As an Atheist........?

Question

Although I am an Atheist, before my husband and I had children, we decided that although we do not believe in any higher being, that we would make sure that our children had any/all religious instructions within their schooling years so they themselves could make their own decisions.. We have
4 children that are atheists as the questions they asked could never be answered. They tend to look inside themselves to find answers, not into any bible or religion. Do you agree that children are like a book of empty pages and we as parents should give them the choice as we did, and I am sure they will with their children, to fill those pages with opened mindedness and not what is being forced upon them. In other words if you are Catholic would you be so offended if your child picked Methodist religion or even to be an Atheist ?

Answer 1

I respect your actions. More people should be open-minded and make their actions agree with their philosophy.
I give a star to this question!

Answer 2

If my children wanted to follow christianity, islam whatever I would fully support them so long as they fully understood what they are entering and that they wouldn't let religion come bewteen us.

Even though I am an atheist I do not believe that any religion should be taken up flippantly and without undeniable faith in the teachings of whichever deity they choose.

Can I just make a side note to Infant H. I read books all the time, and always all the way through. There are not trillions of people in the world, and even if you add up all the people who have died in the last 6,000 -10,000 years, you still wouldn't get 1 trillion, so you show your vast intellect there. I am not confused, I am not suffering, and I am not deceiving. And I am not an atheist because I have some inflated sense of ego. When I speak of Christians, catholics and other religions it is because I have studied them indepth. Have you studied athesim, because it is obvious you do not know what you are talking of.

Answer 3

I am an Atheist too, and I am giving my children their choice of religion if any, I would not be offended if they chose to be Catholic or what ever, religion is just a belief and we all have a right to believe what we want to. It really irritates me to see parents forcing religion on their kids at birth,let your children believe what they want to.

Answer 4

I think that you should have posted your question in the R&S board to get more useful answers. However, I am going to give it a try and answer your question. I was born and raised Roman Catholic, I am now in my early 40s and I define myself Agnostic.

It's at best a careful balancing act to offer our children a choice, while instilling in them our values. Most parents I know, try their best.

On one hand, if you leave the 'pages' blank, then you aren't transmitting to them a wealth of cultural heritage wrapped up in traditional religions. On the other hand, if you force a certain dogma down their throat, they will probably hate you.

Sending kids to religious school is one thing, but demanding to know if they pray and read the Bible constitutes religious abuse, or even emotional incest.

Avoiding the topic of spirituality is like avoiding the topic of sex: it's probalby better you stop avoiding your duty, or they will just learn it all on the streets (both sex & religion).

Answer 5

My parents forced religion down mine and my siblings throats, I and my sibling all grew up to be Atheist. I have met and worked for many born again christians, and found them to be the first to back stab, gossip with intent, to have the most filthy mouths, to be adulters, the most two faced and all around un trust worthy. I'm not saying there all this way but my experience with them has been very negative. Seems like all you here on the news anymore is about religious people committing heinous crimes aganst children or there familiys.

Answer 6

No, my mother and grandmother never forced any religon down my throat. When I was younger I had christains friends and went to clubs with them, I became uncomfortable and religon was pushed more and more and I moved away from that, later I toyed with many other religious ideas, trying to find my nich. I'm 16 and I still haven't found an organized religon that I completely respect and agree with, I doubt I will (organized religons dissapoints me in many aspects) however I am sooooooooo apreicative that I was given the freedom to make my own descisons. Definately give your children freedom, as they get older they will find what they are comfortable with.

Answer 7

I think what your are doing is very noble and loving. It gives your children a chance to see the world around them and experince it has a whole not pieces or souly from view.

Hopefully I my voice gets heard when we have kids, because this is the way I would want to raise them; let them experince life and seek out understanding and knowledge for themselves not be cookie cutters of their parents

Answer 8

I think parents have a responsibility to their children to provide them with knowledge of the world and people around them. I'm a spiritual atheist/agnostic and I would want to raise my kids knowing about the beliefs of other religions as well as my own beliefs. I think this helps them to become more balanced people, with respect for everybody. It allows them to find their own beliefs and their own unique way of seeing the world. It wouldn't bother me if my children wound up joining a religion because I'd know they were doing it because the religion fit in with their personal beliefs, not because it was crammed down their throat while they were too young to question it's validity.

Answer 9

If I were to have children I would want them to be able to make up their own minds. I might be a bit disappointed if they did not choose the same belief that I have but I would understand and respect their decision.

Answer 10

My parents did the same. My dad was a Protestant. My mother, Catholic. My brothers and sisters and I attended "Sunday school" in a Catholic church (we live in Italy) until we were like 11-12 years old. None of us were baptized because my parents wanted us to choose. We all chose differently. I won't name the "beliefs"...but in a family of 6 we all have our own. It's fun actually, because we have all learned about six different religions & cultures.

Answer 11

This is in the wrong spot. I have always respected the choices of the boys - though they were adopted and not biological. It would sadden me a bit if they turned atheistic, but that would be their choice. It would be better if they turned atheistic than if they turned fundamentalist. If they turned fundamentalist I think I would cry until I died, and that may not be as much of an exaggeration as you might think.

Reyn
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