Pagans what do you think?

Question

I was raised in the religion I follow and have no problem with this. I was given the opportunity to look into other religions, which I did, however had no wish to convert to any. I have heard that some pagans feel that to raise their children in their religion is against their free will. I would not agree and say that as long as children have the chance to study other religions, if they so choose, then there is no wrong in teaching them of your religion. Religion would not survive effectively if it were not handed down, I know my ancestors did so or my family would not follow the religion we do. Perhaps it is a modern or neo-pagan view not to raise your children this way. I think religion is important in family life and is a great source of strength for a family unit. I understand not all pagans were raised this way, but wish to know what you think? Regardless of whether you were raised in the religion you follow or not.

Forcing religion upon someone, assuming there is resistence is indeed wrong. However telling or explaining your beliefs, practices etc. is fine. I was never forced, I was taken to church, synagogue as well as experiencing other pagan religions.

r c; I do not see why you being a witch is relevent. Magic does not work in the same way as religion.

Seán; what's wrong with that? Being pagan has no bearing on my view of you. Actually I would never have guessed before, however I still respect you.

lazaruslong138; I never said that religion was the only thing that holds a family together. I was speaking of my experiences as well as other pagan families I know of. Religion is important in my family, as are the individuals within it.

Answer 1

I agree with you wholeheartedly. I myself was raised in my religion, as you know and raised my children in that way also. They all are still pagan and have passed on our religion to my grandchildren. At the Temple, we regularly hold talks about other religions as well as inviting other people from different religions to the Temple. It is important that people have a sense of culture which in our religion is very much integral to us as people. However it is equally important that we be aware of the world around us also, although that does not mean we must simply leave our children to their own devices.

Answer 2

I agree with you wholeheartedly!! Teaching your children the ways of their fathers and mothers is not the same as condemning them to "hell" if they don't follow your ways. Parents need to teach their children. If they don't, who will?? I mean, even though school teaches your children the ABC's isn't it always pushed for the parents to have a hand in all their child's learning?? What's the difference with religion? How will our kids know what we believe, worship, our lifestyles, unless we teach it to them? Now once that child is older and takes flight, we have to hope that we parents taught them well enough to think logically and for themselves with everything - religion included.

In short, I believe religion should involve the children. My religion places emphasis on the family - how can it without the family?! I know my ancestors and their ancestors taught their children the religion of their people. I will do the same. I do not agree with this NEO pagan belief that the kids are on their own with religion. I feel it's just a convenient way not to take on the responsibility of dealing with the questions, the misunderstanding from outsiders, etc.

Answer 3

How is it possible to raise a child in a household and not share your religion with them? Why would this be wrong? It is amazing to me that so many Pagans are themselves phobic of their own religion. There is a huge difference in including children in family religious practice, part of their cultural identity, and insisting they as adults follow in your religious footsteps. If we don't teach our kids, how will they understand why their parents do what they do? What will they say to the people who attack and bash the religion of their parents?
Many children love learning the myths, traditions and rituals of their families.

Answer 4

Well, let me tell you how it was with me. My mother is a lapsed Catholic, and my dad, a lapsed Jew (they both would consider themselves liberal, non-denominational Christians is asked). And because neither of them connected with the religion they were raised, they made the conscious decision to not raise brother and I with any specific religion. We put up the tree, watched the Charlton Heston movies, and spun the occasional dreidel, but were not baptized (since neither of them believe in original sin), nor did we frequent church.

Now...whether or not they would have chosen Paganism for me, is another story, lol. But they are accepting.

My point is, by not forcing any religion down our throats, we were kept from developing any bitterness towards it (children who become notably angry and anti-christian are usually ones raised in strict religious households). We were given freedom to find what our hearts desired on our own.

That said, there is a difference between raising your child religiously, and forcing it to them. There's nothing wrong with raising your child with religion! Religion is a beautiful thing, and a wonderful bond for families to share, no matter what faith. My only suggestion to religious parents is to be understanding and openminded if that child later on decides that maybe it is not for him/her. Too many parents take this rebellion or a personal affront.

