Why It’s More Important Now Than Ever to Teach Kids About Religion

By  //  October 19, 2020

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It can be hard to find reasons to feel hopeful or find places to look for support in today’s troubling times. This is a struggle that many people are dealing with, and it’s something that many have been dealing with long before this whirlwind of a year.

Some of the most vulnerable people in troubling times are children. They are young, naive, and innocent, which means they aren’t aware of the problems of the world, and are harmed by the things around them in ways they can’t understand.

Schools, socialization, and learning are aspects of society and personal growth that kids are unfortunately losing out on because of a tumultuous year dealing with an unseen pandemic.

These are issues that can lead to finding some kind of support or something to inspire hope, and religion, especially the Bible, are those answers. Kids aren’t always ready for this lesson, but it’s important to teach them young, so they can start to learn how important it is. Here are the reasons why it’s important to teach them young, especially now.

1. Kids have questions.

Kids are inquisitive about everything in the world – where do babies come from, what colors do dogs see, and why is the sky blue, among infinite others. Kids are curious about the world they live in, and it can be hard to explain it all to them. Even with science, there’s a lot that’s hard for kids to understand, so sometimes, it’s best to give them a perspective from other means, like religion.

Religion is there to help kids with questions they have about the Bible specifically, especially some of the harder ones at https://www.neverthirsty.org/bible-qa/qa-archives/question/what-is-the-nicene-creed-of-a-d-325/, or uncomfortable truths of life and the world regarding death and other daily things. Religion can help provide these important answers for children who are curious about everything around them, especially during tough times when questions are hard to answer.

2. Religion provides community.

Another big aspect of religion that’s useful for anyone, especially kids, is that it offers a sense of community and belonging. Religion helps children feel they belong, whoever they are. With society being in a state of uncertainty from various causes, it’s important for children to have somewhere they belong, even if things are closed down for the meantime.

Religion allows people to gather around, discuss problems together, empower one another, and feel like there are ears to listen. Bible study is one of the most popular ways people have used religion as a foundational part of their lives to find like-minded groups. Religion helps those without a strong connection with others find somewhere that’s uplifting and positive for their lives. It helps those in need, and especially those willing. For children who struggle to fit in, it’s a good way to help them just as well as adults.

3. Religion offers a positive influence.

As mentioned in the previous section, the use of religion in people’s lives for a community aspect means there’s also a force of positive influence and impact – the Bible and followers of religion whom you can relate to help create forces of change in lives. Doing better for your fellow man, focusing on self-improvement, and being selfless are qualities present in the Bible.

Also, children retain much of the influence they receive from strong adults or impactful people in their lives, including parents, teachers, coaches, etc. Religion helps make role models for adults, which helps trickle down and help children as well.

In times of stress and uncertainty, like today, this is an exceptionally important part of the equation for raising a child that’s equipped to handle the world. They will be better community members, better in school, and better when it comes to socializing and treating others well.

4. Expands their knowledge

Science, math, and the arts are important knowledge, but the world is more than just those subjects. Religion helps fill in the gaps and explain more things that kids need to know. Many of the points made already prove how important it is. This knowledge helps children grow as people and scholars, in the school sense and life in general. Whether or not children stick with religion throughout their life is hard to be certain for.

It’s helpful if their family and community around them do, but it helps create open-minded individuals who are thirsty for any kind of knowledge. Religion is fundamental in discovering many ideas, from philosophy to physics, so it’s still valuable for a great understanding of academic subjects. Children can benefit from religion as a strong force for making them better learners.

5. Religion gives children a structure.

Lastly, religion gives children a structure, which is an important extension of all of these points. Structure helps people maintain normalcy, and now is a time that structure is more important than ever, most notably with schools. Children have felt a significant disruption to their normal lives – no in-class activity, no sports, no playdates, and changed morning routines.

This has all contributed to a drastic time where children are unsure of how to get back into the normal swing of things, and that has meant that there’s an overwhelming need for children to return to normal. Religion provides a weekly event, usually Sunday services for most, and helps make family dinners, Bible study, and other staples of religious functions return to normalcy, which children so desperately need. Religion provides a solid foundation for building a quality life, whatever the age.

Religion isn’t for everyone, but in times like this, it may be exactly what some people need. In this case, it’s important for children. Religion helps provide a collection of purposeful reasons in life, like community, structure, knowledge, and comfort. When the world is in uncertain times, religion and the Bible can offer all of these for anyone, and most importantly, for children.