Getting wrapped up in the cycle...

What cycle? The cycle of believing what our parents taught us to believe. This is not unique to one religion. If your parents were Catholic and they raised you as such, chances are you raised or will raise your children to be Catholic. If you were raised to believe in the Jewish teachings and customs, likely you will follow that in your life even teaching it to your children.

I am not saying this is right or wrong. It is the way things have been done for many centurys. I lived that way and was raising my family in that manner. My children, especially the oldest two, got the full blast of the Jehovah's Witness way of life. It is not all bad. Many of the teachings help you to avoid problems and pain in your life, I am sure that in other teachings similar thoughts are in the teachings. However, when my oldest daughter was about 15 years of age, I started to see things in the organization which I did not completely agree with. No, these were not new teachings, just the way men were overseeing the flock did not seem right to me. Maybe this had been going on all the while, maybe I was a lot wiser now. I know some will say stupid is mor like it, I rather think I got smarter. Anyway, it did not happen over night, but slowly my family of 4 children and a wife fell out of our religious beliefs. The mother of my children was the last to stop attending. I had stopped teaching my children as I had before. I felt so guilty but at the same time I could not continue to worship where I did not trust those in charge. In fact I still feel very strongly about how some of those elders are going straight to hell, where I will be waiting.... Anyway, I have come to the point where I don't expect my children to follow any of the religious teachings based on what I said at one time. They must choose what is right for them and their families. No matter what it is, I will stand behind them. No, that does not mean I will follow their beliefs, but I will not hold it against them. I am proud that my wife and I gave them a solid beginning aside from the church, so that I completely trust any decisions they make to be in the best interest of their family. I for one believe in a God who loves all people. A God who will not destroy people on the basis of there choice of church or religion. I believe God still loves me even though I am not a believer as I was raised to be. Men should not be given power over Gods people since they abuse that power for their own selfish reasons. The God I know will punish those who have taken such power and abused it with what the Bible calls the lake of fire, if that is not hell, than I don't know what is. No matter what religion or sect, any man who has caused one of God's children to stray should and will burn in HELL!