A question for parents (or people who might be parents one day)?

Question

You've got a child. Your child is busy running around, attacking and hurting other children. You have the power to stop your child, but you just idly watch from the sidelines. Another person says, Why don't you stop your child?' and you shrug and say, 'My child has free will. I told him the rules once. I'm going to punish him many, many years later.'

Would you be a worthy parent? Would Child Support be able to take away your child?

serf, I don't think I was trying to veil it at all - but well done anyway... :)

Answer 1

That's an example of an irresponsible parent.

And if you're gonna punish him, it should be a just punishment applied in the right moment (not later), you shouldn't punish him for all the eternity even if he hurt every kid in town, that wouldn't be justice, but sadism.

And considering other answers, who do you think it's the right person to tell your child how to behave? Explaining the rules yourself as a parent? Or write them down in some book and tell other kids to tell about the rules to your kid so he doesn't hurt more kids?

A final option is, you can act in "mysterious ways" and if anyone asks about your responsibilities, well, you can claim you work in mysterious ways!

Answer 2

Right well, I wouldn't do that but I think I see what you mean. I think doing that would be a bit pointless. The child would not learn anything and would believe he could go around hurting people all his life. Then all he would have was the fear of a possible punishment but if nothing had been done or was going to be done for years and years, the child would most likely grow up to believe that nothing is really ever going to be done and thereforehe could get away with everything. You would not be a good parent if you were to do this and I would hope the child would be taken away. Are you trying to say that "God's children" should be taken away from "God"? (assuming God exists.)

Answer 3

Wow. I see where you're getting at. I guess that's the way that "God" is supposed to be. He is the parent, and tells us the rules. The decision of where we go (Heaven or Hell) is based on our actions...many years later. I can see how this may pose a problem. The child is not always listening. He may be looking the other way. I question this a lot, too...there are so many factors that influence our behavior. Surely, He would understand, right? Our familes have a significant influence on us. Our biological parents are influencial variables that cannot be ignored. Children of drug addicts will probably be less likely to learn and obey the laws of God. Is that fair?

Taking your situation into perspective, I agree that a Father should provide more guidance. Simply being exposed to the idea of God and Jesus can't "save" someone who has been lost for so long. Those who have been raised Christain since birth have an advantage over a child in Africa, who has never seen a book, a cross, or heard of God.

Answer 4

Interesting illustration. There is something you are not considering. Now days if you discipline your child the authorities come and take them away from you anyway.

Consider this illustration:
Imagine that a teacher is telling his students how to solve a difficult problem. A clever but rebellious student claims that the teacher’s way of solving the problem is wrong. Implying that the teacher is not capable, this rebel insists that he knows a much better way to solve the problem. Some students think that he is right, and they also become rebellious. What should the teacher do? If he throws the rebels out of the class, what will be the effect on the other students? Will they not believe that their fellow student and those who joined him are right? All the other students in the class might lose respect for the teacher, thinking that he is afraid of being proved wrong. But suppose that the teacher allows the rebel to show the class how he would solve the problem.

God has done something similar to what the teacher does. Remember that the rebels in Eden(Adam,Eve & Satan) were not the only ones involved. Millions of angels were watching. (Job 38:7; Daniel 7:10) How God handled the rebellion would greatly affect all those angels and eventually all intelligent creation. So, what has God done? He has allowed Satan to show how he would rule mankind. God has also allowed humans to govern themselves under Satan’s guidance.

The teacher in the illustration knows that the rebel and the students on his side are wrong. But he also knows that allowing them the opportunity to try to prove their point will benefit the whole class. When the rebels fail, all honest students will see that the teacher is the only one qualified to lead the class. They will understand why the teacher thereafter removes any rebels from the class. Similarly, God knows that all honesthearted humans and angels will benefit from seeing that Satan and his fellow rebels have failed and that humans cannot govern themselves. Like Jeremiah of old, they will learn this vital truth: “I well know, O Jehovah, that to earthling man his way does not belong. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.”—Jeremiah 10:23.

Allowing time to pass has been necessary. In the thousands of years of human history, mankind has been able to try every form of self-rule, or human government. Mankind has made some advances in science and other fields, but injustice, poverty, crime, and war have grown ever worse. Human rule has now been shown to be a failure.

