Tag Archives: Sunday School

Responsibilities of Parenthood for sharing the Word of God

When the people of Israel got liberated from slavery in Egypt the parents took their saved children with them. God had asked them by way of Moses giving to them the Words of God, to lay up these Words of the Most High in their heart and in their soul.

18  “Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 And ye shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down and when thou risest up.” (Deuteronomy 11:18-19 KJ21)

 

English: Sunday school class, Manzanar Relocat...

Sunday school class, Manzanar Relocation Center, California People in church service, standing, holding hymnals. MEDIUM: 1 negative : safety film. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Parents are given the task to have that what they placed in their hearts, to share it with their children. It not only has to sit deep inside them, it also has to come out of them. It should be so strongly connected to their mind that it is as if their brains are tied with that knowledge of the Word of God. They should not only keep it as a reminder but also should teach them to their children. This is something what is often forgotten today.

Ideal moments to start picking up the thread again are such high holidays like the ones we had this weekend. The free days are ideal to take time to speak about what happened in the past to God’s people and how we should also be part of God’s people. All that we ourselves got to hear about the Most High divine Creator we should love to share with others and especially with our own children.

That what we got to hear from God we should share with the loved ones. At home but also outside of the house we should talk about those Words God has given us. Wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning until you fall into bed at night.

Today we may find that not many parents are having time or wanting to spend time to educate their children concerning ethics, morals and faith matters. Today we have much more facilities than in the days of Moses where they could not take a bible or the scrolls at hand. In those times most of the upbringing and/or teaching was a personal responsibility. Centuries later the parents took time each day to read from Scriptures and to talk about the commandments of God. Many generations also got to Sunday School to have a religious formation. Today in not many countries are there still Sunday Schools or bible Schools for the religious people.

Today lots of people are avoiding that responsibility to teach the Word of God. Even speaking about good and bad is put aside in many cases. Today lots of children are also allowed to watch certain pictures on television which are not for their eyes at all. Many cruel or ugly words are allowed to enter the living room, via that screen what has become bigger and bigger.

Moses told the people that in case they diligently would keep all this commandment that Jehovah God commanded them to obey, sticking close to Him God on His part will drive out all these nations that stand in their way. so they should then not be afraid of those nations which are much bigger and stronger than them.

“22 For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you to do them—to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave unto Him— 23 then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.” (Deuteronomy 11:22-23 KJ21)

Nothing has changed. Also for us today if we will be careful to do all this commandment that God commands us to do, loving the Most High divine Creator Jehovah as your God, walking in all His ways, and holding fast to him, then He will bless you so you inherit the promised land. We, ourselves must first teach ourselves from God’s words, messages such as this one – for ‘the promised land’ – the kingdom of God – is surely just over the horizon. Having taught ourselves we must teach any children we have – and others we can influence. The saying is that ‘actions speak louder than words’ – but words and actions together speak louder still. “A blessing” or “a curse” lie before us! Which have you chosen – or are on the point of choosing? There is no middle way.

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Preceding: Responsibilities of Parenthood fully discharged

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Study says highlighting gender leads to stereotypes

When parents are trying to let their kids figure out who they are they have to be careful not to let them hear their biased ideas. Some parents may have such ‘blocked ideas about gender roles‘ that they may impose their ideas of boys and girls roles, way of behaviour, clothing onto their kids.

It becomes more difficult when a person lets his or her parents know they are not feeling right in their skin and do want to have a different body. In case parents see their kids playing other roles than they themselves would be appropriate for the kid they have, they themselves may also become someone who can push the child into an other role. In such instance they have to be careful not to push them falsely or prematurely into decisions about being transgender.

” It’s precisely their presence in a liminal space between clearly defined end points that creates discomfort.”

When parents want to try to help keep their kids from being “different” and “standing out”, they themselves do have to accept the choices the kid itself makes and should give it full support, helping it to find its way in this difficult matter of “Who am I” “What do I want to be” “How may I feel”.

No matter which sex our kids have or want to be, they should feel they have equal rights and are equally accepted as fulfilling youngsters, receiving the time to develop and grow to worthy equal adults.
When “our boys and girls would like to stand out because of their excellent dance, drawing, or sports skills rather than because they look different” we are on the right way of showing society that everybody is created in the image of their Creator and equal in the eyes of God.

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Find also:  When Teachers Highlight Gender, Kids Pick Up Stereotypes where the study found that in classrooms where boys and girls line up separately — and even in settings where teachers say things like, “Good morning boys and girls” — children express more stereotypes about gender and even discriminate when deciding who to play with.

“The children in these classrooms expressed less interest in playing with children of the other sex,”

said developmental psychologist Lynn Liben of Pennsylvania State University, who conducted the study with graduate student Lacey Hilliard.

“Not only in surveys, but we also observed kids playing in free playtime, and there was a significant drop in the amount of time children in those classrooms were seen playing with children of the other sex.”

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  • Louisville, KY school votes to protect transgender rights (mydoorsign.com)
    “We have a responsibility to provide appropriate accommodations for transgender students,” said Thomas Aberli, principal of J.M Atherton High School. He added “this policy is something that really demonstrates our ability to respond to the needs of diverse students. Atherton was the best place for something like this to happen.”
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    The Department of Education’s recent guidance issued in April has accelerated the transgender rights cause in schools under Title IX. A proud Atherton alumni and director of policy at the National Center for Transgender Equality in Washington D.C., Harper Jean Tobin sees students and administrators standing up for transgender protections as an increasing trend, for better or for worse.

