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it is forced on you, and a policeman follows you with a bayonet and says, "Look at the rose and enjoy!" what will happen? The rose will be the same, but how can you enjoy when a man is standing behind you and ordering you to enjoy?
When you are forced to go to the Sunday-school and you wanted to go somewhere else -- to the zoo, or you wanted to go fishing, or you wanted to play, and all the children of the neighborhood were playing, but you are a Christian so you have to go to the church... and the child is sitting there in bondage -- listening yet not listening, ready to escape any moment, waiting for when this nonsense is over. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.... Jesus becomes a swear word; it loses all meaning. And then it is very difficult later on to dis-cover the meaning.
You are fortunate that you were born and grew up in a totally unreligious home. In a better world, every child should be allowed to grow without any religious teaching.
Love your children, but never give your ideologies. Love your children, let them feel that Jesus has done something for you, or Mohammed has done something for you, Or Mahavira -- let them feel, but don't force. Let them grow in freedom. Let them see when you pray, let them see your tears rolling down on the cheeks and the beauty of it. Let them see when you bow down to Jesus, let them watch... and children are very very watchful, very sensitive -- if things are not forced on them, they will move on their own. When they see you crying beautiful tears, when they see you bowing down before Jesus and they feel the vibe... suddenly everything has become quiet, suddenly the father is no more the father and the mother is no more the mother, suddenly they have become luminous beings... he will also start bowing down. Maybe in secret when you are not watching, he will go and he will also bow down. He would like to know what happens when one bows down to Jesus or Buddha, when one prays. Let them catch it -- don't teach it, don't force it. Everything becomes ugly when forced.
Freedom is the basic thing. Consciousness grows in freedom and starts dying, becomes paralyzed and crippled, when things are forced. And up to
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