Tag: kids
Should Children Be Allowed or Encouraged to Pray?
Posted on February 11, 2016 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
That was the first prayer I remember praying. I prayed it each night with one of my parents before going to sleep. Somewhere along the way I stopped praying that prayer and started praying my own prayers. But that prayer was said with the heart of a child that sincerely wanted to talk to God but didn’t necessarily know how.
I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about the idea of children praying and all the theological implications behind it. As a theology student I can say I have not. As a parent I can say it never occurred to me. That is, until I read an article by Tim Challies in which he answers a question about whether or not it is appropriate to let kids pray.
These 5 Tips for Christian Parents Will Help Teach Our Faith to Our Children
Posted on December 9, 2015 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
Once upon a time people thought it was the church’s job to instill faith into their children. Now only the naïve and mistaken parent adheres to that misguided idea. The faith of my children is primarily my responsibility; the church is there to supplement what I am doing to grow my children in the “nurture and admonition” of the Lord. Knowing that I have such a great responsibility means placing a priority on their spiritual development. Before anything else, musical development, athletic development, or even vocational development, comes their spiritual development.
I’m not arrogant enough to think I can do it alone. I constantly search for resources to aid in my teaching and training. To that end I recently read an article at Monergism that stood out. It was a very simple reminder to Christian parents about what it takes to raise godly kids. One striking feature of the article is that it nowhere mentions the church. Now, this doesn’t mean the author is suggesting the church holds no importance in our children’s faith formation. To the contrary this article is merely giving some practical tips to parents with a deep burden to grow faith in their kids.
Another feature of the article is that every tip given was directly aimed at parents. This reiterates that the responsibility for my kids’ faith development is primarily my responsibility. At least for a while I must lead in instilling those seeds of faith that I want to see grow. It is a very dangerous thing to try and unload this responsibility on someone else; or even the church. Not only are we risking that those seeds won’t be planted at all; we are risking that the wrong seeds will be planted or that they won’t be properly watered and will die.
Take a look at some of the useful advice from the article that can help us instill a life-long faith in our children:
Dog Fighting Gets Jail Time. Aborting Kids to Harvest Their Organs Gets Defended
Posted on July 21, 2015 in Life by Nathan Cherry
There’s a historical account in the Bible about a pagan god named Molech. Part of the ritual worship of Molech was to sacrifice infant children by burning them alive. The earliest prohibition for such pagan rituals among God’s people can be found in Leviticus 18:21. In fact, the penalty for participating in Molech worship was death.
I have no doubt that if any of us saw a group of people attempting to sacrifice a child to a pagan god we would immediately be outraged to the point of action. We could hardly see such a sight, yawn, and go back to whatever we were doing.
The reality is that such pagan sacrifices are happening each and every day right under our noses. Oh, and by the way, you’re helping fund the organization that is carrying out these atrocious crimes.
The world awoke last week to the shocking revelation that Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion merchant, makes a routine practice of selling the body parts of aborted babies for profit. Not only is this a moral outrage it is also a federal crime. Yet somehow Planned Parenthood and their officials are not in jail.
An undercover video of a high-ranking Planned Parenthood official, Dr. Deborah Nucatola, explaining how the abortion giant regularly harvests organs during abortions for sale has gone viral and caused outrage across the country. Todd Starnes, writing at Fox News, transcribes part of the conversation heard on the video:
Are You Male or Female? Or Something Else?
Posted on May 26, 2015 in Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Wouldn’t it be a good idea to teach impressionable children that gender is just a construct of society and is really as fluid as they want it to be? In fact, we should teach them that there are many genders, perhaps a dozen, and let them pick and choose which they want to be.
That’s what one of the nation’s largest public school systems is preparing to teach its students via a new health and sexuality curriculum.
At a time when gender is suddenly a debatable topic – because apparently we’re not content with just boys and girls – this school system wants to further confuse the situation by affirming that people can be more than just male and female. No longer is your anatomy the definer of your gender identity, now you can choose; you can even choose to be something other than male and female! (Could someone please explain that one to me!?)
The Fairfax County Public School system is preparing to implement changes to their family life curriculum which includes teaching on gender identity that can only be described as disastrous and unscientific. A report describes the curriculum for middle school this way:
The Connection Between Dolce and Gabbana and “Synthetic Children”
Posted on April 14, 2015 in Marriage by Nathan Cherry
If you didn’t know better you would think that anyone still in support of the traditional family is an outdated bigot that needs to get with the times. Everyone, the media and “experts” tell us, supports alternative families.
