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Do you plan on teaching your children your religion?
How will you accomplish the task, Church, private study or not at all?

Will you be truthful to your children answer honestly questions put before you?

do you think it is okay to force your religion on your children?

will you allow them to expand their view and read all books that may or not pertain to your beliefs?

when should a child be exposed to religion?

i ask these questions b/c like history/religion tends to get a white wash with a roller over things ppl don't want others to see b/c it makes it's historical figure look bad or not shine as brightly.


Do you think it is okay to judge others especially children on their religion or cultural background whether atheist, theist or agnostic?

how would you feel if your child loses or changes his faith no longer embracing your own?

what would you do?

I'm an atheist, so i'd probably do nothing.

Assuming I have kids:

Originally posted by King Castle
Do you plan on teaching your children your religion?
How will you accomplish the task, Church, private study or not at all?

Will you be truthful to your children answer honestly questions put before you?

I would tell my children why I believe what I do if they ever asked me.

Originally posted by King Castle
do you think it is okay to force your religion on your children?

Given all the other things we force on them I don't think religion can be singled as an especially bad thing to force on your children, within the same limits I would apply to the rest of parenting.

Originally posted by King Castle
will you allow them to expand their view and read all books that may or not pertain to your beliefs?

Sure, why not?

Originally posted by King Castle
when should a child be exposed to religion?

When they show an interest in it.

Alternately at a very young age, as part of other fairy tales and legends that I read to them as a child. I consider knowledge of such stories to be part of one's basic cultural education.

Originally posted by King Castle
Do you think it is okay to judge others especially children on their religion or cultural background whether atheist, theist or agnostic?

Judging adults based on their beliefs is fine. They're expected to understand the world and think about it on their own. Kids, especially under under twelve, really don't and can't be expected to. I wouldn't judge them for their beliefs for the same reason I don't believe they are equipped to enter into a legal contract.

To cram it down their throats is brainwashing though many don't see it like that. If you're going to teach your children religion, then you should also teach them about others beliefs in a positive way. Understanding will go far when they meet others that have different beliefs.

Originally posted by King Kandy
I'm an atheist, so i'd probably do nothing. well as an atheist how would you feel if he/she found religion?

I am planning when I have kids teach about Religion the same way my parents taught me but less strict.

Originally posted by King Castle
Do you plan on teaching your children your religion?
How will you accomplish the task, Church, private study or not at all?

I'd likely talk about religions very academically, as in, this is what christians believe, this is what muslims believe, etc.

Originally posted by King Castle
Will you be truthful to your children answer honestly questions put before you?

absolutely, though I imagine, from experiencing this with a friend's kids, that there questions are going to be more about why other kids are telling them evolution isn't real or making fun of them for not being religious. In that context, honesty is important, but I'd probably have to watch the cynicism

Originally posted by King Castle
do you think it is okay to force your religion on your children?

no less so than it is to force all other sorts of ideals that we do on kids

Originally posted by King Castle
will you allow them to expand their view and read all books that may or not pertain to your beliefs?

I hope my children would read things that challange what I believe or have taught them

Originally posted by King Castle
when should a child be exposed to religion?

that is hardly a choice I get to make. In a perfect world, maybe people, if they still need to believe irrational things, would keep it to themselves, however, in the modern world churches are teaching their kids to prostelitize to their friends and classmates, and street preachers have no scruples about warning children of the dangers of hell.

I'm not saying they should be sheltered from it forever, but more it should be up to the child to decide if they want that type of thing in their life, and recieve exposure that way.

Originally posted by King Castle
i ask these questions b/c like history/religion tends to get a white wash with a roller over things ppl don't want others to see b/c it makes it's historical figure look bad or not shine as brightly.

that is a bias with anything. My children would obviously be aware of my political views, or morals, and it would be hard for me to do anything but promote those as the best.

