Balancing acts and cultural reproduction

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 13 March 2007 19:05:26

Last month I was talking a bit about the tension between being in an evangelical church but not being a natural evangelical. In the mist of talking about that stuff one of the things that came out was the tension of being a parent wanting my daughter to develop a genuine faith, but wanting her to develop that faith without gaining the hang ups which have tended to go with growing up within the church.

I want my daughter to develop an understanding of her own spirituality as an individual, but within a community setting learning to respect the opinions of those around her. I want her to understand the tradition she is part of yet choose whether she wants to consciously remain within that tradition. I want her to have the freedom of faith without the constraints that come from automatically accepting the norms and values put forward as "truth", despite the fact they are socially constructed.

I want her to question and struggle with faith, but with her own questions not mine. I want to be a model of integrity to her, but I don't want her to feel she must agree with me. I want her to look at my decisions and understand them, but not to be influenced by them.

I want her to learn traditional teachings but not be brainwashed by them. I want her to connect with God but I want it to happen because she comes to her own faith, not that she just follows her peers or says what is expected.

As a parent I want an awful lot.