children and religion

My husband seems to think that here in the US it is pretty much inevitable that every kid will end up going through what he calls a "christian phase." That at some point a kids friend will get them to church and someone will trade them candy for salvation, or something the like, and they'll get "saved" like their friends. I sometimes wonder about that because there are very, very few people I've known that have never been a christian at some point in their lives, and those are all pagans who's families have been pagan for generations.

I definitely think it is inevitable that any culture's predominate religion is going to impact and influence a child in some way, at some point in their lives. Parents that think they can completely sheild their children from any socially dominate ideal are fooling themselves.

 

I was raised baptist, then at 12 my uncle became a penticostle minister, so we joined His church. My mother is a Catholic, and I eventaully became a Mormon, with Wiccan beliefs as well, and raised my children as mormons, UNTILL, they were old enough to ask questions and make up their own minds. I cant lend them my faith, they have to find their own.

 

how confused is that...

 

I know man, i have that same problem, like comon sense tells me otherwise, but my parents pounded jesus and christianity as the only way when i was young, and i know it to be stupid and ignorant but its always in the back of my head. So sucky. I mean i like jesus but i dont put my whole life to him, i didnt ask him to die for my sins and make me accountable, its such a jip deal, believe my way or the highway. Life should be ecstasy, fun, happiness,love,joy,togetherness, not fear of hellfire, being right or wrong, come on enjoy it!!! Fuck your brainwashing, let us think for ourselves!

 

I don't consider it CONFUSED, I think of it as being able to see into everyones beliefs ,

in every religion there is a bit of truth!!!!

 

Kids should NOT be brainwashed into believing their parents' ideas about anything, they should form their own opinions and ideas of the world with as many of their own experiences as possible.

I was, myself, almost tricked into believing a load of shit

 

I teach my children of our ancestors...our celebrations..and our lifestyles...which is all my religion....If i didnt teach my children our faith...then i would have nothing to teach...because we live it every single day.

 

Me too, except it was by a "friend". I was basically made feel worthless and that I was a bad person, just because I didn't go to church. That messed me up pretty bad until middle school, when I realized how retarded that crap was, even though I was no longer friends with that bitch by then.
There's no escape from fundies pushing their beliefs on kids, whether it's their parents, friends, or those "nice" people who wait outside the elementary school to pass out free bibles easily brainwashed children.

 

I found it great fun to tear up a book with such great meaning to some.

I just feel that it should be alright for kids to question their family's religion, whether they're just not feeling it, or they've acquired new beliefs.

 

Mormons are some crazy people.... turning back to civilization like that... is just stupid thing to do.... if they only UNDERSTOOD that... eh so many stupid people, almost like animals...

 

All I could think to do in the child-rearing situation is answer all questions as clearly and objectively as possible. Encourage question asking and introspection...

 

Well since most of the worlds religious leaders cant explain the basis of their religion to adequetly prove they arent insane, or just making it up about the existence of god, you are going to have a hard time finding parents that believe in god willing to give a balanced view. IE one which points out the reason for believing and not believing. The church is an establishment that needs new supporters to survive and the techniques of persuasion and coercion are subtle and forceful at the same time. You generally do not find people who teach atheism to kids at an early age, but the insidious nature of the church is to play on parents fears and tells them the kid has to be a christian or will be doomed after life and will be immoral during life if they dont have the values of the church. In essence that is basically the scenario and the bible teaches it.
Most Protestants in England would allow the child to choose religion when they are old enough to understand that implication

 

how can u be brain washed.... u obviously made a desicion that u dont agree with it so u dont belive it and if u dont belive it YOUR NOT BRAIN WASHED. second off i go to catholic school i dont agree with all of it but if u were to research catholosism u would find the religion itsself is fine... its the people that fuck it up... ignore all those stupid rules and dealys like abortion... read the ten comandments and do a wee bit us research on the teachings of christ. all in all the curch says be good and forgive others... aka LOVE. its not that bad.

i personaly have a problem with organized relgions because they prohibity people from finding out what they actuly belive and insted send them off on a goose hunt to understand a set of belifes layed out by others. YOU CAN NOT "BELIVE" somethign you do not seek to understand or accept, so to say your catholic does not mean u belive it... i do not call myself catholic even though i belive and fallow alot of the teachings of teh church. but the fact of the matter is untill I EXCEPT each teaching or theory or philosophy I CAN NOT BELIVE IT.

