Religious upbringing is a matter of love

Abstract

The aimof this study is to present the principles and conditions of mature religious upbringing. This is the most important aspect of upbringing,because through their bond with God young peopled is cover who they are, and what they live for. It is a perversion of religious up bringing to show a caricatur alimage of God-as astern judge ornaive friend.Young people will not be friends with God, whom they despise or are afraid of. It is harmful to moralize, or reducere ligion to a system of dos and don'ts to bemind lessly followed. In addition, adults’ counter-testimony is dangerous in the process of religious upbringing, as in the case of parents who tell their children to pray, go to church, confess and follow the Decalogue, while they do not do all ofth is themselves.Mature religious formation begins with the thinking and rational analysis. Critical thinking precedes and determines mature faith. In religious upbringing it is essential to help children and young people discover the truth about man that God has revealed in the Bible.The most important thingin the process is to let them meet with a loving God. The main role inthis respect is played bythe family, parish andcatechesis. Children who are loved most dearly believe in God's love for man most easily. Religious formation achieves its fullness when young people live in the presence of God,and when they follow the kind of love that the in carnate Son of God has loved man.Then, they start to follow the path of holiness and blessing