Abstinence

Abstinence

One of the responsibilities of parenting is to insure that your children are aware and understand how to procreate. There is considerable debate on just how best to teach this.

Many want sex education to be taught in schools, others feel it is only proper for parents to teach this. Part of the problem is what and how sex education is taught.

One method currently in vogue is Abstinence Only method. Using this method, school sex education programs teach sex and the act of procreation but indicate that abstinence (e.g. not having sex) is the only way to avoid pregnancy. Many people feel that teaching teenagers about alternative methods of avoiding pregnancy will, in effect, give them "permission" to have sex. I can understand this desire, especially since abstinence is the only certain method to avoid pregnancy it is also the proper and moral thing to do.

However there is one small problem with abstinence only methods, they require us to lie to our children and lying is not moral.

Never lie to your children!

Lying to your children is the surest way to lose them. Our children need to trust us and they depend on us (adults) to give them truthful information. If they lose trust in us we lose the ability to lead them along a righteous path, we lose the ability to lead them, period. This is a very important thing, never, never lie to your children. They will catch you in your lie, because you will never remember what your lie was, when next you introduce a different lie, they will catch you. Eventually they will not trust anything you tell them.

There are many times when we may want to lie. They will ask us about our youth, about the things we did as children or teens—use drugs, drink, drive fast, have sex, etc.—that we are now telling them not to do. We fear that if we admit to these improprieties that our children will take that as permission to do them too—"Hey, mom and dad did them, it must be alright for us!". That is exactly what will happen, if you lie to them! Tell them the truth, tell them you experimented, tell them you did break the law, then tell them how it made you feel afterward. Tell them how often you have regretted doing these things. Let your children have the benefit of your experience and they will decide that they don't have to do what made you so sad!

John 8:32

and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

Jesus Christ never lied. He taught with the truth. There is a reason for this, lies do not teach they only decieve. No one can learn from a lie. Tell your children the truth, in all things, even about sex, and your children will be set free.

Remember, Jesus in John chapter 8 was speaking of freedom from sin. We are all slaves to sin, this is why we are so tempted to lie to our children hoping that they will not follow in our footsteps. It is ironic that our lies will do the very thing we fear, they will push our children into following in our footsteps, the footsteps of sin and depravity.

Oh yes, I would like, at this time, to point out that your children will see displays of condoms in many of the stores you frequent. They will see advertisements on television about condoms, the pill, and other methods of contraception. That means that abstinence only programs consists of a lie that our children will easily detect.

John 8:31-38

Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, 'You will be made free'?"

Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word. I declare what I have seen in the Father's presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father."

Do not lie to your children. Be a good role model, be truthful, be honost, be caring, just be a parent, as God is a parent to us. In this way, you will lead your children to a righteous life in Christ Jesus.

Amen