Are Christian Kids Indoctrinated?

This is part 2 of the video of Richard Dawkins, an avowed atheist speaking about why he thinks children should not be indoctrinated in religion.

The atheists accuse Christians of keeping their children cloistered away from other views and indoctrinating these young and impressionable minds as opposed to presenting them with a range of choices. Which they say is unfair to the children.

According to dictionary.com, the word ‘indoctrination’ means to instruct in a doctrine, principle, ideology etc. especially to imbue with a specific partisan or biased belief or point of view. It goes on to say that indoctrination involves teaching someone to accept doctrine uncritically and that a synonym for the word is brainwashing.

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Atheists Against Christian Parenting

The attached video is of Richard Dawkins, an avowed atheist speaking about why he thinks children should not be indoctrinated in religion. Part two will be attached to my next blog.

Recently, there has been a rash of books written by atheists vilifying religion and blaming it for the woes of this world. One best-selling book generated a wave of controversy because it suggested that efforts be made to eradicate religion. The author also takes aim at parents who teach their children religion, calling it a form of child abuse.

Here’s their logic (as far as I can see it). There is no God. Humankind invented God and created religion. Religion is destructive in that it polarizes people, and therefore, causes wars and all sorts of atrocities. The reason religion continues to thrive is that religious parents indoctrinate their children. Therefore, stop allowing the indoctrination of children and the world will become atheistic and wonderfully peaceful.

First of all, let me touch on the things that I agree with. Humanity has suffered much in the name of religion. Also, there are some religious groups in the world that teach violence to their children. There are also many religious parents worldwide that indoctrinate their children, or in other words, tell them what to think instead of teaching them how to think. I agree that all of these things are inappropriate parental behavior.

However, the author in my estimation, has built a very flimsy argument when it comes to Christianity.

Yes, the history of Christianity gets demerits for violence, but to blame present day Christianity for the mistakes of those in the past who did wrong in the name of Christianity is hardly fair. That would be like calling for the end of today’s German culture because at one point it spawned misguided people who caused wars.

The very word Christian means Christ-like or follower of Christ. Everyone who has read the Gospels even once knows that Jesus promoted love, forgiveness, humility and godliness. He did not promote violence, war and insurrection.

The Body of Christ worldwide has come a long way and is a force for good on our planet. When a catastrophe puts people in harms way anywhere in the world, it’s the Christians and Christian relief organizations that dig the deepest and run to care. Millions of Christians and Christian churches worldwide reach out to help and love their families, neighbors and communities every day. These heartfelt charitable acts are a big part of what it is to live a Christian life.

It’s hard to study the history of Western Civilization without seeing the amazingly wonderful impact that Christianity and individual Christians, compelled by their Faith, have had on the world today.

For a great summary read this link:  http://crossandquill.com/journey/?page_id=267

Furthermore, what is it that Christian parents are teaching their children? If you examine the words in red (Jesus’ teaching), you’ll find that a large percentage of what he taught wasn’t about what we believe, but about who we are and how we behave. We teach our children to love, to be caring, kind, generous and considerate of others, to be involved in their communities, to be team players and to be respectful of others who have contrary opinions or beliefs. How can this be damaging to our planet?

Going back to the general arguments about religion being a planet damaging force, studies show that children raised in religion are happier, more other-focused, and less prone to get involved with crime and high-risk behavior. They even tend to exercise more, eat better, and volunteer more frequently.

(Check one of the studies here:  http://www.youthandreligion.org/news/preliminary.html )

A brief study of history will show even the casual reader that things like political agendas, territorial disputes, racial differences and yes, even atheism (the murder of countless religious people in the name of communism, for the sake of the state) have been behind some of the greatest carnages visited on mankind. Should we forbid the teaching of politics, patriotism, property rights, racial uniqueness and atheism?

If your children are old enough, have a chat with them about what the atheists believe and are saying. Perhaps even let them read this blog and help them think it through. Our children need to know their Faith well enough that they can refute this kind of distorted logic when it’s leveled at them.

(RICK OSBORNE / Christian Author, Speaker & Bible Teacher)

Harold be thy name

We’ve all heard the joke where the boy is asked why he has so confidently stated that God’s name is Harold. He says, “It’s right there in the Lord’s prayer, Harold be thy name.”

