A question for atheists

[chasm]

"1. If you have/had children, how would you raise them with regards to religion and spirituality?"
Maybe.

"2. How would you react if they wanted to explore religion?"
I would let them. It's not my place to tell them to believe something.

"3. How would you react if they came to a belief in a deity or deities, and converted to a religion?"
I wouldn't care, but I would make it known that I would not be a part of it.

[Elspamo]

1. If you have/had children, how would you raise them with regards to religion and spirituality?

I'd explain religion to them and why people believe in it, but I would most definitely raise them Atheist.

2. How would you react if they wanted to explore religion?

If they were thinking of joining a religion, I'd probably bitch slap them since I would raise them with more common sense.

3. How would you react if they came to a belief in a deity or deities, and converted to a religion?

I'd be pretty pissed off since they had a choice to use their common sense or act on fear and they chose to be weak minded.

I'm worried that it'd be impossible for me to raise my children Atheist in today's world. Everywhere you go there are people preaching about BS 1000-year old fairytales and myths and I would obviously want my children to make the right choice on a decision that will affect their lives forever.

[theVOID]

1. If you have/had children, how would you raise them with regards to religion and spirituality?

I wouldn't mention anything until they raised it with me, at which point i would explain that they're all just a bunch of big fools with imaginary friends who believe something to be true even though they have no way of knowing it. I would give them an example or two of why this is a problem, but i wouldn't make a point of being anti-religious, much like my parents.

2. How would you react if they wanted to explore religion?

I'd laugh, and tell them they can look into it when they're old enough to demonstrate critical thinking skills. But in all honesty i wouldn't care.

3. How would you react if they came to a belief in a deity or deities, and converted to a religion?

I'd probably laugh for a few minuets, and then insult them about their imaginary friends, then laugh some more, then ask them to write down the process by which they came to believe this was true, as well as getting them to explain their reasoning, and then using their own framework and reasoning demonstrate to them how stupid it is by proving something blatantly false/absurd.

After it is shown that their framework is flawed, they no longer believe in god... or they live on the street. Kidding - if they were going to be bat shit crazy and continue to believe i would continue to refute every argument they presented, and continue to peg them as irrational in a loving kind of way.

Ultimately as long as they aren't evangelising I don't care.

[mem]

I would have been horrified if my boy had turned religious. I was raised strict catholic in deference to my mom I let her take him to mass when he was small. By age eleven he had decided he didn't want to know he made his own mind up. I never pressurised him tho I believe my mom did. I now have a granddaughter. I will not be happy should she become religious but with atheist parents and grandparents thTs unlikely. I think kids should be allowed to explore all options and saying to a child " you will not do this or that" will only mAkes them more curious

[Cego_Colher]

1) I would probably raise them without telling them anything about religion, unless they asked. I would also be hesitant to make them believe in santa and those sorts of things too

2) I'd love it if they explored religion as long as they were old enough to look at it critically.

3) I wouldn't be too happy about it. I might debate the point with them, but in the end their are still my kid and it's not like they murdered anyone.

[Darwinian]

This is an honest question, to see if my parents actions/views would be commonplace among other atheists. I know this is not a big enough sample, but go with me here, please. If they don't apply, go wih a hypothetical, please?

1. If you have/had children, how would you raise them with regards to religion and spirituality?

2. How would you react if they wanted to explore religion?

3. How would you react if they came to a belief in a deity or deities, and converted to a religion?

1. I have raised them to be open minded and to have a sense of curiosity about the universe around them. Neither of them are religious, in fact they are quite atheist, although unlike most of us I suspect the subject never really enters their lives, apart from my daughter to a certain degree.

2. My daughters favourite lessons at school are Religious Education and Religious Studies. Not because she is religious but instead because she is simply fascinated with the subject and also loves her teacher. In fact, at a recent parents evening her teacher said that although she was one of her best pupils she should really try to form her arguments more carefully rather than just go off on a rant about how ridiculous peoples beliefs are

3. I have faith that will never happen. But if it did then the last thing I would do would be to get angry or try to make them see sense etc. All I can do is to give them the best start in life I can and then be there for them if needed.

[strattosphere]

1. We brought our kid up with no special respect for religion as it's ridiculous. She couldn't help but question it when she was small, as she had friends who had been brought up religious. I used non-aggressive logic and ridicule to demolish any doubts that religion deserves any kind of profile in society and she had enough respect for my opinions to listen to what I was saying. She's bright so she used the same arguments that I had used to question everything and now, as an adult, she is as incredulous as I am as to how anyone is stupid enough to buy into any of the death cults.

2. As in 1. I used humour, logic and ridicule. I new the bible a bit anyway so I talked about the illogic and absurdity. Besides which she quickly realised that the religious people she new were horrible, judgmental people. Later, she read some Richard Dawkins.

3. Difficult one that. I honestly don't know. I wouldn't just be disappointed but accepting, as I think anyone who becomes religious has decided to reject reality and to my mind that's insane. I would probably have taken her away from whatever had caused the conversion and as she is a prolific reader I would have got her to read Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennet, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Christopher Hitchens etc

[fr0d0]

she should really try to form her arguments more carefully rather than just go off on a rant about how ridiculous peoples beliefs are

Nah atheists just belly ache

[Nitsuj]

As soon as my child was old enough to understand, I would tell them that there are are a lot of stupid people who believe this thing called "religion," where they think a supreme being called "God" controls their life. I would tell them that it isn't true, and people only believe it so they can be forgiven whenever they do something wrong, and that there's this fictional place called "heaven" where people think they will go after they die.

If my child wanted to join a religion, I would let them, but tell not to talk about it with me, or mention it at home in any way.

[TheDarkestOfAngels]

This is an honest question, to see if my parents actions/views would be commonplace among other atheists. I know this is not a big enough sample, but go with me here, please. If they don't apply, go wih a hypothetical, please?

1. If you have/had children, how would you raise them with regards to religion and spirituality?

2. How would you react if they wanted to explore religion?

3. How would you react if they came to a belief in a deity or deities, and converted to a religion?

Question One: I would like raise my children to be rational, thinking, and knowledgable individuals.

Question Two: There's no harm in coming to an understanding about anything, in my opinion.

Question Three: I would hope that they go into a religion they hold to an understanding. I saw an episode of south park to where the troupe rejected a group of mormons from being their friends because of their silly beliefs, according to them. The boy returned to stan and kyle and told him that he knows the stories are silly, but he really enjoys the community and togetherness that that particular faith brings to his familiy and community.
Personally, I can accept that as a valid reason.

If my child became a radical or fundamentalist member of a religion, then I would try to stage an intervention.