I recently came out to dad about being Kemetic (I tried to break the ice with the joke, "I know the Jews and Egyptians don't have the best track record in terms of getting along....), and not once did he accuse me of Satanism, or abandoning God, etc etc. Instead he asked a lot of questions and gave me his blessing.



Hope that helps :)

Answer 5

You are correct. To force any religion upon anyone is wrong. All should make their own choice. Religion is a highly personal thing. What works for one may not work for another.


Thanks...now everyone knows I'm Pagan

Answer 6

When I finally get around to having children, I will not push my beliefs into them. My mother (raised my brother and I on her own) is Jewish (although very lax) and NEVER pushed that upon me. I remember as kid going with her and my grandparents(also lax) to some big Jewish functions, but it was never pushed upon me. So I was able to think and choose for myself and for that I am most thankful.

Now on the other side of the coin, I know I will be a bit biased and try to keep my children from becoming Christian, just based upon my own hatred of them as a whole. But be that as it may, I will not think any lower of them if they did.

Answer 7

hi abby. i think you're right. my kids have been raised with knowledge of pagan paths and have been exposed to other religions as well. they have gone to church camp, youth groups of different faiths, and events with friends of other religions including bar mitzvahs, weddings, funerals etc. if you're religious, then yes, religion is important to share with your family, it's a great way for you to bond and connect. knowledge must be passed down to children, whether it's how to fix a car, how to cook, or how to practice your religion. but as you said, most pagans encourage kids to find their own path. in my experience though, the kids usually end up pagan, and unlike many other faiths, it's not out of fear that they stay pagan.

i have actually met some pagan parents who don't raise their children pagan because they didn't want to interfere with their free will, but what they're doing is denying them the opportunity of choice. i have even met some pagan parents who raise their kids christian to appease the extended family.

i was raised atheist but was actually born pagan, i just didn't know it had a name until i was older.

knowledge is the greatest gift you can give a person. it opens up the world for them.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

Hmmm. So many Pagans don't even belong to a "church", so to speak, although some Pagans belong to circles or groves or whatever, a large part of the Pagan community are solitary practitioners, not even belonging to a "church" in the first place, it isn't like there's a temple to Diana, or Gaia, or whoever in every neighborhood, and the term "Pagan" covers a very broad range of spiritual practices, and if there were even a group in your town, they may or may not be a good fit, so even having something that would approximate the role of a "church" in the Pagan sense of the word, would be hard for many to come by in the first place. I would think that in alot of Pagan households, the ideas held by the parents would be handed down from parent to child, as opposed to taking them to a building where they would be told what they can or cannot do or think. I was raised Catholic, and felt that it was imposed on me, rather than shared with me. Since I was not given a choice whether to be Catholic or not, I left the church as soon as I was ready to graduate from school, and havn't looked back. I consider myself to be a Universalist/Pagan. I don't have children, but I like to think that if I did, I would share my beliefs with them, as opposed to imposing them on them. I do think that there are alot of things to be gained from having a spiritual education of some kind to build on, but I wouldn't feel threatened about it if my kids wanted to learn about other ideas. Fortunately there may be no temple to Gaia in our town, but at least there is a Universalist church, and I would probably take the kids there to help thier religious education along, and also to meet and share spiritual ideas with others. If they really balked at attending services and other functions there with me, then I would let them alone for awhile, and see if they come around on thier own, I wouldn't want to force it on them or anything, and would encourage them to explore different ideas. I would want to offer them some form of structure in that respect though, and consider one's religion to be as much of one's heritage as any other facet of one's culture, if they wanted to attend Catholic church with Grandma, I would allow that as well, as long as I felt they were getting something out of it.... The big difference is that I wouldn't tell my kids that they will meet some cosmic punishment if they don't communicate or view the God/dess in the same way that I do.......

Answer 10

I'll raise my kids in Asatru. I AM raising my kids in Asatru lol. I feel it's important to give my kids a sense of spirituality so that someone else doesn't come along and do it. It would only makes sense that I raise them in mine. BUT I do take them to a UU church that exposes them to all sorts of beliefs and religions. IF they choose another then I am ok with that too. I just want to make sure they get a good sense of what they really believe. But I see no reason they wouldn't feel a drawl to Asatru. It's in their blood. Hehe