Articles
Should We Let The Kids "Decide For Themselves?"
Occasionally we hear parents who say that they don't want to force religion on their children. These misguided folks think they are doing their kids a favor by letting them "decide for themselves". They're afraid that there will be some resentment in the children later if religion has been "crammed down their throats."
If we may be absolutely blunt in response, that is one of the most ridiculous ideas anyone ever suggested! We force many things on our children. We insist that they bathe, brush their teeth, change their clothes, etc. We "cram" education down their throats by making them attend school regularly. We demand that they do their homework. We force them to eat good food, get adequate rest, and do other things that are important to their health and development. We do all of this because we know it is in their best interest. And, we do it even when the kids don't like it. Why is it that this common sense approach is neglected by parents who are determined to "let the kids decide for themselves" when it comes to religion?
Dr. James Dobson writes: "There is a critical period when certain kinds of instruction are easier in the life of children. There is a brief period during childhood when youngsters are vulnerable to religious training. Their concepts of right and wrong are formulated during this time, and their view of God begins to solidify. The opportunity of that period must be seized when it is available. The absence or misapplication of instruction through that prime-time period may place a severe limitation on the depth of the child's later devotion to God. When parents withhold indoctrination from their small children, allowing them to "decide for themselves," the adults are almost guaranteeing that their youngsters will "decide" in the negative."
God's word has always taught us the truth on this subject: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).
