If a Christian adopted a child who was a different religion...

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R

ROSSELLA

Guest
#1
Won't let me type the whole question above. If a Christian adopted a child who was a different religion, should the parent force the child to go to church? Should the parent prevent the child from going to temple/mosque/etc?
 

tourist

Senior Member
Mar 13, 2014
41,299
16,294
113
69
Tennessee
#2
It depends on the child and the level of understanding and desire. If the child was an early teen, understood about the religion and desired to pursue that spiritual path then I would say that the child should be allowed to go to the temple or mosque. You can't really force a person to be a Christian but rather it's a matter of choice.
 
N

NoNameMcgee

Guest
#3
different religion?

id have a hard time imagining a young child not being able to see the truth when its presented to them in a good way

but if i adopted a teen who was already deeply decieved in false beliefs
in my house hold

we will serve Jesus


i wouldnt allow the worship of false Gods under my roof


that being said...

if he rejected Christ outwordly

he (or she) would still have to follow the principals until he left my house hold

Proverbs 13:24

24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
 
M

Miri

Guest
#4
Not sure how it is in the USA, but it would never happen in the UK.

If social services arrange the adoption, they ensure children are placed with
someone of their own background and culture. If mixed race, they will not place
a child/teen for adoption unless they are certain the parents will actively go out of
their way to teach the child about both cultures and their origins. This hasn't
always been the case though.


I think its a good idea personally to teach about both cultures, but christians should
also be up front and say they will actively teach the child about Christianity. If this
hinders the adoption then so be it.


I'm mixed race my mum was British and white, my father is unknown but he
gave me a nice sun tan. I was brought up in foster care by my white British
aunt. I was brought up the UK way. But growing up I didn't feel that I fitted
in anywhere. I felt white but I wasn't and was rejected by white friends and
neighbour's. But I also knew nothing of any other culture, it wasn't really until I
was about 13 that I started to feel more comfortable in my own skin.

Thats is a lot of years not knowing who you are. I woud, add that I went to
church from age 8-9 and it was the Christians who discriminated the most!

I was known as that little brown kid. Not just a kid but that little brown kid.
I was the only non white person in my church. I often was left out of things
because I wasn't white. However when it came to the nativity play, I always
got the part of Mary, they felt it added authenticity to have a brown Mary!

I would add as well that there is a big difference between culture and religion.
Christianity is not unique to the west. You can live in India among Indian culture and be
a Christian. You can live in China among Chinese culture and still be a Christian etc.

Dont get the two confused if you are considering adoption, it's important that each
child knows about their culture and their origins, otherwise they feel a big part of
them is missing. It's like a child who is brought up by mum but wonders all their life
about dad etc.
 

notuptome

Senior Member
May 17, 2013
15,050
2,538
113
#5
Do adoptive parents assume the same responsibilities as natural parents?

Pr 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Some issues are arising over this subject. Adoptive parents being prevented from impressing their religious beliefs on the adopted children. Probably only applies if the adoptive parents are Christians.

For the cause of Christ
Roger
 
Dec 19, 2009
27,513
128
0
71
#6
Won't let me type the whole question above. If a Christian adopted a child who was a different religion, should the parent force the child to go to church? Should the parent prevent the child from going to temple/mosque/etc?
Interesting question. I think I'd try to sway the child to accept Christianity. I don't know if force is a good idea, though.
 
T

toinena

Guest
#7
I have a part time foster child that is muslim. She herself wanted to go to church with me, but once she left the service, because the preacher said that Jesus is God. And that has to be OK. I can never force her, but invite her with me when I go. I will not start a conversation about religion, but be there when she has questions about Jesus. I will not give her a Bible, but have one ready for her when she wants to read. And pray, pray, pray.
 
T

toinena

Guest
#8
Won't let me type the whole question above. If a Christian adopted a child who was a different religion, should the parent force the child to go to church? Should the parent prevent the child from going to temple/mosque/etc?
And for the last question. No. You can't prevent the child to go to his/her place of worship. Do it with love and respect. The child will see Jesus in your love, and will get drawn to that. That will be a gate-opener for a true faith.
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#9
Won't let me type the whole question above. If a Christian adopted a child who was a different religion, should the parent force the child to go to church? Should the parent prevent the child from going to temple/mosque/etc?
My parents "forced" me to have good manners, to go to church with them, to go to CCD, after we went from Catholic school to public school, to clean up after myself, to go to school and study, and to figure out what I would do with my life.