    This year, 13 other states joined California in issuing a non-discrimination policy for the transgender students in school including the ability to use restrooms and  play on sports teams that match their expressed genders.  Numerous districts, from Salt Lake City and Kansas City to Knoxville, Tennessee, and Decatur, Georgia, have adopted similar protections.

  • Pastors rise up to challenge same-sex bathrooms (mobile.wnd.com)
    Rev. Dave Welch, founder of the U.S. Pastor Council, is leading a petition drive for a citywide referendum on the ordinance, charging the will of citizens is being ignored.The City Council’s approval prompted a mass exodus from the session of local black pastors who had come to speak against the ordinance.

    “It was clear that enough council members had decided to vote with Annise Parker’s personal agenda over the clear will of the people and basic decency in this act of thumbing their nose at respected black clergy who represented all of us,” he said.

    “Our only way of showing that we understood what had happened and to respond effectively was to vote with our legs,” he said.

  • Transgender Activist Wants All Children Born Genderless (personalliberty.com)
    The left-leaning publication Slate published an article Thursday that offers unsettling insight to the primary goal of some militant LGBT activists: Defining every child as genderless from birth.

    In “Don’t Let The Doctor Do This to Your Newborn”, Canadian transgender activist Christin Milloy describes “infant gender assignment”— which means defining a baby as a boy or a girl based on basic biology— as some insidious practice that “might just be Russian roulette with your baby’s life.”

  • Activists call for gender equality revolution (dailystar.com.lb)
    “It is perfectly natural for the future woman to feel indignant at the limitations posed upon her by her sex. The real question is not why she should reject them: The problem is rather to understand why she accepts them,” wrote French writer and feminist Simone de Beauvoir in her book The Second Sex in 1949. For Lebanese feminists Hayat Mirshad and Alia Awada – wearing white T-shirts with the logo of Fe-Male, the non-profit organization they co-founded – this could not ring more true. The dynamic duo have been indefatigably championing women’s causes over the last few years, and explained to The Daily Star that the way to impose change was to revolt against injustice.“If you call yourself a feminist, and you do not believe that there needs to be a revolution, you need to change,” said Mirshad, 25. “The patriarchal society did not ask for permission when it controlled us and oppressed us, so we should not ask for permission to revolt against it.”
  • Slate: Don’t Let the Doctor Assign a Gender to Your Newborn (str.typepad.com)
    Remember when I said that we should expect more attempts to erase the differences between men and women, and that the conflict in our culture over sexuality is, at root, a disagreement over “whether human nature is something in particular or a sea of possibilities bound only by what we can imagine for ourselves”?

    Well, Slate has kindly illustrated that for me in its article “Don’t Let the Doctor Do This to Your Newborn”:

  • Gender Progress Ends Where Pinkification Starts (dissidentvoice.org)
    Boys and girls inhabit two separate worlds whose boundaries are created by the relentless onslaught of commercialism. The toy industry didn’t create gender segregation, but it certainly perpetuates and reinforces it by planting a link between gender and career choice in the minds of young children. The messages sent to toddlers through colours, wording and images remain the same across the board: while girls are encouraged to focus on their appearance and partake in nurturing activities, boys are veered towards more active pursuits. Let Toys Be Toys, a UK-based lobbying group, is advocating label-free marketing and sorting according to themes and interests rather than gender. Created in 2012 by a group of parents galled by the stereotyping of children’s toys, the grassroots movement has already persuaded numerous retailers to make the change, including Boots and Tesco. Let Toys Be Toys campaigner Joanne Watts sheds some light on the group, its goals and the challenges that remain.
  • The Quiet Clash Between Transgender Women And Drag Queens (thinkprogress.org)
    Hillz’s point is at the center of the conflict, because Drag Race is a show that is not about being transgender but that clearly has implications for transgender people — a particularly vulnerable population. People who identify as transgender report incredibly high rates of discrimination across their lives, including in employment, housing, health care, education, and police interactions. The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Program’s recent study found that 72 percent of all violent crimes against LGBTQ people in 2013 targeted transgender women, who also made up 67 percent of LGBTQ homicide victims. One of the most alarming statistics, that 41 percent of transgender people have attempted suicide — compared to just 1.6 percent of the general population — reflects the mental health consequences that result from this discrimination, harassment, and violence.
  • What’s stopping the spread of gender-neutral restrooms? (mydoorsign.com)
    A report by Media Matters collates opinions from 15 experts who unanimously quash the popular theory that trans people are a threat in public, gender-neutral restrooms as baseless and “beyond specious.” The expert group from 12 states includes law enforcement officials, government employees, and advocates for victims of sexual assault.

    In reality, trans people run a higher risk of being attacked in a restroom. Those in the middle of a transition, those who do not transition by choice, those who cannot afford transition, genderqueer, and those who do not live as either male or female are at the highest risk for attack. These people don’t identify with the socially-accepted societal genders and may fear using either single-gender restroom.

 

Pink Is for Boys

Parents with gender-fluid kids often work with schools, churches, and other institutions to use alternatives to gender for organizing kids in the classroom. Rather than dividing kids by boys and girls, use birth months or sneakers vs. sandals, or some other arbitrary distinction or characteristic. Sometimes schools are willing (and even grateful for the tip, which had often never occurred to well-meaning teachers to be problematic). Other times, schools are really uncomfortable with any implied ambiguity of gender. The same feelings are expressed that commenters here often report feeling:

*Why do you have to make such a big deal about it – are you just trying to attract attention, or letting your kid attract attention to him/herself? *Is this spoiling – no one student should get to throw a wrench in the cogs of the school day for everyone else. *Aren’t kids this age too young to even be thinking…

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