The importance of teaching children about Christian religion

Raising Children With Christianity

In an age of increasing detachment and separation from righteousness and love, several trends have become very clear. Modern society has replaced the church as an institution with the nuclear family. Morality is learned not from ancient fables and tales, but from a pop culture devoid of boundaries and character. Success is measured by material possessions and not earnestness of effort and passion of pursuit. In short, our society's withdrawal from molding young men and women to be humble and virtuous parallels its withdrawal from studying, participating and practicing faith and spirituality based on scripture. More than anything, and more than ever, there must be an emphasis placed by all parents and communities on teaching the Christian religion to children.

Perhaps the single most important and fundamental reason for teaching Christianity to children is to teach them how to treat people properly. As Ellen Charry wrote in 1994, Christianity represents the pursuit of "finding one's dignity in Jesus Christ" (166). Because we face Jesus Christ every time we touch another person s mind, feelings or body, one who has a strong belief in and love of Jesus Christ will express this in all interactions with other people and the creation. Each person and object will be seen as a gift from God. This alone can prevent a person from mistreating others.

Christianity has a number of resources to harness in order for this valuable lesson to be effectively conveyed to children. The most helpful of all of Christianity's resources maybe the Church (and the congregation) itself for many reasons. First, as an institution, it can reach the entire family, including parents and children. When the family joins the church's social and intellectual spheres, the parents and children can not only interact with other families, they find (and become) examples for our children of how to live with Christian principles in their lives (Charry 166).

The first is the example set for children by the adults and peers in their life. By surrounding children with people who live a virtuous life, children will want to emulate this. Children tend to learn both from role models (adults) and peers (other children). The church provides a contemporary environment where both adults and other children act with virtue (Harrison 491). It is also important to reinforce the good example with instruction as to why Christians treat others with love and respect: Because the faith requires it. This instruction will provide children with a solid blueprint for their own decision making when confronted with temptation or peer pressure to stray from this tenet of Christian morality (Harrison, 491).

Even the most skilled and attentive parents will struggle to overcome the authority and allure of contemporary popular culture. This is especially true as children become adolescents. For a number of reasons, parents need the support and advice provided by Christianity and the church. Children who are truly a part of their church will see themselves as a part of a larger community.

Also, children need to learn to relate to a variety of people -- both other children and adults, both friends and strangers -- in order to develop a proper range of social skills.

They need to see themselves as part of a community larger than their immediate families, and to have their growing knowledge and love of God nurtured by people other than their parents. This is especially true as adolescents explore the world beyond the family, and the authority of the peer group and the general culture increases.

Adolescence is the time when most children disappear not only from church, but from adult company. Teenagers can easily withdraw into or be abandoned to the adolescent subculture, and become distrustful of adults. Many feel awkward, embarrassed and bored around adults, and older adults may feel just as uncomfortable around teenagers. This stand-off can lead to adolescents' isolation. Young people do need space to develop their own identities, and pressuring them to interact with adults when they are socially clumsy can be humiliating to them. Yet warm, trusting relationships with adults are required if moral and spiritual guidance is to be reclaimed. (167)

The church is perhaps the only institution with the beliefs, literature, liturgy, practices, social structure and authority (diminished though it be) necessary to rescue children from the violence and other deforming features of late 20th-century life. But it cannot accomplish this by simply laying the faith before young people and inviting them to choose it.

Furthermore, the pulpit offers perhaps the only remaining locus of personal and public edification and exhortation. (166)

Prayer is crucial. It teaches children to reflect on their own lives and on the world around them. It provides breathing space from the overstimulation of our society. Attending to how to pray and for whom to pray trains children to focus on the welfare of others and on world events.

Prayerbooks are wonderful resources; they contain prayers for travelers, for those far away, for the sick, for those living alone, for government leaders, for an end to civil strife, for proper use of natural resources. We should also teach children to pray for virtues like compassion, courage, cheerfulness and charity. (167)

Charry, Ellen T. Raising Christian children in a pagan culture

Christian Century 111 no 5 F. 16, 1994, p 166-168.

1994

Because the Bible was regarded as central to Christian life, the importance of learning to read was emphasized.

The idea of divine judgment and hell is only to be introduced about age fifteen, since younger children would find it too frightening, while such fear could protect adolescents from self-destructive behavior (489)

He also suggests that when teenagers behave well and avoid self-destructive activities the pastor should praise them for this, and their parents should also praise them publicly. (490)

Early Christian writers emphasize the importance of providing children with good models to emulate. Parents are advised to show them examples of good character and conduct in the Bible and the lives of Christian saints. They are encouraged to surround their children with adults and other young people who set good examples, while protecting them from harmful companions (491)

If their children are attracted to harmful popular entertainments, parents can remind them of their companions who do not engage in these activities. If they are moved to emulate such friends, this will become more important to them than the entertainments were

Augustine explores the darker side of peer pressure in his analysis of the famous incident in which as a youth he and his thrill-seeking friends stole pears they did not want to eat from a neighbor's tree (492)