Should children be taken to church?

Question

Do you agree on children being taken to church, or any other religious gatherings? Should the child not decide whether or not he or she wants to practice religion when they reach the correct age?

Those who put this bible quote: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." What are you trying to say with this? Get them while they are young because when they are older they might know better? Luther once said: "God would not live without wise men" but I say "God would not live without not so wise men."

Answer 1

Children should not be taken to church until they have reached a certain age. They should be encouraged to study about all different types of religion and beliefs and decide what feels right for them.

Answer 2

Children should be given the opportunity to experience church, parties, merry go rounds and everything else that is not physically harmful to them. Allow them to go to different churches also, so when they get older they can decide whether they believe or not, and if they believe, what religion they want to be. Denying them the right to learn about religion is just as wrong as denying them the right to know there are people who do not believe in God and live perfectly normal lives. Are you trying to "police" knowledge and History now, and say we should not teach history to our children? We all have the right to learn both sides so we can make up our own minds.

Answer 3

Well, I believe that a parent that cares for a child should take that child with them everywhere except a bar. However, when a child is older I feel the child has a right to choose. I think too many parents out there don't even know where their children are half the time and need to spend more time with their upbringing whether it's church or at home. I do believe you can pray in your home and a church is just a gathering place to visit more than anything.Yes, I believe you are correct about the choice when they are older. My parents gave me these many choices in life when I became a teenager and I did not turn out bad. Thanks for a great question!:)

Answer 4

"Yes, because it's important for them to know a little bit about their backround so that they'll understand/comprehend what they believe in. "
That's assuming they believe the same thing their parents do. People DO have the right to make decisions you know.

"children should be taken to church, u don't have the right to choose when u are a child because ure parents know what's best. "
Parents know whats best for their children? That's rediculous, parents often don't know whats best for themselves, much less their children. If parents are so good, why is teen pregnancy and AIDS on the rise? How many people are in debt in this country? Whats the divorce rate? I know parents who shot up in front of their children. My stepdad was a childrens pastor, he abused me and raped my mother. The world is insane, just because you were lucky enough to have a decent childhood doesn't change that fact.

How many people came up with that ONE bible verse on the subject? "Raise your children in the way that they should go, and when they are old, they will not turn from it." Okay, got anything else? Because whenever someone comes up with a contradiction in the bible, or something that goes against generally accepted christian doctrine, we're always having the fact that it's just ONE verse and there's numerous others that say otherwise shoved down our thoats.

"Absolutely. How can they make a decision on something they know nothing about? "
Okay, i agree with your statement, but you're all talking about the one church their parents believe in. How can they make a decision on any religion if you don't take them to every other place of worship and decide for themselves? If you're going to take your child to your church, you should also take them to a temple, a mosque, an LDS church, church of scientology, and maybe a couple seminars on evolution. It's only fair right?

Answer 5

Yes, children should go to church. Besides learning about the Bible, they have the opportunity to get to know other children and adults who care for them and who have the same values. However, the decision on whether or not to make the faith personal is totally up to the child, and that should be made clear from the beginning.

Answer 6

Dear Frederico,

I hope I can make this clear to you..... The church, any church, is absolutely the WORST place one can be at this time in history! The church age ended in 1988. The Lord (Jesus Christ) has left all the local congregations and, now, satan is ruling there! There is absolutely no possibility of salvation in any local church (See Revelation 18:4). As far as children going to gatherings where the Bible is read or taught is no problem--just as long as it is not a church. You see we are in the Great Tribulation spoken of in Matthew 24 of the Bible (KJV). I can give you many Scriptures to show this but do not have the room. Read the Bible outloud to your children, sing praises to the Lord, talk about what you have read. You see, So then, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. "Faith" is a synonym for the Lord Jesus Christ. If the Lord is going to save you, it will be in the environment of hearing His word! You see we are all vile sinners and unless Christ saves us from our sins we will spend eternity under the wrath of God.

Answer 7

Since when do children know what's best for them? I see this question more and more. Atheists have been trying to remove Godly values from people since the invention of atheism. You people are not happy keeping your beliefs to yourselves. You want to run other people's lives and force your beliefs on everyone. I will run my family the way I see best and it's none of anyone's business.
Questions like these are the reasons why Christians are in an uproar when atheists try to remove Godly values and principles from our nation.
Reverse this question..."Should atheists be allowed to deny children from going to church?" "Should we force them to attend church?"
How are children supposed to make a decision on what they want if they don't know anything about the religion? People can't decide things without information on the decision.
Atheists make their decisions from so much misinformation, that I feel bad for them. I see so many questions and answers on here that have such a distorted view of Christianity, I don't know who to blame...them, for believing such nonsense or the idiots that taught them.
When my children grow up, they still have to decide. No one can force an adult to do anything. The whole base of Christianity is making a personal decision. The bible clearly teaches that children are covered by their parents' faith until they're old enough to make the decision to serve God themselves. Then they have to make their own decision on what they want to do. So part of your question IS the way that God has said it should be.

But consider this,
Statistics show that children who go to church do better in school, have less social problems, and are generally more behaved.

The day someone tells me how I can raise my children is the day I start fighting back.

Answer 8

I believe it is the responsibility of the parent to raise a child in a spiritual environment. The option of prayer (as opposed to drugs or alcohol, let's say) should be presented to children. The choice to continue to practice religious teachings will ultimately be up to each individual as he or she becomes an adult. If these lessons are never learned, a healthy and powerful way of dealing with life's trials and tribulations may never be recognized.

Answer 9

Yes, children should be taken to church. The younger they are the better. They learn how to respect the religion early on, and also have faith. And when they get older at least they would of had the exposure 2 church and can decide on their own if they would like to continue or not.

Answer 10

Children need to be exposed to religion in order to be able to make an informed decision about their beliefs at a later age. And what is with all the thumbs down on all the answers for yes a child should be taken to church... I'm thinking there was an atheist or agnostic on this question just marking them all thumbs down.... come on now... I certainly don't tell them how to raise their children... so why should they cast dispersions on how I raise mine? And the answers are someone's thoughts... they are not rude or anything (which I suppose the thumbs down would be used for.... rude or just downright badly answered questions).