I asked a question earlier about the ideal age to teach Christianity?

Question

to children and deny them access to information that conflicts with the bible.
It turns out that more then a few of you answered that this should begin at birth, or at least a very early age. This confuses me, so as a concerned mother that only wants to do the right thing for my children I need to ask another question. Your answers will be much appreciated again.

My new question is this. If I teach only the christian bible to my children and deny them access to anything that conflicts with it's teachings, is there a possibility that they could be stunted both intellectually and psychologically, and have problems adapting to the world as it exists and not as they percieve it from a biased point of view when they reach adulthood?

Answer 1

And I hope most of us realised that it was not a serious question, you of course know what the answers are just as I do.

Answer 2

My children who I have raised studying and reading the bible are not "stunted intellectually and physiologically"and have had no problems adapting to the world as it exists. This is a preposterous idea!

Are you a born again Christian? If so then live out your faith, read and study the bible with your children. God included many instances of people who were not living godly lives. He created us! He knows what we are capable of. (good and bad). Your children will understand that there is an absolute right and an absolute wrong way to live, from the examples in the bible.

Teach your children about different worldviews. If you believe in the bible they will see from your example. If you are not a believer you can teach them what the bible says but, you may jeopardize their salvation. Children pattern what their parents believe.

So don't deny your children access to information that conflicts with the bible. Just let them know (I hope you believe and know this) that the bible God's Holy Word, it is true, the prophecies that had been fulfilled to date have been 100% accurate.

Read the book of Jeremiah, if you are concerned that your children won't learn from the bible the type of world we live in today.

Answer 3

Well in a way yes it may stunt them intellectually, however thats not always a bad thing especially in children. I dont want my children to play with matches, so I will tell them I dont want them to because I dont want them to get burnt or burn anything else. It wouldnt be wise for me to show them all the different kinds of matches, so they can choose whether or not they want to play with them, because there's no promise that they'll get burnt from playing with them. Its just a precaution. I will tell my children I dont want them to use drugs... even though not everyone who had done drugs dies, or becomes an addict, do I need to show them all the drugs there are and what they do and tell them "You can decide whether you want to do drugs or not, and here are the choices so you can make an educated decision"?

If you are a Christian, it should seem like a no brainer to say "Yes I will teach my children about Christ from the earliest age possible" Even if you are a Muslim you will do this. But, there are some people who dont take God serious, and some people who dont take drugs serious either.

Answer 4

Hi There ... I am a Christian, mother and grandmother, I am also a Sunday school teacher.

I agree that children should be taught at birth. As the children get older, you add more to their learning.

My youngest son, who just turned 11, has more faith and understanding of God's scripture than most adults. I say that you should expose them to the conflicting information, but explain to them why they conflict, why you as a Christian do not believe it and how it goes against God's word. How will they know when they are caught up in something wrong if they don't know what to look for?

You know your child, teach him as much as you think he/she is taking in and understanding. Every child is different. If you go to church, I am sure the ministry for children at your church would help as well. Email me if you want, I will help if I can.

Answer 5

There is no denying access to anything that conflicts with the Bible. That's all around. The important thing is to teach your child what you believe. When they are older they will ahve to make the choice to follow. If they are taught, even if they wander, the Truth will always be with them. Unless you plan on locking your child in a closet, he or she is going to be exposed to things that go against what the Bible teaches. You can help your child by giving him or her a solid biblical foundation.

Answer 6

In short, yes. To shield your children from anything that may contradict your faith absolutely will cripple them. Think about it--your faith believes that humans are given free will to choose whether or not to believe and thus be saved. By denying your children an education, you are removing their free will. They have no capacity to choose--and when they are older, they WILL resent you for it. Beyond that, they live in a world where they are going to come into contact with people from all different walks of life. They are going to, I assume, attend school and/or college. Without a base of knowledge separate from the Bible, they will never be able to cope intellectually or socially with any person or idea that is separate from the very select few you have chosen for them. Teach your children your faith, if you choose, but don't remove from them their right to be a thinking, decisive, and well-rounded individual.

Answer 7

I think it is a good idea to recite the Nicean Creed near the bellies of pregnant women.

Clearly this is a silly question. Anyone, regardless of their upbringing is free to question any number of propositions at any time. The manifold atheists who were once Christians can humbly accept that they are not special, but just like everyone else, volitional human beings.

I war raised Christian, forced to attend church weekly, but I did not confess faith or be baptized until I was in college and made up my mind. Another friend of mine was raised atheist and became a Christian, was baptized, just a few months after I did.

Really, such determinism on your part is unwarranted and naive, regardless of your presumptive claims about religion's falsity.

Answer 8

At an early age, you will have almost complete control over what they read and see. As they get older (junior high or high school), their natural curiosity will lead them to other philosophies and religious views that may be different than what they have learned when they were younger. At this age, they will be able to understand the differences and with your help, be able to have a better understanding of their faith.

Do not restrict what they read, but be aware of what they read and be ready to give your opinion on what they read. Feel free to disagree with anything that they may read, but make sure you have good, reasoned, intelligent and rational reasons for disagreeing.

Answer 9

No you should get them to learn the bible at an early age as it will do them a lot of good and teach them at the same time,
As your children get older they will find out for themselves other beliefs and conflicts that contradict the bible. But as most kids and adolescents have an inquisitive mind they should be able to come up with their own conclusions and beliefs.

Please note there is a lot of good to be taken out of the bible but it should be read with an open mind to alternatives

Answer 10

Listen Wanda, kids are not a terribly sophisticated bunch. You have a great deal of authority over them while they are young. So go ahead and teach them the Christian faith as the One True Truth (which it is!). When they are older (adolescence) you can start discussing other belief systems and how they relate to Christianity. But you cannot expect small kids to understand the complexity of a pluralistic world. You cannot expect them to consider all sides of an debate--especially about something so difficult as faith--and think that they will follow the Truth.

Kids follow what Mom and Dad tell them. Period. What you say is the Holy Truth. If you teach them that there is no God they will believe that. Likewise, if you teach them ther verity of Christianity they will believe that. Again, they will certainly come to you later on and ask about their friends' Jewish or Muslim faith and then you will have to know a little about your own faith to explain the differences. Then you can teach your kids about how to hold onto their faith and how to believe in absolute Truth when people believe so many different things.

But they must be rooted in their own faith. GK Chesterton, the great 19th century Christian apologist, wrote that when people stop believing in God they don't believe in nothing--they believe in anything! Your kids must believe absolutely in something. I hope that something is Someone--namely Jesus Christ.

Answer 11

i cant tell how serious you are, it seems like you dont agree with it either but trying to get others to view it the same. in which case i agree...

take a class in child development.

i was raised in a christian school k-11th, it was easy to see which kids were forced to believe and what not. infact when i left to a public school my 12th year i foudn that the people there were much more down to earth. i found more drugs and sex talk at the christian school. sheltering causes much more psychological damage.

many of the people i went to school with at the christian school, have either a kid or have fallen into drugs and alcohol. *shrug* forcing beliefs is wrong no matter how u look at it. it causes rebellion.