application of religion

Oh it's tough to be a young person these days. Everybody is hitting out at them as if they were the cause of every social ills there is. They can't hang out because apparently this makes them potentially bad and when they go off and do something, like from a rap group or something, this is the wrong thing to do. And trying to impose some form of religious teachings to our impressionable young people is frustrating. We must not only tell them but show them that it is not okay to lie, steal, cheat, rape, murder etc....Hanging out in shopping complexes is the least of the sins they can commit.

Alhamdulillah in my extended family environment is very strict in religious education . Hence since childhood is usually already taught to pray, with for example taken to the mosque for congregational prayers nor circumcision obligatory prayers as tarawih. If not in the mosque, we are at home as well even if not constantly, try to pray in congregation. Similarly, when the fasting month comes, we are taught to get up the morning meal, then learn as much as he was fasting, half-day for example ..

As a Christian, we are to live a life according to Christian values. That means, we have to live a god-fearing life and show an example not just on Sundays, but the rest of the week. For instance, our church is against buying lottery tickets since it encourages greed, so we cannot say "no lottery tickets on Sunday, but since it is Tuesday, I can buy some." We cannot listen to a sermon that says that covetousness is wrong and then on Monday, decide to cheat our neighbor. The World is trying to drag us from our religious values, by saying that it is all right to sin or in the last few years, to say that we are bigots, racists, and call us horrible names in an effort to get us to go along with them. But one has to resist.

As a Christian, we are to live a life according to Christian values. That means, we have to live a god-fearing life and show an example not just on Sundays, but the rest of the week. For instance, our church is against buying lottery tickets since it encourages greed, so we cannot say "no lottery tickets on Sunday, but since it is Tuesday, I can buy some." We cannot listen to a sermon that says that covetousness is wrong and then on Monday, decide to cheat our neighbor. The World is trying to drag us from our religious values, by saying that it is all right to sin or in the last few years, to say that we are bigots, racists, and call us horrible names in an effort to get us to go along with them. But one has to resist.

Finding those children a bit hard to control????With free choice comes consequences. This is part of learning.They might never join your religion or anyone else's.This is ok. A very wise lady once told me.When trouble gets really really bad, we all pray for help. One might dump religion but God is never far away. It is everyone's duty to interact with each other. Perhaps it's time to stop complaining and start interacting. People might not listen to what you say but if you speak TRUTH, it can never be ignored forever. Truth has a way of hanging around until it can be seen!!

dear indahfth, i think it is because young ones who are starting to find independence feels they are doing fine all the while. and parents worry so much about the company they are in. hence, trouble in relationship starts. values are instilled in one's young mind, not when they are older. parents just need to keep on reminding. and the person who has learned the value of religion will go by the rules of God. he will not go astray. have a blessed day. ann

Hi indahfth, It is true that young people are not attending church in the numbers they once did, but this can't really be blamed on the young people themselves. If the church has something to offer them I'm sure they will come back. Every generation has always complained about the young people of the day and wondered what would happen when they had to rule the world. The fact is it's no different today from fifty years ago. Of course there is a lot more to tempt them today but I have faith in our young people. It has always been the case that we only heard about those who caused trouble, yet today we hear a lot more about it. I fully believe that the vast majority of our young men and women are decent people, we just don't hear about them because good news don't sell. I don't think that religion has anything to do with it and one can have good morals without going to any church or belonging to any religion. Blessings.

Religion, according to me should be able to take care of the morals of those who practice it. They should be able to live according to their given nature. We expect human to be a kindly and a humane person. We expect him to be loving and caring. The person should be patient and tolerant. He ought to be sympathetic towards others. Even in emotional moments, he or she should be able to keep calm and composed. If the person does not possess these qualities then I would say that he has been drawn away from the religious values. However, we do not expect a young person to be solemn all the time. He is likely to let the hair down occasionally but this does not mean that the religion has failed somewhere, at some place at some time. As long as the person does not cause hurt to someone I think none should mind a little out of way behavior.