Love God more than your parents

[Newrumpus]

DD1 came home from CofE school this week saying she had been told that she should love God more than her Mum & Dad. I feel slightly uncomfortable about this. Just wondered what others thought.

[meditrina]

That there's been a garble.

[Newrumpus]

That's what I'm hoping. So it's out of the question?

[eileenslightlytotheleft]

When my dd says anything about church (also CoE school), I say 'How interesting. That's what the church says. What do you think?'

[meditrina]

The first and second Commandments are about loving God above all others - but that is a reference to all other gods. The fifth Commandment is about honouring parents. Is it possible they've been learning about this, and she's over interpreted the 1 and 2 at the expense of 5?

[Newrumpus]

Perfectly possible. She had a slightly mischievous look in her eyes as though she was daring me to challenge what her teachers said. I never do in her hearing.

I think turning it around on her to see what she thinks is a good strategy - then I'm neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Thanks

[pinkcushion]

What age? In Infant school my dcs were often confused by what they were told at school about God, in the beginning it really annoyed me but they do sort it out themselves. It's hard to know whether it has come from the staff or a pupil - I once heard a child telling the class if you don't believe in God then you're going to hell - lovely Christain message.

They develop more confidence to express their developing beliefs in Junior school and are able to distance themselves from faith brainwashing teaching without feeling like they are disobeying the teacher.

But if you were Christian - should you love God more than anyone else, does it tell you that in the Bible - it's an interesting thought and in practical terms what would it mean?

[TheHeathenOfSuburbia]

Matthew 10 34-37:

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
And a person?s enemies will be those of his own household.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."


You're not going to argue with Jesus, are you?!

(How old is she?)

[Newrumpus]

Wow. I thought it was more love and compassion.

She's in Y1.

[colditz]

Set up a game of Chinese Whispers in your living room, show her that things can lose their sense and meaning in repetition. Then explain that the Bible was written a long time after Jesus allegedly spoke, and has been rewritten countlessly.

[prh47bridge]

The Old Testament was written a long time before Jesus. The oldest Gospel (Mark) was certainly written by AD70 (around 40 years after Jesus' death) and there are scholars who believe it was written some 10 or 20 years earlier. Some of Paul's letters were certainly written between 50AD and 60AD. As far as we can tell the entire New Testament was written by 100AD.

As for "rewritten countlessly", that simply isn't true. Modern translators use the oldest available manuscripts and make every effort to get as close as possible to the original words. For most of the New Testament we have manuscripts dating back to around 200AD. Some of the manuscripts for the Old Testament are even older.

Having said that, I would not agree that the Bible says we should love God more than our parents. The passage quoted by TheHeathenOf Surbubia merely says we should love God at least as much as our parents - not the same thing.

[meditrina]

The history of the documentation of the Old and New Testaments is better known and based on more surviving texts than much of the rest of early history. If you judge it doesn't meet standard, you'd have to chuck quite a lot of other works too.

I agree with prh47bridge's interpretation as she says in her last paragraph.

[FionaJT]

My dd is in Yr 1 at a church school (I'm not religious) - my answer to tricky questions is usually that is what some people believe, I don't (and why if that's possible) and she can think about it and decide for herself. We often end up with some quite deep dinner table debates.

[pinkcushion]

Tis all meaningless anyway - you love with your heart not your head - you can't force yourself to love God at least as much as your parents - you can prioritise, you can change the way you do things but you can't force yourself to truly love in equal measures - totally irrational and meaningless. Any one else immagining God as a child throwing a tantrum in that little speech - "I want to be the most important" - "look at me" - "love me the most" - all sounds a bit egocentric.

But dh assures me that it is about historical context - in the days where Christianity was a new religion - families may not approve of your new found faith and you may have to turn your away from your family if they stood in the way of you and your faith. Then again why didn't they bloody well call a spade a spade - what is the point in a book of guidance that only the learned can grasp. They clearly hadn't heard of Plain English Campaign


I like my image of the deity throwing a tantrum much better.

[Anjae]

From my experience I find that if you have God at the centre of your life and love Him more than anything physical you will be able to love your loved ones more than otherwise. So while it sounds harsh to say you should love Him more than your family if you are spiritually awake you will understand this better, not take this in a negative way and be tankful that He makes you a better Mum/wife/friend/sister etc.

[eileenslightlytotheleft]

I am not really religious, but I love the fact that my DD (6) is learning so much about the main religion of her country - I think it adds a whole new dimension to her life. Like Fiona, I like the fact that it allows us to debate and discuss deep issues - and it helps her to come to terms with the idea of death.

I never feel that I have to agree with what the school/church say - in fact I like the fact that she gets different viewpoints. We've also been on a Buddhist retreat, so she doesn't have an entirely Christian slant on everything.

[reallytired]

Tell her that true love is without measure.

[confidence]

@ pinkcushion

"In Infant school my dcs were often confused by what they were told at school about God, in the beginning it really annoyed me but they do sort it out themselves."

Well to be fair the concept itself can be quite confusing. Being completely irrational, disconnected from reality and all...

[princessparty]

YABU.That is what the bible teaches so if you send her to a Cof e school then you have to expect it.

[eaglewings]

As someone who takes Collective Worship in primary schools I wouldn't be teaching this part of Christianity to kids so young when there are so many other stories and aspects to the faith.

I do believe it is right to Love God before my parents and husband etc, but as important is to love and respect them too!!

Do ask to speak to the person responsible for the RE curriculum or arranging Collective worship, they will give you info about what is being taught so you can discuss things with your dd.

At least you know she is listening to things in school