Would you allow your teen to go to church event with friend?

[Anonymous]

My son goes to an openly evangelizing Bible Study because they serve a great dinner and he is friends with the hosts. We are from another very different Christian denomination. My son was confirmed in our faith and goes to lots of youth group events at our church. My son seems clear of what his beliefs are and is able to go to the Bible Study even though it conflicts with our beliefs.


It is a great learning experience for him - he is always going to encounter people with all sorts of beliefs.


Church movie nights are usually just movies. Call the mom if you have concerns!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well at least they won't be drugging and drinking like the non Christians

Then they aren't like the crowd at the Encounter Christ in Others Retreat I went on in high school. Once the lights were out, our alcohol flowed.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely - I don't care the denomination or where they are from. It is good for my child to see how other teens in other religions are. I think my child is strong enough about her own mind to know what she believes or not. Also good to go to other churches/temples for the simple fact that she starts to understand that we're not that different underneath it all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What denomination is the church?

That is the real question. Look up the church. For some churches, a movie night is just that. There might be a prayer at some point, but no biggie.

For other churches, any event is an opportunity to evangelize. I would definitely have a conversation with your kid about that if it is that kind of church. I would be iffy about sending my kid to a church where someone is likely to ask her to give her heart to Jesus and/or that she is going to hell.

Surely by the time a kid is 13 there have been plenty of conversations about religion. I mean, we're neither Christian nor religious but we talk about different religions. This response seems a little. . . I don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What denomination is the church?

This. Is your daughter being invited to watch a movie at church, or is she being invited to watch a movie, confess her sins, and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal savior?

Ha. But yes, this is what I would want to know. "Unbroken" is a pretty mainstream movie, so I would only be concerned about it to the same extent I would be concerned about any other movie--is it age-appropriate, does is contain graphic violence or other material that might be upsetting to my kid, etc. But I would want to know about the church and the nature of the event.

[Anonymous]

I'll just add on movies - Common Sense Media. USE it. Look up the movie and read - they do a great job outlining the movie and identifying any issues that a parent should know about before deciding if their child should see it. They do provide a recommended age, but also break down (in text) things like violence, sex, language, message, merchandising, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 13 year old has become really good friends with a girl who moved her from Kentucky. I'm sure her lifestyle in Kentucky is very different from the one we have here, so I'll admit I haven't been super excited about this new friendship. The girl invited my 13 year old to a church event this Friday called "night at the movies." I asked my daughter to find out what movie was being played and she told me "Unbroken." Is anyone familiar with this movie? Is it extremely religious? My daughter has never been to church and I honestly don't know that any of her other friends do either. My daughter is ibegging me to go, which of course makes me even more uncomfortable since she has never showed interest in any religious activities before. I sometimes wonder what this girl is telling my daughter to make her want go so bad. Am I overthinking this or should I just tell my daughter she can't go.

Why are you not excited about the friendship? Your daughter's friend is most likely a nice girl who has been raised in a Christian home. Your daughter is probably begging to go because there will be a bunch of other teens there. A lot of churches sponsor events like this to give the kids who belong to the church (and their friends) a safe place to hang out. The movie sounds a bit heavy but they will probably have some sort of discussion about it.

[Anonymous]

The more you say no or act unenthusiastic about the relationship the more intrigued your daughter will be with the girl and her religion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You font want your daughter to get friends with this girl because she is fom Kentucky and she is a Christian? I don't even know where to start...

Some parts of Kentucky are like Chevy Chase, but nicer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 13 year old has become really good friends with a girl who moved her from Kentucky. I'm sure her lifestyle in Kentucky is very different from the one we have here, so I'll admit I haven't been super excited about this new friendship. The girl invited my 13 year old to a church event this Friday called "night at the movies." I asked my daughter to find out what movie was being played and she told me "Unbroken." Is anyone familiar with this movie? Is it extremely religious? My daughter has never been to church and I honestly don't know that any of her other friends do either. My daughter is ibegging me to go, which of course makes me even more uncomfortable since she has never showed interest in any religious activities before. I sometimes wonder what this girl is telling my daughter to make her want go so bad. Am I overthinking this or should I just tell my daughter she can't go.

What do you perceive as negative about her “lifestyle in Kentucky?”

Working in a car plant? Distilling bourbon? I am really reaching here...

[Anonymous]

Wow. This is just....wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely - I don't care the denomination or where they are from. It is good for my child to see how other teens in other religions are. I think my child is strong enough about her own mind to know what she believes or not. Also good to go to other churches/temples for the simple fact that she starts to understand that we're not that different underneath it all.

+1 I'd absolutely allow my kid to attend just about any sort of religious service with a friend. Unless it is REALLY extreme (think Westboro) or it's an aggressive conversion attempt, I would encourage it. I learned so much attending all sorts of things with friends when I was growing up.

As for the film, I'd suggest reading the book -- it's far better than the movie version. But I see no issue with the subject matter for a 13yo.

[Anonymous]

Do you trust your teen to make their own decisions about birth control?
Do you trust your teen to pick an appropriate movie if dropped off at the movie theater?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely - I don't care the denomination or where they are from. It is good for my child to see how other teens in other religions are. I think my child is strong enough about her own mind to know what she believes or not. Also good to go to other churches/temples for the simple fact that she starts to understand that we're not that different underneath it all.

Exactly! My atheist parents let me go to tons of different religious activities, including sending me to Jewish, Catholic, and Episcopalian schools. I am not the slightest bit religious, but I am extremely open-minded and non-judgmental. I highly recommend that OP visits some churches herself; my suggestion would be to start with Unitarian, as it is a taster church that is very welcome to agnostics and atheists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you trust your teen to make their own decisions about birth control?
Do you trust your teen to pick an appropriate movie if dropped off at the movie theater?

NP here. Yes to both. And yes, I would allow my teen to attend this church event. I would also allow her to use me as an excuse if she did not want to attend the event or got uncomfortable and decided she wanted to leave early. By 13, I certainly trusted her to begin making these sorts of choices.