Raising Kids Without Religion... A cop-out?

Originally posted by Deaf Alien
reply to post by quaple_pouge

 

Yes, so will they go to hell?

Well I wish they would bring it on as I'm getting tired waiting. Thats been 2000 years now and still nothing.


G

because you've been alive for 2000 years...

Originally posted by Deaf Alien
reply to post by quaple_pouge

 

Yes, so will they go to hell?

I did answer.

12th post down on pg. 17.

reply to post by NOTurTypical


It seems odd and kinda defeats the purpose. There are two masters, right? Either you bow to one or the other. Isn't it the point not to bow to antichrist right? Doesn't God want us not to bow to the antichrist?

Originally posted by Deaf Alien
reply to post by NOTurTypical

 

It seems odd and kinda defeats the purpose. There are two masters, right? Either you bow to one or the other. Isn't it the point not to bow to antichrist right? Doesn't God want us not to bow to the antichrist?

But Satan doesn't need you to bow to him to steal your soul. He knows the only thing he needs to do is to keep you from accepting Christ's death as payment you owe God for your sins.

Remember the videos? Remember how all religions except for one have the SAME mark to them? They all appear different to the layman, yet they all point to the same immortal.

Satan knows what he needs to do to have your soul for eternity, he doesn't need you to worship him. All he has to do is keep you from worshiping the creator.

reply to post by asmeone2


I personally don't think it's a cope out at all. They are your children and you should raise them as you see fit. I grew up in a Christian home my whole life, I hated it actually. I hated going to church, and saying prayers, I didn't feel the way I should feel. I did not feel like a Christian, and I felt I was getting no where. As an adult, I will not go to church, and neither will my kids, when they are older if they want to go to a church so be it. None of there friends go to church, my husband has never gone to church, and he turned out fine. My main issue with organized religion is how much they oush you to do this and that. I fel like religion was basically shoved down my throat as a kid, if I did this or that I would go to hell. If anything it damaged me, I am also bisexual, it took me 16 years to realize it is okay to be like this,and no I am not going to hell. I blame religion for my way of thinking.

reply to post by Memysabu



You said you had a bad experience that you thought demons were going to come and get you every night? Sounds more like my experience, when I became a born again, through fear I might add, my Dad sat me down that night and said, well that you are God's child, Satan is going to try and get you. I had night terrors about being demoniclly possessed every night. every noise I heard I thought it was the devil. I woke up in night sweats because of this. I think it's horrble to say this to a child that if you don't watch out te devil is going to get you. I was also called a Satanist because at the age of 13 I wore black, and told my Father I hated going to church, because I felt nothing, my dad asked if I was demon possessed, and I said Uhh NO! I told him I thought he was crazy. He sent me away to live with my Mother. I wasn't possessed I just thought and knew christianity wasn't for me.

About the tithing thing, my dad tithed religiously and God never gave him any money! Still hasn't. It's all bogus!

reply to post by asmeone2

it seems unfair for you to demand something like that from your mother.. seeing as christians are bound and obligated to witness.. if your child does not want to be a christian then they will choose another path.. why not let them make the decision instead of yourself? this really isn't about you protecting your child's mindset as much as it is you attempting to make your child become EXACTLY LIKE U. you dont have to like it.. but they will do what they want to do in the end.

there really is no need to demand your mother to do that.. your child will believe what u say over anyone else.. eventually they WILL find they religion they belong to.. besides you'd only hurt her in the process

changed my mind so I removed my post. Sorry about that.

[edit on 12-8-2008 by virraszto]

Originally posted by asmeone2
Some background. When I had my kids I talked to my mom, who is a very devout, and very evangelical, Christain, and explained that I did not want her to attempt to witness to the children. I was very careful to explain that I was not trying to exclude them from her own religious beleifs but to prevent them from learnign to follow a beleif system dogmatically. If they were to follow any religion, I want it to be because they have a conviction to do so, not because some family member follows it or someone has pressured or scared them into it.

Her opinion is that this is a cop-out because I do not intend to teach them moral values in accordance with any religious values (specifically, hers.) I beleive it is more of a cop-out to attempt to force children to beleive as you do, instead of allowing them the opportunity to live a bit and form a sincere dedication to their faith. I would think that God would want true converts, not drones.

