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Would you raise your children religious just to fit in?

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406 comments (351 - 375)

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I left the church when my youngest child was about 8 months old, although I was a doubter in high school. She is still non-religious. My other 2 have become religious. I believe it is because their spouses are religious. They are all over 50 years old now.

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My children are raised, they were exposed but allowed to make up their own mind.

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As long as you EDUCATE them on all-things religious... they'll make up their own minds on 'belief' as they mature.

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Abosletly not Why ppl teach thier kids not to lie while telling them lies and 1/2 at the same time..just boggles the mind

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Never. As a teacher I was the one that had to excuse myself from morning service in Assembly, and had to sit outside with the Muslims, and Jahovah's Witnesses. This did involve me in some prejudice from other members of staff.

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No. If I had children, I would not.

My sister's kids have thanked her many times for not raising them in the Mormon faith, as she and I had been raised. Her kids are happier than the children of my other siblings who were raised their kids with religion.

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Unfortunately we were unable to have children, but I would of raised my children the way they were born — with no belief system! Remember everyone is born an atheist and then the programming begins

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No, I didn’t. I taught her about various religions and how they’re similar, and why some people need them. My parenting philosophy was to answer any questions she asks honestly and simply (without droning on). I found I couldn’t lie to her about holiday figures, sex, religions, drugs, etc., and then expect her to trust me on the bigger issues when she got older. Actually, it’s taken me years to control my Catholic indoctrination and I’m envious that so many things come to her more cleanly without all that background garbage cluttering up her thinking.

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No. I raised them so they could think for themselves.

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No im not gonna tell my kid theres some guy watching them thats just creapy,think about it they say gods always watching well damn i don't want some random guy watching me in the shower and i don't want to have to deal with trying to tell them well he don't watch you when ur in the shower thats just plain stupid.

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no

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I can't. I wish I could pretend or do the socially Christian thing because it would make it so much easier in my town but it's impossible. My kids beg me not to make a big deal of it if the teacher toes the church state line in class but it's really hard to bite my tongue

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Hell no. I don't plan on having kids, but if I did... I would not raise them religiously. If they came home asking about it, I would tell them about it, but explain why I chose not to take them to church. And if they decided they wanted to go, I would let them. Except, I would make sure they went with someone I trusted, of course.

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I don't ever plan on having kids. I'm not really a fan of them, to be honest, but if I ever do change my mind(and that is a MASSIVE "IF" ), I would raise them to be critical thinkers. I might let them go to different religious churches and the like to experience them, tell them the beliefs of other people and so on, but I wouldn't enforce anything. I know I can be a real asshole when it comes to religion because of my experiences with being religious, and I wouldn't want them to end up like that.

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I don't want kids but if I had them I wouldn't teach them to be anything I would let them choose what they want to believe. I would teach them science and facts but I wouldn't teach them any mythology as a fact.

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My children (5 and 3) go to Sunday school sometimes with their grandmother - who knows I'm a very militant atheist. My wife is "spiritual but not religious" and thinks that I'm too extreme. When they learn stories in church, I just ask them if that sounds like something that could or did really happen.

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No.
I would tell them other people believe in Yahweh, Zeus and Thor, but I do not think they exist. But we should listen to the evidence and be willing to change our opinion. Same with unicorns and fairies.
LIked Neil deGrasse Tyson's solution to his daughter hearing about the tooth fairy. He told her other people think there is such a thing, while other thought it was a myth, and asked what she thought.
Apparently, she organised her friends to do a test. The next one to loose a tooth put it under their pillow without telling their parents, to see if it disappeared and money was left.

Allan Level 5 Oct 8, 2017
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I didn't raise them that way

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Not at all.

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NEVER. I do not want children who deny science and reason, just to support some god.

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Oh no. My boys grew up with no religion, it was up to them and neither believe.

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No. I nurtured an appreciation in them for "how" to think over "what" to think. This comes at a later age, but they can still see it modeled in their parents from a young age. It also involved many conversations with them, some long and protracted based on what was being explored. It also helped to declare my own motives for why I viewed topics in a certain light.

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I raised my children to be open to experiencing as much as they wanted. I am not anti-religion. I tried many religions when I was young. By the time I was 14 and nominated for Pres. of a statewide group of a Christian youth group, I knew that almost all religions had more in common than in difference.

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