I do get your deeper point, but most of that isn't a parent's choice either. society at large believes the whitewash, so you can hardly blame a parent for passing on something they believe to be true.

Originally posted by King Castle
Do you think it is okay to judge others especially children on their religion or cultural background whether atheist, theist or agnostic?

no, especially not children

Originally posted by King Castle
how would you feel if your child loses or changes his faith no longer embracing your own?

so long as it is what they want for their life I would support it

I don't intend to have children (to give the next generation a fair competetive chance), but...

Originally posted by King Castle
Do you plan on teaching your children your religion?

I do not have a Religion. I would tell them what I believe (if I knew what I believe) and I would talk about what other Religions are there and how they influenced me.

Originally posted by King Castle
How will you accomplish the task, Church, private study or not at all?

Privately.

Originally posted by King Castle
Will you be truthful to your children answer honestly questions put before you?

Yes.

Originally posted by King Castle
do you think it is okay to force your religion on your children?

No.

Originally posted by King Castle
will you allow them to expand their view and read all books that may or not pertain to your beliefs?

Yes.

Originally posted by King Castle
when should a child be exposed to religion?

When they show interest or it becomes an issue for them. Or before if it comes up.

Originally posted by King Castle
i ask these questions b/c like history/religion tends to get a white wash with a roller over things ppl don't want others to see b/c it makes it's historical figure look bad or not shine as brightly.

I'd also talk about history freely as far as I know.

Originally posted by King Castle
Do you think it is okay to judge others especially children on their religion or cultural background whether atheist, theist or agnostic?

No

Originally posted by King Castle
how would you feel if your child loses or changes his faith no longer embracing your own?

I'd hope they be happy, and be willing to discuss their reasons with them if they chose to.

Originally posted by King Castle
what would you do?

What I just said.

Reather you don't teach your kids about Religion or not they are going to hear about it never the less and leave you to answear there questions about it.

Originally posted by ADarksideJedi
Reather you don't teach your kids about Religion or not they are going to hear about it never the less and leave you to answear there questions about it.

Indeed.

I am guessing you argree thats good.

Originally posted by ADarksideJedi
I am guessing you argree thats good.

Well, I think you should prepare your children for it. In general I think exposure to different ideas is not a bad thing, but especially with Religion it can be very intense and frightening, so talking about it is a smart idea.

You just do it in a logical way, something like: We believe this because.....but the neighbors believe in reincarnation because......

It was odd that once a very young girl, around 6, started asking me about where we were before we got into our body's and she not being brought up believing in reincarnation, stunned me, So, I said to her, "Well, where do you think we were?" We talked a bit and then she said, "I think we were in other bodies." I knew her father was listening and didn't believe in reincarnation and I didn't want to get him upset, so I used a Bible verse that I knew of. I said many people believe that people do come from one body to another but the Bible also says that the spirit goes back to god who gave it and left it at that. This girl started asking me all kinds of questions that she believed was true and it was reincarnation. I later went over to the father and asked him if she ever heard of that idea before. He said she didn't and wasn't happy about me answering with open ended questions.

I was only encouraging her to think. I wasn't answering her questions but asking her to think them out herself.

Originally posted by Deja~vu
It was odd that once a very young girl, around 6, started asking me about where we were before we got into our body's and she not being brought up believing in reincarnation, stunned me, So, I said to her, "Well, where do you think we were?" We talked a bit and then she said, "I think we were in other bodies." I knew her father was listening and didn't believe in reincarnation and I didn't want to get him upset, so I used a Bible verse that I knew of. I said many people believe that people do come from one body to another but the Bible also says that the spirit goes back to god who gave it and left it at that. This girl started asking me all kinds of questions that she believed was true and it was reincarnation. I later went over to the father and asked him if she ever heard of that idea before. He said she didn't and wasn't happy about me answering with open ended questions.
If you're ever so inclined to up his blood pressure, you could inform him that reincarnation is not unique to Eastern religions. Generally speaking: in Kabbalah, a similar concept is called gilgul. Christian Gnosis also embraced the idea (as an interpretation of "resurrection", but this was given the kabosh by the Roman Catholic Church, who liked their views (as has been handed down since) better.

