Father's Day questions, courtesy of G. Botkin

[Marian the Librarian]

Lo, the long silence from Botkin-land has broken, just in time for Father's Day. Another "short" list of questions, along the same lines as the courtship criteria discussed in other threads. The level of mind control is right up there with Stevehovah Maxwell's.

westernconservatory.com

This Father's Day, let's we fathers ask ourselves how we're actually doing at our job. I've had the privilege of speaking to fathers now for four decades, and put together this short little list of questions to help men focus their efforts with their children.

QUESTIONS EVERY DAD SHOULD ASK HIMSELF:

Do your sons and daughters know what they believe? Do they know the dangers of unbelief?

Under what circumstances would they die for the faith?

To what extent have they been tested?

Do they know how to confront daily moral tests and triumph?

Can they defend the faith verbally?

Can they defend good doctrine verbally?

Can they articulate a comprehensive statement of faith?

Do your children show you proper respect when you lead worship/teaching at home?

Have you discipled them or neglected them?

Do you have your children's hearts?

Are your wishes and opinions important to them?

Do your children want to be with you, or with peers as immature as they?

Do they receive discipline and instruction with all reverence?

Do your sons aspire to be godly men or worldly men?

Do your daughters aspire to be godly women or worldly women?

Do they want to be men and women of Jerusalem, Athens, or Los Angeles?

Do your sons and daughters have holy affections?

Do you tolerate insolence or passive rebellion?

Do your children have brotherly affection for one another?

Do they disciple one another constructively or do they act like competitors or enemies?

Do they fear God in biblical ways?

How accurately do you represent God to your children?

Do your children delight in your home environment?

Do your sons look forward to being fathers and providers?

Do your daughters look forward to being helpmeets and mothers?

Can you guide and correct them with your eyes?

Do they fear God in biblical ways?

Will they be ready for marriage at 18? 21? 25? 35?

Will your children be trustworthy arrows when you send them forth?

Can your children work with you to face any challenge you would put before them?

How about a family business, with everyone working together?

Do you know of every disciplemaking influence that could be alienating your sons or daughters from you and your instruction to them?

Do your children respect and love the authority and sovereignty of God and his word?

Do they see their place in God’s providential plan of history?

Can you give your children your blessing knowing they have been trained to be worthy of a blessing?

[SpeakNow]

Lo, the long silence from Botkin-land has broken, just in time for Father's Day. Another "short" list of questions, along the same lines as the courtship criteria discussed in other threads. The level of mind control is right up there with Stevehovah Maxwell's.

westernconservatory.com

Apparently fearing G-d is so important you need to ask yourself twice

[ThrK]

My brain keeps trying to turn "fear God ... biblical" into "know God biblically." Would that void ones purity pledge?

[JesusFightClub]

What the living fuck. If my dad was asking himself any of these questions, I'd worry he'd gone mental.

[terranova]

Do they want to be men and women of Jerusalem, Athens, or Los Angeles?

WTF does this mean? Do they want to be Israels, Greeks or Americans?

[Drina Adams]

That list makes tired. Who has time, apart from stay at home adult children, to compile or answer questions like that?

[Mrs Ms]

Oh snap, he has been speaking with fathers for 4 decades and is an authority on the subject of parenting?

How can he ask the questions "do your sons look forward to being fathers and providers?", "do your daughters look forward to being helpmeets and mothers?" (why not mothers and helpmeets :think: ) and "will they be ready for marriage at 18? 21? 25? 35?" and not realize that he has a rather awful track-record?

How old are his unwed daughters now? 8-) :nenner:

[julie paradox]

WTF does this mean? Do they want to be Israels, Greeks or Americans?

He means do they want to be

(a) righteous, upright, moral, God-fearing people;

(b) misled, perverted, pagan intellectuals; or

© wicked, hedonist, celebrity-obsessed socialists?

(ETA: more correctly, capitalists, but GB probably doesn't think that's a bad thing)

[Olive Plant]

Can you give your children your blessing knowing they have been trained to be worthy of a blessing?

Ick. Sums it up nicely: only children who have been trained (beaten into blind obedience to their master's every whim) are "worthy" of anything.

[louisa05]

"will they be ready for marriage at 18? 21? 25? 35?" and not realize that he has a rather awful track-record?

How old are his unwed daughters now? 8-) :nenner:

Clearly the answer for his daughters is 35. Maybe 45. We shall see.

[constantgardener]

How accurately do you represent God to your children?

I completely read this the wrong way. I'm imagining Daddy Botkin with a large white false beard and flowing robes.

[docmom]

I completely read this the wrong way. I'm imagining Daddy Botkin with a large white false beard and flowing robes.

So I'm guessing dressing up as Mother Earth is not the right answer either.

[MamaJunebug]

I completely read this the wrong way. I'm imagining Daddy Botkin with a large white false beard and flowing robes.

That's probably in progress in Doug's costume departmennt as we speak.

[thoughtful]

QUESTIONS EVERY DAD SHOULD ASK HIMSELF:

Do your children show you proper respect when you lead worship/teaching at home?

Do your sons aspire to be godly men or worldly men?

Do your daughters aspire to be godly women or worldly women?

Do your sons and daughters have holy affections?

Do your children have brotherly affection for one another?

Do your sons look forward to being fathers and providers?

Do your daughters look forward to being helpmeets and mothers?

Do your children respect and love the authority and sovereignty of God and his word?

Do your ears hang low?

Do they wobble to and fro?

Can you tie them in a knot?

Can you tie them in bow?

Can you throw them over your shoulder, like a Continental soldier?

Do your ears hang low?

:angelic-green:

Do you have your children's hearts?

In a jar on my desk, Geoff! :nenner:

[JesusFightClub]

Lo, the long silence from Botkin-land has broken, just in time for Father's Day. Another "short" list of questions, along the same lines as the courtship criteria discussed in other threads. The level of mind control is right up there with Stevehovah Maxwell's.

westernconservatory.com

Under what circumstances would they die for the faith? This is a really stupid question and I don't know why he's asking it. It also irritates me, because like he has any conception of even suffering for his beliefs in a small way. I have suffered the small annoyances of having a strong belief in something (losing £300 a month when you're on £15k a year, being in trouble with the polis). These are absolutely fuck all, and I don't think Geoff Botkin has even had to put up with that.

When you think about people being tortured and killed for whatever they believe in, being on hunger strike, being teargassed or losing their entire family, all you can say is "They are really strong and I hope I could be as brave as them." You can't, I dunno, work out when you would die for the faith like it was some kind of mathematical exercise, especially when you are a member of the majority religion in the richest country in the world. You don't really know what you are talking about.

Things some comrades of mine have had to deal with:

Jail terms (UK and Israeli jails)

Sleeping with a weapon close to hand because the comrade in question testified against some fascists, who have since followed her home and tried to break in to her house while she was in bed asleep

Police harassment

Being taken outside and beaten up by agents of the state

Blacklisting so they can't work in their industry

Watching comrades die in front of them

When did any of those things happen to Geoff Botkin? Oh yeah, FUCKING NEVER.

Stop play-acting persecution, guys. Seriously.