(February 14, 2011 at 1:00 pm)thesummerqueen Wrote:(February 14, 2011 at 12:16 pm)Rhizomorph13 Wrote: My daughter wants to pray before mealtimes and she gets really sad when I tell her that she can pray but I choose not to. I haven't fully decided whether or not to alot time for prayer, but I want her to respect my religious freedom as much as I would respect hers. Any ideas welcome.
Rhiz, may I ask how your daughter came to want to pray in the first place?
My fiance used to be religious so her and her ex-husband used to pray on occasion. The weird thing is that they never prayed before meals and my fiance doesn't know where she got the idea. I imagine that she saw it on a movie and found the ritual to be soothing, who knows? I don't want to encourage or discourage the behavior and wonder how to handle it.
Another thing that I wonder about is if I should allow them to go to church or even take them if they are curious. I don't want to sheild them from the experience or color it with my atheist leanings but I certainly don't want them to have to deal with fearing hell and seeking salvation at their young age! (they are 7 and 9) If they want to go with a friend I will allow them to go, but I know it will lead to some interesting discussions that could get nasty when I explain that I do not believe.
