Should parents teach young children about God?

ImAllLikeOkWaitWat

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A major argument atheists make is that its absurd to teach young children who can barely count to 5, about God. Do the atheists have a point here? Should young children be taught about God when they probably can't even understand anything in the bible? Also can't this lead to the child eventually rebelling once they leave home for college, and ending up an atheist?

I personally kind of feel uneasy about the whole thing, because it leaves children with way more questions than their parents can answer. And causes children a lot of distress, why should a 5 year old be afraid of going to hell? I think there needs to be a minimum age where a child can consent to learning about the bible and God. Because at such a young age I think it does more harm than good personally, especially from my experience, especially with older siblings or parents who threaten you with hell if you don't clean your room or something.
 
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introverteen

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A major argument atheists make is that its absurd to teach young children who can barely count to 5, about God. Do the atheists have a point here? Should young children be taught about God when they probably can't even understand anything in the bible? Also can't this lead to the child eventually rebelling once they leave home for college, and ending up an atheist?

I think children should be brought up with biblical / Godly behaviour models to set them in good stead for treating everyone equally with dignity and respect, Bible stories as well as fairytales and myths from domestic and other cultures but not necessarily to read the Bible for themselves until the teen years. I think they should be exposed to other religions, cultures and science/technology in a compare and contrast way not a strict monopoly way. So that things that seem forbidden and mysterious are shown to be quite common.

Then as teenagers they can decide where they want to go spiritually and choose baptism and God or the world.
 
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2PhiloVoid

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A major argument atheists make is that its absurd to teach young children who can barely count to 5, about God. Do the atheists have a point here? Should young children be taught about God when they probably can't even understand anything in the bible? Also can't this lead to the child eventually rebelling once they leave home for college, and ending up an atheist?

I personally kind of feel uneasy about the whole thing, because it leaves children with way more questions than their parents can answer. And causes children a lot of distress, why should a 5 year old be afraid of going to hell? I think there needs to be a minimum age where a child can consent to learning about the bible and God. Because at such a young age I think it does more harm than good personally, especially from my experience, especially with older siblings or parents who threaten you with hell if you don't clean your room or something.

Yes, parents should teach their children about God in age appropriate ways, and they should pray with them as well. It's really a "no-brainer" ... it's the biblical community pattern.
:cool:

Peace,
2PhiloVoid
 
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Adstar

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A major argument atheists make is that its absurd to teach young children who can barely count to 5, about God. Do the atheists have a point here? Should young children be taught about God when they probably can't even understand anything in the bible? Also can't this lead to the child eventually rebelling once they leave home for college, and ending up an atheist?

I personally kind of feel uneasy about the whole thing, because it leaves children with way more questions than their parents can answer. And causes children a lot of distress, why should a 5 year old be afraid of going to hell? I think there needs to be a minimum age where a child can consent to learning about the bible and God. Because at such a young age I think it does more harm than good personally, especially from my experience, especially with older siblings or parents who threaten you with hell if you don't clean your room or something.

Christians should teach their childeren the basics of Christianity.. But what ever they teach it should be in alignment with the Bible.. Not simply as an aid to keep kids behaving.. Things like ""if you don't stop being a nuaghty girl you will go to hell"" should never be uttered by a Christian parent..
 
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St_Worm2

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A major argument atheists make is that its absurd to teach young children who can barely count to 5, about God. Do the atheists have a point here? Should young children be taught about God when they probably can't even understand anything in the bible? Also can't this lead to the child eventually rebelling once they leave home for college, and ending up an atheist?

I personally kind of feel uneasy about the whole thing, because it leaves children with way more questions than their parents can answer. And causes children a lot of distress, why should a 5 year old be afraid of going to hell? I think there needs to be a minimum age where a child can consent to learning about the bible and God. Because at such a young age I think it does more harm than good personally, especially from my experience, especially with older siblings or parents who threaten you with hell if you don't clean your room or something.

Why would you teach an infant or a young child about Hell if they can't even count to 5 yet, much less get them to try to understand Biblical soteriology, which many (most ;)) adults have trouble coming to grips with? What point would there be in doing so, or in doing anything that would cause them "distress"?

Teaching them the basics about God however, that He is their loving Father who created them, and that the main business of their entire lives should be centered on coming to know Him and His Son, is certainly an important thing to do. The Bible stories (like Jonah, for instance) can also be told to them in a simplified form to introduce those subjects to them and wet their imaginations (so to speak) for a time when they are older and can understand more.

There is no reason to teach them what they cannot possibly understand however, and you certainly don't want to say something which 1) distresses them and 2) cannot be explained to them until they are older (and thereby leave them in their distress).

Yours and His,
David
 
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ImAllLikeOkWaitWat

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"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22.6)

So parents are to blame if their child abandons the faith?
 