Is it really called "force," if they were doing it because they loved me? Adoption means you're making that child your child. Of course you raise them with everything you think makes them a good adult. He/she is your child!
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#10
different religion?

id have a hard time imagining a young child not being able to see the truth when its presented to them in a good way

but if i adopted a teen who was already deeply decieved in false beliefs
in my house hold

we will serve Jesus


i wouldnt allow the worship of false Gods under my roof


that being said...

if he rejected Christ outwordly

he (or she) would still have to follow the principals until he left my house hold

Proverbs 13:24

24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
By the time they become teenagers, you form a mutual bond before adopting. The teen would know you're beliefs, as you would know their beliefs. If they aren't compatible, the teen decides if he/she is willing to go along with the adopting parents.

Also, it takes a couple of years to adopt.

We wanted to adopt a 16 year old at one point. (Our favorite group home kid.) Although his adoptive mother gave up on him when he was 7 years old, on the ride home after being adopted, she would never let go of him to allow him to be adopted by someone who actually loved him. At best we could have done is become his foster parents. And since we struggled financially after quitting that job, by the time we could afford to have him live with us, he was 19 and on his own. If, by some major miracle, she had let us adopt him, we would have been able to finish up adopting him on his 18th birthday, when he could simply choose to be adopted by us.

But we knew we wanted him after spending our week-long vacation with him in Canada. He got to know us then and we got to know him.

(Hubby broke his foot on the first day of vacation. The kid -- his nickname was Li'l Man -- and I were sitting at the kitchen table in our little cabin, when John was sleeping. John had taken codeine for the pain, so was talking in his sleep. And the two of us were trying to be quiet during a laughing fit at the stuff John was saying. Anyone willing to be that hysterical with me, but still try to keep quiet truly belonged with us. And all I had to do to get him to laugh after that was sniff a couple of times, and say "The milk isn't spoiled." That's what John said to get us laughing that hard, and it was funny because none of us drank milk. lol)
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#11
Not sure how it is in the USA, but it would never happen in the UK.

If social services arrange the adoption, they ensure children are placed with
someone of their own background and culture. If mixed race, they will not place
a child/teen for adoption unless they are certain the parents will actively go out of
their way to teach the child about both cultures and their origins. This hasn't
always been the case though.


I think its a good idea personally to teach about both cultures, but christians should
also be up front and say they will actively teach the child about Christianity. If this
hinders the adoption then so be it.


I'm mixed race my mum was British and white, my father is unknown but he
gave me a nice sun tan. I was brought up in foster care by my white British
aunt. I was brought up the UK way. But growing up I didn't feel that I fitted
in anywhere. I felt white but I wasn't and was rejected by white friends and
neighbour's. But I also knew nothing of any other culture, it wasn't really until I
was about 13 that I started to feel more comfortable in my own skin.

Thats is a lot of years not knowing who you are. I woud, add that I went to
church from age 8-9 and it was the Christians who discriminated the most!

I was known as that little brown kid. Not just a kid but that little brown kid.
I was the only non white person in my church. I often was left out of things
because I wasn't white. However when it came to the nativity play, I always
got the part of Mary, they felt it added authenticity to have a brown Mary!

I would add as well that there is a big difference between culture and religion.
Christianity is not unique to the west. You can live in India among Indian culture and be
a Christian. You can live in China among Chinese culture and still be a Christian etc.

Dont get the two confused if you are considering adoption, it's important that each
child knows about their culture and their origins, otherwise they feel a big part of
them is missing. It's like a child who is brought up by mum but wonders all their life
about dad etc.
I was just talking about Li'l Man a boy we wanted to adopt. He is black. In the US, we stopped calling black kids "colored" in the 1960's. It was 1983, when we took him to Canada. The people we rented the cabin from also lived in a couple of the other cabins for the summer, so I knew them since the 1960's. (My family went fishing in Canada at the same place for close to 20 years.) One of the father's asked about "that little colored boy." I was shocked, simply because I hadn't heard that word in over a decade. But Li'l Man was in ear shot and I heard him cracking up laughing. He just thought that was the funniest thing.

I would have explained it to the father, but it got Li'l Man laughing every time it was used, so I didn't want to spoil his fun. lol
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#12
I have a part time foster child that is muslim. She herself wanted to go to church with me, but once she left the service, because the preacher said that Jesus is God. And that has to be OK. I can never force her, but invite her with me when I go. I will not start a conversation about religion, but be there when she has questions about Jesus. I will not give her a Bible, but have one ready for her when she wants to read. And pray, pray, pray.
I don't get that. I don't have conversations often about religion, but God being God, he comes up in conversation enough that there is no doubt where I stand. Most of my opinions are based on the Lord, so ask me what I believe and he comes up as the why. And ask me about my garden, and I'll show you a plant that I think is cool how God made it look do that. I even thank him when he waters the garden for me.