If God were to prevent horrible crimes, for instance, would he not, in effect, be supporting the case of the rebels? Would God not be making people think that perhaps humans can govern themselves without disastrous results?

Answer 5

OK, I have a 3 year old little girl. I have told her numerous times not to to hit other children. If she did it, I would step in and take action. If a parent were to tell me that and my child was the one getting hurt, I would not let my child be around them anymore. As far as a "worthy" parent, I don't know. I think the problem with children are that the parents forget that they are the parents. A child has to be taught and guided into what is right and acceptable behavior, not to do this just makes the parents sorry. That is my opinion. Child services couldn't take a child unless the child was abused or neglected.

Answer 6

Your missing a huge point. Even if the parent doesn't punish the child per say the child still learns lessons. If the child listens to his parents it is the easy way. If not then it is the hard way. Which ever way it goes he still learns. We who think we have control over anyone but our self - it is an illusion. You also don't mention the love the parent has for the child. How many times the child is forgiven. I have been a parent and it is not as cut and dried as you seem to think. I still respect your opinion. Peace.

Answer 7

A child does not have free will because they are totally dependent on the parent for life. Mentally ill people do not have control over their actions, they probably are not responsible.

An adult should be stopped, and given consequences immediately, and made to make restitution to the victims. Kinda like our community laws.

God gave us the world without sin. We however thought we could do it better, so we isolated ourselves from God. Thus sin, selfishness, and death. The Parent wants the child to choose total freedom, but the child keeps rejecting Him and committing act of violence against Him. Eventually, the Parent does respond for justice sake and ends the violence.

Answer 8

Actually God gave us leaders, laws, and legal recourse's to govern ourselves. It is there job to make the laws and punish law breakers. We are supposed to submit to those laws unless they conflict with our religious beliefs. That almost never happens. Sort of like day care situation. God does punish in the here and now as well. LOL by the way many parents today feel they should let a child run wild and be free from constraints. They seem to think they will magically learn to behave.Not I. Regardless of what you believe or believe in it is your job to instill in your child values and morals.
Peace Be With You,
Debra

Answer 9

Rather one believes in God, a higher power or nothing at all; most people recognize each person born as an unique individual.As human parents we have the responsibility to live and teach by example. We live in a world of many rules. In the Garden Of Eden there was but one rule that encompassed all rules. That one rule and the effect of keeping it or breaking it was the difference in being a robot or a feeling human.Our heavenly father gave us a way out, even after sin entered in and his children began behaving as you described. We still have free will. I can tell you empathetical that all human parents will legally be held accountable for the illegal conduct of their children in most states. And the state agencies would definitely be made aware of the neglect the parent demonstrated by allowing their children to be destructive.

God asked his child, Jesus if he wanted to be the atonement for his free willed children. Jesus said yes. And he was born of woman to die for our sins; to be resurrected and sit at the right hand of The Father. So in a way, His child was taken away for awhile.

You showed a creative way to disguise your true question.
Best wishes.

Answer 10

This question is really not about how we raise our children so I am not going to answer it with what I would do to my child. I am going to say that their is punishment in this life along with rewards. God works in his own way, and we may not always understand. But their will be a finally punishment or reward as to which you are referring to. But I can see your point, and were you are coming from. You have to believe in God and the hereafter to understand it though. And we can't compare anything in this life with Him. God and being a parent are two totally different things.

Answer 11

We are in eternity so if that child does this for 100 yrs. what is that in time to eternity...[ nothing ] also a parent will try to explain to the child what he/she is doing wrong first. before punishing.

If my guess is right you have time tables of earth and eternity wrong....

Heb 12:9 Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live?

Heb 12:10 For they indeed, for a few days, punished us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness.

Heb 12:11 All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised thereby.

Heb 12:12 Therefore, lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees,

Heb 12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, that that which is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

Mans punishment by parents on earth are very temporal compared to eternity..

So the child is bad for a 100 yrs. let him run as a fish.. give him time to decide and repent...

after all an earthly parent can never punish eternal for grievous misdeeds... can they