No, but I’d be open to allow them to learn about religion and support them if that is what they wanted to believe in. However, I’d make sure I taught them critical thinking skills and to question everything so they wouldn’t be completely naive to the world.
Fuck no. My children are their own people and they will do whatever pleases them most in life. If they wanna go to church, great. If not, great. So long as they’re happy.
Never.. Forcing religion upon your young ones just to fit in is like being at high school all over again (the whole thing with cliques) it's just no.
If my child is joining a religious movement because its trendy than I would oppose If my child wants to join a religion I want them to believe in it not what others believe
No we need people who see the world as it is in real all these old crazy stories about a Christian god that killed his own son is fodder a sad and silly life. Most religious people are scared of death and god and not to be mean but they should see him more as a dead beat father
Love how you said,” dead beat father.” Lol
My two children were baptised when they were quite young, but not babies. This was mainly to satisfy the concerns of my in-laws, and I no special problem with it, except that in the prayer-book it was stated that it was the god-parents who were to make the vows, but on the day the vicar asked both parents and god-parents to make the vows and I felt a huge hypocrite. I was a good deal more concerned when my wife said she wanted them to go to Sunday school (I think, again, her parents had something to do with this, her mother being a Sunday school teacher in a different city). Our daughter, the older child, liked it. Our son hated it. I eventually put my foot down when I saw how much he didn't want to go. He is now a confirmed atheist. Our daughter's position is more nuanced: she went on to get confirmed and served for a time on the vestry (committee) of a different church (same denomination — Anglican/Episcopal). But she became disillusioned about organised religion, although she is an accomplished chorister and sometimes sings at special services. I don't think she now regards herself as a Christian.
So, to answer the question: no, not 'just to fit in', but perhaps yes, to avoid friction within the family. They turned out OK in spite of Sunday school!
I was forced to go to church and go through certain rituals as a chilc. It is abuse, straight up. No way do I expose my child to the dogma.
I tend to agree. When my mother tried to force me to go to Sunday school, I was so lucky my father was able to talk her down. She went ballistic when I asked her why I should go & listen to a bunch of crazy nonsense that was obviously not true. At age 9 I already knew that I was an atheist.
I think it would be best to tell them about God and Santa, but tell them that some people actually think they are real. So, don't spill the beans because it might hurt the feelings of the believers.
Absolutely not, but that also doesn't mean I would try to hind them from any sort of religion. I would do my part and expose them to a wide variety and remain silent about my own beliefs until they had came to their own conclusions about what they believe, and if they have to same beliefs as me, great. And if not, that's great too.
I was still trying to be religious when my kids were last living at home, but when I let them know I no longer believed any of that crap, they told me that they never had in the first place. Good on them.
So often we find out that kids are smarter than we think.
Not if I had a second chance. I raised my children as I was raised. Now they are raising their children the same way. I keep at them though to challenge everything they have been taught thus far.
I wouldn't do anything just to fit in but I would make children aware of anything that matters and would answer their questions as honestly as I can.
I allowed my mother to take my daughter to Church because my daughter wanted to go. I never hid what I am or what I believe from her. She currently believes in God, but knows what atheism is as well. She is eight, when she is old enough we will start having those discussions and she can decide for herself.
No, because this would be disingenuous, given my worldview and agnosticism. I would discuss this topic fully with any potential mate, because it's a deal-breaker.