Today, a very interesting topic was broached by my older sister via Facebook. She has two children, ages 9 and 11. Both mature for their ages, both reared in the ways of the Lord, both wanting their own Facebook accounts. The age limit set by Facebook is 13. So, the topic was basically, "Do you lie in order to create an account for your child or is there another way 'around' the age limit?" The reason for her post was not to be "controversial," but there are other Christian parents who have created accounts for their kids who are well under the age limit. So, as you might imagine, this has become yet another "but why can't we, Mom" topic in their household. People responded to my sister's post by saying they used their (the parent's) birth year, but were very quick to argue how they are very strict, closely monitoring everything the child views, etc. This is where the big alarm bells and whistles shout, "You are missing the point!"
What's the harm, really? Okay, let's apply these principles to the everyday life of a child under the age of 13.
The creation of an account for an underage child violates the Facebook Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. In layman's terms..."breaking the rules." Is it okay to teach your kids they do not have to follow the rules? That they are the exception? I wonder how their teachers, coaches, dance instructors feel about kids who just don't know how to follow the rules...quite possibly your kids?
You might be thinking, Well, all of their little friends from school have accounts and I don't want my kid to be left out. Sounds like peer pressure to me. When all of their little friends from school experiment with alcohol, drugs, and sex would you mind if your kid was left out?
The most obvious reason for not setting up these accounts...it is lying when you do not use the child's real age. Yes, you are condoning lying. That is not something to be taken lightly. There is no such thing as a little, white lie, stretching or bending the truth. A lie is a lie. It also makes me wonder...Have you ever punished your child for lying to you? Where, then, do you draw the line?
Now let's take this matter to your child who has now become an adult in the real world.
The workforce:
--Does it really matter if I just say I completed college even though I was actually shy a few credits?
--Everyone else "borrows" from the petty cash drawer.
--I'll just get my co-worker to clock me out at 5:00. I really need to leave a little early today.
In marriage:
--She doesn't have to know I stopped by the bar on the way home. I'll just tell her I had to work a little later today. What's the harm in that?
--What he doesn't know, won't hurt him. All my girlfriends have affairs. It's just for fun.
--I just won't tell him I spent the money on a new dress. I'll figure out another way to pay the bill.
And so it goes on...a world full of liars. Now, let's look at this matter as God sees it:
--Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.
--John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
--1 Timothy 1:9-11 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God...
--Revelation 8:21 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
As Christians, we have become so desensitized to sin. Sin is sin...and lying is sinful. In fact, God categorizes liars with murderers, sexual predators, and kidnappers. I also find interesting in 1 Timothy the phrase, "but for the the lawless and insubordinate," AKA the rule breakers. These people, He also groups with the unholy and profane.
So, what is the big deal, anyway?
I have found that the whole "do as I say not as I do" theory is a farce. Kids will absolutely do what they see, not just what they hear, and certainly not just what you say. One of my very favorite quotes you will find posted on this site is written on my marker board hanging above my desk. It reads, "Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." As parents, we are accountable for our children until they are independent adults. Everything we do, like it or not, influences the kind of people they will become. We can teach them to be people of integrity or we can teach them to "cheat" the system--lawless and insubordinate. We can teach them right from wrong or we can teach them to only see the gray areas--liars, unholy and profane.
And that, to me, is a very big deal.
