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tion. Many have been brought up
with it.
That philosophy advocated not
instilling or enforcing a system of
religious values on children. "Let
them grow up and make decisions
on church, religion and God when
they are mature adults," they
(whoever they are) proclaimed.
Meanwhile evolution, promiscu–
ity, permissiveness, nonjudgmental
instruction and a host of evils too
numerous to mention are being
foisted off on the young.
Don't listen to that diabolical
reasoning. Teach your
chi ldren from infancy the
values and morals you
should yourself learn
from the Holy Bible, the
Word of
God- the u/ti–
mate written source of al/
true values.
Then SELL Those Values
But teaching alone is not enough.
What you teach your children will
be only one of many things they
will be taught in their developing
years. T hey will be taught by other
children, by their teachers at
school, by the movies they see, by
the television programs they watch,
by the books and
mag~ines
they
November/ December 1984
read, by the music they hear. They
will be literally surrounded by pulls
and inHuences that will tempt them
from the way you hope they will
walk.
But how can you sell them?
First and foremost by your
example. How you live is even
more important than wbat you
say.
This method was used by J esus
of Nazareth who, Peter said, "suf–
fered for you, leaving you an exam–
ple, that you should follow in his
steps"
(1
Pet. 2:21 ). And John fur–
ther said of those who would be
Christians, "Whoever claims to live
in him must walk as Jesus did" ( 1
John 2:6).
Jesus' disciples were inspired by
the personal example he set for
them during those three years he
spent training them. He "sold"
them on God's values. They carne
to live by them. They taught them
throughout the Roman world in the
century that followed.
l f your children observe abusivc
language, yell ing, hitting, sulking,
complaining from you parents,
there is little value in your telling
them to be respectful, polite and
patient.
If they see alcohol abuse and live
with the smoke of hundreds of
packs of cigarettes, it is to follow
they will not respond to parental
teaching not to drink, smoke or use
drugs.
If
parents brag about cheating on
their taxes to the government, they
should not be shocked when teach-
ers catch the child cheating on a
test at school.
ff a child sees a working parent
pretend to be sick and stay home
from work, it should come as no
surprise when school officials call
about excessive absence and truan–
cy from school.
If
a parent drives down the high–
way with disregard for speeding
regulations, he or she should not be
surprised when the police call that
the 17-year-old in the family has
been ar rested for reckless driving
and speeding.
In other words the first person to
sell on a true value system is
you.
If you believe in and live by the
best possible standards, you r chil–
dren will see the result.
If
there is warmth, happiness,
forgiveness, love and encourage–
ment in your day-to-day family life,
your children will not forget it the
hours they are away at school.
That doesn't mean they won't be
tempted or that they won't make a
few mistakes. But the basic way of
life they have been taught and have
absorbed will not be wasted.
The Resul ts
In this world your children
are going to be exposed to
many evils and wrongs in
spite of all your efforts to
keep them from them.
l n the long run, your
success as a parent and
teacher will be mani–
fested by how you have
sold those right and true
val ues to your ch ildren.
Part of your teaching
will include what you per–
mit your children to view
and read. With how they
spend their time. Whom
they choose as friends.
As parents we may not
always agree on just
which books, television
programs or movies shou ld be
avoided or forbidden. T hat is the
responsibility of each family.
But maybe we can all agree, as the
other professor and
1
both do, that
teaching, living by and sell ing your
values to you r children is your best
assurance they will fight the good
fight and walk tbe straight and nar–
row way that willlead them to happy
and successful adult lives.
o
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