As a young Christian parent… I had a deep desire to raise our children up in a way that would lead them into an ‘authentic relationship’ with Christ.
I took comfort in Proverbs 22:6…
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
This is the ‘word of god’ and is an absolute declaration… a promise. It does not say… “he’s got a pretty good chance not to depart”. It says… “he will not depart.’
I am in my 30’s and I have departed from ‘the Lord’… which was not ‘the way I should go’ according to biblical teaching. When this verse was written, a person in his thirties was most likely considered old, but even if I’m not old yet… I have a question.
Has it ever happened that someone was raised a certain way… and then they ‘depart from it’ and die without ever reverting back?
The answer is… of course. Ever heard of Aleister Crowley? He was raised in Puritanical Christianity and died… let’s just say… Not that!
Along with he and myself… there are countless examples.
What does this ultimately mean for Proverbs 22:6? It means… It’s a Fucking Lie!
It is yet another false promise in order to give hope to the fear bound sheep attempting to control the chaos that lives at the heart of this Universe.
Furthermore… if we know, certainly, that this biblical promise is not true… what does that mean for the rest of their glorious book?