Arguably the most important task of the Christian parent is to teach their children how to pray. Best selling author Rick Osborne teamed up with Focus on The Family and Moody Publishers to bring us this classic (Teaching Your Child How to Pray) which has become a must read for every Christian parent.

 

 

 

 

If you don’t have it yet, or you know someone who doesn’t, here’s a link to where you can find it.

Study Shows That A Child’s Spirituality Is The Number One Factor In their Happiness

Dr. Mark Holder, a psychology professor at The University of British Columbia, led a study to determine what factors have the greatest influence on a child’s happiness. He and his team surveyed more than 300 children ages 9 to 12. The researchers also asked the parents and teachers of the children to rate their happiness.

The result? In Dr. Holder’s own words, “The more spiritual the children were, the happier they were.”

Perhaps you’re thinking, “That’s great. We take our children to church and read Bible stories to them”. Yes, that is helpful but it’s not what the survey was focused on. In fact, the Doctor said that religious activities such as going to church didn’t seem to make a difference in a child’s happiness level.

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How can I know which children’s bible is the best one for my child? (ages 8-12)

Before I make some suggestions, let me briefly blog about why getting the right Bible for your children in this age group is so incredibly important.
Once we are Christians, the foundation for building our relationship with God is regular time in the Bible and in prayer. Yet how many of us as adults, struggle with this?

My daughter was seventeen when she told me that her and several Christian friends were talking about their time with God and most of them said that they had a real struggle with it. My daughter went on to say that she had not realized that people struggled with this.

If our children are guided through the process of developing a relationship with God progressively, from sitting on our knee right up to doing it on their own, they establish a habit and a relationship that is easy to maintain and difficult to walk away from.

Many Christian parents (dad, mom or both together) do a great job of this in the early years when we are reading Bible Stories and saying prayers with our children. Where the process usually falls apart is when our children become too old for Bible Stories and too old for Sunday School.

Many of us flounder to find a whole text children’s Bible for our children and kind of hope that they will read it and pray on their own.

Unfortunately we find out really quickly that this approach does not work. It is kind of like saying to your child, “Well you’ve had a few years at school now. You know how to learn, so just get on the internet and work your way through to graduation on your own.”

Our children must be taught, trained, encouraged to crawl, walk and then run in every area of learning.
So getting down to it, here are some things to remember and some practical Christian parenting advice on how to move your child from Bible Stories to reading a whole text Bible on their own.

• Include your child in on the growth process. When my children were quite young, I started to tell them regularly that our bedtime devotions together was their time with God. I was helping them learn so that they could eventually do it on their own. The children understood that the activity was about them learning, (we were not just doing it to get it done) and that it was their time to connect with God.  Eventually they would be responsible for this discipline on their own and for the rest of their lives. It is much easier to teach when the student understands the goal and the process. Talk with your child about graduating from Bible Story time and agree on the timing and process.
• Don’t just leave them on their own. As with any transition in life, the more gradual it is the more comfortable and successful the transition will be. You and your child may decide to continue reading and praying together for a while but with a full text Bible instead of a Bible storybook. (This is a good time for you to help them better understand how their Bible is put together and how to read it.) You may want to choose a certain book like one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) or Genesis and read through it together. Then they could read one on their own and alternate. You could choose to read together and have them say their prayers on their own or vice versa. When they are ready to do it all on their own, help them set aside a regular time for doing it. Help them be consistent and follow up with them to make sure they have done it. Kind of like you do to make sure they are brushing their teeth. (Remember encouragement is more effective then harassing.) Be aware that if you have had quality time together at night for a while, some kids may be sensitive to losing that. Continue to put some time aside to talk with them and spend a little time together before sending them off to have their time with God. One of the things you can talk about is your time with God, what you are reading and/or what Bible study you are doing and what you are praying about. Ask what you can pray for them and tell them what they can pray for you.
• Set them up with the Bible and materials that will help them be successful. First and foremost choose a modern translation that your child will understand. Next a good strategy is to choose a companion book or devotional guide that will help your child get into and go through their Bible. This helps a ton because picking up the devotional book first is less intimidating and a little more appealing. Be careful though that you choose a book that directs them to their Bibles or the book is the only thing that will get read. When you first get the book and the Bible, look through them together and talk to your child about how to use the materials. Finally once you have narrowed your choices down to a few good Bibles and their companion books, let your child in on the decision. When we start to transfer any responsibility to our children, we should also start to transfer the right to make related decisions.

