In Reply to: Re: Are Pokemon cards diabolical? posted by Bryon on March 10, 2003 at 10:25:56:
Bryon - although I agree with you that one must be careful in this world of evil, it's another thing to go overboard and become a puritan and everything that even remotely resembles some kind of magic is considered evil. We just watched this program on the Salem witch hunt, what an eye opener. I'm sorry to say, you remind me of those people somewhat. I dare say I'm not going back to those days when every little waywardness was considered evil and people were easily burned at the stake. Who among us is without sin? How do you judge? We are not to judge because God is our judge. Sure, we can try and stay away from what we know to be hurtful to othes and dangerous, but we'll never be pure, there's not a one of us that is the Son of God. What you are doing, Bryon, IMO, is putting a wall around children who are simply trying to grow up and understand the world. After I left the F. and all the rules and regulations and staunch stands on just about everything, I decided I would never, ever force my children to believe any one way or another, I would lead, but I would never force. I gave them the opportunity to make their own decisions. I used to long to put them in Christian schools, feeling like you do that I was subjecting them to untold evils and horros, but guess what? Going to "Godless" public schools actually taught them how to choose - how to choose the good and eschew the evil. They have all grown up to be strong in their convictions and there is not a drug addict or otherwise amongst them. I found out that children will learn from your leading but not from you shoving. If you have strong love and convictions at home, it will eventually rub off on them. The fruit doesn't fall far from the tree.
IN fact, one of my most troublesome ended up being a strong Christian now attending a prestigious Christian university. Go figure, Bryon. I think you cannot speak unless you have raised your own children.
Children need to be able to experience the world for themselves without adults living their lives for them, that is probably the worst thing you could do to a child. One of the most messed up people I know is the son of very strick Mennonite brethren. You couldn't even play on Sunday or sing at the table, now they really watched for evil, didn't they Bryon? But they messed up their children by confusing them and stifling their spirit. Have you played with children very much? You'll find they all have an imagination, every single one of them. You don't have to have TV to have an imagination, it's natural. Children are fascinated by such things, it's just a natural way of playing for them.