Single - Crime or Sickness?

It happened again today. I was standing in the sunshine and someone who I have known through work for some time said, "How are the family?". "I'm single" I remind her, "Oh, I'm so very sorry" comes the automatic reply! I want to reply, "I'm not sorry at all, in fact I rather enjoy it" but I chicken out and change the subject.

It's much more fun of course in Asia where a 'confession' of singleness instantly invites well meaning offers of help to find a "beautiful lady", who often turns out to be a relative not-yet-married-off. I have of course been tempted to accept the offers of help and instantly arrange a beauty (in the spiritual sense of course!) parade with suitable negotiations around 'husband price' - but then chickened out because of the consequences for the poor young (or not-so-young) women involved. Seriously though, the automatic "I'm so sorry" response does seem to suggest a cultural unease with singleness. Is it that us 'singles' still remain a competitive threat? Or does it suggest a deeper inner fear of 'aloneness' with which many struggle. For myself, I thought I was just doing my small part of help prevent population explosion!

Is, perhaps, the real issue for me (otherwise why did I write this?) as well as you that we struggle with those who are different from us - and yet apparently fulfilled, happy in the life God has given them?

Child, Credo, Camp

It's August, its cold and raining, the kids are on holiday - so let's go camping - or better still let's send the kids off to camp while we have a quiet time back home. Each summer, especially in the US, but also across Europe and elsewhere thousands of children are given a great holiday, lots of adventure, fun and teaching about faith, often by Christian volunteers who give up weeks of their anual leave to look after other people's offspring.

This last week has been the week for banning camps. In Britain several Christian groups have raises the alarm about the country's first Atheist summer camp for children between 8 and 17 whilst in Uzbekistan the government have suceeded in closing a camp run by the Baptist Association of Uzbekistan, leaving the leaders of the Association facing massive fines. So if Athiest can teach their 'faith' to children as young as eight in Britain why cannot Baptists do the same in Uzbekistan? Or to ask the question more provactively, if Christians in Britain (a minority religious group) can object to an Atheist camp why cannot Muslims in Uzbekistan (a majority religious group) object to a Christian camp in their country? The real question of course is much deeper. To my mind the issue is to what degree children - at eight or eighteen - should be exposed to the competing truth claims and religious convictions of adults. We rightly protect children from pornography - should be also protect them from atheism - and theism? Perhaps to focus on 'protection' is to begin in the wrong place. Would these difficult questions be more easily addressed if we focused rather on 'nourishment' and 'healthy development' rather than 'protection'? As Christians work with children we need to constantly ask ourselves, is my 'faith sharing' enabling this child to be nourished and grow in healthy ways, to explore and discover their own place in God's world, in His love?