Discussion Jumpstarter

Study leader reference - not a definitive answer

Question 4

She refused confirmation because she wasn’t “very serious” and didn’t want to be dishonest; how should Christians evaluate that decision—what does it suggest about integrity, counting the cost, and the danger of religious rites without intent to obey?

Another way to ask: Susie refused confirmation because she didn’t want to pretend she was serious. How should Christians judge that choice, and what does it teach about honesty and the danger of doing religious rituals without meaning to obey?

Discussion Jumpstarter

Direct Answer
The transcript portrays her refusal as an integrity move: she recognized the priest’s warning that confirmation meant a serious commitment, and she did not want to pretend. It also shows how easily faith can fade when commitment is avoided and family discipleship is absent.

Support from Transcript:

The priest framed confirmation as serious: you must be “very serious about your faith,” beginning a journey to live as God wants and follow the church’s expectations.
Susie evaluated herself honestly: “I am not serious and I don’t think I will be able for it.”
She feared hypocrisy: “I would not be honest if I went ahead and got this confirmation.”
The priest was “very disappointed,” yet Susie suggests he may have preferred honesty over wrong motives.
After that she “abandoned the whole,” not fully rejecting Jesus but drifting: she “got deeper into other things.”
She notes how lack of family support made drifting easy: “Especially when you don’t have it in your family. It’s very easy.”

Discussion Follow-ups How do we help people “count the cost” without creating a culture where they avoid commitment forever? What safeguards keep religious rites from becoming empty markers instead of promises to obey Christ?

Jumpstarter 4 of 10