ARE WE CHRISTIANS SUPPOSED TO BE NEUTRAL?

ARE WE CHRISTIANS SUPPOSED TO BE NEUTRAL?

 

When I was a young newly educated social worker many years ago, it was very popular to talk about being neutral. One should be neutral in raising one’s children and one should not talk about religion nor politic if one worked in an office run by the state or the community. Many of my colleagues had big pictures of a fighting fist on their office doors. They were socialists, communists or something similar. They insisted in being neutral, but the fighting fist showed clearly what they believed in or who they followed. I asked if I could put up a picture of Jesus on my office door, but that was far from excepted. I didn’t do it and I hadn’t planned to do it either, but I wanted to say that the fighting fist was not neutral and it could actually look scary.

I had another situation at work some years later. We were supposed to get some new workers and they were Muslims. The leaders started to discuss where we should have the room for praying then. Muslims pray five times a day. I got enthusiastic about a room for praying. Normally I would pray before I got to work and afterwards, but I saw this as a possibility to pray at work and I said so. The result was that we didn’t get any room for praying. I think that Christians and Muslims should have the same rights, but that is not the case everywhere. I do not think that is fair. I am not against Muslims, but in a democracy, we should have the same rights. Do you dare to stand up for your rights as a Christian in your working place? If a Muslim is allowed to talk about his or her religion, are you allowed to talk about your faith? All talk about religion might be forbidden all together.

When I was a leader for a centre in Norway, everybody knew that I was a Christian. I didn’t preach at work, but it came through some small comments of mine. Many patients had big problems, and some came and asked for prayers. I said that if I should pray for them I would do it after working time and as a private person. I said that if they had some bad intensions they could go to a newspaper and I could be fired. That never happened, but the patients got answers to my praying.

I do not believe that anybody is totally neutral. We all believe in something. We might not talk so much about it, but it comes out one way or the other.

I am against all kind of force and compulsion. Some Christians are ignoring the free will of a person. They want to force a person to believe the same as them or do the same as they do. I want to come with a warning especially to those evangelizing on the streets. BE LISTENING TO THE PERSON. You can naturally say what you believe in and why you believe what you do. Some start a conversation by praying for healing for the person. When the person experiences a change in his or her body, it is easier to talk about the goodness of God and what Jesus did on the Cross. The devil loves discussion. Try to avoid that.

I do not believe in a neutral upbringing. I have heard too many non-believers say that they are neutral, but they convey their ideas to their children all the time. I believe that we as Christians should have Jesus as Lord in our homes. The ideal would be if the father would suggest to share a word from the Bible with his family, but if he can’t, I suggest the woman to do so, hopefully in agreement with the father. It is good to use a Bible especially for children and to convey a simple message. Children need to hear about the goodness of God so they can trust Him. Jesus should be a natural part of all activities during a day. I always prayed about a situation or for a sickness before we sought medical help. We always prayed before a meal and the children learned to value the Word of God as daily food. We are also going to the toilet every day and we need a daily cleansing spiritually as well.

I took my children to services, but I always took some toys with me. I could not expect them to sit quite for a long time. I was sure to take toys that didn’t make noise. They attended Sunday school for children as soon as they were big enough.

As long as the children live at home, they are under the protection of their parents. We need to pray for them, cover them with the Blood of Jesus and convey a merciful God. I have heard about parents beating their children in the name of Jesus and the children were punished without understanding why. I believe in clear boundaries. That create a sense of security, but the children need to understand why their negative behaviour causes a negative consequence.

If we as parents make a mistake, we should ask for forgiveness. That teaches the children to do the same. Our children need to experience forgiveness and God’s grace.

We should be good examples for our children, but we cannot force them to be like us. That should be a result of what they see.

LET US BE GOOD EXAMPLES OF JESUS BOTH AT HOME AND EVERYWHERE!

Mother Else