Christian parents, how do you handle questions about death, heaven and hell? I dont feel comfortable telling my children that those who dont believe will go to hell. I’ve said ‘some’ people will go there. It seems like a very heavy topic for a child.
Thanks!
Discussion
16 comments
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Reality bites.
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Hell was talked about by a jesus a lot. More than anything else I believe so it’s obviously important to teach people.
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Explain it plain and clear as possible that your child might understand that the main purpose why God created Hell is to punish all demons who rebelled against the Triune God from the beginning. But son of men deceived and chose to rebel against God because they are under the tyranny of sin. Even though hell isn’t purposely created for unbelieving men, many of them chose it.
Explain to your child that when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us according to romans chapter 5 for the reason that He didn’t want us to perish in hell but to have an everlasting fellowship with Him in heaven. -
They don’t need to know anything but that Jesus loves them
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Tell them the truth of God’s word as you would anyone else. I have raised both my children up in God’s word for the last 6 + years. One of them is saved and the other is not (at the moment).
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The question is why don’t you feel confortable? Are they too young? You explain according to their level. But, if you don’t explain what is at stake, how will the know that Jesus’ sacrifice was costly?
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I’m not a parent yet, but I think the Bible does give advice. Specifically, train a child up in the way they should go, and when he is old, he will never depart.
Sadly, many unbelievers cite Hell as being “too horrible” for Christianity to be true, so on the one hand of that, tell them the truth early, or their emotions will lie to them later.
Alternatively, you could treat it like other adult topics. You obviously don’t tell a 6 year old about sex or alcohol. If it comes up, just give them a bitesize version and promise when they’re the right age, they’ll understand more, so you’ll tell them more. So you could just simplify Hell as being like sitting in the naughty corner forever. Or if they understand jail, Hell is just God’s jail. Ease into it.
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Thanks guys. Just wanted to see how other parents approach this.
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Just tell them the truth.
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I think it depends on the age and maturity of the child
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Ultimately hell is separation from God. Young children can understand that without it being too terrifying. Just like they can understand being grounded to their room or punished in some other way.
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I am not a parent of a young child, but I can say this: when you feel they are ready, be truthful, no matter how hard it is. A little white lie can cause a lifetime of damage.
I think a good place to start with this difficult topic is to review Jesus’ story of Lazarus and the Rich man (Luke 16: 19-31). Because Lazarus is named, you know it is NOT a parable. Teach the way you would evangelize a non-Christian. Tell them what the bible says, let the Holy Spirit do the work of acceptance. -
The Gospel is a life or death message, and not heaven or hell.
I strive to teach my kids as Jesus did, and certainly not a Jonathan Edwards(eternal torment) style.
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Always tell the truth.What the Bible says has no age restriction. It won’t be as uncomfortable as watching them join others in hell due to a lack of truth.
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I’m putting together a booklet now about how to discern God’s voice but it includes much about the spiritual realm as taken directly from the Bible. I think that it is good for a young child to ask these questions. The way that you address the subject will have a lasting effect. Make it truthful and Biblical. You might approach it by doing a Bible Study and searching for specific words. I will add a few pages here. (Psalm 139 is an important passage for everyone to understand.)
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