RE: If your child...
February 16, 2016 at 7:38 pm
(This post was last modified: February 16, 2016 at 8:01 pm by Simon Moon.)
(February 16, 2016 at 6:37 pm)TrueChristian Wrote: This is an interesting philosophical quesition. Atheists/secularists pride themselves on being tolerant/openminded. This question may challenge that presumption.
Let's say you and your atheist spouse/signficant other raise a child. One day, when he/she is about 10-12 (or whatever age I guess) one day he/she comes to you and says "Mom/Dad, I know what I want to be. I want to be a Catholic priest/monk/nun. Im really sure it's what I want. Well?"
In some crazy hypothetical future, if your child expressed an interest in taking Catholic holy orders.. how would you respond?
Would you affirm atheist jr.'s calling, or try to talk them out of it, for their own prosperity/safety?
The parameters of your hypothetical make it hard on me.
I want for my child, whatever would make them happy, as long as it is legal and moral.
That being said, I think the Catholic Church is not a moral institution. So, their choice to join the Catholic church would disappoint me. I would do my best to dissuade them, by pointing out demonstrable facts, that show the immorality of the Catholic church.
What is funny about your hypothetical, is, that there are no groups to assist theist children of atheist parents, when they are disowned by their parents for becoming a theist. Because it does not happen. But there are quite a few groups for atheist children of theist parents, that have been disowned.
Why, do you think that is the case?
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
