Indoctrination versus Godly Nurture at Home

Indoctrination versus Godly Nurture at Home: According to God’s design for humans, parents are vested with the sole responsibility to nurture their children spiritually. Proverbs 29:15 states that a “child left to himself disgraces the mother.” Why is this Scripture singling out the mother in the training of a child? I believe this has to do with the fact that she spends more time with the child during his or her formative stage.

In ancient times, as in most contemporary cultures across the world, fathers were caught up in the quest to provide for their families. Therefore, they were and are still less visible during the early stages of their children. God’s expectation from mothers is also reflected in Proverbs 10:1, “A wise son maketh a glad father; but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.”

It is clear that even the men expect their wives to be more involved in raising their children. In most societies, when a child does well in school, sports or other endeavours, the father takes responsibility for the success. When the contrary is the case, he will bellow to his wife, “Come and see what your son or daughter has done. He has brought shame to the family!”

I believe that both mothers and fathers have specific roles to play in the nurture of their children. At the formative stage, when they are infants and toddlers, mothers should inculcate in their children the basic training in godliness. King Solomon benefited from this kind of training as he noted in Proverbs 31;1, “The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.”

He also gave credit to both parents through his admonition to other children in Proverbs 1:7-9, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.”

            Two words stand out in the cited Scripture – teaching and instruction. A Google search powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) gives us a broad overview of the two words. It explained that teaching is a broader, more holistic process that aims to impart knowledge and understanding, often with a focus on developing critical thinking capabilities.

On the other hand, instruction is more focused on giving specific directions or orders to perform a particular task or skill. In essence, mothers should do the heavy lifting by training up their children in the way they should go, so that they would not depart from the path of righteousness when they are old (Proverbs 22:6).

            God’s instruction in the cited Scripture will only make sense and yield positive outcomes if the mother herself is walking with God in the power of the Holy Spirit. If  the mother has embraced spiritual errors or doctrines of demons, she would become an agent of indoctrination to her children, rather than training them in righteousness. Ephesians 6:4 admonishes fathers in particular to bring up their children in the discipline and instruction of the LORD.

The main instrument God uses to communicate His instruction is the Holy Bible. Therefore, if parents choose other sources of instruction that are contrary to Scripture, they have aligned with the devil to indoctrinate rather than teach their children to walk in God’s precepts.

         Are you a victim of indoctrination by your parents? God is willing and ready to purge you of all errors and demonic doctrines that are contrary to His word. All you need to do is believe that His Son Jesus Christ atoned for your sins on the cross. Based on your faith in His atoning sacrifice, invite Him to become your Lord and Saviour. Thereafter, you will receive the Holy Spirit as a seal or down payment on this transaction (Ephesians 1:14).