So what about the kids?

**George** · 09-09-2006, 08:16 PM

I've seen quite a few people state here publicly that they plan to raise their children "without relidion".

Just curious as to how you plan to pull it off. Do you plan to start early (pre-school) and just flat out tell them there is no God? What are the consequences of that? You could most ceartainly end up making your child a social outcast depending on the school and community you live in.

What happens when your kid comes home from kindergatern asking all sorts of pointed questions about God?

Paula62 · 09-10-2006, 09:51 AM

It is tricky for a child to navigate in an environment where other children are being taught absolutes with regard to religion.

In my case, I taught my daughter that there were lots of religions with lots of different beliefs, and people choose the one that makes sense to them (even though I know most people never really make a choice). She knows that God as a concept that some people believe and others don't. She hasn't chosen her beliefs yet, but she describes herself as having "several religions" because she participates in the religious practices of various family members who do different things. She's perfectly secure about it all, although I will say we do not live in an area heavily weighted toward any particular religious practice.

GloryB · 09-10-2006, 11:33 AM

We also use the "some people believe" line. I told my oldest that I think of God like an imaginary friend some people never grow out of. And since she hated when people told her that her imaginary friends weren't real, she understood to not tell other people that their God wasn't real, because like her imaginary friends.... he's real to them. She sees with all her friends that different people believe different things. I grew up without believing in religion and it did make me an outcast with some people, but not the ones I cared about. If your friends can't like you for who you are, they aren't friends at all.

GloryB

LilOne1989 · 09-11-2006, 05:34 PM

I plan on giving my children religious facts without threats and if they choose to move into further exploration at a later time that will be their choice. It is not up to me to make that choice for them but I will be the one to do the teaching instead of allowing others to do it for me, that it how I think I will be able to give the the most unbiased information.

mtatum4496 · 09-12-2006, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paula62

It is tricky for a child to navigate in an environment where other children are being taught absolutes with regard to religion.

In my case, I taught my daughter that there were lots of religions with lots of different beliefs, and people choose the one that makes sense to them (even though I know most people never really make a choice). She knows that God as a concept that some people believe and others don't. She hasn't chosen her beliefs yet, but she describes herself as having "several religions" because she participates in the religious practices of various family members who do different things. She's perfectly secure about it all, although I will say we do not live in an area heavily weighted toward any particular religious practice.

I have seen this same approach work very well when the mother and father are of different faiths. Instead of choosing one over the other, the children learn about each of the faiths that have meaning to their parents and also get a good smattering of info about other faiths as well.

One bonus of this approach is that you can point out to the child how some values are universal, whether the approach be from a faith perspective or a humanist perspective.

Grant · 09-12-2006, 08:56 PM

Sooner or later, they'll draw their own conclusions, we humans have an amazing "instinct" to question things. You might prompt it though. "Where do you think we came from?" and just get them thinking. I'm 15 so I don't have any experience raising kids... I'm also theist so I have even less experience telling kids there is no god.

nanners86 · 09-14-2006, 03:12 PM

Well, comming from a religious family I know that my children will be exposed to this and they will have questions about god. I will tell them how I feel about religion and god in a way they understand it. When they get older and if they decide they want to be religious then they may do so. I want them to decide for themselves. Even if it is against what I believe I want them to know for themselves.

Justin · 09-15-2006, 09:59 AM

I plan on home schooling my 2 daughters, so it's perhaps a bit easier for me. Supposing that they show interest, I plan on having them study all sorts of religions and philosophies, and let them decide what they want to do. Hopefully they'll become bookworms like their parents, that will make things much easier!

Faydwyn · 10-14-2006, 03:37 AM

I don’t have kids as of yet, but if/when I do I plan to do something along the lines of what my mom did. She expressed her beliefs to my sister and myself and then encouraged us to discover our own. Another really awesome thing was that I grew up in a house full of books of all sorts. There was a copy of the Bible, but there were also books like the I Ching and a bunch of Alan Watts.

brig · 10-23-2006, 05:45 PM

I'm very much with Faydwyn on this one. If I were to raise children, I feel that my main priority is to raise them as good, honest human beings (polite, courteous, know the difference between right and wrong). I appreciate that a lot of parents do this by means of religion, i.e. we don't steal because God demands it, but I feel that's a pretty backwards way of doing things.

I don't plan on involving religion in my children's formative years, but rather dispense my own life experiences and hopefully this well lead them to being well rounded individuals who can one day make their own mind up as to whether they believe in a higher power or not.