I don't force people... in general, but there is no way you can spend three hours with me without God coming up in conversation. My friends and family just accept that I'm that kind of nuts. lol
 
T

toinena

Guest
#13
I don't get that. I don't have conversations often about religion, but God being God, he comes up in conversation enough that there is no doubt where I stand. Most of my opinions are based on the Lord, so ask me what I believe and he comes up as the why. And ask me about my garden, and I'll show you a plant that I think is cool how God made it look do that. I even thank him when he waters the garden for me.


I don't force people... in general, but there is no way you can spend three hours with me without God coming up in conversation. My friends and family just accept that I'm that kind of nuts. lol
Well. I am not very good at keeping my mouth shut. And my heart is filled with the love of Christ, so I don't last long without starting to speak about it, too. It is just a natural thing to express how grateful I am to the Lord. But I try not to push my religion on her, anyway. Especially after she ran out of church. But she asks me often enough, and I am confident she will give her life to Christ one day. God has placed her in my life, and she is drawn to the love of Christ that's in me and that she also met in church. I think actions say more than words. So I try to live accordingly. But with my blabber-mouth... (this was really a messy post)
 

Dai3234

Senior Member
Sep 6, 2016
524
4
0
#14
Won't let me type the whole question above. If a Christian adopted a child who was a different religion, should the parent force the child to go to church? Should the parent prevent the child from going to temple/mosque/etc?
If you force them not to go to mosque, it might have the opposite effect.

Better to study their religion and explain the problems with it in comparison to Christianity. It depends on how old they are also. If very young (5) I don't think it should affect hardly at all to go to church instead.
If their older, just don't let them be taught on their own. You won't see what their being taught, good or bad.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,082
1,749
113
#15
Won't let me type the whole question above. If a Christian adopted a child who was a different religion, should the parent force the child to go to church? Should the parent prevent the child from going to temple/mosque/etc?
How old is the child in question?

If a Christian family adopted a baby, sending the baby off to the pagan temple would be a despicable thing to do. Are you talking about a teen? I'd feel a lot worse about the idea of a teen going off to a mosque than to a pagan temple, since pagan temples typically have real, literal idolatry.

If it were me and I were going to adopt an older child, I might make not going to temple, etc. a condition of adoption. Kind of ask for a situation like Ruth with Naomi, where she said your God will be my God. If a child is old enough to want to go to a temple, he's old enough to make a decision like that. Is this child in this scenario in a safe living situation already, or just living on the street?

In any case, I wouldn't want idols in my house.
 
Last edited:
Dec 17, 2013
822
7
0
#16
They shouldnt adopt the kid in the first place.

If they want a pet then they should get a cat or dog,anybody with the mindset of forcing a mind already devoloped to the point that they understand their beliefs into another belief,they have no business caring for another human being.
 
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NoNameMcgee

Guest
#17
They shouldnt adopt the kid in the first place.

If they want a pet then they should get a cat or dog,anybody with the mindset of forcing a mind already devoloped to the point that they understand their beliefs into another belief,they have no business caring for another human being.
ya if a child youre supposed to be the guardian of wants to serve satan in your house


and you want your child to understand the price Jesus paid and get saved and go to heaven so he or she can live forever with a loving God as opposed to burning in hell for ever gnashing their teeth....

whats your problem

he or she isnt an animal:rolleyes:
 
Dec 17, 2013
822
7
0
#18
The youth of today are probably mostly non believers mainly because they feel that the word of God is forced on them.

The word of God DOES NOT EVEN WORK without the individual believing in it UNCONDITIONLY.

True belief doesnt take place without the individual first understanding the reasoning behind that belief.
 
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NoNameMcgee

Guest
#19
The youth of today are probably mostly non believers mainly because they feel that the word of God is forced on them.

The word of God DOES NOT EVEN WORK without the individual believing in it UNCONDITIONLY.

True belief doesnt take place without the individual first understanding the reasoning behind that belief.
i sure wish someone would have told me the truth as a child


not lied to me

and accepted my sins


Proverbs 22:6

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
 
N

NoNameMcgee

Guest
#20
Proverbs 12:1

“Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.”