Thoughts?

My mother is white, french canadian. My father is brown, indian. Catholic and Jain. Religion was never imposed on me, although they have tried to open my eyes towards both religions, and i would choose the one that made more sense to me.
Im 19 years old and i am extremely open minded. Every day i find myself researching and trying to find the truth. I think your idea is great and you should stick with it. Religion is just a way to influence and control the masses, just like our currency. I believe there is some truth behind most religions, and they are interlinked in many ways.

reply to post by Jess31


I appreciate you sharing your story.. But honestly..
Separate from the religious aspects of what you describe (which I am not religious so I can't discuss religion without being completely logical)That is what sounds to me like:
1- Paranoia
2- Living in fear
3- Family and emotional issues (probably)
4- OH YEAH.. Your dad is psychotic..

A far cry from what actually happened to me (a non-religious person). 6 years ago, A friend of mine saw what she later described as a demon perched up in my room watching me (just while she walked by my room and saw me sitting at my computer).

a few weeks later my apartment burnt down with no known cause. I lost everything I owned and I didn't have Insurance. I went to bed at about midnight, awoke at about 730AM with flames roaring next to my bed going up the wall. The hair on my head was partially singed off as I woke up.
The fire was later not attributed to anything electrical or anything intentionally started and I WAS ASLEEP. My apartment is the only apartment in the complex completely destroyed. But I am alive.. and now have a son. Everything physical that I owned was stupid crap. I had to let it go..

I am not religious because i believe religion is a man-made fallacy. But I am a spiritual.. And, YES, you can be spiritual and not be religious.. There is one god above all the religions we have created.. A god that transcends religion and all this stupid B.S. we fight about. It isn't so hard to believe is it?
We are so tiny and insignificant on this tiny grain of sand we call earth. Yet here we are able to make these choices and share these moments aren't we? It's amazing! How can one religion claim to have it right while claiming the rest/the majority of the world is wrong? Our beliefs in a creator are as insignificant as a fleeting thought.

The big-bang occurred perfectly such that the resulting matter did not expand forever or collapse onto itself again. The explosion all occurred with perfection, such that billions of years later a galaxy would be formed, a star in that galaxy would be formed from the stardust of that galaxy as well as the planets of our solar system. It all occurred with such precision and exacting measure that it is too much to be coincidence. Galaxies,stars,planets, and Life all created from gas and stardust.. Think about it!

-ChriS

[edit on 14-8-2008 by BlasteR]

[edit on 14-8-2008 by BlasteR]

Originally posted by asmeone2
Some background. When I had my kids I talked to my mom, who is a very devout, and very evangelical, Christain, and explained that I did not want her to attempt to witness to the children. I was very careful to explain that I was not trying to exclude them from her own religious beleifs but to prevent them from learnign to follow a beleif system dogmatically. If they were to follow any religion, I want it to be because they have a conviction to do so, not because some family member follows it or someone has pressured or scared them into it.

Her opinion is that this is a cop-out because I do not intend to teach them moral values in accordance with any religious values (specifically, hers.) I beleive it is more of a cop-out to attempt to force children to beleive as you do, instead of allowing them the opportunity to live a bit and form a sincere dedication to their faith. I would think that God would want true converts, not drones.

Thoughts?

I agree with you 100%.
Forcing children from a young age to believe in something makes it not by there own choice.
Children learn everything they know from day 1 and if all they learn is what you teach them about religion, then they are not believing it because they choose to and want to.
They need to grow up and find it and seek it and believe in it themselves by there own choice.For it to be real.
Although I may believe in certain things I don't push that onto my children.
I think people who do this are incredibly selfish and ignorant and possibly even mentally ill.

reply to post by asmeone2


I dont think children should be exposed to such teaching as Luke 14:26 saying that a disciple has to hate mother, father, and rest of family. Also Matthew 10:34/37 which is really preaching war and division. The Bible is full of repugnant verses advocating murder, massacre, rape and putting women down. I am aware that fundamentalists try to argue that Luke really meant love less than God. This is not true, the original Greek word is 'Miseo' meaning hate loathe detest. A true god would not twist meanings but would have said 'Agapa Ligotera' - love less. If people would just read the Bible and see what it was saying, then they would desert churches and synagogues by the billions.

