Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Eight - It's Mine, Mine, MINE!!

I heard this on the CBC today: “Children do not steal with bad intentions. They have no concept of ownership.” She then went on to remark how we therefore ought not to discipline children for taking things that belong to others. I alas did not catch the name of the speaker. However, a quick google search will turn up hundreds of such statements. So common is this idea in certain circles that it has the ring of accepted truth. As Christians, living in a increasingly unGod-honouring culture, it is important to be vigilant about examining the "truths" of our day.

So, is it true that “Children do not steal with bad intentions? They have no concept of ownership.”? I think not. It strikes me as absurd both observationally and Biblically.

Observationally, as soon as I heard the statement on the radio, I immediately thought “They don’t have a concept of ownership? Oh yeah? Tell that to my toddler. Try taking his sippy cup full of milk, or boost his cookie and then tell me he has no concept of what is his, His, HIS!!!” Perhaps they have no concept of other people’s ownership, but that seems to me a matter of selfishness, not a lack of conceptual awareness.

Outbursts from the younger Marshlings happen pretty regularly around here, and usually they stem from possessiveness (sometimes baseless, sometimes not). A typical scenario involves disputes over favoured toys and who had what first. Often shrieks are part of the discussion, but sometimes they are just tense negotiations.

The implication of an amoral view of children, and much that I’ve read on child development, is that children are innocents who are corrupted by their surroundings or, at best, a blank slate upon which we write the mores of our culture. This does not square with what the Bible teaches. There are no age restrictions put upon the commandments of God (that is, obedience is required by all) and children were often specifically required to be present for the reading of the Law (Neh. 8:2,3; 2 Kings 23:2).

Further, we who believe in original sin understand that children are vile sinners, just like me, who stand condemned before a righteous God, who need to be taught by word, example, and enforcement what is good and what the Lord requires of them, including not taking things which are not theirs.

Having said that, may I never forget that disciplining my children is no substitute for redemption. I may be able to coerce compliance and socially acceptable behaviour, but only the Holy Spirit will address the root of the problem.

In a future post, I’ll write about how we deal specifically and practically with stealing in the Marsh home.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

David,
I just wanted to say that I throughly enjoy and am challenged by what you write. You write very clearly and concisly and I appreciate that you take the time to do so.
This one again, is sound and Biblically factual. Well written.