Dear Atheist Mommy and Daddy,
I found fascinating your recent comment that you would never “force religion down” your children’s throats, that you were going to let them decide whether or not to follow such fables, and which ones to pursue.
Congratulations. You are, it seems, true champions of religious tolerance.
I find this attitude especially interesting in light of how careful you are with your kids about all the little things of life. You’ve taught them, for instance, to wash their hands with Adrian Monk-like enthusiasm whenever they’ve encountered potential germs, and never to share their toothbrushes with their little friends. You make sure that they’re protected by all the right stuff, from vaccinations to bike helmets to the warmest winter duds. You have instructed them, just as your folks once instructed you, not to take candy from strangers – not to mention never ever getting into cars with them. And of course you resort to serious time-outs when they flirt with danger by, for example, wandering into the street when you’re not there to shepherd them.
And yet, when it comes to the important things – the things that can give them peace and purpose on this earth and a heavenly eternity – they’re apparently on their own.
I just don’t get that. Why would you not investigate the big questions of life just as diligently as you do the latest thought on nutrition and child safety? Isn’t “forever” a little more important than the 70 or 80 or 90 years we spend on this earth?
Even if you don’t believe in an afterlife, or absolute truth, or a God, surely you understand that your subjective feelings on the subject have absolutely nothing to do with what’s true.
Don’t you think that maybe you owe it to your children to pursue the truth of this matter just a fervently as you investigate next year’s vacation destinations?
You may have given the subject passing consideration over the years. You may even have read a Mitch Albom novel or listened to Oprah expound on her version of universalism. But I know that you haven’t even begun to really research these questions. I know this because you could not possibly walk away from a sincere study of the Bible without being blown away by its content – especially by what its writers predicted, 2000+ years ago, about the destruction and restoration of the nation of Israel, or what they said about scientific truths that are only now being discovered by modern scientists.
Won’t you invest a little time in researching this all-important topic, for your kids’ sake, if not your own?
You’ll find a starter list of suggested resources in my library, and what I hope is an entertaining presentation of eternal truth in my memoir. But there are scores of other resources out there. I pray that you’ll begin your own quest today. In the meantime, if you have any questions for me, fire away!
Sincerely,
Kitty Foth-Regner
Originally posted 10/8/14
I found fascinating your recent comment that you would never “force religion down” your children’s throats, that you were going to let them decide whether or not to follow such fables, and which ones to pursue.
Congratulations. You are, it seems, true champions of religious tolerance.
I find this attitude especially interesting in light of how careful you are with your kids about all the little things of life. You’ve taught them, for instance, to wash their hands with Adrian Monk-like enthusiasm whenever they’ve encountered potential germs, and never to share their toothbrushes with their little friends. You make sure that they’re protected by all the right stuff, from vaccinations to bike helmets to the warmest winter duds. You have instructed them, just as your folks once instructed you, not to take candy from strangers – not to mention never ever getting into cars with them. And of course you resort to serious time-outs when they flirt with danger by, for example, wandering into the street when you’re not there to shepherd them.
And yet, when it comes to the important things – the things that can give them peace and purpose on this earth and a heavenly eternity – they’re apparently on their own.
I just don’t get that. Why would you not investigate the big questions of life just as diligently as you do the latest thought on nutrition and child safety? Isn’t “forever” a little more important than the 70 or 80 or 90 years we spend on this earth?
Even if you don’t believe in an afterlife, or absolute truth, or a God, surely you understand that your subjective feelings on the subject have absolutely nothing to do with what’s true.
Don’t you think that maybe you owe it to your children to pursue the truth of this matter just a fervently as you investigate next year’s vacation destinations?
You may have given the subject passing consideration over the years. You may even have read a Mitch Albom novel or listened to Oprah expound on her version of universalism. But I know that you haven’t even begun to really research these questions. I know this because you could not possibly walk away from a sincere study of the Bible without being blown away by its content – especially by what its writers predicted, 2000+ years ago, about the destruction and restoration of the nation of Israel, or what they said about scientific truths that are only now being discovered by modern scientists.
Won’t you invest a little time in researching this all-important topic, for your kids’ sake, if not your own?
You’ll find a starter list of suggested resources in my library, and what I hope is an entertaining presentation of eternal truth in my memoir. But there are scores of other resources out there. I pray that you’ll begin your own quest today. In the meantime, if you have any questions for me, fire away!
Sincerely,
Kitty Foth-Regner
Originally posted 10/8/14
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