City Chick to Country Chic: 10 Reasons I Will Raise My Children With God

There was an article written by Texas mother and blogger recently featured on CNN iReport, stating why she raises her children without God. She implies that those who believe in God or religion are brainwashed into believing made up stories and that believing in God is equivalent to believing in Santa Claus. She says she is not attacking religion, but states, “I only want religion to be kept at home or in church where it belongs. It’s a personal effect, like a toothbrush or a pair of shoes.”

If you’re like me and believe in what she calls an “imaginary God” or religion, you know that our beliefs are not something we just take off. God is not like a toothbrush and my religion is not like a pair of shoes. I don’t just take of my religion when I feel like it. I live it every day.

I am a young mother. My son, Caeden, is only a year old, so I do not claim to be an expert at parenting. I am only here to share why I raise, and will continue to raise my child(ren) with God.

She says, “I understand why people need God. I understand why people need heaven. It is terrifying to think that we are all alone in this universe, that one day we—along with the children we love so much—will cease to exist. The idea of God and an afterlife gives many of us structure, community and hope.”

In my eyes, I understand why people don’t believe in God. It is hard to be accountable for our actions not only in this life, but even after we die. Sometimes I wonder, “How simple would life be if I didn't believe in God?” But I do believe. I echo the words of God in a promise to Him, “for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Here are 10 simple reasons why I raise my child with God:

1. LOVE : God loves us and teaches us to love. In fact, love is so important to God that He commands us to love one another (John 13:34). Again, we have choice, and God can’t and will not force us to love anyone, but God loves love so much that He wants us to share our love with each other. God is love (1 John 4:8).

2. BEAUTY: God gives us beauty. Look around you. There are hundreds of species of flowers and trees. There is color everywhere. Mountains, hills, birds, animals, oceans, clouds. (Psalms 8:3-9)God gave us beauty, but our senses are dulled by society’s thrills and expectations.

3. LISTEN: God listens. He is not overbearing, but waits for you to come to Him. (Matthew 7:7). God answers all prayers. You just need to be listening.

4. FREEDOM: Sometimes, like children, people are angry when they don’t get what they want, and in turn, blame God. God will not take away hardships. God will not take away all pain, sorrow, and hurt. He is not the creator of those things. Satan is and if we yield to his temptations we will find a long, narrow path of misery. (Luke 22:31)

God gives us choice and lets us learn for ourselves. How many times do you tell your child, “Don’t touch that, it’s hot”, and they still touch “that” anyway? God has told us over and over, in scripture and modern-day revelation to do or not do something. Then He lets us go. He doesn’t follow us around and snatch us up at every crack in the sidewalk. He tells us, “Don’t touch that, it’s hot”. We choose to “touch” or not. (Galatians 5:1, Genesis 3:5)

5. COMFORT: I broke my arm when I was nine. I was on a slip-n-slide, thinking I was pretty awesome sliding across the plastic on my feet instead of my belly. I tripped on a rock at the end of the slide, fell on my arm, and broke it. My parents could not take the pain away although I’m sure they wanted to. They did what they could to lessen the pain by taking me to the hospital and letting the doctors and nurses fix me up. They did what they could to make my life easier while I couldn’t use my arm like I was used to.

I don’t blame my parents for my broken arm, just like I don’t blame God for my hardships in life, but I do go to God to help lessen the pain. (Psalm 116:3-8. Psalm 118:4-8)

6. RESPONSIBILITY: God teaches responsibility; we already know that God has given us choice and that He lets us learn for ourselves. He also teaches us that for every choice, good or bad, there is a consequence. (Galatians 6:7-10)

7. STRENGTH: God teaches us to trust and to be strong. He gives us strength. (Isaiah 41:10 & 13, Proverbs 3: 5-6, 2 Samuel 22:33, Psalms 29:11)With strength comes courage. (Genesis 26:24, Deuteronomy 20:1, Joshua 1:7, Psalms 27:1, Isaiah 51:7)

8. SACRIFICE: God understands sacrifice and gave His only son as a sacrifice to save the rest of us (John 3:16). God gave up His happiness for a greater cause, in the spirit of true love. If that makes Him a “bad parent and role model”, then He is the best bad parent ever. How many of us would be willing to sacrifice our only child to save even a hundred other lives?

9. POTENTIAL: We can become like God. God gave us the potential to become like Him, but like a flower, without proper nourishment and care we will not grow. (Romans 8:16-17, Psalm 82:6, Acts 17:29, 1 John 3:2)

10. TRUTH: God is real. If you don’t believe that, then the rest of this post is probably nonsense to you. I will raise my child(ren) with God because He exists. (Genesis 1:1) The entire Bible (and Book of Mormon for my fellow LDS) testify of God. Others have testified of him, that they saw Him, and they left a record for us.

I don’t often voice my beliefs in such a public setting. I am content to let seemingly harmless attacks on religion and God go, but the voices of those who oppose God and religion are becoming stronger, while those who know are becoming quiet with the fear of offending those who don’t. I will stand as a voice and I will not be ashamed.

If you are like me and know there is a God, whatever your religion, please share this post. Grab the button from my side bar or from below and post it on your blog. It will link to this post.

Feel free to share why you raise your children with God!

*UPDATE* This is not a hate post. I just wanted to share what I believe. I'm not trying to make anyone believe what I do, and just because you and I may disagree does not mean we can't get along and still like each other. As one of my friends said, "There is beauty in being able to believe what we choose." So true and so right. Also, special thanks to the woman who wrote the post that inspired this one. I wouldn't have thought to write about why I will raise my children with God if she hadn't written about why she doesn't. Thanks for reading :)