JUUC Social Talk Series; PARENTHOOD: a candid advise to immediate religious leaders

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By Utibeabasi Okokon


Before the advancement of science and technology, all laws were governed by religious beliefs. Ancient civilizations such as Egypt had Seth, the god of death; Horus, the god of the air; and even Anubis, the gatekeeper to the underworld. The Romans had Jupiter; the Greeks had Zeus; the Hindus had Lord Krishna, Goddess Durga and many more.


Roman gods 
Egyptian gods
This goes on to illustrate the impact of religion in our daily lives. In the twenty-first century, the world engages in a debate which no side can emerge victorious: which religion is the true religion? In Nigeria, the two popular religious factions are the Christians and the Muslims. Both factions share a lot in common, parents also take on roles of religious leaders in the family.



It is of great disappointment when a “pastor’s son” puts on a holy attitude to please his parents, church members and relatives, only to exhibit an entirely different personality while with his peers. The fault, as many would agree, goes to his parents. Parents exercising the roles of a religious leader to a child, should be ready to put everything on the line for their children. Some defend themselves with the claims that their children could become idols for them, taking God's place in their lives. While this is accurate, they should also know that they will be held accountable for the lives of their children. The issue seems to be how to balance this double standard. 
First, religious leaders should give their children the necessary attention they desire. The same attention you give to God can also be given to your children. You wouldn’t want to risk your children getting jealous of God or Allah because you give Him more attention than them. Also, religious leaders have to learn not to force their religious beliefs on their children, but rather teach them their religious ways, allowing their children to understand who they worship and why they worship that deity. A child’s mind-set be should not be shaped like this: “Today is Sunday, so I have to go to church” but “Today is Sunday, I want to worship God wholeheartedly today.” 

Take a quick survey from the two examples given above, A and B. Christians like A hardly pick up their Bibles except on Sunday’s while Christians like B read their Bibles almost on a daily basis. No wonder the Holy Book says, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he grows up, he shall not depart from it.” 

Our religious leaders have a lot to make up for in these perilous times. It is about time they wake up and realize that parenthood is not defined by one's child bearing capacity but one's relationship with a child. 


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