Whose Responsibility is it to Train a Child?

 The culture war between Walt Disney World Resort, an entertainment company based in Florida, United States of America and conservatives in that country has opened many people’s eyes to the intensity of the attacks on children by the devil. For those who are not familiar with the story, I will provide a brief summary. Disney not only provides entertainment at the location, it also reaches its audience, especially children, through several cable networks.

Disney fell out with conservatives after it opposed a legislation by the Government of Florida to prevent children from being exposed to homosexual indoctrinations. The company compounded the situation by introducing programmes with contents promoting lesbianism and homosexuality targeted at minors. Many conservatives reacted to the development by cancelling their subscriptions to Disney television channels, while others besieged the company’s headquarters near Orlando, Florida to register their displeasure.

On its part, the administration of President Joe Biden has demonstrated its determination to change the American society in line with its ‘woke’ policy. ‘Wokeness’, literarily liberalism 2.0 or liberalism gone haywire, is a deliberate attempt by some Americans to destroy the godly legacies of their founding fathers, in other to usher in a reign of lawlessness that would prepare grounds for the New World Order. The Government is at the forefront of the push to legitimize homosexuality and lesbianism, not only in the larger society, but in schools. It has gone as far as introducing measures to encourage sex change among minors. For instance, while the voting age in the country is 18 years, the Biden administration is scheming to ensure that children as young as 8 years old can choose to change their gender without the consent of their parents, and has expressed its willingness to sponsor such medical procedures.

What this amounts to is that children are no longer safe in the hands of government. The trend is actually global, especially in the so-called developed Western democracies. During a visit to Bangkok, Thailand in 2017, I had an opportunity to read an English language magazine published in the country. The publication featured an interview with the British Ambassador to Thailand. To my shock, this man was living openly with his gay partner in Bangkok, and both had an adopted child. I could not understand why the British government would appoint a homosexual as its Ambassador in the name of promoting gay rights. I guess that people like us do not fit into the mould of the world anymore. How can an abominable act be legitimized in the name of human rights?

If the government becomes the source of pollution and darkness, especially as it concerns the welfare of children, should parents allow it to draw up the curriculum in schools for their children? Whose responsibility is it for training children anyway? Do children belong to the government or to their parents? We will try to answer these questions from the Scriptural view point. 2 Corinthians 13:8 asserts that “we cannot do anything against the truth”. As Christians, God is the source of everything we possess, including our children. Therefore, we must be guided by His word to fulfil our missions as parents.

A good place to start is Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it”. This Scripture emphasizes the importance of laying a solid foundation of godliness in a child. Who else is better equip to do this other than the parents? When we understand that “children are a gift from the LORD”, we would do everything in our power to protect them against the polluting influences of satan through his agents. God expects us to feed our children with the same spiritual food that we receive from the Holy Spirit. In Deuteronomy 6:6-7, God said to Israelites

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up”.

 Unfortunately, many parents are too busy pursuing worldly wealth and pleasures to provide any godly guidance for their children. I believe that we are actually mocking ourselves when we sing the song

“Abraham’s blessings are mine, Abraham’s blessings are mine, I am blessed in the morning, I am blessed in the evening, Abraham’s blessings are mine”.

How can we enjoy Abraham’s blessings without walking in obedience to the word of God as he did? God testified to Abraham’s faithfulness in Genesis 18:19,

“For I know him, that he will command his children and household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him”.

 I believe that parents began to lose control of their children when satan used his human agents to sponsor the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in 2003, leading to the promulgation of the Child Rights Act same year. Currently, 194 countries have endorsed the legislation. As is usually the case with all strategies of the devil, some provisions of the Act are seemingly beneficial to children. It incorporates 12 basic rights of children, namely:

1. Non-discrimination- Every child deserves equal treatment, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity etc.;
2. Family- Every child has the right to live with their family;
3. Health- Every child has the right to be alive, and young people deserve the best possible health care, nutritious food, clothing, clean water etc.;
4. Protection from Harm- Every child deserves freedom from abuse, children should be free from harmful work, drugs, sexual abuse, human trafficking, corporal punishment, emotional and psychological abuse and other forms of exploitation;
5. Identity- Children must be registered when they are born and the national government must recognize a child’s name and national identity;
6. Education- Every child has the right to an education, especially primary education which should be free, while the education should prepare children to participate as active citizens;
7. Freedom of Thought- Children have the right to speak, express and share what they learn, think and feel, and children can determine their thoughts, means of expression, opinions, socio-political ideologies, religious and spiritual beliefs;
8. Access to Information- Children have the right to transmit and receive information through the internet, radio, phone, television and other resources;
9. Privacy- Every child deserves privacy and the law must protect children’s privacy in all areas, including online;
10. The Arts- Every child has the right to engage in cultural and creative activities;
11. Reparation- If a child is victimized, traumatized, displaced, separated from his or her parents, or otherwise subject to harm, he or she should receive reparation and rehabilitation;
12. Government Responsibility- Governments must do everything possible to ensure that children enjoy all their inalienable rights and develop in a safe and free society.

It would appear that the target of satan through the legislation, is the discipline of children by their parents. It is obvious that most parents have lost the battle in that area. Since the enactment of the Act, some countries have gone as far as punishing parents who comply with the Biblical injunction to discipline their children with the ‘rod’. People like us who were born in a different generation knew the power of the cane wielded by an angry parent. Our parents took the cliché, “Spare the rod and spoil” the child seriously enough to ensure that we do not fall out of line. The post-Child Rights Act generation has sadly been deprived of that godly heritage. Parents have given up their core responsibility of disciplining their children and the society is reeling from this negligence.

 Is it not incredulous for the United Nations to canvass for rights for children to exercise freedom even in religious matters? For God’s sake we are talking about children! According to Oxford online dictionary, a child is a young human being below the age of puberty or below the legal age of majority. They are by reason of their age considered immature or irresponsible. Someone must take responsibility for training a child. That is what is called parenting. Therefore, the government has no moral right to use provisions of the Child Rights Act to emasculate parents and prevent them from fulfilling their God given responsibility to train their children.

As Christians, we must learn to resist any culture that is at variance with Biblical standards. We owe the government taxes and other civic obligations, but we cannot concede control for the souls of our children to any earthly authority. God expects us to discipline our children (Proverbs 29:17), as we will account for their lives before Him on judgement day.

Discipline is critical to the formation of godly character. That is why even God Himself disciplines every child He loves (Hebrews 12:6). Verse 8 of that Scripture says that those who do not experience discipline in the household of God like everyone else, are illegitimate children (bastards). God’s position on discipline is re-echoed in Revelation 3:19: “Those I love, I rebuke and discipline”. I am not sure any of us wants to treat our children as bastards. Let us do everything in our power to protect them from the insidious attacks of satan and his demons. God expects nothing less from us.

***** Some materials sourced from 12 Child Rights Everyone Should Know, https://childrenfirstcanada.org.