Under the pretext of story telling, parents who barely spoke any English in the heart of East Dearborn Hemlock Park, watched from far while their kids sat to hear the story:
“Because I love you, I am going to come down, and I am going to send my son, to take punishment for you, so you may receive the forgiveness of sins”.
The unidentified preacher preached to the children:
More outrageous than presenting this ridiculous idea and miscued logic of someone else being punished for someone else “sins”, was presenting to innocent children, who don’t know what are sins.
“Have you ever sinned? If you have, how you are going to be forgiven?”
The preacher is protected by the 1st amendment for freedom of speech, but proselytizing children without parental consent can be predatory and problematic.
The simple solution, is more awareness from the parents to control their children in parks and public places and ensure the healthy and safety for everything they get exposed to, whether it is a preacher in the park, or a preacher in the mosque or church, or a teacher in the school.
“So you guys can talk to god, talk to Jesus, and ask him to forgive you for your sins”
The kids waiting for a story where disappointed! But the community got a story to talk about.
Missionary in Dearborn, Freedom of Speech or Proselytizing Children Without Parental Consent? Let us know in your comments below.