I've had a lot of success with my 9 year old granddaughter.
We sit out on the porch at night and discuss the truth. I tell her what the church teaches and then tell her what the scripture teaches. She is able to understand it very well. She will even read something on her own now and quickly recognize it as being a lie.
I think a 13 year old could really benefit from sitting down and looking at the scripture and comparing it to what the church is teaching. Ray has many verses in his papers that are easy to gather thanks to all his hard work. Maybe after she sees that you don't share the same beliefs and God has called you out to be with those who also believe the truth as you do she will have a better understanding.
If she just wants a quick answer that will make it difficult.
Hey Mg... and guys! it is diffcult because she and I talk over myspace and instant messenger, she is from florida and I am in Georgia but we try to talk as much as we can, she is my cousin. it is hard to keep up bec she has other things to do. she took note about my blogs and started asking me questions after reading my blogs. she asked me for one scripture that tells us that we shouldn't go to church.... I replied to her that a question is never answered with just one scripture and stated that I never said we should never go to church, I told her that the word church.'s definition was misunderstood by many christians and that Jesus' church is not physical but spiritual and showed her that the church building is her body, her spirit and that God lives in her temple and told her that she can be the church rather than think church is a place, a building, and she could unite with other believers of like mind, and share with them, just anywhere. Jesus oftentimes hung with less desireable people, which p'd his followers, and they enjoyed his company as much, and it started the ripple effect bec of it, and he didn't even judge them or tell them what they needed to do, they asked him. Jesus gives a clear example of pursuing people, of accepting people at face value. and his teaching is unambiguous: do not judge others or you'll face the same yardstick; remove the log from your eye before pulling the splinter from your friend's eye; and you do not have the right to condemn others unless you are sinless (see matt 7:1-5).
I explained to her about what Jesus told the Samarian woman about where to go to worship and provided scriptures about that we are to worship God in spirit and in truth and explained alot of things about God's view on people, how God likes to see inward of you rather than on the outside becuase
Jesus said this phrase to a bunch of religious leaders who chose religousness over love and obedience, "I tell you the truth… the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you." (Mat 21:31). Here Jesus wasn't condoning any sexual sin, but noting the condition of the heart. He does not condemn you becuase you dont go to church, or count all your good behaviors and such, he sees the state of heart.
I explained what Jesus said about the samartian story and modernized it to this generation's understanding, I told her that if the samartian story was retold differently, The original story was premised with the question, "what must I do to inherit eternal life." Jesus says that one must love the Lord God with everything and then their neighbor as themselves. The religious leader question further, asking who exactly is his neighbor. So Jesus started the story with a man that had fallen, been beaten, robbed, and left for dead on his way to Jericho. A priest past him by, saw him and continued on his journey. A Levite like a lay minister or a some sort of modern day leader in the church, passed by the man also without helping. Then finally, a Samaritan, found the man, he immediately rendered assistance by giving him first aid and taking him to an inn to recover while promising to cover the expenses. He pays the innkeeper two denarii, silver coins equal to an entire day's wages for an average laborer. In Jewish culture, a Samaritan was a 2nd class citizen, half Jew half gentile and not allowed to associate with the Jewish culture. They were seen as half breeds and despised by all. At the end of the parable, Jesus says to be like this Samaritan! To a Jewish Leader, as Jesus was explaining this in Luke 10:25-37, this was a strong and bold statement.
So I modernized the parable to this generation's understanding so she can catch jesus' point, began the story like this... A Roman Catholic Priest passes by the beaten man, then an evangelical Christian but he passed too But a gay man, as he traveled, came upon him and took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds. Put the wounded man in his own car, to a hospital and stayed to care for him. The next day, he paid the hospital saying, "look after him and I will repay you for any extra expense beyond what I have left."
i explained that the story of the Samaritan, shocked his Jewish listeners- this modernized story too would shock many church goers also. Jesus was constantly pushing the limits of the definitions that the religious leaders had created to put on the commandmandment of Love. Jesus by characteristic is Love. Jesus picked the most hated of all persons in that religious culture, the Samaritans in order to make his point.
I explained that God cares about the state of heart, not what u do, becuase the state of heart controls everything you do, it makes who you are.
I told her that she shouldn't think that the buliding is GOd's house but her spirit is God's house, and she should think of the church as the body of believers, not a physical church buliding and that it shouldn't stop her from being kind to others that don't go to church nor should she try to make them feel inferior to her because they don't go to church or believe in the same religion she does. She shouldn't be friends wtih others just to win them for the LORD or get them to go to church, but be their friend for the sake of their friendship, just like that. Of course i told her that in nicer and gentler form. I told her that she can bring the church to the non believers, by assoicating with them. because God's house is filled with love, mercy and grace, and people need that. its sparse everywhere. the church can be held anywhere and it only takes 2 or three people for it to be called the church
do you guys think i went a bit overboard?
to answer Arcturus's question, yes, she has her mom, my aunt, and my other cousin, Corey, her brother, teaching her things, and they are like mind, I think they feel that i need to be saved.. she asks me every once in a while, if I believed in Jesus and that he died for our sins and so on, i told her of course, and that i believe that Jesus is the SAVIOUR of the WORLD and that he will in due time, save all souls. I dont think they like my response but they continue to wedge christianity in almost every conversation. Thats ok. I want to be able to let them know they can always talk to me if they want to and not feel inferior or judged. I simply point it out gently, and always in general. They are not ready but I hope that in due time, God will reveal it to my aunt, savanna and Corey. the pastor told Corey that he felt that God has something important planned for Corey and just invited him to church council. i think thats wonderful, I think they like that and it makes them feel important and they claim to feel loved by their church, which i was fine as long as they dont' rip them off and hurt them in the end like they were many times with several churches, but they said this one doesnt, and doesnt judge, doesn't force them to tithe, and so on, and i hope it is geninune in what they do.