To go along with what I was saying earlier, I have 3 daughters who were not forced to go to church, I taught them how I believe, and why I believe the way I do. I showed them scripture, taught them to trust God over man, and to understand that as we learn, our choices and decisions change.
My oldest daughter moved out at 18, went away to college, went a bit wild, graduated and stayed in the area where she attended college. A month after her dad passed from cancer, she was diagnosed with cancer. She started searching for answers, and told me she was more like agnostic. She knew there was something bigger than herself out there, she just wasn't certain. I myself struggled with my faith then. I KNEW God was real, because I couldn't be this angry with a being who didn't exist, but I was ANGRY. I expressed my questions to her also, and told her I understood why she was searching, and that I couldn't say I wouldn't be questioning things more if I were in her shoes. God is a big God who can handle our questions, our anger and frustrations. I told her to keep searching earnestly, ask me any questions she wanted, and I was pretty certain she would return to God soon. She had been hurt by people in authority in her church, so asking a pastor was NOT a possibility to her, so taught her how to search the Bible for answers, and to ask many people before forming an opinion on things, so she has many directions from which to choose. She told me it truly bothered her that I was questioning my faith, because it was such a large part of her upbringing. I told her not to worry, I was only questioning God's reasonings, not whether God was real, and my faith will rebound soon (which it did).
Recently she told me that I was right, and with searching the Bible, and earnestly seeking, she found most of her answers and she was rebuilding her faith.
My middle girl is a lot like me. Don't tell her that, but the older she gets, the more I see it. I think that is why she and I can argue like no other. I was worried that she was becoming wiccan. Like me, she is into plants, and herbal remedies, and a natural lifestyle, and she has added a few things I know little about which had me perplexed and a little concerned. So I outright asked her. She told me that she finds God in nature over anyplace else. She is more at peace in nature, so they go camping and fishing and just spend as much time as possible outside, but not to worry, her belief is in God, she's just finding her own way, and using the Bible, nature and many people to answer her questions. Her soon to be husband is even her daddy's carbon copy almost, and they are a completely adorable couple. I worried about him when they first got together, because I saw the things in him that in my late husband we had to overcome. Like my late husband, he grew into his role as provider, head of the house and christian man. I don't worry about them together any longer.
My youngest is a powerhouse! Twelve years ago, we knew she was so talented and smart, that she would either take over the world or take over a prison/street gang. She used her power for good. She has always been an avid church goer, but like my oldest girl, she was hurt greatly by a church splitting, and casting away a pastor. She is still close with this pastor and his family, and he is marrying her to her fiancé next week. Like me, she didn't lose her faith in God, just in people running churches. She remained faithful to God, and even though she went through a great time of questions like the rest of us, her faith in God never waivered. She is now a paramedic, in school to gain her bachelor's in emergency management, and right now, while planning her wedding and attending her classes, she is an intern at the White House!! God has moved mountains for her, and it looks like she might be moving to DC after her internship to continue working with FEMA. FEMA has many offices across the country, so no telling where they may end up settling.
It's okay for our young people to question things, to be unsure, to not know how they believe exactly. This doesn't mean they don't believe in God, or their faith is less than other generations. This just means they are no longer trusting churches, pastors and other people as much as in the past. The Bible says there is nothing new under the sun, so this must have happened in past generations as well, it just wasn't as publicized is all.
1
