From the Editors December 31, 2012 Issue

Defending children

The Editors

Christmas is often a time of celebration—of music, fellowship, presents, and fun. Delightful as these are, Christmas also has a message about innocence that is especially relevant today for both children and adults. 

“Jesus loved little children,” writes Mary Baker Eddy, “because of their freedom from wrong and their receptiveness of right” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 236). At heart, today’s children are no different than those Jesus knew and loved. Their sweet faces and cheery voices when they are at play, their intensity as they learn new concepts—can lift our hearts.

Children can also be courageous in the face of danger, be it a natural disaster, political situations, or within a particular religious culture. Malala Yousufzai, the 14-year-old Pakistani girl attacked by the Taliban because she advocated the right to education for girls, is one example. Children in Afghanistan and Pakistan—especially girls—face many hardships in their quest for education. In parts of Africa, children may be taken to be child soldiers and thus witness torture and slayings that would be challenging to witness even for an adult. In Asia some are sold into the sex trafficking trade and its miseries. 

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