PREPARE YOUR CHILD TO DEFEND HIS BELIEFS

14. What subject could be intimidating for a young Christian, and why?

¹⁴ Young Christians may at times lack the confidence to defend their beliefs. They may feel intimidated when the theory of evolution comes up in class. Why? Their teachers may present evolution as an established fact. If you are a parent, how can you help your child to have the confidence to stand firm in his beliefs?

15. What can help a young Christian to be more confident in what he believes?

¹⁵ Help your child to become more confident in what he believes. Your child does not need to be ashamed because he knows the truth about creation. (2 Tim. 1:8) Why not? The fact is that many scientists also understand that life did not appear spontaneously or by chance. They perceive intelligent and obvious design in the complexity of life. As a result, they do not accept the evolution theory that is commonly presented in schools around the globe. Your child can fortify his own convictions by reflecting on the reasons that persuaded other brothers and sisters to believe that life was created.c

16. How can parents help a child to defend his belief in a Creator? (1 Peter 3:15) (See also picture.)

¹⁶ Prepare your child to defend his belief in a Creator. (Read 1 Peter 3:15.) You might find it useful to review together articles on jw.org in the series “Young People Ask​—Creation or Evolution?” Then discuss the line of reasoning that your child feels is most persuasive for helping others understand the truth about the Creator. Remind him that he does not need to argue with his schoolmates. Encourage him to use simple logic and reasoning if some are open to a pleasant discussion. For example, a schoolmate might say: “I believe only what I can see, and I have never seen God.” A young Christian could respond: “Imagine that you are walking through a forest far from any human activity and you come upon a functioning well. What would you conclude? If the presence of a well gives clear evidence of intelligent life having made it, how much more so does the existence of the universe!”

17. How can parents encourage their child to look for opportunities to share Bible truth with others? Illustrate.

¹⁷ Encourage your child to look for opportunities to share Bible truth with others. (Rom. 10:10) You might compare his efforts to talk about his faith with the efforts needed to play a musical instrument. At first, a learner practices tunes that are simple to play. In time, playing music becomes easier. Similarly, a young Christian might at first use a simple approach when sharing his faith with others. For example, he might ask a schoolmate: “Did you know that engineers often copy designs from nature? Let me show you a fascinating video.” After sharing a video from the series Was It Designed? he might say: “If a scientist gets credit for a design that already exists in nature, who deserves credit for the original?” Such a simple approach might be enough to stimulate a young person’s interest and leave him open to learning more.