Daughter refusing to go to church

Brother Of Christ said:
Greetings all

I wonder if any of you folks here have encountered a problem like this before. Ever since my daughter started high school last year, she has been refusing to attend services, or grumpy about going.

I've given my all too to get her to attend; groundings, spankings, threatening to shave her hair off, withholding her allowance but she just won't budge an inch. This is causing severe stress and pressure to me and my wife of course as we serve God with all our might each and every day.

Thank you in advance for any advice anyone has to bestow upon me. Bless you all
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You can make your child go to church as long as they are under 18 technically. Once they turn 18 they will make their own decision. It may be your child doesn't like church or they may not even want to be Christian. Your child won't always be who you want them to be and it's been my experience that around 12-14 is when most teens decide whether they will believe or not believe when it comes to religion. If you force your child to do something they don't want to do you run the risk of causing them to resent you and sometimes you do more harm than good. If I were you I'd let my child make up their own mind on the issue and if they didn't want to go then I'd support that.
 
I agree that threatening her is irrational and won't make her want to go.

what is the point in her being there if she loathes and resents it as I'm sure thats not the effect your going for.

she may be under 18 but she is still a human being and coming to an age where she can assess information and her own desires so really what gives you the right to spank her and shave off her hair afterall shes not 4 the spanking is a little juvinile and her hair is her property and her body.

even if you make her go she could end up non christian and you just have to accept that theres nothing you can do she is a person with her own mind and principles. you should let her make her own choices as in the end that will happen anyway
 
As an 18-year old, I would just like to share my experience to put in my twopence-worth here..

Both of my parents are religious and I was brought up in their faith, was christened and encouraged at the age of twelve to be confirmed. Unfortunately I had begun debating my own beliefs by that point after a disappointement in religion and did what you say your daughter has done, I refused to go to church anymore. Mostly my parents allowed me to make my own ddecisions - something i am eternally grateful for.

I totally turned from God at that point in my life, I went through all of my secondary education a convinced atheist. This is probably not to your liking right now as you surely don't want that for your daughter. But i have to say that being allowed to turn away, and see, think about and live a different perspective has only done me good. I've now completed my first semester at university and am on the journey of finding God again. It is a much more rewarding process, I find, to discover God's love on your own terms, because you choose that it is the right thing to do; and not because it is something you have grown up with, perhaps with no personal reasons for continuing.

So I say don't try and force her to come to church, becuase I trust that your love for her will guide her to see why it is so important and she can make her own decisions to have a faith that becomes personal to her. Teenagers often ache to get away but only if they are allowed off the leash can they choose to return in my opinion and it is important to trust that they will do so.

I don't know how much sense that made..
Best wishes, and good luck
 
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