Teaching Daughters to Blaspheme God

[Being the father of two girls, 10 and 19, I have had to rethink several things. I have placed some of the areas of thought in past writings. This present article is another point that must be considered by Christians and fathers of young ladies. Of course, the following is presented for consideration assuming a consistent Christian home and with the understanding that all the Bible training in the world will do nothing but bring rebellion unless the young person is a new creation in Christ Jesus—“born again.” Our older daughter finds it very disheartening that all but three girls she knows her age have either had to marry or have started living with boys. Rebellion against the parents’ authority that causes a young person to take up an immoral life-style, either in or out of his parents’ house, is an obvious sign of desperately needed genuine conversion.]

We live in a society that has been very effectively “secularized.” The practical applications of God’s Word have been almost totally removed and replaced by humanistic, man-centered thinking, e.g., psychology. The only hope for the future is to rethink every area of life in terms of the Word of God. This is particularly important when we consider that we must prepare a new generation of young people to face the difficult times ahead in what appears to be a developing pagan society. Are we going to raise a generation that trusteth in man or a generation that trusteth in the Lord? If Christians actually believe what they claim, they will act upon and according to the Word of God regardless of what surrounding society thinks, says or does:

Jer. 17:5-11: Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall he as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.

Every area of life and thought must be reexamined, starting with the families. Parents, fathers especially, must realign their actions and attitudes toward their children with the Word of God and train them accordingly. I suppose my heart is toward the daughters in a family because we have only daughters.

Training Anarchist Daughters

Unknown to most parents and pastors, they are likely training sincere, godly Christian young ladies to bring reproach upon the Word of God by urging them to depart from their fathers’ homes before marriage. When we train up girls to be self-sufficient, we do it to our own destruction and to the destruction of society. Certainly, it may seem right to the deceitful, desperately wicked heart to urge and train girls to be self-sufficient, but the Word of God searches and tries the reins of the heart. The Lord will return upon all according to their own doings. Thus when Christian young people are trained contrary to the Word of God, we can fully expect society in general to blaspheme God.

The training of young women to bring reproach upon the Lord and to provide the enemy with the opportunity to blaspheme the Word of God probably started in earnest with World War II: Men went to the war and women went to the factories. One of our men said that his grandfather told him that he, the grandfather, said at the start of World War II when women went into the factories, “This is the end of America.” How right he was.

God created man; then He created woman to be man’s helpmeet, 1 Cor. 11, 1 Tim. 2. Therefore, the goal of both the church and family must be training Christian young ladies—and young men—to fit with in God’s creation plan and purpose. Notice Paul’s instructions to Titus:

Titus 2:1-5: But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that [they be] in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things. That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, [To be] discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

As we know, the Books of Timothy and Titus are “Pastoral Epistles.” Thus they are instructions to pastors concerning training God’s people. Though speaking of young widows, Paul’s instructions to Timothy should be noted:

1 Tim. 5:14, 15: I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some are already turned aside after Satan.

Patrick Fairbairn, writing in 1874, said concerning Titus 2:4, 5:

That they school the young women to be lovers of their husbands, lovers of their children; ver. 5, discreet, chaste, workers at home, good, submitting themselves to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed....The word, though originally signifying to make discreet or prudent, came often to be used in the more general sense of schooling, or admonishing, with a view to the possession of certain things; and the reason, probably, why the apostle here used it, instead of some word expressive simply of teaching or instructing, was, that on account of the youth of the parties in question, he contemplated the necessity of a kind of authoritative disciplinary treatment from the older to the younger Christian females... In the epithets themselves, which mark the different characteristics that were to be the objects of the schooling, there is no proper difficulty; they are all such as especially became young women who were disposed to bring their Christianity to bear on the regulation of their conduct in daily life, and through this reflect honor on their Saviour... [After describing the characteristics of vv. 4 & 5, he concludes:] In a measure, however, this must be carried back over the whole description; for in any one respect a behaviour contrary to that recommended would more or less have the effect of bringing reproach on God’s word.1

Thus training of young Christian ladies in behavior contrary to that recommended by Paul brings reproach on God’s word. Paul’s instructions to Titus, contrary to most modern Christian opinions and actions, were not voided by World War II. The training of Christian young ladies for life must fit within the general guidelines given by the Spirit, e.g., working with children; keepers at home and of the home, organization, etc.; how to be discreet, pure, good; and how to use common sense. All of Proverbs 31 easily fits within the general guidelines established by the Spirit for a young lady’s training.

Primarily, young ladies are to be taught proper submission to godly authority, not how to be self-sufficient. Sadly, because young men are not trained in the home to be godly, responsible men, women are being forced into self-sufficiency. Thus a young lady’s father desperately needs to closely examine her prospective husband.

Therefore, training that does not fit within the Spirit’s general guidelines leads daughters to blaspheme the Word of God. Paul clearly tells Titus how young ladies are to be trained.

Our point is this: godly, Christian parents, even with the encouragement of godly pastors, are pressuring young ladies to leave home and become self-sufficient, e.g., “It’s time to go to college and learn a ‘trade.’“ Obviously, All young ladies who are pressured by their parents to go “on their own” will not go to the devil. But why tempt the Lord? God, in His creation purpose, did not create Eve to be self-sufficient and on her own. Has nature changed since Eve’s creation?

There are several things that might cause daughters to feel pressured to leave their father’s house, e.g.: First, not letting them grow up at home. As they get older, parents may be inclined to continue treating them as twelve-year olds with the same restrictions and demands.

As they get older, they must have more freedom. Either they will have freedom under the godly authority of their parents or they will find freedom on their own. Of course, freedom cannot be license to sin; single young people, especially young ladies, must always have boundaries in order to feel secure; that is the way the Lord made us: this is the way, walk ye in it. Thus when she is urged or even forced out on her own, she establishes her own boundaries and the word of God is blasphemed.

Second, she is told in words or attitudes that it is time to move out. A girl is not a boy. Young men should be trained to be on their own, responsible and self-sufficient under God, but a girl is not so equipped by God. Thus when daughters are told, “You are this age; it’s time to move out,” they are being forced into something they are not equipped by God to handle.

Certainly, there are godly single women who have remained so in order to serve the Lord. But their service fits within the guidelines established by the Spirit. We are here considering parents pressuring and training their daughters to be self-sufficient and independent of authority—“on their own.” As mentioned above, our corrupt society in which men refuse to be men forces young ladies into “self-sufficient” situations. If they are forced into such situations from circumstances other than from their parents, that is a different matter; but they should still be well-prepared to know what to expect, to remain close to the Lord and to be responsive to proper authority. Fathers (and mothers) may use many reasons to excuse molding their daughters into women who can fit into the “working” world, but they will be hard pressed to justify their actions from the Word of God. Paul did not say that the Spirit’s command in Titus 2 is only in effect until the twentieth century.

We must also point out that it is better for a Christian young lady to be a “career woman” than it is for her to unequally yoke in a marriage with an unsaved, pagan man who has no desire to serve the Lord. Sin takes its toll in every area of society.

Sound the alarm

Recently, the media proclaimed the glories of 500 women going on the Aircraft Carrier Eisenhower where 6,000 men are stationed (pregnancy, said the ship’s captain, is no more of a problem than a broken leg; abortion?). Women are reaching unequaled levels of “equality” with men. Though Bible-believing Christians and pastors may be loudly proclaiming the shame of women taking on obviously un- Biblical, anti-Christian roles in society, the “Women’s Lib” movement appears to be gaining great strength. But the problem starts in the “Christian” homes: they have trained and are training their own Christian daughters to bring reproach upon the Word of God.