to all very religious people,what about your children?

Question

hello all! i was wondering how you get your children being interested in your religion. from which age do you start? and what do you do when they are not interested?

and all those who symbolize a religion by wearing certain things,do you ask your children if they want to wear it?

im just curious before people start having a go!

Answer 1

My parents required us to attend Sunday School and church every single week. We also had to go to Wednesday night confirmation class for 2 years during middle school. It all sucked, and now we all hate going to church.

Religion is something that must be presented as an option to the child. Forcing it down his/her throat is a sure way to make them hate it.

Answer 2

The Bible tells us that we are to train our children in infancy about the holy writings. It starts at home by the parents or the responsible guardian.

Sometimes, as our children get older they tend to less interested in the things of God.....the world has such an appeal on the young minds.....it's almost like a carnival, lights, music and endless fun........all an illusion! We continue to pray for our children that they will once again embrace what they know is the truth and return to the Giver of Life.

We don't wear symbols of any kind. We have the love of God within our hearts and in our minds.

Answer 3

Teach them right away, by praying together, reading and talking about God's Word. Most importantly do not be a hypocrite, practice what you preach. Kids know when their parents are not being what they say they are to others.

I have 4 children. The 2 oldest (my stepchildren) are teenagers and they are both Christians. They made the decision on their own. I think something that made a huge difference was they seen the difference in the way my hubby and I act compared to their mom and stepdad (supposebly Christian). Both my step-children now live with my hubby and me full-time. We apologize when we are wrong, we explain why we are doing something or expect something done.
We have a rule and it is that as long as they are a kid in our household they will go to services with us and behave in a certain way, we will let them choose to become Christians if they want to or not, it is their decision, but until they are out of the house they will be going with us. Kids can still go and not be interested they just need to be respectful.

Answer 4

Parents should start getting their children interested from when they are little ones. I can proudly say that my parents got me interested in religion when I was a baby and for that I am grateful. The Bible has always been the biggest thing in my life and I am glad of that. Alot of religions seperate the parents from the children when they go to church and I don't think that is right. Everyone should worship together. So my answer is to start out very young.

Answer 5

It would help with an education that tells them why religion is needed. Making them sit still in church and listen to something that makes no sense to them would more than likely drive them away. Try Sunday school. If your the kind who will let them make up their own mind about religion when they are old enough, then you just might have a very long wait. And look out if they die before they make up their mind.

I was raised with religion and went to a parochial school for most of my education but that still doesn't make feel like a christian. Because I'm not. But the education in that has a valuable side to it.

Answer 6

islam is not a text book religion it is a way of life
ihave two boys and from a n early age they have started to learn about islam aged five and ten they both go to the mosque everyday after school then on a sunday they go to islamic school to learn about islam as at the mosque they learn how to read the quran and how to pray salah
at home we say sallam to each other when we wake up etc we pray together do dua together read the dua before we go to sleep etc

i think you should teach kids ina fun way from an early age .now to non muslims this may seem all a bit too much but it isnt really as kids at an early age are like a sponge the more you tell them the more they want to absorb

it is our duty as parents to teach them the best we can once they are grwon up (17-18) if they choose to take a nother path(na-auzubillah) this is their choice it will be no harm/or sin upon me

Answer 7

Being a Muslim, i would start with my self. I would practise my religion to the full so that me children from day one could learn and observe my actions.This will bring curiosity within them and they would start asking questions.From a small age (basically when the child can speak properly) i would make them memorise the necessary prayers in my faiths and slowly i would teach them good morals by linking them to faith and belief in God. My aim wouldn't be to force my children to do what all Muslims do and follow each thing..but it would be to simply put faith in them that there is a God and that what my religion says is true. Basically, a parents job is to show their children the 'path' but its them who are meant to walk it.

After that as the child gets older its depends on them if they want to fully practise Islam by either wearing the head scarf (hijaab for girls) or vise versa for the boys.I would leave the decision for them to make in their own time as making a child wear something they don't want to wear brings the opposite reaction.

If they're not interested i would leave them to it, but i would still encourage them by practising myself and showing what the benefits are.Hopefully a parents love can make a child change it's mind.

p.s- i don't have children (yet!)

Answer 8

My wife started when she was still 7 month pregnant. She had a dream about Lord Govinda and she could sense the child was seeing Him too.
Even the name of the child is one of His name, Krishna.
She is taught to be vegetarian, the importance of it and how to offer the food to the Lord before even think of eating it, at age of 2. At the age of 2 she herself ask me to buy her some bead so to chant the maha mantra on it.
At few month old she was already taught to not kill insects or plants.
She is learning songs to praise the Lord and relationated everything she does, wants and thinks with the Lord.
I don't tell her what to do, what to wear, now that she can talk and request for things, i just give her the options and she decides. For example, today her mother asked what she want, to get a lot presents or go to the India, to meet Lord Gouranga, she happily choose for the last one, even though she is just 5.

Answer 9

Personally I would not try to get my kids interested in Religion. I consider the religious indoctrination of children a form of child abuse. It is immoral to inflict superstitious ideas of Hell and damnation on the innocence of Children.

I am very worried about the messages we are giving our children, faith is undermining all the great achievements of Science and replacing reason and understanding with ancient hate-filled scriptures.

There are no Christian children , there are only children of Christian parents. It is 2007 now , not 1507 , we must make a stand and stamp out this abuse of Children.

God Bless you all.

Answer 10

We attended church services from our children's birth and they went with us. They attended Sunday School and participated in the programs that they wanted to. Summer Bible school was optional, but they chose to go. I'm sure it was for the interaction with friends more than religion. When they turned 16 if they chose to not go we wouldn't have forced them, but they never asked not to go. When they moved away from home they stopped going and have not started again, (most Christians would say we failed), but they do have a spirituality, do believe in a higher power, and treat others with compassion and kindness ( the most important of Christian values )....jewelry and apparel is a personal decision and we didn't have any rules for that. Except they couldn't get tattoo's, and if they wanted designer clothing, they had to pay the difference between what we would pay for clothes and what the designer clothing cost.

Answer 11

I don't have children but I will answer since I find myself teaching children about faith and will one day in fact have children.

First, I don't usually wear religious icons so that part of the question does not directly pertain to me. But if my children want to war it then I have no problem with it.

Starting at an early age sharing with them the love of God and the stories of God is a great way to start. When you read stories to your child, read a story of faith. When you sing a song to your child, sing a song of faith. Also, your worldview will most likely be expressed through your ever day language as you talk with your child and the child will most likely obtain a similar worldview.

Children only start showing disinterest when other interest trump, so this would start at the earliest when a child is in third grade. A parent has to accept the fact that a child will not always be interested in hearing about faith when YOU are interested in telling them about faith. You just have to realize that they will see you living out your faith by example. Sometimes though it does take more creative and entertaining ways of sharing/teaching your faith.