Let’s teach our kids Christian living

PRIME Minister Sir Michael Somare yesterday spoke about the need for parents to teach their children the values of Christian living.
Sir Michael stressed the need for Christian teaching to start in the family home.
This is a message that needs to go to all Papua New Guineans. It is a message that concerns the future of our country.
Today, as we look around us there is ample evidence of lack of Christian teaching in the homes.
Many young people have taken up alcohol drinking, drugs and other anti-social behaviour as means of giving themselves courage to face the world around them.
As a result, many young lives have been destroyed – many ending up in jails or in a state of hopelessness, some even in death.
Christian churches have a major role to play in redirecting young lives to be more useful and productive human beings.
The churches also have a duty to help the parents teach their children the right values of Christian, ethical behaviour and living.
But the church cannot post a pastor to every home to conduct sessions on Christian living.
Parental responsibility is of paramount in ensuring that children grow up armed with the right values that will ensure they live their lives as Christians and responsible adults.
Unfortunately, many parents today have failed to live up to their responsibility of preparing their children for better lives as adults.
The duty of preparing children for their adult life is one that parents cannot take for granted, and or lightly.
They cannot simply leave everything to chance, hoping that the children would somehow pick up the values of Christian living from others and do likewise.
No, it cannot be.
That is the number one duty of all mothers and fathers alike.
The churches will play their role as commanded by God but it is the parents who must undertake their primary duty to raise the children in the way they are required as responsible fathers and mothers.
The Prime Minister’s message has come at the right time.
Unless children are taught the values and ethics of Christian upbringing, they will not be ready for their future duties as adults in developing PNG as a nation.
PNG needs strong, ethical and responsible Christian leaders to lead it into the future.
The nation needs leaders who are not susceptible to bribery and corruption, to white-collar crime or criminal activities that destroy the people and the nation.
Today, corruption remains the single most committed problem affecting the nation’s growth and future.
Corruption has spread across all levels of society and is eating away at the fabric of our society at a speed that we ourselves cannot cope with.
This is happening because people who have been put into positions of trust to safeguard the nation’s finances, resources and properties are not doing their  jobs with honestly.
It is either them not doing their job or they are too busy helping themselves to what belongs to the people.
Parents must teach their children about the ugliness of bribery and corruption.
Ethical Christian behaviour cannot be upheld if children do not learn about the dangers of bribery and corruption and how individuals, families and nations are destroyed by it.
Churches need to continue to raise the subject of ethical Christian living in the family home.
It is their moral and Godly duty to do so.
The alternative is not being vigorous about teaching what God says about evil; it is to do evil and evil will flourish and destroy a nation that does nothing about stopping it from taking root in its young people.
Sir Michael was moved and impressed by the performances of the young people at the Lutheran synod opening.
The rainbow colours they displayed certainly added impact to the ceremony.
But those colours must be translated into tangible Christian teaching to help these young people grow up as responsible Christian men and women who will themselves become parents of law-abiding and responsible children, who will grow up in an environment of love, respect and righteousness.
Papua New Guinea is called a Christian country, but the behaviour of many of its citizens is unchristian.
Unless there is a change of behaviour among citizens, the identity of a  Christian country as stipulated in the Constitution will remain only on paper.