Anyone else wish they would have gotten the religious "talk" from their parents?

[Bex4Jesus]

Over the past few years, and especially the last couple of months on the Forums here, I've thought more about religion than I had the entire rest of my life.

My parents are Christians, but they never gave me the religious "talk" where they sat me down and told me WHY they believed what they believed. They never said, "Look we believe this. A lot of other people believe this. Some people don't believe in any God. We think we are right, but you need to decide for yourself."

I keep thinking they should have done this, but they didn't. I would go to church with them but no one ever challenged them, or me, in any way. I look at the questions in the Christian Answers section in the Forums and those questions are more challenging than ANYTHING I had ever encountered.

Did anyone get "the talk?" Did it help?

Bex

[Dani H]

I didn't. I'm not sure if it would have made much of a difference, honestly, as I prefer to seek out my own answers and I quite enjoy challenges that make me dig deeper.

But we're all different, and so I'm always open to questions from my kids because God tells us to share Him with them and teach them His ways. My son has a Bible curriculum as part of his schooling and we talk about God often, and I answer any questions he has to the best of my ability. More than that, I pray for my kids and ask God to take control of their lives.

I see that people are becoming more and more critical and sceptical. I don't know if the generation before us was in the same boat we're in now. Our society is in critical thinking overdrive these days and unbelief abounds. But I don't see that as a bad sign, just the challenge for me to really know what I believe, and why, so I can answer those who ask. Although in the end, treating people with grace and showing them God's love speaks louder than words anyway. I can make any well laid-out argument I want to, and dazzle people with brilliant logic, but if I don't show them love, then like Paul said, I become just a clanging cymbal making loud noises.

[karenoka27]

My parents weren't Christians. The Lord called me out of darkness into His marvelous Light!

I did teach my children that Jesus Christ was the Only way to the Father. Each of my three children,made a decision on their own to accept Him as their Lord and Savior.

As Christians we are called to share the gospel and the best place to start is in your own home.

[CoffeeCat]

I didn't get that talk, either -- when I was younger, my family just expected that I join in with the family in activities, and that included going to church and celebrating Easter, etc. They seemed very traditional, back then. Church, a belief in God, all of that was just taken for granted.... without ever being analyzed or discussed. We just went with it. I knew other religions existed, because one of my best friends growing up was Jewish while another was Buddhist.... but never did my parents or family actually 'say' I had to make up my own mind. I guess they knew I'd think about it for myself and come to my own conclusions. And in a way, I did. But they weren't easy and fast conclusions, and it took me YEARS to finally come to know Christ.

I think what really would have helped would have been having parents who knew Christ and loved Him and who raised me to understand their love for Him. It maybe would have helped to have parents who knew the Bible better at the time, who insisted that I know more of it too as a young person. Maybe it would have helped to have a situation that was different in a hundred ways.... and maybe having that "talk" would have helped. Then again, maybe it would have all driven me away from God and I'd be an atheist now.

I can't know that. But I do know that I had (and have) loving family members who did their best with what they had, and that's all I could have asked for. And I know that when or if I'm a parent someday, I'll be able to raise my child so that they know my love for Jesus, and I'll be praying for that child to come to love Him too. Sometimes I think it's the talks we NEVER have with our parents that remind us that even without those talks, we still got to where we are today okay, and that now we've had a learning experience that'll help us when we have kids.

[Dani H]

P.S. Bex, it's never too late to ask. If your parents are still around, then you should take the opportunity and discuss their faith with them and your beliefs as well. Any time my kids want to discuss God, it always blesses me. I should think it would be no different for your parents.

[Borean]

Actually I should have gotten less...mom is a religious fanatic and I am the only one of her kids who is a Christian, and much to her chagrin I did not remain a Baptist...I bet she thinks I am going to hell.
My sisters were turned off in a major way to anything religious by her inconsistencies...mouth like a sailor but would freak if we cussed. Really she is a nice lady but has stuff she does not wish to face or acknowledge...you know she's really upset when she says "I feel nothing"
Sorry to bash my mom like that...she is generous to a fault and would probably be tortured and killed for me.

[tango]

Over the past few years, and especially the last couple of months on the Forums here, I've thought more about religion than I had the entire rest of my life.

My parents are Christians, but they never gave me the religious "talk" where they sat me down and told me WHY they believed what they believed. They never said, "Look we believe this. A lot of other people believe this. Some people don't believe in any God. We think we are right, but you need to decide for yourself."

I keep thinking they should have done this, but they didn't. I would go to church with them but no one ever challenged them, or me, in any way. I look at the questions in the Christian Answers section in the Forums and those questions are more challenging than ANYTHING I had ever encountered.

Did anyone get "the talk?" Did it help?

Bex

I was raised as a Christian but it didn't stop me turning to the occult as a teenager.

A lot of things can be passed down from parent to child, but sooner or later we all have to figure out what we believe for ourselves. The thing with a lot of questions is that we have to learn to meet people where they are - each person genuinely seeking in Christians Answer (or elsewhere for that matter) is an individual with individual concerns. If all we've got is what our parents taught us then all we can give them is stock answers that often sound like we don't know what we're talking about.

The best teacher of them all is the Holy Spirit. Daily Bible reading and prayer time helps us to know God, and when we know God we can more easily share him with those who are seeking.

[Izdaari]

My parents couldn't really have told me much about it, and I probably wouldn't have listened anyway. My dad was only a nominal Christian (he became an actual believer late in life, after I was grown and had left home), and mom was a Jewish convert, but not so much an actual follower as a fan of the culture and traditions. I found Christ in late childhood, wandered away during my teen years, and returned to the fold all on my own (with His guidance of course).

[Borean]

I'd give you reps for your cool avatar but I have to wait 24 hours...
I want to give so many but I can't...when's the next crazy rep day?

[Biastai]

Interesting idea. I hadn't thought of the importance of such a "talk" myself. With my daughter due to be born any day now, I've been thinking a lot about discussing these things with her and especially keeping an eye out for the time when she starts to seek answers to the more difficult questions regarding our faith. But soon I'll be absorbed in burping, diapers, swaddling, and abrupt awakenings in the middle of the night, so these thoughts will take a back seat real quick!

I think I'll focus most of my energies on our actions and habits connected with our faith. If our daughter perceives we are just going to church and coming home, and she struggles to see the reason why we are doing it, or if she feels we are not helping anyone or making a difference...then I'll have a problem on my hands that no "talk" can ever resolve.

[Athanasius]

Over the past few years, and especially the last couple of months on the Forums here, I've thought more about religion than I had the entire rest of my life.

My parents are Christians, but they never gave me the religious "talk" where they sat me down and told me WHY they believed what they believed. They never said, "Look we believe this. A lot of other people believe this. Some people don't believe in any God. We think we are right, but you need to decide for yourself."

I keep thinking they should have done this, but they didn't. I would go to church with them but no one ever challenged them, or me, in any way. I look at the questions in the Christian Answers section in the Forums and those questions are more challenging than ANYTHING I had ever encountered.

Did anyone get "the talk?" Did it help?

Bex

That's a big assumption, that no one ever challenged your parents beliefs - are you sure about that? As for the talk... I don't see what it could accomplish. If I ever gave it I certainly wouldn't say, "I think I'm right"... I know I'm right. If my kids ever had any questions, I should hope they would come out and ask.

[cdo]

Hi,
No, I didn't get that talk either.My family never spoke of Jesus unless it was cursing. God made away through some friends to learn of Jesus when I was a teen. However, I still didn't know Him but, of Him....big difference !!!! But, Praise God I'm still getting to know Him more daily
~~Darlene~~