Resources/Articles
Parents Fear Their Children Will Be Social Outcasts
“...and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children...”
Deuteronomy 6:7
You are a parent who believes in and follows God - RIGHT? You are a parent who wants your child to do the right thing - RIGHT? You are a parent who wants your child to contribute to society and not be a liability to the economy - RIGHT?
In a recent report from The Telegraph of London, the headline read,
“Parents fear that religion will make their children outcasts.”
This is news from another country, but how long will it be before it is a headline in this country? What is there to say it is not already? Parents with any faith at all need to pay attention to this, because it makes the difference between nominal, cultural Christianity and a genuine, sincere faith. Lois and Eunice sacrificed to establish this faith in the heart of Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5-7).
The writer of the article, Danny Boyle, stated in The Telegraph, “Almost a quarter of religious parents are not passing on their faith to their children for fear they will be alienated in school.”
This has not made headlines in America, but it is very relevant here in the United States. It has been relevant for the last forty years or more, knowing the religious landscape of our country has been changing. To identify yourself as religious and it costing a child social standing has elevated social status as the supreme standard parents use to regulate success in parenting. That tells us a lot about the mindset of parenting.
For a parent to place religious faith at a minimum because it is costly in society identifies a parent as more secular than spiritual. Parents have succumbed to the pressure of the society in favor of its standards and not God’s. Therefore, it is more important not to be an outcast from society than it is not to be an outcast from God, especially eternally. My, my, my! How priorities shift!
In the past, being identified as a Christian with a faith in God and the Bible had favorable appeal, honor, and respect. Now it appears as though it will be too costly to state or practice our beliefs. Why then subject yourself or your child to such scrutiny and disapproval in society?
What we are seeing is Christ slowly disappearing in our lives and fading fast in society. Society lacks any influence of Christ when parents who are Christians fail to be ambassadors of Christ and train their children to be the same. This begs the question, “Are parents identifying themselves as Christians only when surrounded by others who are Christians, and not in their social circles?”
It is hard on a parent’s heart to see his child cry and hurt because things have been said to the child at school or by their coaches or coworkers. Did the Lord suffer any less (Matthew 10:24-25; John 15:18-20)? Being the Son of God was not popular in the society and for those who were of the religious elite, it was a sign of blasphemy for Jesus to state His relationship to God as His Son (Mathew 26:63-65). God did not back away from His mission of love, redemption, and truth. Purity still remained to be the greatest need in the world. Holiness was lacking. Character was absent. Society needed a savior, not another “buddy” or enabler who would easily compromise his values.
What Jesus did in stating His relationship with God paved the way for “children of God,” “sons and daughters” (2 Corinthians 10:18). God’s children should not mind stating where their priorities lie because of their supreme relationship to God. Where, then, are the parents who say they believe they are children of God?
When parents choose not to pass their faith on to their children, it shows their faith must not mean a great deal to them. It must not be a faith deeply grounded in truth. It is not evidently a faith that is understood to come with eternal consequences. We are at the point of witnessing parents who are not only willing to not let their children pay an ultimate price for their faith in death, they do not even want them to have to pay in terms of a loss of social status. This being so, have these parents even spoken to their children about faith in Jesus Christ? If not, then it really is not something the parents believe.
If a parent does not have the courage to discuss their faith with his child at all, it is of no surprise fewer and fewer children are leaving home without a faith of their own. In many instances, they readily leave the faith and are anxious to get out from under the hypocrisy. Then parents petition elders, preachers, and Bible class teachers to help “bring their children back to the lLord,” an almost impossible mission.
When parents believe the price is too high to watch their children pay the price in society for their faith, it is safe to say the parents have already decided they are not willing to pay the price either. If parents are not ready to pay the price for their faith today, neither will their children be ready to do the same today nor in the future. Will those parents who forsake teaching and training their children in faith later sincerely believe, “We did the best we could do”?
