Should you force your children to attend church against their will?

[St. SteVen]

I was going to open with a statement about who the question is for. I deleted it.
I'm not going to limit respondents to those church attenders that have children.

My own mother was sent to church (or allowed to go) by her unattending mother.
She developed a Christian faith, married my Christian father and raised us in the church.
I have attended most of my life, except for a few years as a young adult. God called me back.
Which may be shocking news for those that have determined that I am not a Christian.
I may be MORE Christian than you! - LOL

Discussion questions:
1) Should children be sent to church even if you don't attend? Why?
2) Should you bring your children to church with you?
3) Did you start attending church (again?) when your children were old enough?
4) Have you ever taken (or sent) children to church against their will?
5) Was Sunday morning/or Sabbath a battleground for going to church?
6) At what age should children decide for themselves whether to attend, or not?
7) What do you do if your adult children decide to no longer go to church?

I should add...
Some of you may have church at home with your family.
That may present some unique challenges.

What say you?

[ cc: @BarneyFife @Brakelite @Hobie

 

[Biblepaige]

No.

 

[Lambano]

Discussion questions:
1) Should children be sent to church even if you don't attend? Why?

I was just reminiscing in another thread about a "ministry" I once had, taking the neighborhood kids to our Sunday School and other children's programs, even though the parents themselves were "unchurched".

2) Should you bring your children to church with you?

We did bring our own children to church with us, until they got thrown out for misbehavior. They were eventually permitted back, though in retrospect we should've left that church then and there.

3) Did you start attending church (again?) when your children were old enough?

One of the parents of my Sunday School ministry kids did when their son started taking Communion at our church. Unfortunately (from my Methodist point of view), the church they started attending was a Catholic one. Oh well. At least something good came out of it.

6) At what age should children decide for themselves whether to attend, or not?

When our oldest went into the Navy, we decided he was old enough to decide for himself. A very practical decision, I might add. Our youngest had special needs, so he lived at home with us and attended church with us, though he made it clear he held God responsible for the abuse and suffering he'd taken in his all-too-short life.

7) What do you do if your adult children decide to no longer go to church?

Tell 'em you'll meet 'em at the restaurant after church.

 

[Bruce-Leiter]

I was going to open with a statement about who the question is for. I deleted it.
I'm not going to limit respondents to those church attenders that have children.

My own mother was sent to church (or allowed to go) by her unattending mother.
She developed a Christian faith, married my Christian father and raised us in the church.
I have attended most of my life, except for a few years as a young adult. God called me back.
Which may be shocking news for those that have determined that I am not a Christian.
I may be MORE Christian than you! - LOL

Discussion questions:
1) Should children be sent to church even if you don't attend? Why?
2) Should you bring your children to church with you?
3) Did you start attending church (again?) when your children were old enough?
4) Have you ever taken (or sent) children to church against their will?
5) Was Sunday morning/or Sabbath a battleground for going to church?
6) At what age should children decide for themselves whether to attend, or not?
7) What do you do if your adult children decide to no longer go to church?

I should add...
Some of you may have church at home with your family.
That may present some unique challenges.

What say you?

[ cc: @BarneyFife @Brakelite @Hobie

I will be eternally grateful to God that my believing mother "dragged" us boys to church every Sunday in spite of the fact that we wanted to sleep in like our unbelieving father. God used his Word, teachers, and preachers to save me at the age of 16; that was 66 years ago.

 

[St. SteVen]

No.

Why not?

[

 

[St. SteVen]

6) At what age should children decide for themselves whether to attend, or not?

When our oldest went into the Navy, we decided he was old enough to decide for himself. A very practical decision, I might add. Our youngest had special needs, so he lived at home with us and attended church with us, though he made it clear he held God responsible for the abuse and suffering he'd taken in his all-too-short life.

7) What do you do if your adult children decide to no longer go to church?

Tell 'em you'll meet 'em at the restaurant after church.

That's good.
Especially to include the in your lifer even if you aren't attending.
I was welcome home for Sunday dinner even when I wasn't attending for a short time.

[

 

[Biblepaige]

Why not?

Because a child will resent the force. Communication is key. If the child doesn't want to go to a building to learn about God,why not?

God is everywhere. There's more to learn about God just being in nature ,meditating,praying.

Pastors,just like here,can and do intersperse their own ideas into teachings. Often they're arrogant,egocentric,wrong.

God is not found in structures crafted by human hands .

The faith filled are his church.

Look at the structure in Rome.

Isn't that warning enough that the scripture in Acts 7 is correct?

 

[Lambano]

That's good.
Especially to include the in your lifer even if you aren't attending.
I was welcome home for Sunday dinner even when I wasn't attending for a short time.

Yeah, but...

When your child does not come to faith in Christ, despite everything you could do, the sadness, worry, and sense of failure is almost overwhelming.

 

[St. SteVen]

St. SteVen said:
That's good.
Especially to include the in your lifer even if you aren't attending.
I was welcome home for Sunday dinner even when I wasn't attending for a short time.

Yeah, but...

When your child does not come to faith in Christ, despite everything you could do, the sadness, worry, and sense of failure is almost overwhelming.

Agree.
We need to turn them over to God when we have done our part.
And we may not see it in out lifetime.

There's an interesting line in the story of the Philippian jailer.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

I can't make a doctrine out of this, but I think God wants to save whole families.
Which seems especially true for minors under our care.
But I extend that to adult children that are still a part of the family.

Acts 16:29-31 NIV
The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

[

 

[St. SteVen]

Because a child will resent the force. Communication is key. If the child doesn't want to go to a building to learn about God,why not?

God is everywhere. There's more to learn about God just being in nature ,meditating,praying.

Pastors,just like here,can and do intersperse their own ideas into teachings. Often they're arrogant,egocentric,wrong.

