Are children unworthy little sinners?

Question

A question was recently posted asking which was the best way to teach children to serve God. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqQ04fw_EO9rpIoHZz038Cbd7BR.?qid=20070901211747AA4FlCd Someone posted this as a response:

"Ummm... no offense to the previous poster, but I think we MUST teach them that they are NOT worthy of God's love.

Romans 3:23... ALL have sinned.
Romans 6:23... The wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of God is eternal life.

The bottom line is that children are born with sinner's hearts. No one has to teach them to disobey, to lie, to have a temper tantrum or anything like that., They are born with a "want" to sin."


As an atheist, my first reaction was a dumbfounded "whoa...?".

As a mother, this disturbs me greatly! How prevalent is this idea? How many new parents look into their beautiful baby's face and think, "You are not worthy of God's love."?

Craigerz, from a historical standpoint, sure. That I can comprehend.

But in this day and age, that someone thinks we should actively teach children they are not worthy? It's simply baffling to me.

Thank you Cister for your insult to my intelligence :)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Jesus supposedly wipe the slate clean for mankind? Does that clean slate not also apply to children?

CeeDee,

Tugging at heartstrings.. yes, of course. We are talking about children here. Not science. Not religion. But the love parents have for their children, which cannot be measured. We all of us have different ways of showing that love. For me, that means teaching my children that they are worthy human beings. Were I religious, I would teach them this worthiness applied to their relationship with their creator as well.

Today I saw something that concerned me, and I chose to ask about it. This is a place to learn about others, is it not?

That being said, I am not asking anyone here to look down on anyone else. I was actually hoping for a Christian perspective. And I got one. The young man that sent me scripture got an e-mail from me thanking him for the info.

So please, before you assume that I am trying to foster hate here, re-read the question, think again. Thanks :)

Answer 1

The Bible actually teaches that Jesus only died to cover those who go to heaven through him, so by some lights, children who aren't old enough to consciously go through that process aren't getting to heaven.

I once knew a pastor and missionary who spanked (seriously, hard) his 4-year-old daughter every week "for all the bad things she did that I didn't catch her at" (his words) to teach her that God sees every sin. He said that his father had done the same thing to him and his six siblings, and all of them were raising their (HUGE! he was just getting started) families the same way. I seriously thought I was going to throw up right there in the prayer meeting our employer required us to attend daily. Everybody else was nodding at how wise the practice was.

That kind of crap is why, in contrast to C.S. Lewis, I was dragged kicking and screaming OUT of Christianity by my intellect (and my conscience).

Unitarian Universalists talk about the "inherent worth and dignity" of every person. I find that far more reasonable than the Christian view, with one caveat that puts me at odds with many other UUs. I absolutely agree that we all start out with inherent worth and dignity, but I believe that adults can and do lose their worth through their choices. When someone shoots people down on the street, abuses or neglects their children, commits rape, or costs as many lives as the current occupant of the White House, they no longer have any worth as far as I'm concerned.

Children can't make those kinds of choices, therefore they can't possibly lose their worth. They're inherently valuable, marvelous, wonderful, and deserving of protection.

Answer 2

This may cause many thumbs down, but you approach this situation the very same way a fundamentalist christian would. You try to tug at the heart strings and anyone arguing contrary to you is seen as a bad person. I'm not sure about the whole "Not worthy of God's love" thing, but if it were true it would be a FACT, wouldn't it? And in this world facts occur regardless of whether they hurt your feelings or not.

This question is of the same classification of a Christian saying that they believe in God because they just feel better with him in the world. All fluff. No fact.

So, if you want to provide a logical scientific argument for why this couldn't be so, go right ahead. But otherwise it is POSSIBLE that they could be unworthy of God's love. I mean look at it this way: could you at least envision that some violent crackhead off the street who mistreats all women isn't worthy of a saintly super model of a woman. That's kind of the difference between us and a presumed God. As a race, humans are generally good, but we haven't mastered the whole perfection thing yet so even the most innocent of our race and a perfect being is a match made in hell.

Bottom line. If the child's unworthy, that would just be a brute fact that God can't change and the child can't change. New parents looking into their baby's faces aren't a very unbiased source to ask as to the worth of a child, anyway. Ever heard of the term "a face only a mother could love"?... All that being said, it should be noted that God supposedly loves us all anyway.

EDIT: Sorry for the misunderstanding Athie, but my point is that we should teach kids the truth. IF they are unworthy of God's love then it would be wrong to teach them otherwise IMHO. We SHOULD try to approach this truth in a positve manner however. The scriptures should not be used as opportunities to denigrate the child but to foster humility in him by knowing that we all make mistakes. It's all in the wording.

Answer 3

Difference is Each unrepentant sinner on this global is not going to are living for greater than one hundred?years. Prophet Muhammad saas stated .On the day of judgement Allah swt will positioned a man or woman who's already certified for Paradise into Paradise for a second and after which ask him if he recollects any affliction / torture hardships on the planet.He will likely be so thrilled after seeing his present he'll put out of your mind the worldly affliction and answer he didnt endure any rough send. Similarly he'll positioned a man or woman who's from the folks of hell and positioned him for a second into hell after which ask him approximately the posh entertainment and leisure of this global he'll answer no Ididnt experience whatever.and he'll put out of your mind all his mocking at Allah swt on this global and begin repenting however that repentance wil haven't any importance and Allah swt will positioned Angels ( who donot ever snort) who will torture them without end perpetually. Dont waste this important time mocking Allah swt and as an alternative use it for everlasting happiness if you're shrewd sufficient.

Answer 4

This person is dillusional.
children are just like them, except younger and ignorant. This Idealism comes from a newer sect of christianity which most homeschooling parents hold. It is very legalistic and I am against it as a teen who has experienced it. Not all christians are like this though. By the way, all this crap about earning God's love, it's not true. God's love is a free gift.

Answer 5

That surprises me - doesn't seem very nice, does it? Actually, the more I think about it, the more it disturbs me... it's a very frightening idea that children are impressioned with the idea that they are not "worthy."

Atheists often bring up the idea that "everyone is born an atheist," which is essentially the same viewpoint (albeit with more optimistic wording).

-Atheist

Answer 6

Soooooooo far from the truth. A newborn child is as innocent as they come. It is how the parent handles it when they lie or disobey, are they caught, or not disciplined, is the parent consistent? As the child gets older they learn how to manipulate their parents.

Answer 7

Think about it from a medieval standpoint, children were an impossible burden on their parents, most women died young and in childbirth, children were taught guilt for their existence at an early age

Answer 8

It sounds like somebody needs to read the bible!
Children are innocent in the eyes of GOD.
Jesus him self said suffer the children NOT to come unto me.
Jesus was in his early 30s when he was baptized, signifying maturity and, responsibility.

Answer 9

I agree. That's a pretty stupid way to raise young ones. That's one of the reasons I equate religion with ignorance and gullibility.

Answer 10

Come on Now---lets Reason this Out with GOD

For GOD so Loved the World (Us---HE Created the Earth to be Inhabited by US)
that HE sent HIS Only Begotten Son---to Die on the Cross

Music Please:

Jesus Loves the Children of the World (Earth)