentially means you'll have to take them.
And, God forbid, what if our three children had decided to take three different spiritual directions in life? In order to fulfill their whims, my wife and I would have spent Sunday mornings frantically trying to get our kids to whatever Church of What's Happening Now had the most appealing service to our eight year old. As a result, we would never get to attend our own church that has been such an important part of our family life.
In other words, the 'let my child choose for himself' notion sounds good and liberating for about five seconds, then becomes really idiotic in practice. Nope, our house and our rules when it comes to how we worship. Not because we're heavy-handed autocrats. But rather because we have a responsibility to the child and, ultimately, myself. When you become an adult, you are free to make those decisions about your life.
I think what you missed is the idea that the child can choose when they are an adult, or at least, an older teen.
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
10,202 posts, read 7,919,895 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mysticaltyger
I think religion is like any other value system. If you believe in it, why wouldn't you teach it to your kids? I think the kids get to decide when they're 18 and not living on the parents' dime. But before that point, I think 'let the kids decide' is kind of crazy. Kids need guidance from their parents. Nothing wrong with them evaluating what they were taught & rejecting it if they're adults, though.
Guidance? You bet!
Meaning teaching them morals such as honesty, kindness and the obvious, not to steal or cause harm. Teaching them self reliance, value of work, family and money, of course.
But religion? Why? Which one? Yours? Why? What if you are worshipping the wrong god, or the right one, in a wrong fashion?
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