I read an article the other day a bout raising kids to have no concept of sin. I have to say, it was heartbreaking in so many different ways. Honestly, I almost don't even know where to start...
First, I have to admit that my heart broke for the parents in the article. From what the article said, they both grew up going to church in what the author called "fundamentalist" homes. She talked about God as if He were some bitter, cynical judge who just wanted to throw the book at any rule breakers. She said she was always afraid of messing up; "sin" was like the hammer waiting to drop and crush her under its weight.
I've got to say, I wouldn't want my kids to grow up with that view of God and sin, either.
It's a sad truth that many people turn away from the perfect love of God because of the imperfections of people. All too often, people are hurt early in life by those associated with God, and those hurts get so deep that they cut all the way to the soul. Those wounds never really heal, and people pull away from God in an attempt to keep from getting hurt again.
The other side, though, is the heartbreak for the kids. It's not an uncommon thing--kids are raised thinking that there is no ultimate truth, no right or wrong other than what works for each person. They are told that the only thing that matters is trying to make the world a "better place" through social justice causes.
The problem is, how do you define "justice" if there is no ultimate authority? How do you decide what gets labeled "good" if there's no set standard to measure against? What I say is "bad," then, gets defined by so many factors I can't even list them all--my cultural background, the influence of my parents, past experiences that may have hurt my feelings, my own personal opinions... For someone else, those things will be totally different.
Ignoring a truth doesn't make it any less true. Sin doesn't cease to exist simply because we choose to pretend like it's something we don't have to think about.
First, I have to admit that my heart broke for the parents in the article. From what the article said, they both grew up going to church in what the author called "fundamentalist" homes. She talked about God as if He were some bitter, cynical judge who just wanted to throw the book at any rule breakers. She said she was always afraid of messing up; "sin" was like the hammer waiting to drop and crush her under its weight.
I've got to say, I wouldn't want my kids to grow up with that view of God and sin, either.
It's a sad truth that many people turn away from the perfect love of God because of the imperfections of people. All too often, people are hurt early in life by those associated with God, and those hurts get so deep that they cut all the way to the soul. Those wounds never really heal, and people pull away from God in an attempt to keep from getting hurt again.
The other side, though, is the heartbreak for the kids. It's not an uncommon thing--kids are raised thinking that there is no ultimate truth, no right or wrong other than what works for each person. They are told that the only thing that matters is trying to make the world a "better place" through social justice causes.
The problem is, how do you define "justice" if there is no ultimate authority? How do you decide what gets labeled "good" if there's no set standard to measure against? What I say is "bad," then, gets defined by so many factors I can't even list them all--my cultural background, the influence of my parents, past experiences that may have hurt my feelings, my own personal opinions... For someone else, those things will be totally different.
Ignoring a truth doesn't make it any less true. Sin doesn't cease to exist simply because we choose to pretend like it's something we don't have to think about.