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frienden thalord

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don't listen to atheist nor the liberal left
they say no no don't teach the child the bible,
but darn its okay to say hey lil jane, if you want you can be john.
and mommy and mommy. and daddy and daddy. I don't heed the world,
START them YOUNG . Raise one up in the ways of the Lord and when they old they wont depart.
but my advice is home school them kids.
unless you want your lil kid , kindgegarten , heck preschool
coming home saying mommy I want to be penguine or opposite sex, or dog boy , or both , or
gender fluid. I mean this evil needs to be shut down.
I say we as parents have any right to teach our children our views
and if the world don't like it, have your own ,but don't us how to raise ours.
I mean the poor kids have no fighting chance.
they learn at school the bible is evil, but changing sexes is wonderful.
 
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frienden thalord

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WOE unto he who puts light for darkness and darkness for light
sweet for bitter , or bitter for sweet
that call good evil and evil good. Man I pray heavy that many repent .
cause judgment is on the way. We need to focus on biblical training
following the example of Christ and doin all to win souls.
 
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frienden thalord

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Most of us have not the longest memories.
But I do, so I have been told.
And I can remember very clear , at age FOUR
being told all about heaven , hell. Don't let people lie
I had no fear , I was not truamtised.
I was sitting in the den , on the steps.
and a sweet lady came and told me all about heaven
all about hell, and all about Christ.
all I remember pondering was I need Christ.
of course with a atheist dad, and non pratcing catholic mom.
it soon faded and man I lived like a demon possess evil
thing , for many , many years.
Let us not out think GOD.
who said train a child in the way he should go.................etc.
 
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frienden thalord

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So parents are to blame if their child abandons the faith?
NO, my parents did not raise me up godly at all
and yet , the grace of GOD appeared one day.
and others have been raised right and then fall away.
IT happens. the only one who is to blame is the parent they did NOT try and raise the child right.
 
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ImAllLikeOkWaitWat

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NO, my parents did not raise me up godly at all
and yet , the grace of GOD appeared one day.
and others have been raised right and then fall away.
IT happens. the only one who is to blame is the parent they did NOT try and raise the child right.

I agree you are right, just this verse(Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.") seems to indicate if a parent trains their child in the faith, he will never depart from it. But we see people trained to be christians leaving the faith all the time, and I wouldn't want to blame the parents for it. Sometimes we see kids whos parents are both pastors who certainly were trained in the faith and end up leaving it eventually.
 
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frienden thalord

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TO the author of this thread go back and look at what you said.
THE ATHIEST make a Point.
that is the main problem with our churches and peoples
we don't need advice from the WORLD how to do anything
we need the guidance of the HOLY SPIRIT.
its that simple.
read the bible and seek ye the LORD
and understand this do not seek counsel from the lost
seek godly counsel.
 
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HawgWyld

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So parents are to blame if their child abandons the faith?

Possibly. That's a very broad question.

For example, did that father who insisted on listening to nothing but contemporary christian on the radio wind up spending half of his money on prostitutes? Did the parents actually live in a way that reflected the values they taught from the Bible? Were kids taught about a loving God who created the universe and everything thing in it or one who primarily exists to send the bad and/or disobedient to hell?

There are a lot of ways to teach kids about Christianity. Some are bad, some are good. My parents did a good job, but I still fell away from the church in my 20s and only came back to it after my wife forced me to do so and I realized my folks were right all along.
 
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frienden thalord

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I agree you are right, just this verse(Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.") seems to indicate if a parent trains their child in the faith, he will never depart from it. But we see people trained to be christians leaving the faith all the time, and I wouldn't want to blame the parents for it. Sometimes we see kids whos parents are both pastors who certainly were trained in the faith and end up leaving it eventually.
But we see people trained to be christians leaving the faith
I love you bro,so it breaks my heart to have to say this.
WE aint seen real christain teaching in most churches in years.
the reason my generation was so lost , is we watched parents who said lets go to church now
and they were godly in the churches , ,but lived like satan the other days.
even a small child like me knew this................they must not really believe what they teach.
BAM that is the reason this new generation is so lost. THE CHURCHES FAILED .
 
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Shempster

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I have raised 5 kids so I can say that it's certain that you must tell them God exists.
The next thing we must teach them is how to love in the character of Yeshua.

I'm not big into indoctrinating children into certain perspectives of religious dogma that actually are not clear to anyone. You know, the teachings that have hundreds of variations of interpretation.
Kids raised like that seem to follow their parents ideals until they leave home, then do a 180 on them.

Learning love, specifically the divine love of God, will take anyone down the right path.

Bless up!
 
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sunshineforJesus

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"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22.6)

I was just thinking of this very same verse.
 
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