Doesn’t telling children to obey their parents enable abusers?
Question:
I completely disagree that you would teach obeying parents to children or people at your church. Honor does not mean “obey” and if a child or adult is being abused by their parent, they should not obey.
You may want to rephrase your messages on your website unless you are enabling abusers within your congregation.
Question:
I still feel the message to young children to obey a parent who may be harming them is a wrong message. Religion may be a huge problem in preventing the sexual abuse of children.
Answer:
Now the truth comes out. Here is a non-believer attempting to dictate to Christians what parts of the Bible ought to be taught. That Christians actively oppose child abuse and teach against it doesn't enter this person's mind. That the articles state that obedience is limited to the truths of God's word doesn't matter -- most likely because she has no idea what God teaches. The reader objects to the command: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth" (Ephesians 6:1-3). In other words, she doesn't believe God is right.
"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!" (II Timothy 3:1-5).
Doesn't telling children to disobey their parents enable disrespect of all authority and lead to chaos?