... anyways thats what i have to say on the matter.

P.S. acording to the church being gay is not a sin, but acting on it is

 

“Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you'd have good people doing good things and evil people doing bad things, but for good people to do bad things, it takes religion.” Steven Weinberg

 

I can relate to the OP a lot. But both of my parents were catholic. And, before my confirmation, I expressed my feelings of doubt and concern to them, but it didn't matter... My dad said, and I quote "Well you're going to get confirmed whether you like it or not, and when you turn 18 you can do whatever you want, though I hope you will choose the right path and follow the guidance we raised you with...."

Unfair? YES. The day of my confirmation I was miserable. I felt trapped, and disgusted with my parents for not respecting the fact that I had a mind of my own, regardless of how young I might have been, or that I carried their DNA.

It is one thing to raise your children with a particular religion, but quite another to push it upon them when they begin to ask questions and develop a mind of their own. I never resented them for raising me catholic, but I did (and sometimes, still do) feel sore about the fact that they walked all over my pursuit to grow and expand, simply because they didn't agree.

With that said, my fiancee and I have decided we aren't going to have children...but we have talked in the past, that if we did end up having a kid, how we would raise it, and religion was one of the issues we discussed. We both had the idea, to simply educate our children about many different religions, when old enough to be able to grasp the concept of religion itself, and if they wanted to be a part of a religion we wouldn't stop them, and we would do our best to give them the materials they need to educate themselves on the particular religion that might interest them.

I would want my hypothetical children to be educated about as many religions as possible, because it is important to look outside of what you know and learn about the world around you. I wouldn't want ignorant children. However, in no way, shape, or form would we practice any type of religion with the children. (Him and I are both fairly agnostic...I more atheist than agnostic, he more agnostic than atheist, it's difficult to simplify into one term/category)

Now,

I have to admit that kind of offended me, and I do realize that Christianity does in fact teach that, regardless of what your personal take on it may be...but its ridiculous, and it's even more ridiculous that anyone would teach that kind of prejudicey. "Being gay" is NOT a "sin", no matter what your religion may teach... it is just like being male or female, african, or polish... they are who they are, and they have nothing to be sorry for, and it is ridiculous that the religion should teach them to feel sorry, and repent for being who they are.

So someone is gay loves another person of the same sex...at least they are practicing love and not hate. The religious argument over homosexuals and bisexuals REALLY fires me up, and it REALLY offends me. And maybe I should have bit my tongue about this, because its a touchy subject and the OP isn't about this particular topic...but this is one subject I can't let slide, because it drives me nuts. I won't bite my tongue when it comes to this.

I also want to add that, I think its ridiculous that you, or your religion threw homosexuality in the same category as adultery and murder.

 

I personally don't have a problem with parents talking to their children about religion. I talk to my children about it, but my attitude has always been one of leaving it up to my elder two kids (they're 18 and 17) to decide what they do.

Part of me wonders if some of the dificulty expressed in this thread is cultural. My family have found that some aspects of religious life in Texas can be opressive on occasions. Opinion polls in America show that most Americans think you can't be "good" without being religious. In Europe people think you can. Maybe parents are just worried that you'll become less "good" if you don't show evidence of belief.

 

I see no problem teaching your kids your religion, as a parent you teach your kids what you believe is right, and then they will go through their 14 year old "baaaahhhh, fuck god!!!!!" phase, then they'll either choose a religion for themself which normally winds up being the one raised as or become atheist/agnostic.

 

Once the fractured brand of you-me, yours-mine has been seared into the innocent consciousness of our infant babes then the die has been cast. Our babes become the conspirators and the propagators of the lie. Conform…compete…consume…breed!

How fine the line between irresponsibility and abuse!

“Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you'd have good people doing good things and evil people doing bad things, but for good people to do bad things, it takes religion.” Steven Weinberg

 

The Bible tells us that God is not the author of confusion, if you draw from all these religions that counterdict each other, than you will be confused even if you think you got it right. God has a plan, yet the Bible tells us few will ever understand it. I can see why.

 

If you don't teach your child what to believe, the world will. It's to bad the parents of the two who killed all those students at Columbine didn't spend a little more time teaching them right from wrong. Apperently, those parents did not impose their religion on there children. Which resulted in the creation of two murdering monsters.