children and religion

do you think its right for parents to teach their religion to their kid as soon as they can understand it? i was raised catholic my mom (my dad is lutheran) and a little while before i was confirmed, my common sense kicked in... first i thought if my mom believes one thing, and my dad another, which one right? aren't both equally likely of being true? and for that matter what about non-christian religions? i don't know shit about any of those.. maybe those are more believable. then i started thinking.. how likely is it that there's a god, am i wasting my time? then- god doesn't accept gay people? i dont know anyone gay but they dont seem like they should go to hell.. then- I didn't ask god to die on the cross for me, and now i'm in debt to him? i'v been jipped!

and so now i dont believe in the cathlolic religion even though i got confirmed to appease my parents. i dont believe in any religion. i believe in the possibility, but always in the back of my head, i still believe the catholic god exists and i'm sinning everyday for ignoring him. i still believe in him because it's been pounded into my head since as far back as i can remember. every sunday for an hour... every wednsday at ccd class... every night at the supper table. it's like i'v been brainwashed or something. and i think that may very well be why many young people believe it too. am i just crazy?

 

I don't believe in any gods, nor do I plan on having children. But if I did, I think it would only make sense to explain to my child that there are a multitude of religions and people have different reasons for the following them. If there was a particular religion I practised, I would make it known that my child would follow that religion until they are mature enough to compare my way to other ways and make their decision based off the information that acquire.

 

do you think its right for parents to teach their religion to their kid as soon as they can understand it? NO! Religion corrupts people, you gotta figure out whats right or wrong by yourself.

 

^Exactly, do not impose your religion upon your child. My parents (well my mom) sort of raised me to be Lutheran, but they never forced me to beleive in God and didnt force me to read Bible passages. Because they gave me the freedom to think for myself and believe what I want to believe they have made me open minded instead of always going with what my parents say. Your child has a brain, it can think for itself and make its own decisions.

 

Hell no it's not okay. I can't even begin to tell you how all that stuff screwed up my childhood.

 

I think if you do believe in one particular religion, then its difficult not to want your children to follow it. I am a Christian but I go to a modern church (affiliated with Calvary Chapel in the US) where nothing is actually rammed down anyone's throat. I take my children too. But I am not going to hide the fact that there are other religions and that some people choose not to believe in anything. Our church does not baptise anyone until they are old enough to be able to make the decision for themselves.

I also just wanted to say that, in Christianity, its not gays that God doesn't accept. Being gay is seen as a sin, just as being an adulterer or a murderer or theif is seen as being a sin. God still loves each and every person, but he does not like the sin. And anyone who does sin, or does not repent their sin (including the sin of being gay) will ultimately be rejected by God. I realise this has nothing to do with your post though, so I apologise for going off topic.

DB

 

We go to the Unitarian Universalist Church. If my children don't feel like going, they stay home with dad. It's great because they draw from Christianity, eastern religions, paganism, science, etc. Children's church this year teaches a different religion each month. I love it because everyone is so different-Christian, Jewish, Atheist, Pagan, etc. and we all get along great.

 

My parents both raised me christian, and i'm damn grateful they did


Oh and of course I plan on raising mine as christians....

 

I was raised in a Christian home and am myself a Christian...I have no children now, but when i do i have intentions of raising them just as i was. although they will be raised this way, it is their own free will given by God to choose him or not. I can not force them to have that relationship because it will be ultimately up to them.

 

I think religion should be taught in school, but as a class, to help students make a decision as to what they want to do. You know, have an hour of The Principles of Agnosticism on Thursday afternoon, Taoism 101 on Monday morning.

