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My ten-year-old son has a fascination with UFOs and space aliens. I know this is partly a boy thing, but I'm concerned it could lead him to the occult. Do I need to discourage this fascination?
Recently, I read the following in Randy Alcorn's book Heaven: "God has built into us the longing to see the wonders of his far-flung creation. The popularity of science fiction reflects that longing. Visiting a Star Trek convention demonstrates how this—like anything else—can become a substitute religion, but the fervor points to a truth: We do possess a God-given longing to know a greater intelligence and to explore what lies beyond our horizons."
The Bible says, "For by him [Jesus] all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him" (Colossians 1:16).
Satan is aware of the fact that "the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands" (Psalm 19:1). The Devil realizes man will be drawn to explore the skies, even if only in his imagination. But he also knows the Creator behind the creation, so he had to come up with a plan to divert and distract. Enter UFOs, space aliens, extraterrestrials, and anything else that draws our attention away from worshiping God, the logical response to gazing upon his infinite wonders.
How about investing in a fairly advanced telescope, a few illustrated books on astronomy, and maybe even a video or summer camp that focuses more on the science and less on the fiction? Allow that God-given curiosity in your son to draw him into a deeper appreciation for the awesomeness of his heavenly Father, the true Father of the heavens.
Racially IncorrectI caught my 14-year-old daughter using a racial slur with one of her friends. I was appalled and thought she would know better—but apparently not. How can I best teach her that jokes and comments related to people's ethnicity or racial background are never acceptable?
Doesn't it blow your mind that kids today think it's ok to use those names and words? They honestly don't understand why we get so upset. "After all," our kids explain, "they call themselves those names and make the funniest jokes about themselves."
A few months ago I overheard my 15-year-old son say, "Oh, that's so gay!" When I confronted him about it, he casually responded, "Oh, that's just the new word for 'dumb.'" Not in my house! Because we care about gay people, we informed him we would not tolerate any reference that degraded any of God's children—period.
I believe this particular desensitization is a by-product of the garbage we unwittingly allow into our children's minds and hearts. Much of today's popular music, movies, television, and video games are fraught with racial slurs and degrading remarks. So I suggest you see if there's any "garbage" in your house that needs to be taken out, including any inappropriate comments you or your husband may be making.
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