Religious rituals: Because my father said so

A Muslim boy took a wee in my presence and asked for water when he was done to rinse his "John Thomas". I asked him the meaning of what he had just done and he said he didn't know, but his father taught him to do so.

You see this is one problem with religion. That is why a lady could use the Bible as an ash tray despite a Christian upbringing. We teach them and enforce the religious rituals but leave out the conviction. You force a child to obey religious rules under your roof not because the child is convinced or knowledgeable about the spiritual implications, but because the child must oblige to the parents orders. This is why once the child is outside the parent's house, he/she will follow his/her lifestyle and conviction.

Believe is a thing of the heart, not a show off religious rituals practice. The Bible says teach (not force) your child the ways of the lord, that he may not depart from it. What many parents do is force a lifestyle on their children instead of teaching them to understand the tenets of a godly lifestyle.

I know of a family who made it a rule to explain the offense before punishments are meted out, this way the offender gets to know the wrong committed, the consequences and the reasons not to continue in it, this is what is called teaching. This way the child can answer with bold conviction the reasons behind every godly actions he/she takes and not just "because my parents said so".