A column appeared in a major newspaper some time ago that demanded attention through
its headline "Fine tradition of non-belief".
Its opening words were, "When you first tell your children you don't believe in God
it comes as quite a shock to them." The writer then made a genuine and sincere attempt
to justify non-belief and brief excerpts below do not do justice to the writer's
sentiments, but make interesting contemplation.
This writer states, "It's time for Parents Without Faith to come out of the shadows.
For too long we have taken a softly softly approach, nervous lest our agnosticism
drive our children into religious nuttery.....Believers have no qualms about inculcating
religious values in their children.....But we of little faith hang back, tolerant
to a fault.....we non-believers are also part of a long tradition.....Like most parents,
I would like my children to absorb my values. I would be happy to produce another
generation of non-believers."
Now what do you make of this?
Children have a desire to believe in God because somewhere embedded deep inside their
spirits is a desire to commune with their Creator. If a parent tells the child that
they don't believe in God or that they don't believe in belief, of course the child will be shocked. Agnosticism makes no sense to children because in their simple minds they have to conclude that the laws of cause and effect operate. They exist, therefore something must have made them.
Jesus once lovingly called a little child to stand amongst his disciples and then
announced, "I'm telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one
and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom,
let alone get in." (The Message
Eugene Peterson p. 55 of Matt 18:3)
Children have a great capacity for wisdom in the face of a world that is often hostile
to the gospel. To quote Peterson's interpretation of scripture again: "GOD, brilliant
Lord, yours is a household name. Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you; toddlers shout the songs that drown out enemy talk, and silence atheist babble." (The Message
p. 655 of Psalm 8:1,2)
The writer of the newspaper article professes non-belief, rather than unbelief. To
believe nothing is an utter cop-out and is a nonsense to children and that is why
they are "shocked". As to the desire to produce another generation of non-believers....
Christian parents have the honour of passing the richest gift to their children and
friends. He is the King of atheist and agnostics and He loves them very much. His
name is Jesus. "But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
(Josh 24:15).
| John Jenkins |