Baby Idolatry

[crossallegiance]

Great message, very true.

[Ps3vinni]

love him hate that shirt with skullz and with wierd faces on em...freaky eeghhh lol

[KurtyWhisper]

die

[codeaires]

THANK GOD someone said this. I seriously believe that both in the secular media AND in conservative organizations, too much emphasis is put on babies, having children, etc. It's like a cult almost. Some mothers act like being a mom is the only thing important to them or that "mom" is their only identity. It's sad.

[desasterz]

I think thats what happened to Michael Jackson as a kid...

[wisdomlistens20]

seek first jesus in all things....family and children and everything! get it.......... dont think you can do something dont assume you can change something..seek jesus first..we find love through God. you are imperfect and will always be..we all fall short of the glory of God, not for a short time or one instance...we ALWAYS will...get it! seek God first to help and guide you help and guide your children.. jesus is FIRST! take that literally people!

[wisdomlistens20]

may things can lead to turning away from jesus. in the evangelical church they have uplifted a perfect shameless spotless family as something we should all strive for and that it is something to be expected after we are "saved". yet we are all human and will continue to sin knowingly or not. so he simply says look to God in everything you do, including with your family. dont push your own hopes and drams on you kids,,push yourself to seek the truth of God first be an example..

[thecrazedmd]

"Just as the Catholic doctrine of clerical celibacy incorrectly overemphasizes celibacy as the gnostics did, so also does Protestant 'family theology' incorrectly overemphasize marriage and family as the Jews did."

[Kevbox2008]

POWERFUL!!!

[joyfulhelpmeet]

THis is SO important.

[Toledosteal]

Man you can't pay for such comedy. Perhaps pastor mark can explain why evangelicals have one of the highest divorce rates in the country...

[chiodoce]

Maybe he can also explain why people who obviously miss the entire point of the video feel the need to respond to said video.

[Toledosteal]

I didn't miss the point. And the reason I wondered about pastor mark's ability to explain was basically rhetorical. Because it's not people just expecting their kids and families to love and worship them it's affairs, money problems, abuse, alcoholism and a lot of other stuff.

Now I don't know about you guys but I have NEVER met someone who just expect their kids to basically worship and be perfect for their parents. That's just bad parenting. You teach kids, they learn. Simple.

[NomosCharis]

Perhaps he would say, "Because they make marriage and family their idols."

:P

[damianGray]

Listen to what he said. ie. the great evangelical idol is family, and that when your family becomes your god rather than Jesus it destroys the family...he said it plain as day.

[Toledosteal]

No I got what he said, it was obvious, but it is not born out by statistics.  There probably some people that needed the lesson but certainly not most. My point is that families are not destroyed by filial idolatry but rather a lot more mundane stuff like cheating, money problems and people just drifting apart because they aren't willing to commit to a relationship not because the OVER commit.

[damianGray]

I don't really know what you believe, from your comments on this video I'm going to assume that you're not a christian, which is fine, but as a christian myself, I can tell you the reason we believe that.

Idolatry in itself isn't the reason why families are destroyed, it is however a contributing factor. We believe that if you turn your eyes from Jesus, thats when you will start running into problems within the home for a number of reasons, because, for one as he said in the

[damianGray]

video, you start focusing on humans or objects for your satisfaction or joy, and nothing on this earth is up to the task. Its like filling an unfillable well, so you eventually get disillusioned and start to look in other places.

Or on the other hand you start to focus on the problems around you that are outside your control, ie. money problems and feel like you're on a sinking ship this can lead you to want to 'get out', whereas if your focus is on Jesus and you trust him, then he acts as

[damianGray]

a buffer and allows you to focus on what you need to be focusing on to make things work.

You may not believe as we believe, and you may even think our reasons are stupid, especially if you don't even believe in Jesus. Thats fine, that's entirely your right. I am telling you simply that we have a reason why he said as he did in the video. I hope my answers are satisfactory, I just got up so my head is a bit wired atm.

[Toledosteal]

I take your point good sir, and that's fine if you're a christian but 2/3's of the world is not and they seem to be doing ok. You're welcome to believe what you want about yourself but you can't generalize one christian belief onto every married couple/family on planet earth. And yes, I'm an atheist with a happy family and we focus on helping and supporting each other without all that jazz about expecting perfection or gratification. I think if you start with love and stick to it you win.

[HarmonyinJesus]

Just so you know, I don't know any Christian who expects their family members to be perfect. There probably are a few out there, but none that I've met, and I've been in churches all my life.

[HarmonyinJesus]

Oh! And I'd like to thank-you for being respectful in your comments. So many atheists spew nothing but anger here on youtube.

[JMackeyIII]

define "seems to be doing ok". that is a very vague, indescript statement

answer me this why do you help and support others, there is no benefit to you. because if there is a benefit to you and your family you really are only helping other but helping yourself. And on top of the main driving factor in it is you want to feel as if you did something

I want to point out that in your post you just made mark's point that your little happy family is your idol. with you being the bigger idol

[Toledosteal]

I help and support others because I love them and am obligated by that love to ensure their continued happiness/health/life etc.

It's not because I want to feel as if I did something or because I get off on altruism that's just how humans work.

Protecting and educating your kids is a parents first responsibility and people that attach vanity to such a thing are being horrible people. What he describes is not love, and you sure as hell don't need god to have and show love to others.

[JMackeyIII]

why are you obligated, where does this feeling of obligation come from

how about this you say there is no God but you can not prove that 100%, just as you would argue I can't prove His existence. (except for my bible)

in your thinking it would follow that in the case that there was a God and it was the God of the bible it would be what do you call it, yeah, a parents first responsibility to get them connected and educated about this Holy God, who will be with them and protect better than you

[Toledosteal]

I just told you it comes from love, which evolved in primates and we still have it.

You can't disprove a negative, any negative, including thousands of gods that are NOT yours.

Finally protecting and brainwashing your child are very different things and if you really love your kids you won't cram anything down their throat you'll just teach them how to think and let them decide. If my daughter is a christian that is up to her, i'm not going to be a douchy parent and just push belief on her.

[JMackeyIII]

Love comes from God and if you are not renewed by His Spirit you do not love anyone.

by not pushing a belief, you are pushing a belief on her. you are pushing the belief that no belief is important enough to support with ones life and actions. you sadly are deluded and although you talk a nice game it is a bunch of bunk.

Jesus said it would be better for a millstone to be tied around your neck and thrown into the sea, then to cause one of these little ones to fall.

1 millstone table one