Is it wrong to raise my children as Atheists?

Question

Religious people always raise kids in their religion.

Answer 1

Nothing wrong with it at all

Answer 2

Eventhough I am not a believer now, my religious upbringinging has given me a lot of things to cherish. I am not very sure if I would be the same if I didn't have those experiences (begs the question as to what experience would it be replaced with) but the children should be given a chance to appreciate the goodness that has come out of our religious past (like arts and exalted emotions) - at the same time be educated about the evils as well as the irratiionalities and obstructions to progress that blind faith in religions have resulted in. In other words, for a complete development, children should be raised in a way they can appreciate and appraise for themselves all aspects of humanity.

Answer 3

No. It's your choice and you can raise them with whatever belief, or lack of, that you wish. However, I would highly recommend agnosticism. This will allow your children to make an intelligent and educated decision about God when they are old enough to understand. If you raise them with God, then a lot of times they will live that way because it is all they know. If you raise them with the belief that there is no God, then they will likely live that way because that is all you know. I don't agree with parents forcing religion on children. It should be a choice.

Answer 4

The fact that religious people do this should be a pretty strong indicator to you that it would be unwise to do the same.

Religious faith, or lack thereof, is a personal decision. You have your life to live, you make your choices for you. Don't impose those choices upon your children, afford them the same kind of respect that you expect from others, and let them decide for themselves. Their lives are their own, and they have the right to religious freedom, the freedom to make their own choices.

Answer 5

It's only wrong if you shelter them to the point where they're unaware that there are other points of view on the matter.
You're well within your rights to explain why you think the way you do, but I think ultimately if you haven't explained religious belief to them you run more of a risk of them being "converted" when they are introduced to the the concepts of salvation/damnation in a less than rational context.

Answer 6

My parents didn't raise me as anything. I was baptised because my mum was baptised as a Catholic and my dad was brought up as an Anglican. Neither of them were practicing Christians though. I was allowed to experiance any religion I wanted and they allowed me to ask questions about anything. When I was young I was "christian" because my friends were, but when I got older I questioned that and grew up.

I think that you should expose your child to any religion he/she wants. They will settle on their own ideas when the time comes.

Answer 7

It is wrong to raise a child in a religion. Let your children grow up, then introduce them to religion. If you indoctrinate young children they have no choice but to submit, because young children are naive and believe anything they are told.

Answer 8

As a parent you have the right to raise your children any way that you want to. As a Christian I would hope that you would let them make up their own minds, but that's your business and God's business and not mine.

Answer 9

Yes. its not because of you raising them as an atheists but you're not giving your children a chance of what they want to believe. let them choose of what they want. that is what i think is the right thing to do.

Answer 10

My kids are all atheists. Honestly, they're turning out better than the fundy home-schooled ones in my family.

By "better" I mean, stay in school, don't abuse drugs or booze, volunteer for the community, don't get married while they're teens - that kind of thing.

Answer 11

I applaud your choice! being raised with science supporting you is a wonderful way to experience the world and live your life.