photo by Randy Son of Robert
Just two more weeks and we will be voting in a new president. There’s not a moment that goes by that we’re not reading, hearing or watching a political ad, debate or commentary on the two candidates. Issues that should be brought up are not, while other things become issues when they lend nothing to the discussion.
By any number of polls our country is around or over 80% Christian. Should that ideology be a part of our decision making process for electing a president? For a family that centers their home around Christ, it most definitely should.
So how do you teach your child which person is the best one for the position?
My children and I were sitting around discussing the current hoopla between McCain and Obama. My 13 year old son began vehemently arguing against one of the opponents. When I asked him why he felt the way that he did, he paused, grinned slightly, and said, “Because Dad said so.”
He knew that wasn’t a good answer to the question. We’ve tried teaching our children from the beginning to think for themselves. I thought I would introduce the concept of moral character into the discussion of presidential politics. You can do this too with your children who are old enough to hold this level of conversation.
Ask your child, “if you could pick any person to be President of the United States, what kind of person would you want him or her to be?” Notice I didn’t ask “who would you want him or her to be.” Have your child list traits that are important in the character of a leader.
Should a candidate value honesty? Then how would he feel about a candidate who lies about his associations? Should the sanctity of marriage and the value of life be supported? If so, then how does your child see a candidate who supports same-sex unions and abortion? The questions could go on and on.
If I had to guess, probably a few of them would fit within the parameters of the Ten Commandments, which is not a bad measuring stick to use. How does each candidate hold up against God’s Law?
God’s Word should not become invisible during the time of an election. Use this time of political change to teach your child that a Christian worldview is important in every aspect of life, including when it comes to electing the leaders of our country.
What can you teach your child about politics and a Christian worldview? Share them in a comment.
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Monday, October 20, 2008
Teaching Your Child How To Elect A President
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4 comments:
I'm teaching my children to vote responsibly by educating themselves about the candidates position on issues and their voting records. I'm teaching them also not to vote a certain way because "we've always voted this way", "if elected, the candidate will be the first(fill in the blank), "the candidate says he/she is a Christian". Actions speak louder than words. I remind them that God is sovreign and He rules over all. That we must put all our trust in Him and not a political party, but that we must pray for whoever is elected as the Bible commands us to do.
By the way, I really appreciate your site. It has been extremely helpful to me and I love the concept. Praying for you and your family as you make decisions about the future!
pat
Hi Pat,
You mentioned some things that I'm going to touch on in a future post - how a candidate will be known by what they do and not what they say. This falls in line with Jesus' discussion on "by their fruit you will know them."
Thanks for your encouraging words. I appreciate you for taking the time to visit and read my articles. And I especially appreciate your prayers. We need them!
Amen. I think so many Christians don't actually have a Christian world view. Great idea to discuss this with our children. I'm going to discuss this with my six year old. Thanks!
And thanks for submitting your post again!
BPOTW (Vicki),
Thanks for stopping by each week and checking out my post. I really appreciate your spreading the word about TGMT with others.
And it is never too early to begin teaching a Christian worldview to our children. By the time your son grows up to vote he'll have a solid foundation to base decisions on. Good for you!
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