Should Parents Force Their Children to Attend Church? (working, how to, present)
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Keeping an eye on them. Mercy. I stated that pages and pages ago and that's when you interpreted it as Mean ol' Mom controlling her poor child who is busy being a free thinker saying "God is dead" or "But I want to be a Moonie!" or whatever the heck our little imaginary 14-year old was up to.
Yes. Sometimes parents DRAG their children to church just to keep an eye on them. Every Sunday morning ER's all over the country are busy treating dislocated shoulders. Feel free to bring a copy of "The Art of Star Wars" because I am NOT leaving my imaginary 14-year old, who has a 17-year old friend with a Camaro and his dad's Chevron card, at home. That poor long-suffering (imaginary) child has to go to boring, oppressive church because Mom is NOT going to come home and find he's at Doheney State Beach with his buddies and a six- pack of Corona.
Horrified yet?
Last edited by DewDropInn; 08-25-2012 at 04:52 PM..
Very surprised that a mainstream denomination such as Methodist would show that film. He must have been a very conservative minister.
I think you mean "Left Behind" A friend invited me to see it in my late teens at her fundamentalist church. It's scary and I personally don't believe in this.
I just looked it up, it was called "A Thief In The Night", 1972.
If you look at the reviews on the IMDB link, it would appear that many kids have watched and a lot have been disturbed by it. While it had poor production value and would be pretty laughable now, that message that you are in for it when The Rapture occurred was read loud and clear by those who saw it.
Keeping an eye on them. Mercy. I stated that pages and pages ago and that's when you interpreted it as Mean ol' Mom controlling her poor child who is busy being a free thinker saying "God is dead" or "But I want to be a Moonie!" or whatever the heck our little imaginary 14-year old was up to.
Yes. Sometimes parents DRAG their children to church just to keep an eye on them. Every Sunday morning ER's all over the country are busy treating dislocated shoulders. Feel free to bring a copy of "The Art of Star Wars" because I am NOT leaving my imaginary 14-year old, who has a 17-year old friend with a Camaro and his dad's Chevron card, at home. That poor long-suffering (imaginary) child has to go to boring, oppressive church because Mom is NOT going to come home and find he's at Doheney State Beach with his buddies and a six- pack of Corona.
Horrified yet?
So you don't trust your 14 year old child? You can't leave a 14 year old home? Sunday is just one day out the week that your saving your child from getting hurt if that's the case. Everyday at school, he could get hurt, summer time, he can get hurt.
Imaginary 14 year old? Where are you getting this stuff from?
The thing is, every adult who attends a church believes in that faith and that version of god. So all of those adults in churches with beliefs that aren't about love or tolerance or what-have-you...they all feel exactly the same way you do.
They don't feel their church is hateful or damaging. They feel that same sense of rightness and 'home' that you do. Your church could also have views that you don't feel are damaging at all that could be damaging to your children because they aren't you.
You've said your own children enjoy church. This entire thread is about children who don't. Would you really force your children to continue to attend if they felt that God had revealed in their heart a different Word?
The OP asked about whether children should be forced to attend church and the age of reason. I've responded based upon my belief as a parent/person. Others may have a totally different experience with church, I can only give mine.
The thing is, every adult who attends a church believes in that faith and that version of god. So all of those adults in churches with beliefs that aren't about love or tolerance or what-have-you...they all feel exactly the same way you do.
Not necessarily. Some people attend church as seekers. Church is the ice cream, the various types of churches are the flavors. There are lots of people who aren't totally sold on any one particular flavor yet, but they know they want some variety of ice cream in their lives. And then others just don't care - they like to sample and eat a lot of different flavors. I have a Buddhist friend who attends an Episcopalian church every Sunday because she likes to.
And sometimes it's interesting just to go to church - even as a non-believer like myself - just for the experience of it. It's good to expose yourself and your children to different things. Opens up a lot of areas for discussion.
And personally, everytime I go to church, it reaffirms my decision to not follow or pursue a Christian faith. You cannot really say you don't like something until you have tried it. And things change over time. I mean - they have gay preachers and gay churches now, which they totally didn't have when I was growing up in the church. The church I was forced to attend as a child, too, didn't even allow women to be reverends, and now they do. So it's important, if spirituality and faith is something of interest to you, or even something that you put energy towards denying yourself, to keep exploring and learning and experiencing it. So you really know what you're talking about, or what you're basing your choices upon.
Not necessarily. Some people attend church as seekers. Church is the ice cream, the various types of churches are the flavors. There are lots of people who aren't totally sold on any one particular flavor yet, but they know they want some variety of ice cream in their lives. And then others just don't care - they like to sample and eat a lot of different flavors. I have a Buddhist friend who attends an Episcopalian church every Sunday because she likes to.
And sometimes it's interesting just to go to church - even as a non-believer like myself - just for the experience of it. It's good to expose yourself and your children to different things. Opens up a lot of areas for discussion.
And personally, everytime I go to church, it reaffirms my decision to not follow or pursue a Christian faith. You cannot really say you don't like something until you have tried it. And things change over time. I mean - they have gay preachers and gay churches now, which they totally didn't have when I was growing up in the church. The church I was forced to attend as a child, too, didn't even allow women to be reverends, and now they do. So it's important, if spirituality and faith is something of interest to you, or even something that you put energy towards denying yourself, to keep exploring and learning and experiencing it. So you really know what you're talking about, or what you're basing your choices upon.
I agree, and that's actually part of what disturbs me about a parent forcing a child to attend one particular church of the parent's choosing. They are making the assumption that because that church is right for them, it is also right for the child. Also, my main point there was no adult stays in a church if the church doesn't resonate with them only any level. As you point out, they continue looking for one that does fit. The other point was that people who attend churches that preach very conservative things don't think their church is full of hate. So when a person says "But my church is about love and doesn't preach anything that could damage a child", I don't take that at face value.
So the child has no opportunity to explore their own spirituality...they can only mimic the parents' or endure. For a child who doesn't feel that church is the right fit, it takes the joy out of religion...it is not longer about a personal relationship between one's self and one's faith.
And I think it is sad to deny that to a child. Because even if I don't have a religion myself, I believe people when they say that faith gives them comfort, wonder, or joy. And I would think that a person who knows how that feels would want their children to have the same...and forcing them to go if it isn't the church for them isn't the way to do that.
Maybe that child will end up in a different church then the parents, a different religion all together, or no religion at all. But faith is such a personal thing that I honestly can't understand trying to force it...especially when no adult would want the same done to them.
As an aside, I actually did attend a youth group for several years after I stopped attending church. I liked the singing...that was pretty much my whole reason for going.
Every adult at a church does not necessarily follow that religion or denomination. I went to a temple without being Jewish. I went to Mass before becoming Catholic, etc.
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