Is this really what a five year old should be taught?

[Baroque Brass]

A friend whose family is very active in church has a very precocious five year old daughter. Her daughter recently said “when you die you either go to heaven or Helen Georgia.“ Her mom asked her what happens if you go to Helen Georgia? The child replied, you get thrown into fire! Is this the kind of thing churches should be teaching a very impressionable young mind? I think it’s wrong for a child to worry that if she doesn’t live her life by a certain standard that she’ll be thrown into fire. I hope that as she becomes older, this intelligent child will purge her mind of the brainwashing.

 

[bullethead]

In the next sentence the little girl was most likely told how god is a loving god.
The threats of eternal pain are incentive to help gain and keep followers.

In another children's story a Jolly Fat Man knows if you've been bad or good. If you are good you get a toy,, if you are bad you get a lump of coal.

 

[Spotlite]

I don’t know of any church teaching children of that age about the hot place. Everything is focused on “the good of Jesus” and how He loves them.

As mentioned above, in both stories good and bad are taught - but the hot place strong meat for the babes on milk.

 

[brutally honest]

I don’t know of any church teaching children of that age about the hot place. Everything is focused on “the good of Jesus” and how He loves them.

Yeah, I used to teach Sunday School for four-year-olds. We never mentioned Helen, just “love, love, love”.

 

[Madman]

I believe I would be having a discussion with the teacher.

He would have some “splain’in to do”.

 

[bullethead]

There are sunday school lessons online to teach children of a place called Helen.
The link includes the Helen word so I wont post.
I'll PM it

 

[ambush80]

I remember being told about He11 in Sunday school when I was in 3rd or 4th grade.

 

[bullethead]

I remember being told about He11 in Sunday school when I was in 3rd or 4th grade.

As do I

 

[bullethead]

Regarding the links I sent through PM, you have to place the **** with the "H word" in order for the link to work.
The censors here will not allow the actual word even by PM

 

[Spotlite]

There are sunday school lessons online to teach children of a place called Helen.
The link includes the Helen word so I wont post.
I'll PM it

Thanks for the PM. I was shocked. All I can say is there’s a Westboro Baptist, too.

 

[Spotlite]

I remember being told about He11 in Sunday school when I was in 3rd or 4th grade.

Yea but not in the depth it’s being told to these 5 year olds?

We don’t go that in depth until they’re older and we have a 97% retention rate in our youth. As 18 year olds they understand it but it’s not a “fear factor” for them to remain in church.

 

[bullethead]

Thanks for the PM. I was shocked. All I can say is there’s a Westboro Baptist, too.

Like we've discussed privately, it is probably taught as much as it isnt taught. And it doesn't seem to be at either end of the extreme denominations or parishes that do or don't teach it.

 

[1eyefishing]

The church knows best.

 

[ambush80]

The church knows best.

Which one?

 

[ambush80]

Yea but not in the depth it’s being told to these 5 year olds?

We don’t go that in depth until they’re older and we have a 97% retention rate in our youth. As 18 year olds they understand it but it’s not a “fear factor” for them to remain in church.

I remember asking if the fire burns your eyeballs and I was told that it does.....forever. I think it was a Methodist church.

 

[Spotlite]

Like we've discussed privately, it is probably taught as much as it isnt taught. And it doesn't seem to be at either end of the extreme denominations or parishes that do or don't teach it.

I’m afraid you’re right.

 

[Baroque Brass]

In the next sentence the little girl was most likely told how god is a loving god.
The threats of eternal pain are incentive to help gain and keep followers.

In another children's story a Jolly Fat Man knows if you've been bad or good. If you are good you get a toy,, if you are bad you get a lump of coal.

My brother’s first wife was a terrible mother to my nephew. As a child, her mother must’ve not been much better. One Christmas her mother kept telling her she’d been bad and to expect a lump of coal for Christmas. She thought her mother was kidding only to get up Christmas morning to get a lump of coal while her siblings got toys. Later in the day she did get a toy but I truly think that and other childhood events made her a terrible mother.

 

[NCHillbilly]

The Baptist churches I grew up in, we were sitting there as toddlers listening to the preacher scream angrily about why everybody was going to burn in Helen week in and week out as he jumped up and down and foamed at the mouth. The hate-filled, angry God and burning in Helen as the default position is one of the main things that made me abandon organized Christianity. I don't need Angry God and Helen in my life.

 

[ky55]

The Baptist churches I grew up in, we were sitting there as toddlers listening to the preacher scream angrily about why everybody was going to burn in Helen week in and week out as he jumped up and down and foamed at the mouth. The hate-filled, angry God and burning in Helen as the default position is one of the main things that made me abandon organized Christianity. I don't need Angry God and Helen in my life.

Same here.
No age restrictions on the congregation.

 

[buckpasser]

We’re in the process of hiring a pastor now. We won’t be hiring one like @NCHillbilly grew up with. We’ve invited some like to speak (unknowingly) and they were crossed off the list immediately. I’m not sure what sort of congregation would actually want to hear that all the time? Only a slight amount or maturity is required to understand the basic concept of Heaven/He\\. Let’s get much deeper than that please. Thanks!