Reasons it’s Important to Teach Your Children About Faith

Reasons it’s Important to Teach Your Children About Faith

Raising your children to be productive members of society can mean many different things to different people. For some, it can mean raising their children to be self-sufficient by teaching them how to cook, clean, and manage a household. For others, it can mean instilling the importance of getting an education as a stepping stone to a good career and prosperous future. For others, it may also mean teaching them about the importance of having faith and spirituality in their everyday lives. If that doesn’t seem like something you should teach your children, you may want to read a few of the following reasons why being spiritual and relying on faith can be impactful in your child’s life.

Creates Community

One of the most basic needs of humans is to belong to a community of like-minded people. Many people believe in a higher power, but less than half of all Americans attend a house of worship on a regular basis, which means they’re missing out on a key opportunity to feel a sense of belonging amongst their peers. Experts feel this gap starts at home with parents who don’t encourage their children to attend church services. Getting involved with a local church or temple can provide your child with a support system and teach them what it means to work as a community, which are valuable skills that they can carry with them into adulthood.

Teaches Civic Responsibility

Many churches and other houses of worship get involved in their community on some level. Some may host a soup kitchen for the needy or provide shelter for those who are homeless, while others may go on mission trips or host drives to help the less fortunate. These acts of civic responsibility can be beneficial to pass on to your children, because it helps them learn to be better people and want to contribute to society on some level when they become adults. It can also promote tolerance for those who are different, practice other faiths, or less fortunate and create empathy.

Develops Values

Teaching your children the importance of spirituality and faith can also instill important values into their core belief system that can, in turn, make them productive members of society when they become adults. Many churches teach children the importance of fairness, tolerance, respect, and unconditional love at a young age when they’re more likely to retain this valuable information. These values are critical as children become adults and assimilate into society and can even help effect positive world change.

Answers Tough Questions

Children are inquisitive and may ask you tough questions that you cannot answer on your own, such as what happens after we die, what souls are, and even the existence of God or another deity. You may not know how to answer these types of questions on your own and need help from experts who’ve spent their lives studying these types of topics. Websites like the way international can help answer the tough questions your children may have and give them guidance that can carry into their adulthood.

Promotes Curiosity

Children who are exposed to faith and spirituality at a young age may develop a healthy curiosity to learn about a variety of religions and faith-based practices. Allowing your children to understand facets of many different religions can teach your children to view the world through multiple perspectives, learn a variety of cultural values, and promote tolerance for other religions that are different from their own. Having a healthy curiosity for other religions may also teach your children objectivity, which can be a handy skill when they become adults.

Teaches them to be Role Models

Not only does exposing your child to spirituality or a faith-based organization from a young age provide them with positive role models, but it can turn them into one as well. Children who are instilled with a faith from a young age and develop a healthy sense of values can become positive role models to others as they age. Many religions preach the importance of leading by example, and by living your life as a positive example it encourages others to explore the same paths in life which can lead to a healthier, more productive society.

Gives them Peace

Many people spend their lives searching for answers that can often be found through practicing faith or spirituality. Helping your children find answers to their spiritual questions at a young age can give them inner peace and spare them a lifetime of searching for answers through practices or activities that could potentially be harmful to them.

Remember to be open to your children’s idea of what faith and spirituality entail, even if they differ from your own. It’s important to encourage them to explore how they wish to practice their faith—whether that means saying prayers before every meal, taking time to read spiritual texts every night before bed, or attending regular faith-based services each week. Giving them the spiritual toolkit they need can benefit them as they walk down their own path as adults and have a positive influence on their everyday lives.