Do Children Who Have Lost Their Faith Benefit From Parents Who Haven’t?

TheDiscipleMD

I think that there are a lot of children who lose their faith in their religious heritage and believe that their parents should be understanding. Often, they want them to not just be understanding but supportive. After all, that’s what agency is all about. But I wonder how those same children would accept the abandonment of the core values they had been taught if the parents decided to join in. Would they somehow feel that the foundation of their lives were being completely yanked out from under them? I mean, when you abandon your faith, is there some comfort in knowing your parents still believe in some principles?

My siblings and I have over fifty children between us. Some of them have chosen a path different than what we decided. Some, a very different path. And that is an agency at its fullest. But one thing I observed and was keenly aware of was that my Father, who at 93 passed away, and who was firm in his faith in Jesus Christ and His restored gospel till the end, had everyone’s respect. And I believe he provided a pillar of stability in a very unsteady world. I often wondered if he had denied his faith and if it would have had a negative impact on our extended family. I firmly believe it would have contributed to a destablization of several generations of his posterity. The potential for negative to me is frightening! You see, amid the storms in everyone’s life, his kids, grandchildren, and great-grandkids, there he stood, rock solid in his belief in Jesus Christ and a grand plan for each of us. And I believe that was comforting to everyone, both believers and non-believers!

So the next time when we wander, and we wish our parents or grandparents would understand why we wander, think how we would feel if they decided to join us. Perhaps you would celebrate their lost faith. But I’m guessing not. This world needs more people of faith who waiver, not. Who still stand mighty and tall as a lighthouse in the storm of life, as the rest of us struggle to barely keep our heads above water while drowning in a sea of our own making.