Raising Children -Athiesm and Religion?

Question

This is a spin off of another question i gtg to bed so i wont
see your answers until later.I want all the athiests to know I have nothing against you I think most of you are awesome and incredibly nice people.I guess the reason I keep asking these questions is...i dont really know how you all feel about us . So im just getting
to know these things better..anyway for the question
I am a Latter Day Saint (mormon ). And I am raising my
only daughter in my religion In my last thread a man said that raising a child to be religious was like pedophic brainwashing. I can see how
someone might think this. My honest question is,
what are the reasons it bothers you for those that it does?
I am a kind person to all people and have helped out
in many charities, i dont care what people believe
i only see the heart, sure i have questions about what
they believe but i never condemn. If i teach my daughter
my faith but also teach her love, understanding and kindness
is it still horrible in your eyes?

Answer 1

Atheist here (indoctrinated catholic when I was child).

It doesn't bother me at all, I think someone was just trying to give you a hard time.

Even though, I am against any kind of indoctrination in children, including atheism. I think kids should be raised with a firm education, they don't need religion or gods to know right from wrong (take Japan as an example), kindness or love, they should be informed about the most important religions and philosophical positions regarding morals, ethics, logic and the supernatural without any indoctrination. Later, they'll be able to decide what to believe (or not to believe), it should be a decision made with the least possible bias. Indoctrination doesn't allow us to think without bias.

I still remember when I took my philosophy class in high school, some people just rejected everything because "it was against their religion", they had to take the class anyway. I think every human being should decide what to believe when they are adults, after being raised with the less indoctrination as possible, I'm sure it'd be impossible not to expose them to any kind of indoctrination, since it's everywhere.

If you are already teaching him your beliefs, he'll probably have the same beliefs, even though, I personally do not think having a belief constitute "faith", true faith is not indoctrinated.

In conclusion, I don't think indoctrination is horrible, but I think it should be avoided. They should learn different views and take a decision by themselves. They will hardly take the decision if they're told, since an early life, that certain "set of belifs" are the untimate truth.

Answer 2

If you are a Latter Day Saint, and you are happy with it, there is no reason you should not teach your daughter what you believe. Parents teach their kids so they can learn and they keep them from making the mistakes they made, you make your religion sound like it was a mistake. Teach her your beliefs but let her know that she is not a sinner in your eye if she chooses another religion. You should not live your life worried about what an extreme Atheist says or an extremist of any religion.

Answer 3

You sound like a very good parent very concerned for your daughter. That is commendable. You have the right to teach your child the things you believe in. I teach my children to believe in God and trust in Him for their daily food and being alive, for without Him we would be nothing. So far out of my 9 children all but one has accepted this as the truth and I am grateful and give all glory to God that they believe.
When it comes to the mormon religion I am not fond of that religion. That is my choice and I do Not condem you or even Judge you that is Not my place. I would ask that you find out if they still teach that God is in heaven with a wife making spirit babies. If so that makes Him an adulterer. I believe even the mormon religion goes agaisnt that, Let your heart be your guide and you cannot go to wrong. I have been helping my husband with some college courses and they are finding that children raised with a belief sytem are not getting in as much trouble as those who have not had the belief system in their life. This goes for drugs and alcohol and the like. Good Luck and may the Lord bless you.

Answer 4

I have a 2 1/2 year old and I think about that every day. I raise her now to know God, Christ, Heaven, and Church but It will be her decision on what she wants to do with it all. By watching me and being around me she will learn my beliefs and I certainly hope how I treat other people. And I also hope she follows into trusting in God as I do. But I will never force her and will leave it to her on what to believe. It will be heart breaking for me if she does not believe in God but I don't feel it should be pushed on anyone.
Remember that family is most influential on a Child's life, followed by peers. Just be ready to defend you faith when asked and ALWAYS be loving no matter which path she chooses (easier said that it will be done).

Answer 5

I'm an atheist who became so after studying many different religions and having been raised as a Baptist.

Mormons are the only Christian religion that gets two thumbs up from me.

You are teaching your daughter to think for herself, and, if you are a moderately "good Mormon" (try to follow the rules even if you don't always succeed), you are setting an excellent example for her.

Don't be bullied by others or ashamed of what you are teaching your daughter.

Answer 6

You seem like a great person and I have no doubt your children are great kids as well, however, I do have serious issues with religion and children. I believe that it really matters little what is taught because the damage is done when you teach a child that it is ok to believe things simply on "faith". What you are teaching is to "not question" certain things and just believe them, and this, to me, is a recipe for horrible things. There are plenty of terrible people out there who are more than happy to use faith as a tool to corrupt, abuse and control humans for less than honorable reasons. When one is taught that it is ok to believe things on "faith" they then become easy targets for there bad people. Much of the nastiness in our world today has, at its heart, evil men using good peoples faith to turn them into savages. We see endless examples of people who do horrible things in the name of "faith".

We need to teach or children reason, not faith. We need to teach our children to question everything they are told until it makes logical sense. We live in a society that teeters on chaos and we can ill afford to approach our future with faith and not logic. We must embrace and repair our reality, wishful thinking will doom us.

Faith .. it has long been the greatest tool of evil men.

Answer 7

The easiest way to answer this is....

Why would anyone want to teach their children a lie and suggest its the truth?
Mormans of all religions are founded on lies and fallacies.
http://www.exmormon.org/tract2.htm

I teach my children to look for the truth...to treat people as they would like to be treated and to find answers in reality. Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are figments of imagination.
We dont celebrate fictitous Christian holidays and live our lives to the fullest....my children are more well rounded and have a better understanding of life than children who are taught the gospel and learn to be close minded and never question a thing.

Answer 8

No.

Good luck. Raise your child to be a good human in whatever way you know how. This is the best any parent can hope for.

But make sure that you raise her to have open eyes, an open mind and an open heart - to all thought practices and belief systems.

Answer 9

I am the mother of a 3 year old little girl, I was raised Luthern but I concider myself athiest. My fiance is Athiest. It is rare to find a religious person that is open minded enough to accept different beliefs (or lack of beliefs) for that matter. My family was extremely upset when I decided not to baptise my daughter. I believe it is her choice to make. She goes to church with her grandparents almost every Sunday, and I'm plannin on enrolling her in bible school or Sunday school. If I'm leaving the decision up to her, she needs to learn about the bible. I want her to be knowlageable enough to make the decision for herself. If one day she wants to be part of the church, thats great for her. So I believe you should teach your children what your beliefs are, but don't force them to believe them. Open their minds to every thing that the world offers and let them choose their own paths.

Answer 10

Well, to me, it seems unfair to present something to an impressionable child as absolute truth. I talk to my kids about religions, and spirituality. They know what their dad and I believe, but they also know that they have a choice, and don't have to feel or think like we do. I think anyone can be a good person, regardless of their beliefs. I want them to be happy, and good.