 

i was rasied knowing about Christianity, but it wasnt even as far as "Jesus is our Saviour and Lord", we just had these short books that told Bible stories [The Good Easter, Noah's Ark, Moses in the Reeds, A Christmas Story etc], but we loved em just cause they were great stories [my favorite was Noah cause the animals]

that being said, when my parents found out that i didnt identify myself as Christain [although i believed in God, and Jesus, i believed in a multitude of other things as well], i think they were ind of concerned, and they told me to not tell my Baba that

i had been given a New Testament in grade 5 [which i think most kids have been, at least here], but i never read it until probobly May of this year...

all that being said, when i did become Christain [which happened sometime in March or April this year i think] i dindt tell my parents for some reason [its not really their business, but i guess it would be better them knowing what i believe than thinking i believe something completely different] and still haven't...i should really do that...

i dont really have an opinion...ill do what i do, and i dont know what that is yet

 

no. the only reason people believe what they do is because it has been fed to them since they could think. most of it anyway. put everyone out in the world with no influences on religion whatsoever and see what happens.

 

The thing is, that's what happened, and organised religion was created...assuming atheist theories are correct.

 

but the way they made people believe was to say, "believe or we will excommunicate you". or, "believe or we'll hang you or chop off your head". therefore making religion so important. just beat it to 'em and they'll come around. so now everyone is just so used to what they did back then, its natural to teach your children what you believe.because that is what happened to you. and so on and so on and so on.

 

Unfortunately the age when people think for themselves doesn't always come. Indoctrination is a fight against thinking for oneself, most often, it wins.

 

My children are being raised knowing our religion. They are raised knowing of our ancestors, and our gods, and that our Great Mother provides. They grow up knowing that we are children of the earth, and that our ancestors are to be reveared.

They learn seasons and the influence they have on our lives, they learn the cycles of the sun and moon. They learn that we are brothers and sisters to the animals and plants, and that the world is a sacred place.

They arent forced to believe a dogma, but are taught to have an open mind, and to accept everyone for who they are, and that other people have different gods that we do, and that that is ok.

I teach them our mythology, and i also teach them others mythology.
My sons are raised to be the best men they can be, and to be themselves.
I live everyday to be the best example of a man for them as I can. To teach them honesty and honor, and respect for women. My daughter, when she gets here in a month, will be raised to know that she is a goddess, to be strong, and to respect herself and never feel lower than a man. Both sons and daughters are raised to know that they are equals, that the sexes make a beautiful balance in the world, and it is important to maintain this balance.

They are raised to be proud of their bodies, for they are sacred. And that sex isnt dirty and shameful, but a celebration of Male and Female in their most divine forms. They are raised to embody the most divine aspects of their sexuality.

and I cant think of any reason i shouldnt raise my children this way.

 

I am a practioner of a religion that has been around for thousands of years, the psychedelic religion. The sacraments are pot, acid, mushrooms etc... My children will not be forced to consume these substances although I would highly recommend it to them.

 

Heron's philosophy is wonderful


My parents had me baptised as a baby, and I'm still pretty pissed about it. They are humanist in practise so were open minded and never really took us to church; I but still feel like I've been branded and am stuck press-ganged into something totally wrong for me. It was done with the best intentions, but it was their choice to make (gotta love the irony though).

Even so I don't honestly believe religion to be this evil mind control. There are good intentions behind it, morally dubious and corupted perhaps, but they mean well. it was done out of love and belief that it was the right thing. We all do that, even atheists. It is impossible not to raise children in an ethical vacum, so whatever you do they will pick up on your attitudes. That's primary socialisation folks, suck it up and deal.

So maybe my future children will become pagan, they'll certainly know what mama gets up too and can partake if they wish (who doesn't love halloween? ).
Still they shall be free to choose their own path, anything that does no harm or infringe on other people's rights/choices is fine by me. Universal unitarian churches sound awesome, might take them along to one for lessons.

 

1 a : the state of a religious <a nun in her 20th year of religion> b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : CONSCIENTIOUSNESS
4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith
--^--Definitions of religion from merriam webster online dictionary
my definition-A set of beliefs that someone lives by.
I consider anything that someone strongly believes to be a religious belief- no matter what it pertains to. Some things are petty, and should not be pushed onto other people. Example- I strongly believe that I should not consume meat, but I am not going to preach to someone that I see eating a hamburger, and if I have children, I will not forbid them to eat meat. I am also a Christian, and I understand that different people have different concepts of God, so I dont get offended when a stranger says G-D. Children need guidance, but they also need room to reason and ask why.

 

Did I even have a point there?