Strict Baptist, need I say more? lol

FundaMENTAL heaven.

She started asking such high intellegence thoughts like: Where do your thoughts come from before they come into our heads and where do they go once they leave.

Anyone thinking she is smarter than many adults?

I thought it was really cool for a little kid.

Originally posted by Deja~vu
Strict Baptist, need I say more? lol

FundaMENTAL heaven.

She started asking such high intellegence thoughts like: Where do your thoughts come from before they come into our heads and where do they go once they leave.

Anyone thinking she is smarter than many adults?

I thought it was really cool for a little kid. Yes; though I do wonder if perhaps she had had some previous exposure somewhere to the subjects. Even so, that she still had the interest to engage such a conversation. Yes. Quite cool.

Perhaps someone should alert the Tibetan monks.

there was a study done or some shite that asked kids questions about what they think about where they come from surprisingly many kids think they were other people and reborn some were waiting in heaven to be born..

it is hard to figure out where their ideas come from if parents, television other children or simply on their own. some children come from house holds where such views aren't talked about.

either way apparently kids hit an age where such ideas start to fade either 6 or 8 and they start to become more cynical

WoSrzpLoODo

either way i just let my child believe what he wants and ask him question and just write or record his responses if he ever made such claims so he can have something of his childhood who knows.

a child claimed to be his own reincarnated child and remembered his own life and murdered sister which no one new till his father did a family check and discovered it to be true.

hnYmrBPDKUw&feature=related

Originally posted by King Castle
well as an atheist how would you feel if he/she found religion?
I'd be fine, as long as they'd fully thought it out.

It's almost a Catch-22. If you do nothing and let them "decide on their own" they'll inevitably run across someone looking to convert them to something or other. Or you push them toward your belief, thus a form of indoctrination either way. Very few will simply float along un-manipulated and then research and decide for themselves.

To that affect, I'd explain to them that I would never mind my kids believing something different than I did, but I'd also explain the critical thinking and logical arguments I use that led me to my non-religiosity. Basically, I just wouldn't give them an intellectual free pass if they decided to be religious, but I'd be ok with the decision.

Originally posted by Bardock42
Well, I think you should prepare your children for it. In general I think exposure to different ideas is not a bad thing, but especially with Religion it can be very intense and frightening, so talking about it is a smart idea.

True but they should know about there own before learning about the others.

Originally posted by ADarksideJedi
True but they should know about there own before learning about the others. Well, they don't have an own before they make up their mind, you mean they should learn about their parents' first?

Yes and be bought up to that and when they get older they can consider staying with there parent's Relilgion or have another one.

well i'm a godless heathen and my girl is muslim. so i guess if we had a kid they'll choose whether to believe or not based on who they love more.

I would absolutely teach them, but I would try and teach it in such a way that they would be able to ask questions. My whole life I was simply told that my church was true, or at least that is how I took it, being a pretty proud kid, I think it was probably just the way I heard it. I wish that I had thought about it earlier, instead of just barely. I want my kids to think about it, to know, instead of just repeat what I say.

Originally posted by King Castle
do you think it is okay to force your religion on your children?


When your child is old enough to understand everything religions contemplation requires then yes, i'll gladly inform him their are many religions, and they cannot all be correct. They can however all be incorrect.

I'll let him know that no matter what his muslim friends in school say, he is not going to burn in hell for eating pork. I'll let him know that i, his father, would never construct a torture chamber in our basement and damn him there for eternity if one day he didn't love me anymore or questioned my morals.

