Teaching our kids

[sharpguy88]

Hi guys, I just wanted to know your opinion on something... What would you teach your kids when asked about religion? ... If you told them that all religions are wrong won't that be as bad as enforcing some kind of ideology on them?

just wanted your opinions

[Darwinian]

My children are both atheists, not because I have told them that religions are myths and superstition but simply because they were not raised in an environment of religious indoctrination and so never succumbed to the religious virus.

[Erinome]

Hi guys, I just wanted to know your opinion on something... What would you teach your kids when asked about religion? ... If you told them that all religions are wrong won't that be as bad as enforcing some kind of ideology on them?

just wanted your opinions

Just teach them how to think and not what to think. Be honest with them about reality, and encourage them to be skeptical. Skepticism isn't so much an ideology as it is a weapon against bullshit... like religion.

[NoMoreFaith]

I have a 7 and a 10 year old. In both cases I've done my best not to express an opinion on the matter.

However, as a parent, it is also important to promote moral being, and in this I do my best to highlight basic moral philosophy.

I've spoken about world religions, and I've spoken about non-religious beliefs, and done my best to avoid herding them into an avenue. Thats really hard.. personal bias is hard to overcome.

The only thing I go out of my way to do, is to promote critical thinking, to teach them how to approach an idea, which is to see the evidence and weigh it up themselves. I put particular emphasis on the idea that "Mum and Dad" gets things wrong.. often. I express delight if they prove me wrong on something, and they always feel pleased about it too.
If I am guilty of anything, it is indoctrination of empricism.

However, in my defence, neither of them express a religious view, they are not atheist children, not christian, and it would even be a stretch to say the are agnostic. They simply have not expressed an opinion on any matter in terms of religion as it is not relevant to their life, and they are aware that whatever the decide, will be met with love and affection.

I hope that I'm doing my best by them, but its always a worry, and a struggle to prevent my personal biases from coming out too strongly.

EDIT: Quick correction, my 7 year old whilst doing homework on Christianity declared that he believed Jesus was real, but couldn't perform miracles. So perhaps he is at least agnostic. I was quite pleased with that, since I personally think Jesus was not real, more an amalgamation of several people. So he's come to a different conclusion than my own beliefs.

[Rokcet Scientist]

Hi guys, I just wanted to know your opinion on something... What would you teach your kids when asked about religion? ... If you told them that all religions are wrong won't that be as bad as enforcing some kind of ideology on them?

just wanted your opinions

Just teach them how to think and not what to think. Be honest with them about reality, and encourage them to be skeptical. Skepticism isn't so much an ideology as it is a weapon against bullshit... like religion.

Also teach them about those religions and their church/mosque/temple organizations. The basic (hi)stories and precepts. Because they will have to deal with their followers all their lives. So they had better be prepared for it.

[KichigaiNeko]

Many here will tell you of what they taught/ are teaching their offspring regarding religious belief.

For me I stressed that you did not need a god to be a good person who cared about and thought critically about the world you find yourself in. They now of course drive me nuts by questioning EVERYTHING but I am happy with that...they will be no charlatans fool, no governments idiotic follower....they are both now over the age of 20+ and so I am content

[Faith No More]

All you have to do is teach your kids to think critically, require evidence, and ask questions. That's how my parents raised me, and much to their chagrin, I didn't follow in their footsteps as a Christian.

[kılıç_mehmet]

Hi guys, I just wanted to know your opinion on something... What would you teach your kids when asked about religion? ... If you told them that all religions are wrong won't that be as bad as enforcing some kind of ideology on them?

just wanted your opinions

I don't know, really. I'll probably do what my mother and father, who were atheists, did with me.
I mostly did not ask them about it, knowing that they didn't really care much.
My father had read the Qur'an in full, but did not know a single prayer, my mother knew them all, but never uttered them.
So I asked my grandparents, both my grandmothers taught me the basics of Islam, while my grandfather took me to the mosque on fridays sometimes.
Now, my children will have less devout grandparents than I did, namely my parents, but I don't know about the parents of the girl I'm going to marry.
I personally, will not teach my child about religion, but about my own views, and the views of my ancestors, but teach him this one thing-to be respectful against the religious beliefs of others. For religion can unite, whereas it can also split apart nations.
I'm going to teach him/her that religion is a personal matter, that's all.

[thesummerqueen]

My parents made the "mistake" of letting me read whatever I wanted. Knowledge is the best defense against superstition. I'd have probably come out as an atheist far sooner if they had let me surf around on the internet more.

[sharpguy88]

With me it's a sticky situation I'm afraid... I was married to a beautiful girl and and then after 2 years i have a daughter. I was a devout Muslim at that time... but then after realizing the truth about Islam i began to talk to my wife about that thing. She was indifferent about it she just said that she loved me no matter what i believe, this really made me feel comfort about talking my heart out to her.
That being said i can't say what i believe in right now to my family neither to my wife's family because they really take religion seriously. So if they sense that i stopped believing in Islam they'll really get hurt emotionally. They're really good people especially my father, father-in-law, brothers and sister. I have to keep acting that I'm still religious in front of them all the time... as long as my wife wears the hijab, they won't suspect anything even if i question some of the core stuff in Islam.

My little angel is only 1 year old, but when she grows up I'm thinking of teaching her to question everything. At the same time I'll teach her every detail about Islam... If she likes Islam then it's her own choice, but if she sees through it then that's even better

I know this will be a very difficult job to do.