Good moral values are easy to understand and can be taught without the aid of writings from ancient soapbox orators who were away with the birds and at times very demented.

reply to post by asmeone2


taqke knowledge from all areas of life and teach the moral guidence yourself.that way there is no outside influence and the child will have aclearer understaNDING OF comon sense and decision making

Whats wrong with affording a child the luxury of arriving at his/her own conclusions?
I realise there is also nothing wrong with gently intimating to the child that the parents own religion may be the right path but when it devolves into extreme indoctrination/conditioning/brainwashing techniques like we see in documentaries like ´Jesus Camp´ or ´Undercover Mosque´ it begins to look more like child abuse to me.

You can raise children in Faith without a religion. If they show curiosities about religion, teach them of several....let them know what you think about each in its own merit, in its own right.

My children know I believe in God, but they also know I dont believe that any certain religion has all the answers.

It took me two yrs to shed the pre impacted belief that was placed apone me as a child. I regret, believing most of my life, that God was this spirit who showed wrath, jealousy and pride. When my children asked me if I thought God killed all of those babies in Egypt, I gave them my honest opinion...which was no. I added to them, that I did not THINK so, I didnt say, no I know he did not. This gives them space, to use their own hearts throughout life. If they grow up being a Christian or whatever, I will support them in what they believe, but for now, I raise them that faith does not need religion.

Please, do not reply to me how Im corrupting my children, leave that up to God to decide...thx

LV

Originally posted by LeoVirgo
You can raise children in Faith without a religion. If they show curiosities about religion, teach them of several....let them know what you think about each in its own merit, in its own right.

My children know I believe in God, but they also know I dont believe that any certain religion has all the answers.

It took me two yrs to shed the pre impacted belief that was placed apone me as a child. I regret, believing most of my life, that God was this spirit who showed wrath, jealousy and pride. When my children asked me if I thought God killed all of those babies in Egypt, I gave them my honest opinion...which was no. I added to them, that I did not THINK so, I didnt say, no I know he did not. This gives them space, to use their own hearts throughout life. If they grow up being a Christian or whatever, I will support them in what they believe, but for now, I raise them that faith does not need religion.

Please, do not reply to me how Im corrupting my children, leave that up to God to decide...thx

LV

Well...why not the gods? How do you know you aren't wildly offending Freyr or Lugh with your blasphemies?

I remember as a child not being raised in a Christian home I had this overwhelming desire to seek out "something" that I could not discribe. I just knew "it" was there and it was waiting for me. My grandma was the one that I first learned of God and Jesus. She would hold me in her lap and rock me in her chair and sing hymns. A beautiful memory that I hold very dear to my heart. Anyway, when I was about 8 years old I told my mother I wanted to go to church and so that next Sunday I walked to the nearest church which was a Nazerine church and before long my two brothers went with me. We would get ourselves up and ready to go every Sunday both for Sunday school and the worship service. I always felt the presence of God around me and always with me. I also attended a Presbtrian church and a Methodist church in my childhood. I found them all helping me even as a child to keep on my path of searching for my spiritual growth. I remember angels being with us around our car as we traveled home from visiting family about an hour away. I would look out of my window in the car and see angels riding along with us and I felt very safe, protected, and loved in a special way growing up. I guess what I am saying that even as a child we KNOW there is a God. We have that seed planted in our heart it just takes a little water from someone and there you go......my grandma added the water by singing me the beautiful hymns..........and I still can hear her to this day and remember every hymn. I was never SCARED about any talk of hell or Satan. I was taught that God was love and forgiveness. These are not bad things for children to learn. I try to show God's love to my grandchildren every time I am around them. And I find it interesting that when the subject of God or Jesus comes up among us that my grandchildren start the conversation not me. I am not saying you are wrong and please forgive me if I come across that way. It's just been my experience that children have a spiritual sense about them and a desire to learn.
Peace