God is not found in structures crafted by human hands .

The faith filled are his church.

Look at the structure in Rome.

Isn't that warning enough that the scripture in Acts 7 is correct?

Oh, I see. You aren't a fan of churches in general, so you would NOT send your children there.
Did I misunderstand you? Correct me if I am wrong.

[

 

[Biblepaige]

Oh, I see. You aren't a fan of churches in general, so you would NOT send your children there.
Did I misunderstand you? Correct me if I am wrong.

[

I've had enough experience in churches to realize their potential for idolatry of the ego.

Look for instance at Pentecostal Jimmy Swaggart ministry. Turns the stomach.

Joel Osteen.A charlatan. He and his wife.

T D Jakes. Diddy's dirty little Percy secret? On video?
Every TV pastor. They're millionaires living in luxury.

Local pastors making news. Consecrating marriages God calls abomination. Accepting men who dress like women and vice versa. And, also allowing them in ministry!

Political correctness in church? God is suddenly tolerant of sins?

No. Not a fan.

 

[St. SteVen]

I've had enough experience in churches to realize their potential for idolatry of the ego.

Look for instance at Pentecostal Jimmy Swaggart ministry. Turns the stomach.

Joel Osteen.A charlatan. He and his wife.

T D Jakes. Diddy's dirty little Percy secret? On video?
Every TV pastor. They're millionaires living in luxury.

Local pastors making news. Consecrating marriages God calls abomination. Accepting men who dress like women and vice versa. And, also allowing them in ministry!

Political correctness in church? God is suddenly tolerant of sins?

No. Not a fan.

Fair enough.
What do you recommend for religious/spiritual/moral training for children then?

[

 

[Biblepaige]

Fair enough.
What do you recommend for religious/spiritual/moral training for children then?

[

Children are linked to God without any barriers,any veils, when they're in the womb.
Start showing them where God is the moment they're born. Be the example. Don't teach what men wrote down in an effort to encapsulate God in writing. God preexists the Bible. God preexists religion.

Don't teach them they're condemned for being alive. They have the breath of God within them as living souls who are made in the image and likeness of their father,the maker,sustainer,life giver, of and within all creation.

Teach them to meditate. To pray. Because prayer is talking to the father. Meditation is listening to what he has to say.

Teach them to think more of themselves than what divisive doctrines instill in a mortal possessive example of human who thinking to own and control understanding of one way to know the breath and power of eternity mere mortals think to label,God.


Humans have a fault that is present in all humanity regardless of culture.

We think we are entitled to be in the know and control of everything. We must have the answers. Even if we have to make them up.

God,as we call it, is more than we think. New consciousnesses,new life,rests in "his" lap when in the womb. And journey holding his hand the moment he opens that door and lets them enter this heaven. His domain.

Encourage them to keep an open mind as God installed into them in their beginning. Because religious doctrine is a man made box. God knows, eternal power can never fit in there. Nor should babies.

God has always been more than we think .

 

[Lambano]

We need to turn them over to God when we have done our part.
And we may not see it in out lifetime.

You're right, of course. Hate it when that happens.

 

[Jack]

My own mother was sent to church (or allowed to go) by her unattending mother.
She developed a Christian faith, married my Christian father and raised us in the church.
I have attended most of my life, except for a few years as a young adult. God called me back.
Which may be shocking news for those that have determined that I am not a Christian.
I may be MORE Christian than you! - LOL

Discussion questions:
1) Should children be sent to church even if you don't attend? Why?
2) Should you bring your children to church with you?
3) Did you start attending church (again?) when your children were old enough?
4) Have you ever taken (or sent) children to church against their will?
5) Was Sunday morning/or Sabbath a battleground for going to church?
6) At what age should children decide for themselves whether to attend, or not?
7) What do you do if your adult children decide to no longer go to church?

I should add...
Some of you may have church at home with your family.
That may present some unique challenges.

What say you?

[ cc: @BarneyFife @Brakelite @Hobie

Do you also think it's fine that children think they are transgenders because Satan's public schools advise them? And yes, Jesus said gays are heading for Hell Fire FOREVER!

 

[Deborah_]

1) Should children be sent to church even if you don't attend? Why?
2) Should you bring your children to church with you?
3) Did you start attending church (again?) when your children were old enough?
4) Have you ever taken (or sent) children to church against their will?
5) Was Sunday morning/or Sabbath a battleground for going to church?
6) At what age should children decide for themselves whether to attend, or not?
7) What do you do if your adult children decide to no longer go to church?

1) "Should" is too strong a word - and not many unbelieving parents these days would send their children to church on a Sunday morning because there's so much else on for children to do (sport, especially).
2) If they're young, you can't leave them at home on their own, can you? If you go, they don't get a choice.
3) Never stopped attending church since I became a Christian at the age of 17.
4) No
5) No
6) When they're old enough not to need parental supervision. When our daughter was about 14, she decided that she wanted to go to a different church (the one her best friend went to). Fine by us.
7) Pray for them, just as you would for any other unbelieving member of your family.

 

[face2face]

Do you also think it's fine that children think they are transgenders because Satan's public schools advise them? And yes, Jesus said gays are heading for Hell Fire FOREVER!

If there was a fiery satan Jack you would make one hell of good disciple!
F2F

 

[Jack]

If there was a fiery satan Jack you would make one hell of good disciple!
F2F

Nah, I'm a Bible believer! What are you? Don't know?

 

[face2face]

Nah, I'm a Bible believer! What are you? Don't know?

You have your own Jack?

 

[Jack]

View attachment 50891
You have your own Jack?

No I don't. Obviously you have yours tho! You reject the Christian Bible and profess to be Christian. How much more can someone be CONFUSED???