I'll tell him he can be of whatever faith he wants, but thats all it is , is faith, i'll ask him to make informed desicions about how he wants to live his life, and whether the wrathful , vengeful, slave condoning God of the bible is really a better moral guide than say..his own father, mother, uncles or grand parents (all of whom are not religious - but good, kind and selfless people none-the-less).

I'll force nothing on my children save good manners and racial tolerance (being mixed race ofcourse it will come rather easy to them), but i'll inform them of ALL the options i know of, something that many religious parents don't do.

Originally posted by red g jacks
well i'm a godless heathen and my girl is muslim. so i guess if we had a kid they'll choose whether to believe or not based on who they love more.

My husband's father is christian and his mom is a Roman Cathloic and she raised my husband and his sister to be Catloic so it seems to me that either both parents have them raise to believe in both or just one of them.

sort of a little easier to reconcile catholicism with other forms of christianity than it is to reconcile atheism with islam. luckily for me she believes in some hippy 'spiritual' type of islam and doesn't worry too much about all the rules usually associated with the religion

sufi?

basically, though she actually labels herself sunni since thats what her family is... her actual practice/interpretation is more influenced by tariq ramadan etc. not sure if he's actually sufi either but she's expressed an appreciation for that type of islamic mysticism before as well.

tariq ramadan is pretty awesome, whatever he calls himself

Originally posted by ADarksideJedi
My husband's father is christian and his mom is a Roman Catholic and she raised my husband and his sister to be Catholic so it seems to me that either both parents have them raise to believe in both or just one of them. All my relatives were raised Roman Catholic, they are from Italy, so that's just how it was. Everyone married Catholic except for my family. My father married a fundamentalist Pentecostal Baptist. Now I'll tell you that it did cause a lot of friction inside the family once children were born. How should they be raised?? A divorce happened because of the religious conflicts amongst other things, but religion was a major factor. Also, I experienced the same thing myself. Since I was raised Baptist and looked outside of my faith, my ex couldn't take that either, so a divorce happened.

I wasn't trying to change him or his beliefs and I promised to raise the children in his, which was our, beliefs even though I had changed my own. But for some reason he felt that if you don't believe every word from the Bible to be true, then you don't have any morals at all. He also felt that if you didn't believe the Bible to be true, then you don't believe the 10 Commandments should be followed. I thought that was silly. Why would a person lose all their morality just because they didn't believe everything in the Bible to be true?

Are only Christians the ones with morality? I believe that many relationships fail because one changes his or her view on religion or politics.

I think it can work if there aren't any children to be raised, but if there are then it, in many many cases, just won't work. You must stay the same, no change, no growth and keep your mouth shut. I unfortunately loved to share what I read thinking we could grow together, but he felt threatened by it. Even today, my Baptist, immediate family is waiting for me to come back to the faith and pray for me all the time, which I don't like. I've been deceived by demonic spirits, they say. It doesn't matter how good a person is if you're deceived by Satan and you don't deserve for your children to be around you. They'll be going to Hell in speaking with you.

The Catholic relatives were much more open, honest, non-judgemental, sincere and comforting along with my Atheist, Buddhist and other friends.

Needless to say, I've lost a whole lot of respect for the Protestant Christian faith.

word... but i don't think its fair to break it down based on denomination. i was raised in the catholic church and they have some of the snootiest people who will look down on any other form of christianity... my fam moved to the south and my mother started taking my brother and sister to a methodist church cause she found it was more of a fun and interactive environment for kids, to make them enjoy church and church based youth groups etc.. and some of the local catholics had a hell of a time gossiping about that little dose of apostasy.

i think some people are just confident in their views and others are insecure. the insecure ones are actually the people who get super defensive when others dont agree with them or when their family/loved ones start to stray from whatever their traditional beliefs are.

Are only Christians the ones with morality? I believe that many relationships fail because one changes his or her view on religion or politics. I see what you are saying but it is not always like that.My husband and I share the same Religion but not the same with politics which he has no interested in as much as I do.We still get along fine.