My children are something that I keep near and dear to my heart
They are a part of me, and I see God's blessing in their eyes every night when I smooch and pray with them.
I cannot imagine what it would be like if, in 10 years or so from now, they choose to attend services and believe a false teacher.
If I were to find out that a Sunday school teacher was being allowed to teach heresy, that would be the end of it!
Yes my children are little now, and moving out of a church wouldn't leave a huge mark on them, BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER!
I need to remember that I am the parent, and until they turn 18 it is up to me to protect my child against false teachers and hypocrosy.
Yes, they have friends there, but you know what??
I thought I had friends too
But when I left, the majority of them turned their backs on me and never even spoke to me after I had run away.
I was truly by myself.
I have made a promise to God and to myself and my children, that I will protect them to the best of my God-given ability.
I would rather protect them now,while I still can, than to lose them forever to a belief system that is built on a foundation of nothing but sand.
If we choose to pull our children from a place that is not teaching and living the Bible, the true friends that they have made will last forever.
Mark 9:42
42And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea
Laura, you are so right about protecting your little ones. Can you even fathom never speaking to them again should they choose to go their own way? Even if they erred (God forbid!) I imagine that you would still love them and reach out to them. I don't see that you would cast them away like your dad has done to you. Keep up the faith and lead your children by example. Remember: faith is rather caught than taught. Signed TB
ReplyDeleteIt is one of the most painful experiences humans can experience to find your friends turning their back on you. Fortunately, we have a Savior who experienced it and who said "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
ReplyDeleteWhen you are in a difficult spot you will always know who your real friends are.. They stick by you!!!
ReplyDeleteI recently found your blog (I live in Winkler) and just wanted to encourage you. It sounds like you've had a long tough road, and those scars just don't go away, do they? Even with forgiveness.
ReplyDeleteHaving the topic being titled " CHILDREN " I thought I might just send out a message reminding all the christians out there that we are ALL Gods children. God loves each and everyone of us no matter how good or bad we think we are. This being the Easter season should remind us of how much God loves us. How many of us would be willing to have our son die for someone else's sin ? We would go to any measure to protect our child/ren from any harm. No one wants for their children to be in bad company or be led astray or get hurt. We choose to evaluate the situation and then make a Biblical decision from there. If one parent every experiences a bad or harmful situation we make sure to tell others whom we love or are concerned for about the area of concern. When you are the one who is being told this information you take in the factor of the reliability of the source from which it came. In many cases we make a decision on how we act upon the area of concern from the reliability of the source from which it came. Depending on what an individual choose to believe is how they make their choices or decisions. There are also situations where you put your trust in someone only to later find that you have been deceived. This is a tough area to be in especially if you are the only one to know about being deceived at the time and if the one you where being deceived by has always seemed to be a reliable source. When you are in such a position it is very hard to believe or to convince others of what happened . Often that so called reliable source has a good standing with others or seems totally honest, sincere, and trust worthy. How are you then to ever have any one else believe you, especially if they have no doubt to question this persons credibility. This is where one needs to make a decision to take a stand and tell the truth to others so that they too wont be deceived. If you have ever been in this position you will know that this is one of the hardest things you will ever have to do. This is when you will be torn to sherds and lied about so that other wont listen to what you know. Even though your heart goes out to these people they may turn from you, even best friends and family. You are now left with no one and the knowledge of a harmful situation that could effect many others if they are not alert of the problem. If you speak up you are knocked down and lied about , if you speak out you are accused of slander, harassment, lies and speculation. You feel hopeless at times but know the the truth must get out because you are already seeing others being effected by this situation. This is just a glimpse of what my experience as a parent was aprox 13 years ago. Im glad that I still had enough influence on my children because they where young enough , that I could spare them from the harm of a destructive situation. How can one know unless they listen and how can one listen unless they hear and how can one hear unless they are told. After 13 years I still see the ongoing effects of this so called harm taking its toll on others. Every year more and more are being effected and still people choose to close their eyes and ears to the problem causing this harm. I thank God that he let me see the light years ago and has spared me and my family from the ongoing effects of this harm. Im so glad that God sent HIs Son and set me free from this bondage and has taken me and my family as his children and protected us from the harm that we see taking place. Yes I can share the truth but who out there is willing to open their eyes and ears before they to will be harmed. Pete Reimer
ReplyDeleteIf only more parents could see the affects a cult can have on their children...
ReplyDeleteThe Demagogy Checklist
ReplyDeleteCraig Chalquist, MS PhD
Every year fewer and fewer words, and the range of consciousness a little bit smaller. -- George Orwell, 1984
What you have to understand is that these are bad people. -- Dick Cheney on why inmates are imprisoned indefinitely, invisibly, and without legal representation at the Guantanamo concentration camp
Demagogy is the attempt to persuade through the arousal of primitive emotions and unquestioned prejudices.
The following checklist is designed to help detect the deliberately propagandistic elements in any speech, sermon, or other public proclamation or communication. What differentiates demagogic propaganda from straight talk is the attempt to fog and manipulate the audience's awareness instead of appealing to its rationality and realism, those qualities upon which every democracy depends. Therefore the more of the following that are present, the more underhanded the communique. All forms of demagogy seek to unify one group at the expense of another while convincing the audience of the necessity for doing so. Psychologically, all when deliberate are expressions of pathological immaturity laced with aggressive, paranoid impulses.
Hypnotic rhythms ("We will be strong, we will unite, we will not fail....") intended to lull the attention into trancelike suggestibility.
Scapegoating: the attempt to "otherize" a given population (e.g. the Mexicans, the Arabs, those who don't share our views). Psychotherapists call this dynamic projection, an evacuation of our darker motives onto handy opponents.
Sweeping generalizations and oversimplifications. Free trade will erase poverty, more weapons will win the war on terror, banning assault rifles is an attack on personal freedom, etc.
Black-and-white categorization (we are good, they are evil; we're right, you're wrong).
A tone of sanctimonious moralizing.
Noble-sounding justifications for rigidity, oppression, intolerance, incompetence, indifference, or violence.
The replacement of concrete details with vague appeals to traditional values (patriotism, family, God, church).
Intolerance of disagreement ("you're either with us or against us").
The branding of the adult capacity for critical self-examination as misguided, unpatriotic, or disloyal.
Group narcissism disguised as loyalty (our truth is the only Truth; we are Number One; etc.).
No room given to healthy self-doubt or the recognition of ambiguous realities in a given situation.
Recurrent appeals to the "self-defense" argument as a justification for domination.
A childlike assumption of entitlement.
A childlike sense of omnipotence.
Euphemisms (e.g., "targeted defense" rather than "assassination"; "spiritual guidance" and not "intimidation").
Imposition of group norms described in terms of unity and solidarity (we do this for the good of all).
Minimization of the potential dangers of one's actions; whitewashing of unjust consequences.
Peer pressure, subtle or outright.
Threats, implied or overt.
Blaming the opponent for one's own aggressive actions.
It takes tremendous courage to resist the lure of appearances. The power of being which is manifest in such courage is so great that the gods tremble in fear of it. -- Paul Tillich
http://pembinaandfirst.blogspot.com/2011/04/pete-reimers-audio-story.html
ReplyDeletePete "pioneer" Reimer's Audio Story - used with permission.