If your child became a theist...

[Paul the Human]

I agree with the majority in this thread. I raised my son to question claims and to approach those claims with skepticism, i.e. don't believe something simply because someone else does. I taught him to investigate and validate the claims he is presented with before accepting them as 'truth'. He went to church with friends at various times throughout his childhood and came home with questions. He spent a couple of years in a local Kiwanis Club and came home with questions. I told him that he needed to decide for himself what he believed, but that he did not need to do it quickly. I also told him what I believe. I never told him that there is no god, but I did tell him that I have never been convinced that there is and explained why.

My son is now 25 years old and, for a time, he searched for something to believe in. He has finally decided that he believes in people and considers himself a humanist. I'm proud of him for making up his own mind... and I would be just as proud of him had he decided to believe in a god. I wouldn't agree with him,. but I'd be proud of him for deciding for himself.