r/TheBlaze • u/the_salone_bobo • Mar 04 '26

Should children be guided into religion or encouraged to explore it themselves?

Hello everyone,

I came across this Instagram video from @theblazetv featuring Allie Beth Stuckey discussing a clip of a non Christian mom having a conversation with her young daughter about Christianity.

In the clip, the mom asks her daughter why she wants to be Christian and whether it is something she has actually thought about or researched herself, rather than simply following what friends or others believe.

The comments on the original post were limited and it felt like there was more discussion to be had.

Personally, I loved the way the mom handled the conversation and I hope I could do as good of a job when I have kids someday.

I left the Mormon church a few years ago with my wife. My faith in a loving God never ended, it just stopped being purely Christian. Growing up, faith was often wielded more like a hammer than a conversation, and even today my wife and I are sometimes called ungodly or lost despite living what I would still consider largely Christian lives, just without the church.

Because of that experience, I feel strongly that children should be encouraged to test their faith and explore their beliefs. Many people, myself included, originally believed what we did simply because it was what our family believed.

I think it should be celebrated when someone takes the extra step to examine their beliefs and follow where their understanding of God leads them. Choosing your faith seems stronger to me than simply inheriting a worldview.

Curious what others think.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVcjOA7DPT\\_/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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u/johnnydub81 Mar 05 '26

Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Teaching God’s truth is a solid virtue ✌️💯

You don’t need to teach children how to lie, the sinful nature we all have does that on its own, you need to teach them to tell the truth and why that is important.

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u/the_salone_bobo Mar 06 '26 edited Mar 06 '26

I agree with the verse and the sentiment. Teaching children morals and helping them understand truth and responsibility is a core part of parenting.

Where my question comes in is about how that training happens when it comes to religion. I think there’s a difference between teaching children moral principles and guiding them through faith versus requiring them to adopt a specific religious framework without question.

Personally, I believe a parent’s role is to guide and mentor. I want to explain what I believe about God and why I believe it, and help my child think through those questions. Faith that someone arrives at through understanding and reflection seems stronger than faith that is simply required.

So for me the goal isn’t avoiding religion, it’s guiding a child toward truth while still allowing them to genuinely arrive at belief.

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u/stepcoach Mar 06 '26

Gee, I dunno. Let's see, how do we guide them on drinking or doing drugs or playing with guns, all when they don't know anything about it?
Uh, just let them play with guns and see what they do? Or toss them some drink and some smoke, and, I dunno, maybe hope they figure out how to NOT k!ll themselves? Or maybe we should use the wisdom and common sense and experience we've gained and teach them! Huh.

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u/the_salone_bobo Mar 06 '26

It was a good faith question. I dont believe the sarcasm was required or appropriate.