Here are some Bibles and companion books that I recommend for helping you and your child make the transfer successfully. They are all best selling Christian resources that work well together and are designed for this age group.

The ‘Kids Quest Bible’ works well with the ‘Amazing Questions Kids Ask About…’ series.

      

 

 

 

If you have boys I would highly recommend ‘The 2:52 Boys Bible’ along with the books from the 2:52 nonfiction series.

        

 

 

 

If you already have a Bible for your child or they choose another, I would recommend Focus On The Family’s ‘My Time With God, 150 Ways To Start Your Own Quiet Time.’

 

 

 

 

(RICK OSBORNE / Christian Author, Speaker & Bible Teacher)

What Should I Look For When Buying A Bible Storybook For My Children?

I probably get asked this question and ones like it more often than any other question.

When I first started developing Bibles for children it was in response to the frustration I experienced over the years when trying to find Bibles that I could use with my own children.

At first the publishers I went to with my ideas responded by telling me the market was already glutted with Bible Storybooks.

They were shocked to hear me tell them that unfortunately many of them are useless when it comes to teaching children the Bible.

Let me pass on to you what we should be looking for in a Bible for our kids and why.
I think the first thing we need to ask is what is God’s purpose for the Bible. In a nutshell, the Bible reveals God’s story and plan for humankind, it focuses on God’s salvation plan and brings us to Jesus and it teaches us how to live as Christians.

Should a Bible Storybook for children have the same purpose? Of course, however many are merely a collection of Bible stories that are not linked together to reveal God’s big picture story. They tell stories about Jesus but say nothing about what that means to us and they include very little of the New Testament books that teach us how God wants us to live.

It is probable that the first Bible Storybooks were published in response to the popularity of books that contained collections of stories and/or fables for children. So a clever someone put a bunch of the best stories ever told (the ones in the Bible) together and the cash register has been ringing ever since. Unfortunately we have come to refer to these as Bibles for children instead of what they are, a mere collection of stories from the Bible.

The idea of a Bible Storybook is great and very beneficial but it just needs to be more than just a collection of stories if you truly want your children to learn God’s Word.

So let’s get to it. Here is what to look for.

• Read the ending of several stories and the beginning of the ones that follow. Check to see that the stories are linked together into God’s big story from creation to the second coming.
• Look for the Gospel message. It is great if it has a prayer to pray but it should (like our Bibles do in Romans) explain what Jesus did means to us.
• Look at the table of contents and see where the stories stop. The ones that make an effort to present the Apostles teaching will have stories about the Apostles missionary journeys and the letters they wrote to churches.
• Next it is helpful if the Bible includes a prayer suggestion, a lesson and/or a question or conversation starter after each story that will help you turn story-time into your child’s devotional time.
• Also if you are satisfied with the above move on to check if it is appropriate for your child’s age and attention span. (Less text and more pictures are needed for our younger children and the opposite is needed as our children grow older.)
• Finally, if you are willing to put the least important thing last and you have found a couple of good choices, choose the one with the artwork and packaging that you think will appeal to your child.

 I am happy to report that many others and myself have been working hard to write and create Bible Storybooks that are truly Bibles for children and there are some good choices out there.
Here are a few.

I would highly recommend that you get your children started listening to the Singing Bible. Children love it (ages 1 – 8 ) and it was designed to teach them God’s Big Story, the Gospel and how God wants us to live. It is a great plug and play supplement to your Bible Storybook.

THE SINGING BIBLE (Focus on The Family)

 

 

I should note that some of the above is not as important if you are looking for a Bible for your young toddler so I would also recommend;

For Toddlers (ages 1 – 3)

GOD LOVES ME BIBLE

 

 

 

For Preschoolers (ages 3 – 5)

MEMORY VERSE BIBLE STORYBOOK 

 

 

 

For ages 4 – 8 

BEDTIME BIBLE (Focus on The Family)

 

 

 

 

(RICK OSBORNE / Christian Author, Speaker & Bible Teacher)