HappyGrace Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I STRONGLY believe one side of the coin, and teach it very strongly and thoroughly to my dc, including the supporting Scriptural and scientific facts that I believe to be true. I do teach them that many Christians believe the other side of the coin, and what that side of the coin believes. I also hope and pray and teach humility for them with other Christians when faced with an opposing viewpoint. Although I believe Scripture completely supports my view and I stand firm upon it, none of us KNOW 100% for sure, so how do you present this issue to your dc? (Please do not use this as a forum to debate sides! I have very carefully kept my post neutral because I don't want this thread to be divisive amongst fellow board Christians.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I do the same thing...teach our family's viewpoint as fact and teach all other viewpoints by way of comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted December 28, 2009 Author Share Posted December 28, 2009 I should have also asked: Does it seem Scriptural to teach it as fact when we don't know 100% for sure? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coralloyd Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I'm not sure, so I tell my kids this. I tell them witch way I lean most toward. I tell them that many Christians disagree and it is ok to disagree. It is not something to fight or seperate over. It is just interesting to debate and discuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 We teach our children (or the one that is left at home) science based on scripture and scientific fact. Scripture backs up the science and vice-versa. We've made sure they know that some Christians use less science (sorry, but that's how we see it), but they know not to debate it with others unless it is an appropriate setting for doing such a thing. Our tutorial's statement of faith is strict on only the literal 6 day creation so our kids know not to talk about our scientific view there. You're allowed to attend there if you don't agree but you're supposed to respect the sof by not discussing other views there. We don't sign up for classes where that would be an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Closeacademy Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I just teach all sides and leave my viewpoint out of it. In fact, I tell my dc not to worry about who is right because it is not really our business to figure it out but it is interesting to study. They can just ask God how it all went down when they meet him in heaven some day.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I just teach all sides and leave my viewpoint out of it. In fact, I tell my dc not to worry about who is right because it is not really our business to figure it out but it is interesting to study. They can just ask God how it all went down when they meet him in heaven some day.:tongue_smilie: You're reminding me of something that I recently said to a friend who's viewpoint is different than my own. It was to the tune of my thinking that God's acceptance us is not likely based on whether we were right/wrong about how long he took to create our world. I believe we are saved by faith in Jesus, not our view on how to interpret Genesis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoboys Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Yes, however--I will explain all view as the boys get older. I believe in teaching all sides of an issue, but also teaching my beliefs as truth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted December 28, 2009 Author Share Posted December 28, 2009 Good quote from CathieC---"God's acceptance us is not likely based on whether we were right/wrong about how long he took to create our world..." Exactly my point-this is an area of conviction, not one of the big irrefutable "core beliefs" of Christianity, like saved by grace through faith in Christ, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 With out oldest we presented all sides, and the logistal errors and problems. I agree with others that it's an area of belief but nothing that will keep us out of Heaven. That said, I also think it will bolster my kids' faith to know the Bible can be trusted to mean what it says, and we take a closer look at the science that backs it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 My pastor divides these things up by "core beliefs" that are distinctive to Christianity that we must agree on, like the resurrection, for example. Then there are outside of that the "characteristic beliefs" that are denominational differences like views on baptism. And outside of that there are the "charity beliefs" like end times or age of the earth that we can agree to disagree on but are not things that should divide the body. I do teach my children what we believe but I also tell them that not everyone agrees with us. But I don't present both sides as fact and allow them to choose. They can do that later themselves. I tell them why we believe that God has led us to this conclusion based on scripture and leave it at that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 We are Christians but we are also a science family. (DH is a professional scientist as well as a military officer). We teach the science and we teach our faith. With our view, there is no discrepancy between the scientific view of the age of the universe and the Bible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotsofpumpkins Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Yes, we teach what we believe as fact. When we run across differing opinions in books, I explain that not everyone believes the same thing. My children are still pretty young, so the explanations are not that deep, but I imagine as they get older we'll dive in deeper with our discussions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 We teach that some Christians take Genesis literally and some do not. We teach that when God's words to man (Bible) are in supposed conflict with man's fallible ability to explain the world around him (science), then the Bible is right and man is wrong. We teach that one day the Bible and history, science, etc. will all perfectly agree with one another because God will set the record straight. Basically we view man and science something like children playing with legos. They may make some incredible things with those legos. They may explain some great wonders of the world and they may even be right. But when the Creator of the legos and of the children comes into the room, He is able to pick up all the pieces and instantly explain every bit of the puzzle to us. And we'll all be amazed and all learn something new. In the meantime He lets us play with the legos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherri in MI Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 We teach what we believe as fact. We do mention that other Christians believe differently on that issue and we must treat them and their viewpoint with respect. It's not an issue to divide on. I'm trying to teach ds that it's important to know what you believe and why and at the same time it's most important to treat others with love and that there is a wide range of viewpoints on many things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 We're science folks and YEC (both hubby and I) and believe the one doesn't contradict the other. We teach all sides and evidences for and lacking for each. I'm not sure that I teach it as 100% fact, but more of a "most likely based on the evidence" deal. We definitely teach that it's not a salvation issue as it wasn't so long ago that neither of us were YEC, yet we were most definitely still saved. We also teach that it's never worth arguing over, but can be a fun discussion in the right setting. Fortunately, we're in an area where there are other science folks with similar beliefs - even if they are undercover in their own professional domains (as am I). