Toward A Harmonious Community
There is a lot of talk in the spiritual community regarding how people, especially the young, really need to express themselves. This expression should not regard the feelings or thoughts of others. Some ministers actually teach this in their sermons. “Say what you think no matter what others think.” There are some “adults” that feel children ages 15-17, or even younger, are like ships in a harbor. “They are made there but do not belong there,” implying that kids can go off by themselves, abandon all their experience and authority while doing whatever they want. Besides being a bizarre metaphor it is also just not true. Kids are kids and not very young adults. The narrow question is are young adults lacking maturity and decision making experience capable of making life choices on their own? Should children simply renounce authority and maturity when confronted with it? Should agenda driven adults make those decisions for them? Ought children be taught it okay to lead be...