We love our children and we want the best for them, the best diet, the best education, the best career. But how should we approach the most important question of all: “Does God exist?” What happens when they ask “Where do I come from?” and “What happens when I die?” Are you ready to look your child in the eye and say: “Honey, this is all there is; after life, nothing but a dusty grave.”
If we choose the humanistic route through life, we run the risk of letting in irrational existential fears that are then passed down from generation to generation. Not believing in anything beyond the grave is dangerous and ultimately destructive. Without the authority of a loving God to rule over us, authority in society erodes. Without the moral benchmarks established by the Bible, morality in society becomes confused. And without the prospect of an eternal paradise to look forward to, life becomes nothing more than a series of joys that eventually fade into meaninglessness.
Some adults may choose atheism for themselves and accept that the end of life is the end of everything, but how does it feel to pass on that bleak perspective to your children? It is a painful and disconcerting task to see innocent minds succumbing to that dark nihilism. It is far better to send them to Sunday school and teach them that Jesus loves them no matter what and prepare them for the joy of an everlasting heaven.
By deliberately charging children early on with a vision of futility, we put all the pressure on the here and now, and if here and now is all there is, they are encouraged to adopt bad habits. Nihilism leads to overcompensation in the present. The temptation to let the physical and the material rule our lives is no longer resistible, and more than that.: the physical and the material must be perfect or life becomes unacceptable.
The vanity, selfishness, and resulting insecurity these evils bring can quickly take over the minds of vulnerable young people, and before long, the inevitable rot ensues. Sex, drugs, and the desire to be noticed and approved constantly become the natural substitutes for faith. So why are we surprised when our children end up in dangerous situations? They will do anything to ease the weight of their boring and supposedly useless lives.
The cure is to renew your faith.
In the past three centuries, science has gradually overtaken faith as the basis of hope for humanity. The wonderful advances in technology, in the fields of medicine, communications, transportation and entertainment, although welcome, have convinced us that science will one day provide a paradise on earth. But what is the evidence for this? Are the wars over? Is everyone on the planet being properly fed and cared for? Are we living in peace with our environment? While we have at our disposal countless devices that supposedly make our lives easier, we are increasingly aware of a growing insecurity. As we remove God from our lives and are forced to rely entirely on our own efforts to formulate some kind of meaning, we become confused about life’s priorities. Should work or family come first? Should we spend our lives helping others or helping ourselves? Most of us would like to be more altruistic, but we can’t find the time or the resources. And when it comes to what’s right and what’s wrong, how many times have you heard: “It’s not worth being nice!” As a result of these confusing signals, we doubt everything and trust nothing.
Much of the blame for this distorted worldview is because it falsely elevates science beyond its remit. Science is not equipped to address assumptions about our origins, the inner workings of our minds, and the important question of moral purpose. Unsubstantiated science like evolution and the big bang belong to the field of theory; While evolution as a process of adaptation is easy to understand, it has yet to produce a definitive proof of how new species emerge. And while the mathematics behind the Big Bang may be sound, it is not enough to explain what was the factor that caused the Big Bang in the first place.
Science is not the path to an anxiety-free life (as anyone with a bad internet connection will attest!) But anxiety is actually compounded by science!
Are we, as adults, doing our duty as responsible mentors when we teach our children this sad philosophy, that they are nothing more than highly advanced apes created in a freak accident, part of an accidental universe destined only for grim extinction?
If you think this is a bad option, be glad there is an alternative.
Philippians 4: v6.7 Do not worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
By believing in a loving God, all the worries in the world and all our anxieties vanish. The earth was not created by random destructive forces (which in itself is a curious contradiction) but by the eternal version of ourselves that wants the best for us and made us out of love. for experience love, to learn to love better. Faith does not make life perfect. When we read the Bible, we find that none of God’s chosen ones were perfect or had a perfect life, but they had a perfect relationship with God that was enough to guide them through the worst atrocities. From Adam to Moses, David and Solomon, and the prophets who preceded Jesus, we meet believers who struggle with all the things we struggle with today, but with divine guidance they triumphed. Perfection is not found on the surface of things, but in the heart, because that is where God speaks to us.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; I give you my peace. I do not give it to you as the world gives it. Not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Today’s society is afraid and far from being at peace with itself. We have become fearful of our own ability. Few know the way of peace. There was a time when men were at peace until there was war; now there are fewer wars but no one knows peace. The root of this concern is obvious. Everyone has their eye on something that does not exist, the convenience of money; that’s the real myth. There is no peace in the world and no peace in a flourishing bank balance, only peace in God.
Cynics might argue that it is illusory to place our trust in a mythical being, but there is no greater myth than the myth of economics. Believing in the power of interest rates and stock prices as the route to humanity’s happiness and salvation is the real illusion, because what do big companies produce apart from a few billionaires at the top and poor employees? and an impoverished environment at the bottom? How much better to believe in the power of love. Our children grow up believing that debt is the most natural thing in the world and something worth aspiring to, that the only indication of its value is the number on their bank statement or credit score, and that unless they reach the top of their profession, they have failed.
And if they fail, they are not loved.
God would say otherwise, and the reverse provides a much more painless way of life.
So when you hear those vital questions coming off your kid’s lips, tell them this and you won’t be lying: Scientists can only see and understand 4% of the universe (stars, planets, galaxies and their inhabitants). The other 96% is a total mystery. With a little imagination they can fill this void with whatever they want; with your dreams or premonitions; with ghosts; with angels and demons, fairies and the Easter bunny, or whatever other concoction they can summon from their mighty minds, and no one can take that away from them because no one knows any better. Then tell the story of God who loved us so much that he sacrificed his son Jesus for us. In this way we can gradually begin to rescue a confused and anxious generation from the dangers of agnosticism, atheism, and dark nihilism, lift them out of the grave, and fill them once again with God’s love, peace, and the promise of their destiny. divine.