The Pebble In The Shoe

One Sunday, not long ago, my seven-year-old daughter came home from church complaining that her foot hurt. I asked her what she thought the cause of the problem was.

"Last week, my Primary teacher had us put a pebble in our shoe for the whole class."

"What?!? Why?"

"That's how sin works. When you sin, it seems little but after a little while it hurts a lot."

I explained to her that the lesson the teacher had taught her was mean and that he was wrong for doing it.

"Do you believe what they teach you at church?"

"Some of it."

"Do you believe in Jesus or in Noah's Ark?"

"I don't think so. I know that there were people who took care of sheep. I learned that in church, that's one thing for sure."

"Yeah, that's true. But everything else they teach you there is not true. I think church is full of lies."

"OK, Dad."

I talked with Donna about the so-called lesson with the rock in the shoe. She agreed that physically harming a child is a bit much. She sheepishly expressed my feelings to the teacher the next Sunday.

"He said it won't happen again", she returned and reported.

"You're damn right it won't. What's next, driving nails into their hands so they know what Jesus felt on the cross?" I emphasized the curse for effect. "I can't have stuff like that happening. If I hear about it again she won't ever go to church."

"It won't."

I find myself skeptical, to say the least.