Voices of Faith: How can we teach youth to respect life?

MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

Voices of Faith: How can we teach youth to respect life?

The Rev. Fran T. Cary, pastor of Trinity A.M.E. Church, Kansas City, Kan.: I believe every generation has its own challenges, and yet the same principles can be applied, for it all starts with God’s divine word. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Young people begin to respect life as:

1. They observe life among the living. We’ve allowed television to capture the minds of youth in their explicit viewing of sex and killings. Computers expose our youth to pornography and child molestation. Music teaches our youth it’s OK to call their mamas and sisters names and fathers and brothers “players.” Prayer is out of our schools, and game practices replace Sunday school and worship.

2. The community makes every effort to be a voice for what’s good and right for our youths. An African proverb says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Our world is larger, yet villages are smaller. We teach our youth by exposing them to the same teachings Christ taught us: to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. To respect life, we teach them the Second Commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. We teach as we encourage, listen and support them, and we embrace them while recognizing them as individuals. By teaching them about God, who was willing to give up his only Son so that we might have life, is how we teach youth to respect life.

Rabbi Mark Levin of Congregation Beth Torah, Overland Park, Kan.: This question reflects a grievous challenge today. However, the issue of raising children to respect parental values is not new. Isaac and Rebekkah certainly encountered childhood rebellion from Esau, and King David’s troubles with Absalom nearly cost him his life.

No doubt, children emulate the behaviors they watch in authority figures. Psychological research indicates that unconditional loving and firm, but not rigid, parenting creates loving children willing to tolerate interpersonal differences.

Furthermore, continuous exposure to violence, actual and media-simulated, teaches children that interpersonal violence is a reasonable reaction to disrespect.

During teen years, peer groups have potentially greater influence on behavior than parents. Association with violent gangs has caused many deaths. The fact that such gang members often mature and regret their early actions does not help those who suffered as a result.

Adults modeling constructive behavior present the best method for teaching life-giving values.

When parents or other significant adults go out of their way to protect life, even animal life, they encourage children to act similarly.

Sheltering those in need, shunning anger, caring for the elderly selflessly, helping others who are in pain without being asked — all of these and so many more kindnesses teach the value of respecting life without directly benefiting ourselves. All of this the Bible sums up simply in Leviticus 19:18: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”