Our children's questions about faith

Recently my daughter and I began wondering whether the changes in family life and the frequent use of different kinds of technology might be limiting the amount of time and, therefore, the ability young people have to engage in their newly developing skill of reflective thinking. If so, would there be a change in the questions they are asking? For this study we accumulated 2510 responses to our survey, all coming from seventh and eighth grade students in 17 Christian schools across North America . The students were asked to list questions they would like to ask someone but probably wouldn’t dare to do so. We discovered that our concern about lack of reflective thinking was unfounded. When it came to matters of faith we found many of the same questions given earlier. In addition, however, the questions from this age group now sound more soul-searching.

• I would really like to know if God is as loving as everyone believes, why does he let evil happen?

• Why do I question God’s existence?

• I would like to ask why God won’t just show all people who are lost a great miracle and then they will all believe in him.

• What’s the point? Besides asking God for things and saying thank you for other things, what’s the point? Why do we need God? Why do some people yearn for God or want more of him? I’ve never felt that way. What’s the point of God? Does our life matter at all? I mean, I’d rather be alive, but, again, what’s the point?

• Why did God test Adam and Eve if he knew they were going to sin?

• How did everyone get here if only one man and a woman were here first. I mean everyone started in Israel. Then how did they get to North and South America and become Indians and have a whole different language?

• Why did people live longer before the flood?

• Am I a good Christian? Am I doing God’s will? Can you stop being a Christian?

• How can you change the ways you have been so that it pleases God (like get rid of bad habits)?

• How do I know if I am forgiven? How do I know if I am growing in faith? How do I make myself stronger in faith?

• How do I witness without shoving the gospel down people’s throats and being annoying?

• How do we judge things not in the Bible?

• How often should we pray?

• I love God, go to church, and go to a Christian school but don’t feel closer to God. What does that mean? I read my Bible everyday. Why do I still feel so far away from God?

• Why am I drifting apart so far from God? What has happened to me? I feel like a chameleon I have to change in front of every new person I meet or have meet.

• How can people talk about the greatness of Christianity, when it is stained by so much bloodshed?

• If I don’t want to go to church, is it sin? If we don’t go to church, and just believe Jesus, do we go to the heaven after we die?

• If you are a Christian but you hate going to Sunday school…does that mean you’re not a Christian?
• Isn’t Saturday the Lord’s day of worship? Why do most people go to church on Sunday?

• What exactly are saints?

• What is Lent about, why do they do it?

• How does God interact with life on other planets?

• Is there life in other galaxies? Do they know about God? Why couldn’t God make other intelligent life in the universe(s)?

• Does anyone else wonder if God is really real? Because Buddhist thinks Buddha is God. I feel Bad for asking that but I wonder sometimes.

• I want non-biblical proof that Jesus rose.

• I want to know the truth how History and Biblical history fit together. I want to know the answers to all the questions I have that make me doubt my religion.

• If God already knew the world would be corrupt why did he make it in the first place?

• When Satan sinned was he in heaven & if so how could he be in heaven since you can’t sin in heaven?

• Who does Satan think he is?

From Families Living in the Fabric of Faithfulness, which may be downloaded free of charge from the following website:
www.whitworth.edu/livinginthefabric