With this in mind I am sure it was a surprise when famed designers Dolce and Gabbana revealed that they support the traditional family. The fact that they are both openly gay makes their support for the traditional family more powerful; and more heinous to LGBT activists.
When the famous duo’s position was made public there was immediate backlash against them. Stars like Elton John called for a boycott of Dolce and Gabbana for simply stating their position. Responding to such backlash the duo said:
Famous Atheist Richard Dawkins Wants to Keep Parents from Imposing Religion On Kids – While Imposing His Religion
Posted on April 1, 2015 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
Richard Dawkins recently made one of the most ironic statements I’ve heard this week. During an interview for The Irish Times Dawkins, speaking about children, said:
“Children do need to be protected so that they can have a proper education and not be indoctrinated in whatever religion their parents happen to have been brought up in.”
The irony of the statement is found in the fact that Dawkins is one of the world’s foremost atheists, which is just another “religious” ideology.
I suppose people don’t often consider atheism a religion, but rather than absence of or rejection of religion. But that is a misnomer. Religion, at its core, is a framework of convictions and beliefs that are intended to guide ones thinking and give direction to one’s life. It’s a sort of roadmap for living each day. Considering this simple but fundamental definition of religion it is easy to conclude that atheism is just another religion.
If I were to ask Dawkins if he thought children should be brought up Christian, or Jewish, or Mormon, he would probably say no. Dawkins would tell me that they should be allowed to make their own decision and that parents should not force their religion on their kids. However, if I asked Dawkins if he would encourage atheism via scientific exploration, philosophy, and thinking critically and logically with his own kids, he would almost certainly say yes.
Are You Harmed By Graphic Sex and Violence? Are Your Kids?
Posted on January 22, 2015 in Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
Far too few people are concerned about the saturation of graphic sex and violence that has become common in our culture. Images that were once considered pornography are now teased by middle school kids. Technology has made almost certain that by the time a child leaves elementary school he or she will have seen many sexually and violently explicit images.
Take for example a video aired in Sweden aimed at kids between the ages of 3 and 6. The video shows a dancing penis (named Willie) and vagina (named Snippan) in a light-hearted cartoon. Some of the lyrics of the song that accompany the video include:
Is It Really Important for Kids to Be Raised By Their Mother and Father?
Posted on December 22, 2014 in Family, Marriage by Nathan Cherry
Is it fair to say that children do best with their mother and a father? Is that statement both specific enough and true to be made without argument? Maybe, but it might need just a little editing to make it the most accurate and true statement possible.
Of course LGBT activists would argue that children do just as good with two moms or two dads as they do with a mother and a father. They might have a solid argument if we leave the statement as is. But, if we edit the statement by adding just one word, it becomes a nearly irrefutable statement. That one word: biological.
The statement now reads: children do best with their biological mother and father.
That statement can hardly be argued by anyone considering the rapidly growing body of evidence that shows the truth in the statement. We know from decades of evidence that children with step-parents and children in single parent homes do not do nearly as well as those in homes with their biological mother and father. And try as they may, advocates of marriage redefinition have a hard time arguing that children in same-sex homes do as well as children in homes with their biological parents.
Education in Chicago: 5th Graders Learn About Female Condoms and See Pictures!
Posted on November 24, 2014 in Public Policy, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
I don’t care if people call this a “pet peeve” of mine. I will continue to be alarmed (and seek to alarm others) of the graphic nature of public school sex-education programs.
A recent report coming out of Chicago once again underscores the absolutely inappropriateness of the material being taught to 5th graders! Yes, 5th graders. Here’s some of the lessons being taught:
How to put on male and female condoms. (They are also being shown graphic illustrations of this procedure.)
How to use condoms for anal sex and encouraged in this practice.
They are being told the “Plan B morning after pill” is not an abortion pill.
They can get sexual and reproductive services without parental consent.
If you read through that paragraph without being shocked and angered that 10-year-olds are being taught such material, it’s time to reconsider your values.
The article reports:
Do Kids Really Need Stay At Home Moms?
Posted on November 10, 2014 in Family, Marriage by Nathan Cherry
President Obama supports a woman’s choice.
Unless that choice is to be a stay-at-home mom, then he doesn’t want you to make that choice. He would rather you choose your job and earn more money than to stay home with your children.
That’s the main take away from his recent speech at Rhode Island College in Providence, RI recently. It sounds as though our president would like the government to discourage mother from staying home with their kids. As though money, career advancement, and those things the business world offers are more important than raising children. The President said: