Should a 14 yr.old boy be "made" to attend church ? He use to go but stopped. Thanks?

Answer 1

At 14 he can be made to do what ever his parents say.
He has 4 more years until he can say what he wants and get it. ( longer if he stays living with his parents)

Answer 2

Why did he stop? I think it is important to find out why he stopped, ask him he may tell you. Does he have other things to do? Is he tired, from staying up late? Is there someone at church he doesn't want to see? The reasons could be one of many. If you have a discussion on why he doesn't want to go you may have better insight into the situation. You also may be able to fix your problem fairly eaisy.

If Church is something that you do as a family and he can not give you a good reason why he doesn't want to go, then you should talk to him about why you want him to go, what he can get out of it, and why it is important for your family. If his reason is because "Church" is not fun, find a youth group or another activity that he may enjoy that encorporates fairth.

You also may be able to set up a reinforcment schedule. If he goes to church then let him stay up late on Sunday, or let him watch an hour more of T.V. (the key is to find something that he would want to work toward)

Be open with your child, he is 14 now, but he will get older and eventually you will not be able to influence what he does, nor can you make him do anything. Making a child do something will lead to resentment. Discussion with him about this is KEY!

Answer 3

No - I don't think you should force church on your son because then he'll begin to dread it and think of it as a punishment. I do think, though, that you should talk to your son about why he no longer wants to go to church. Ask him if he would like to try a new church or a new denomination, and if he says yes, support his decision. Maybe he just needs a "break" from the church. I've heard of people leaving the church for a short time only to find a level of spirtuality that was more meaningful to them then anything they learned in church. I think spirituality is different for different people.
If he does decide to leave church though, don't think that it means he shouldn't receive any moral guidance. Some parents let church be the only moral guidance for their children - make sure you still play a role as a parent and keep him in line.

Answer 4

You do not say why you stopped---lazy??? Not feeling satisfied with the teachings?? What is your problem?? Don't you think that an hour or two a week in a place that allows you the peace and quiet to examine the past week's amount of living, is worth it.?? I mean your folks want the best and they offer the guidance--but did you explain what the problem is??? If they still insist, go and keep the peace--go back to bed when you get home---AVOID THE ARGUMENT---you can do what you want when you hit 18. Good luck

Answer 5

Yea I know he thinks he is old enough to decide and probably is. But as long as he is living under your roof and those are the family values and beliefs he will have to go. Tough love don't be a jerk about it but firm and explain why it is important to you. Believe it or not he will more than likely have a family someday and want the same. The world is telling him one thing and you another, yours weighs more in the long run. I had the same situation and now he wants his children to go to church imagine that. Show him the big picture honey!

Answer 6

Forced religion or forced worship never works. A persons spirituality should be a personal choice so; no a 14 year old should not be forced to go to church.

However before you run to Mom or Dad saying things like "you can't make me...". Remember this, you are the child and they are the parents and yes they can force you to join in on family outings such as church...

Now stop whining and be part of your family.

Answer 7

If the family is a close one and everyone goes to church, then I would say yes...at least at his age. But I would talk to him first...find out his reasons for not wanting to go anymore...at that age I would guess he is bored. Perhaps it may be boring so you may want to check out some other churches that may have more interesting subjects...Lastly...if this really becomes a problem...well when he grows up and decided he dont want to go to church he isnt going to anyway...so why make life miserable pushing the issue. Pick your battles.

Answer 8

My husband was raised going to church all his life, he believes and can quote scriptures and tell you any story from the bible. He's a good man. But he has an attitude toward all church people and thinks they are all hypocrites. His youth pastor introduced him to "pot" when he was a kid, and they had lock in's where boys and girls were messing around w/ each other and I thought he said he lost his virginity on top of one of the Church buses....It doesn't guarantee anything.

Answer 9

A child of any age ( short of being an adult ), should never have a choice in anything. Mom and dad should decide. If they want him/her to go to church... then it should happen. Keep in mind, I am not a church person...I am however a parent who is tired of seeing kids get to choose. Parents don't do them any favors, when they leave things up to the kids..

Answer 10

When I was near that age, after years of going to Lutheran church with my mother, I told her that I didn't believe in it.

She said, in essence, "I understand, and I respect your decision. My job was to expose you to my religion so that you would understand it, and have the opportunity to believe it; but if you don't, you don't have to go any more."

So, yes, your parents could force you to go to church -- and at your age they have a reasonable right to -- but at the same time, they can't make you believe. If they insist, I'm afraid you'll just have to bear it until you're older.

On the other hand, if you DO believe, but just hate going to church, say so; and go to church anyway. Everything good comes with some suffering attached, and in the case of religion being in church is a sacrifice you make in order to congregate with other like-minded people. Believe it or not, as you get older you'll even start to enjoy it.