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Exactly my point-this is an area of conviction, not one of the big irrefutable "core beliefs" of Christianity, like saved by grace through faith in Christ, etc. My pastor divides these things up by "core beliefs" that are distinctive to Christianity that we must agree on, like the resurrection, for example. Then there are outside of that the "characteristic beliefs" that are denominational differences like views on baptism. And outside of that there are the "charity beliefs" like end times or age of the earth that we can agree to disagree on but are not things that should divide the body. I have found that the biggest disagreements center on what is a core belief and what is not, though. :001_smile: Also, what you believe about a "non-core" can reveal a true or false understanding of a core belief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I honestly don't know what to believe, but I don't buy one of the beliefs at all. I explain that they are all just theories. I explain that I believe we will never know the exact answer during our lifetime, and that it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Yes, we teach it as a fact from Scripture. We also teach about all other beliefs, so that dc are prepared for whatever they may encounter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Although I believe Scripture completely supports my view and I stand firm upon it, none of us KNOW 100% for sure, so how do you present this issue to your dc? My beliefs have changed over the past seven years or so. I'm pretty convinced as to one side, with one stumbling block. That's the side our curriculums have usually taught. I gladly teach that, however, and discuss with my kids why people believe different things. More importantly to me is that my kids realize that this is not a salvation issue, and that satan has effectively used this to divide Christians. It doesn't matter in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenS Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 In our house, Daddy and Mommy have different views, so Mommy has to teach neutral. :) Ours are still young enough that I get to avoid the issue when I want to, but my son has actually asked me how old the Earth is. (He's a numbers kid.) So we did a sort of Socratic discussion ... we talked about how the Bible talks about the beginning of the earth, and that writing is at least (whatever) thousand years old, so the world is obviously older than that, etc. Then I explained that we couldn't know for sure since we weren't there, but that there were different views as to exactly how old past that the earth was ... that I think one thing (I'm young earth, fwiw), and why, and that others think a different way, and why. I will ultimately leave it up to my kids to decide for themselves, but will teach how I believe while trying my best to balance how others believe too. If that makes any sense. I want to teach respect for various viewpoints, but whenever I find a book that addresses the controversy (from either side), it always seems to be disrespectful of the opposing view. It's easier to find old-earth and evolution books that ignore young earth altogether, than it is to find plain old young earth books. Makes it hard. I just want ONE book with pretty pictures and facts about dinosaurs that doesn't put ANY timeline on it at all. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Our children know which way dh and I lean on the subject, but we do not teach it as fact because, well, we just don't know for sure. I've had some interesting discussions with my oldest about the age of the earth and, actually, our science materials do not line up with our position on the subject, but we enjoy the books and the theme is not pervasive, so there you have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I teach what I believe, but make it clear Mommy doesn't know everything regarding the topic. Most importanly, I teach my dc to look at the evidence...not merely a human opinion. I think it's vital to let our kids know what the debate is about (at some point) and help them see fact from opinion. I think both sides of the debate make assumptions kwim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill- OK Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 (edited) ...and also tell them my opinion. I don't think that it's perfectly clear, Biblically, which is "right" (or that those are the only two options), so I don't teach either of them as fact. Edited December 28, 2009 by Jill, OK grammatical error Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I have always taught what we believe, but also that we lack perfect understanding. With my oldest I have gone over the different Christian viewpoints on the issue and make it clear that you can hold a different position and still be a Christian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I believe one way, and teach my children that. However, I also let them know that this is NOT a test of our salvation. Plenty of wonderful Christians disagree with me, and we will probably not know the true answer until we are in Heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted December 29, 2009 Author Share Posted December 29, 2009 Reading all this is so interesting! It's great to see how everyone is handling this situation. Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 I believe one way (young earth), but I'm not dogmatic about that view. DH believes the other way (old earth) and he's more dogmatic about that than I am, although he, too, realizes that we'll only REALLY know when we get to heaven. Our kids are young, so I'm not sure what we'll teach them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 I tell them that no one is 100% sure, but we do talk about what the evidence suggests. We also talk about what people believe and I tell them what I believe. They're welcome to disagree. I admit it if I don't know the answer to something and we frequently go try to find the answer together. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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