Alright I dunno if something like this has been done before, sorry if it has.
Say two people are married and they want to have a child together. One person doesn't believe in God, the other does. It's obvious that the couple have to work it out together and devise something up rationally. Do you Baptise the child and teach it the way of the God believer, Do you teach the child not to believe in God, or do you do something else?
The reason I ask, I got to thinking last night about it because my boyfriend doesn't believe in God and I do.
Yeah, if my potential wife was faithful to some religion, I wouldn't lie and say I'd raise him/her as religious. But I wouldn't be adamantly against it either. I'd educate them in many different belief structures and the refutations to them and let the kids decide for themselves.
A friend of mine's family is a good example. Dad's an atheist philosopher. The mom's vaguely agnostic. They have a hardcore atheist son and a devout Catholic son, and neither really bothers them.
BUT.. if I did I'd make sure that there was nothing religious in the house at all and that my child would not be brought up a christian/muslim/jew..etc.
They can make that decision when they're older.. but I'd be pretty sure they'd stick with the idea that it's all bullshit.
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Well this is me and my wife and we have had many talks on this, I’m an Atheist if you haven’t figured that out by now and my wife is Catholic (non-practicing) but her family is very Catholic. We will more than likely baptize him/her and will teach them both views when they get old enough to understand, at to young of an age it will only confuse them. We will let them decided what they wish to believe, if they choose to be religious I will not look down on them or try and sway their view I would rather them to be happy and a good person then force them to believe what I do and this goes the same with my wife.
True, I've been taught about many different beliefs and I've chosen to stick with the one that I was brought up believing so I suppose the child could have the choice to choose what he feels is best and sees fit.
I'm not religious by any means. And, just to give you my input, rejecting someone as a life partner because of their beliefs is no way to go. Religion doesn't get in the way of Love. And you have the right to say that it's all bullshit, but I ask you not to be so crude about it, especially if you're going to come to the "religion" forum just to give your two-cents on it and say that everyone who is a believer is wrong. If I wanted to, I could say that you were actually the wrong one..but no one knows.
Wow that's exactly us, except Sebastian is agnostic. But that's a good thing to do, let them choose, and if they choose something against your own belief, do not frown down upon it.
Help children discover their own faith journey and don' t insist or demand their participation in either of your faiths or beliefs or non-beliefs. Eplain them side-by-side. As long as you as a parent don' t privilege any religion over another, then your children shouldn' t either. As adults, they will choose their own religious identity and path.
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My Mum is a Christian and my Dad is an agnostic. When I was young my mum took me to Church every Sunday and my Dad was OK with this as he realises that Christian values are important values that can help a child's upbringing and at the very least it's moral reasoning was beneficial to me on a personal level.
When I was old enough to understand, my parents emphasised the fact that I was allowed to make my own choices. I am a born again Christian. It would be silly of me to say that my Mum hasn't had an influence in my going to Church but ultimately it was still my choice to become a Christian.
Wrong Storm, wrong! You have to beat Jesus into them, how else will they grow up to "choose" the right religion!? Your liberal approach is the same approach that John Walker's (aka American Taliban) mother took; look what happened to that decent white-boy.
True, I see what you mean. I kind of did that myself. I still remain Catholic but I moreover believe the evolution theory as opposed to the Adam and Eve theory. I also don't believe most of what's in the Bible. I believe in God and that's all that matters. If I ever had a child, they can believe what they want.
Every religious value is important in it's own aspect, as long as one religion isn't forced upon someone with lower power to the extent that that's all they believe there is to learn about in this world.
My father in an Atheist and my mother is a Christian. They never found it difficult or needed long nights of discussion about what they would do if they had a child in regards to religion.
But then they are both pretty liberal and did pretty much what Bardock42 said:
"I figure you let the child choose themselves, don't indoctrinate them, but teach them philosophy and religion objectively."
They, when I became interested in such things, always made it clear that it was more important for me to find what was right by me rather then just mimic their beliefs. Be it Atheism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism whatever - your faith (or lack of) your decision. And as such they could offer their understanding and knowledge in a way that was teaching as opposed to guiding me down a certain path.
As to the practicals - I was baptised, it didn't bother my father. At the end of the day I am Atheist/Agnostic, two of my sisters are Christian, another is Buddhist and my brother, I believe, is Agnostic.
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Wow more people are in this predicament than I expected!
I like how you were brought up. I wasn't ever brought up the wrong way but the way I was brought up, I was told (by Dad, who was the 6th of 12 children in a VERY VERY Catholic family) that the Bible tells all. Dad even mentioned that, though he's not a homophobe, gays will go to hell for their sexuality and I tried to reason with him but he kept referring to the Bible and it's ways.
Religion isn't exactly a #1 talk-topic in this family, but I do believe that if I mentioned to my parents (Dad moreover) that I didn't believe what was in the Bible, I may get looked down upon as if I were wrong. I could be incorrect on that, but I think not.
Anyhow, I believe what I believe. Nobody can change that, not even Dad. (I got too off topic talking to you, sorry).
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Aug 17th, 2007 04:43 PM
