tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9171276.post114208653849687122..comments2023-09-15T03:33:05.816-05:00Comments on Watt's What: Second Sunday in Lent, March 12, 2006wattswhathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02556138082050504542noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9171276.post-1142344276349825202006-03-14T07:51:00.000-06:002006-03-14T07:51:00.000-06:00John; Thanks for your comment. The question is (I ...John; Thanks for your comment. <BR/>The question is (I think) what would children be if they were left to themselves? and would it be the same in every case? This is a very old discussion. A 20th century treatment is of course "Lord of the Flies." And also Locke's Tabula Rasa modified by Freud... Erasmus and Luther argued over "Free Will." Luther wrote "The Bondage of the Will" in essence saying that human beings have no choice but to sin. We are bound (that is in slavery) to it. (<BR/><A HREF="http://www.ctsfw.edu/etext/luther/bondage/About.htm" REL="nofollow">here's an online version</A> <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/truelutheran/luther_bow.html" REL="nofollow">here's another translation</A> which I haven't read but it is a text version) This bondage to sin is due to Original Sin (aka Inherited Sin). Another point to consider is that there are children who have all the advantage, great parents, great opportunities, and still do bad stuff. In fact, we all do "bad" stuff all the time... even if we control our outward acts, we still have the wrong motives inside our heads. And that's what God is interested in. I based my statement in the sermon on the teaching of Original Sin. A few verses to consider. <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2051:5;&version=47" REL="nofollow">Psalm 51:5</A> <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rom%205:12;&version=47" REL="nofollow">Romans 5:12 </A><BR/>Pastor Watt.wattswhathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02556138082050504542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9171276.post-1142338837606303882006-03-14T06:20:00.000-06:002006-03-14T06:20:00.000-06:00Most engaging for me here is the idea that childre...Most engaging for me here is the idea that children have to be taught not to hate and to be taught how to be loving. You point out that many people will take exception to this, and it's hard for me to wrap my mind around as well. I tend to see children as opportunities to imprint; they take up the behaviors they see. So the parents, especially, have an opportunity to control, to some degree, whether their children will be loving or hateful. Do they get loving at home? They will tend toward that behavior, although that will be mitigated some by their own makeup and the other input they get, much of it hateful. <BR/><BR/>So I agree that they do need to be taught to love, and they can be taught to hate.John Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16750743777622261976noreply@blogger.com