Thursday, April 18, 2013

Do my kids really need to learn about God?


While lying next to my daughter the other night, she asked all sorts of questions about God. The one that really got me was “Will God help me if I ever need him?” I had to hold back from crying because I knew it would confuse her. After assuring her that God would always be there for her, she fell asleep…. and I laid there, wide awake, wondering if what I just said was even true and if I should have told her that.




I have said before that I am not religious. And by “Not Religious” I mean I cannot bring myself to attend a house of God without that bitter voice of doubt clouding every thought while the preacher is speaking. So I stopped going. Am I an Atheist? I'm not sure. I have wrestled with the thought of God since I was a teenager. But that doesn't stop me from teaching my children about God.


"Why would you teach your children about God if you often don't even believe in Him?"


It’s hard to explain but I feel learning about God teaches us (among other things) how to believe in something we can't see or touch. Something so powerful that it could get us out of any horrible situation. I think this is important for a child to lean. Learning to have faith in God is the first step in a long line of beliefs: in your family, in your friends, in yourself, in love, etc. 



I've had to deal with a lot painful things during my childhood and throughout my teens. There have been plenty of times that I just felt cornered, like the situation I was in was too much for me to handle. But I knew – I just KNEW God would somehow get me out of it and I would be alright. 


I hope that my children will never have experiences similar to what I had, but if they do, I hope that they will be able to draw strength from their faith to help them in their time of need and never feel alone.


Do you (or will you) teach your children about God? Why or why not? Please feel free to be open and honest.

15 comments:

  1. 10 years ago I would have said NO but now I do teach my daughters about God, but not the Father God that so many worship and declare in name so often. God can mean very different things so I encourage my girls to have their own relationship with what god means to them. I am very spiritual. We do not pray to the traditional male god, but rather to the Universe, the creator or the Great Spirit. And God is all of us. : )

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    1. That's great, Shawn. I actually like your idea (not praying to a traditional male God) better than what I've been doing but I guess it's so ingrained in me that God is male that it's just how I always referred to him. Oh well, as long as we believe in something, right?

      Thanks for sharing!

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  3. I think God should be in every home.

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  4. I believe it's very important to teach our children about God when they are little and continue as they get older. It's never to early to teach them. I agree with Shane, God should be in every home. If He were, we would have a lot less problems in the world today! Blessings...

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  5. Pretty compelling topic to write about. I am a believer, but I have no need to judge others for their beliefs or reasons for/for not believing in Him. Even though some may not admit to it, the very rejection of God is a form of acknowledgement that he exist. Otherwise there would be nothing to reject. I appreciate your sincerity in approaching this topic and even admitting your own uncertainty on how to answer your child. I think everyone's walk is very personal, but we will all encounter God at one point or another in our lives. It is what we choose to do with that encounter that makes all the difference in being a believer or not. ~ Blessings

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  6. This is exactly how I feel but never could actually put words to it. My daughters both went to preschools at a church so they've learn a lot about God. We rarely go to church but try to occasionally for them. We talk about God and bought our oldest daughter an age appropriate bible that she loves for us to read to her. I hope my girls will be true believers but I know I've struggled with my faith.

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  7. We're a religious house where I am and the kids go to Sunday school while we attend the adult church. But,I remember when I was little that my parents weren't religious, but I knew about God. I had friends that went to church and I became curious. Just because my parents weren't religious, didn't mean that they didn't want me to make my own decision.
    Right now, the kids go to Sunday school because they're not old enough to stay at home alone and we're not going to call the babysitter over for 8AM, you know? So for now, they go and when they get older, we'll let them make their own decisions based on their religion.
    I think at the age they are now 13 & 6, what's most important is knowledge. Then, when they do make their decision, it's important that they know that they have your support no matter what they choose.

    Hope this helped!

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  8. What a great post. I am religious and we teach our children about God. We read scriptures daily, go to church and discuss our eternal potential. I agree with the comments here that our kids will grow up and need to make their own decision. We can teach and guide while young but eventually, they will have their own experiences--bad and good--that will shape them. They need to know how to trudge through the difficulties of life.

    I find your post intriguing because in the church I attend, we believe that before we came to earth we chose to come here, and that we are all born with the "Spirit of Christ", which, to me, is that something inside you that had you believe as a child when you said, "But I knew – I just KNEW God would somehow get me out of it..."

    I can tell you're a great mom and I applaud you for teaching your children how to deal with life. I want you to know that I know that God lives, he cares for and loves each of us.

    Cullen F (a Mormon)

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  9. I believe in God which does not mean I am always free of doubts but like you, I have always known that God will get me out of any scrape I find myself in. I choose to encourage my children to have a relationship with God and teach them to really hear Him while they are young which will certainly help them as they grow older.

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  10. Love the respectful nature of this discussion.

    I am an atheist. I have been for as long as I can remember. But belief in god is different from finding connection to your community. Even way back when I was preparing for my Bat Mitzvah I understood there is tradition and ritual that is separate from belief and faith.

    My children are raised with rituals borrowed from the diverse religious background of their parents and rituals created out of our family life. They are introduced to many faiths in as open a manner as we can provide. The house library includes books on Greek mythology, Norse mythology, Native American practices, various versions of the Judeo-Christian bible, some Joesph Campbell, etc.

    Ultimately they are free to follow whatever faith speaks to them or to follow no faith at all. They know I do not believe in gods. They know their father is agnostic. It works for our family and the kids (ages 5-20) have done well.

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  11. No. I do not. I was raised in a very strict religious home-religion in my family goes back generations to very, very devout Mennonite missionaries. All my relatives are religious, and many are pastors or missionaries as well. I broke the cycle when I married a man who believes in God, but is not as devout as my family wanted. I was subsequently verbally & emotionally abused, and threatened with being disowned.

    As a result, I have no relationship with my birth family and view religion as a means of control, not something to celebrate. I haven't taught my son about God or religion at all. I don't believe it's necessary to be happy-in fact, without the church I'm the happiest I've ever been (and I've been married for 20 years, too!)

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  12. I had negative experiences with church while growing up and stopped attending services for about 20 years. After I had kids, I realized that a certain amount of biblical literacy is important--I wanted them to know what the Bible really says, so that they wouldn't be taken in by some David Koresh figure if and when they become confused college students struggling with their lives. I also wanted them to be able to understand biblical allusions in literature and art. And, ultimately, I think the message of the gospel--taking care of your neighbors, reaching out to those in need, etc.--is a pretty good guideline, whether or not you actually believe in Jesus.

    So, I took my kids to church--but I was careful about the church I selected--and we continued being active until the kids were confirmed. (We're Lutheran, so that happens around age 14.) Confirmation is an official acceptance of responsibility for your relationship with God; after confirmation, I told my kids it was up to them to choose how to proceed. My daughter kept going to church, but my son didn't. Both decisions are fine with me. They have the grounding I wanted them to have, and what they do with it is their choice.

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    1. This is great, Pam. My husband and I are struggling with this decision now, and I love you approach. It is all about personal responsibility. Great argument!

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  13. I have struggled with a similar process myself. I was definitely "not religious" for the past 9 years or so, and had not been teaching my children about God at all (my oldest is 4). Then I had a few experiences in the past year that made me question my choice not to expose my children to God and faith, and ultimately I decided I needed to change my approach. It has been hard, because it feels very awkward for me to teach them about God and Jesus, as I'm still trying to figure out my own faith. BUT, I feel confident that I'm doing to right thing for my kids and my family, so I'm pressing on.

    Great post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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