I would tell him that daddy has a good heart and thinks that torturing kids in hell forever is an evil idea, but mommy is a horrible person who thinks kids that don't obey mommy's god rules should be burning in a lake of fire forever while she sings praises to their torturer.

(April 10, 2015 at 7:30 pm)The Reality Salesman Wrote: The marriage part, I would[edit]*** not***trade my son for anything. 

Saw that.

Knew what you meant. You have said nothing but great things about your son. Never in doubt.

Ah geez, very sorry to hear this

As others have said, if he has strong critical thinking and isn't immersed in this crap the whole time, then it's not likely to work on him. I would imagine he's going to come to you with questions, and like you say, Socrates the hell out of that shit. That should be all that is needed. He'll eventually conclude his mother is deluded, most likely.

I wish you all the best with this.

(April 10, 2015 at 8:52 pm)Brakeman Wrote: I would tell him that daddy has a good heart and thinks that torturing kids in hell forever is an evil idea, but mommy is a horrible person who thinks kids that don't obey mommy's god rules should be burning in a lake of fire forever while she sings praises to their torturer.

Yeah, that's parenting gold! Lol

Lol...you guys are a mess! Brakeman, I had a hearty chuckle at that last line. I'm restricted to mobile or I'd have kudosed it for sure.

Thanks Rob, yeah, I agree entirely. It's one of the many joys of parenting! Plus, it's an opportunity to stick it to my exwife once again! She really ought to learn about this whole assumption thing...it gets her every time...

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(April 10, 2015 at 8:17 pm)Kitty Galore Wrote: I hear Austin is pretty relaxed though?

I echo the others... as long as he has someone who thinks critically in his corner... it just sucks to have to add that into the equation, when things are bad enough.   I feel for ya.

Yes, Austin is the bastard stepchild of Texas cities, it's also the capital, go figure. It's a really liberal city full of lots of amazing food and fun things to do. The bigger cities really aren't too bad on the whole. Dallas is a lot of fun, San Antonio as well. It's just that the state is SO big, and the majority of it is still very rural and disconnected. While parts of it can be a blast, there are still a ton of idiots inhabiting the area...but the food is really awesome in Texas! Dallas and Houston were #1 and #2 on the list of the most over-weight cities in the US for a while; it's not a coincidence! 

(April 10, 2015 at 7:22 pm)Chad32 Wrote: "If you know how to read it". That should be a red flag, right there. The most important information, in regards to our soul, and we basically have to believe it going in to remain christians after getting done reading it.

I'm glad your kid already knows it sounds made up, and all you have to do is counter all the stuff she puts in his head with logic and facts. I hope you're the one who gets the most time with him, but the ball is usually in the woman's court with that one as far as I know.

I think someone somehow mixed up Austin Texas and Orange County California. They should be in each other's states.

Maybe you could ask your son, "If you were God and you had the power to do anything, what changes would you make to the world?"

Then he could compare the obvious improvements that could be made to gods inaction. This doesn't disprove God of course, but it makes the idea of an omnipotent benevolent being look stupid.

(April 11, 2015 at 8:58 am)robvalue Wrote: Maybe you could ask your son, "If you were God and you had the power to do anything, what changes would you make to the world?"

Then he could compare the obvious improvements that could be made to gods inaction. This doesn't disprove God of course, but it makes the idea of an omnipotent benevolent being look stupid.

You know, that would be a nice proposal as an assignment for fourth graders - Write  new and improved ten commandments. I think this would be an incredibly enlightning exercise for the kids if done well. Not just to bash religion, but to get thinking about values, justice and society and all that.

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(April 11, 2015 at 8:45 am)Chad32 Wrote:

(April 10, 2015 at 7:22 pm)Chad32 Wrote: "If you know how to read it". That should be a red flag, right there. The most important information, in regards to our soul, and we basically have to believe it going in to remain christians after getting done reading it.

I'm glad your kid already knows it sounds made up, and all you have to do is counter all the stuff she puts in his head with logic and facts. I hope you're the one who gets the most time with him, but the ball is usually in the woman's court with that one as far as I know.

I think someone somehow mixed up Austin Texas and Orange County California. They should be in each other's states.

Better leave it where it is. There are only so many enlightened places a kid from rural texas can flee to for an excellent college education without paying out of state tuition...