[Blue-EyedLady]

Originally Posted by saturnfire16

I dont know but it is so sad!

Your dh has found that kind of philosophy toward children in Buddhist teachings?! I am really surprised!

DH's experience is with Cambodian Buddhism (3 missions trips there), if that makes a difference. And the philosophy is less of a legalistic one, but more like relegating children to a 2nd class citizenship, and therefore vulnerable to abuse. I see many of the Pearl/Gothard philosophies leading to a similar attitude - children are little heathens and so are 2nd class citizens.

Originally Posted by BlessedBlue

Well, you asked for my opinion...

Because of sin.

Ok, so the long explaination is:
The Christian community trains its disciples to stop thinking, and follow the professional. This is a strong theme found throughout church history.

Couple that with our very human desire to let someone else do the hard work of thinking... and you find: traditions, theologies and philosophies that people willingly swallow and follow.

Now add to that the underlying desire to discern good and evil for ourselves (sin nature), and mix it with a rejection of God's plan for mercy and love (OT/Torah), and lose the ability to trust God with the outcome...

Yeah - because of sin.

Well, yeah, of course it's because of sin... That's not really the answer I was looking for, though...

So why does the Christian community train us to stop thinking? Shouldn't Christians be the very ones encouraging others to think?

Originally Posted by elcollins

It is easier to take what feels like practical advice (do this, don't do this, let them do x, but not y) than to set down to the real work of relationship parenting and the abstract idea of 'living out your faith'. We are in some ways about check lists and authoritian answers. Non-legalistic parenting requires us to grow, requires us to sacrific, requires us to be so involved in a relationship that we can see the other persons point of view - even if we need help from parents further along the jouney to talk us through our fine tuning process.

What legalistic parenting can never duplicate or replace is the powerful blessing that is being able to teach your child by example what it means to follow Christ to the best of your ability in all parts of your life.

Excellent points. Legalistic parenting is certainly easier than thinking through every little thing. And the fact that you have to admit that you haven't "arrived" but are still growing in your own relationship with Christ is tough, especially for anyone who struggles with perfectionism.