Raising children as atheists/theists

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itsTolkien_time

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#51 itsTolkien_time
Member since 2009 • 2295 Posts

I always get here late. :(

 

I would like to give the story of me as a child.

I was born to Christian parents from Christian families, although my parents were not very strict religiously. I was raised believing in Santa and Easter Bunnies and the like (you simply can't protect your child from Santa, people, he is everywhere). I remember turning skeptical at an early age, however, for some obscure reason. This did not happen because my parents told me there was no Santa, I simply, slowly, fell into it.

We never attended church, nor was I ever near a religious school. I never cared about religion, my parents never talked about it, it is not exactly an elementary school subject, and I grew up barely considering if it mattered whether there was a god. I knew I could live my life anyway.

 Then I hit middle school. This brought my skepticism about religion to light, 7th grade (13 years old) was when I started figuring out what denominations mattered for, began seeing different religions, realized how disrespectful Christians in TX were, and began to consider myself against religion. I attended a higher end school (in Texas), and even I didn't talk about my beliefs until I met an avid atheist student, who ranted and raved all day about atheism (and airplanes).

When he asked me if I was atheist I said I supposed so, and then I really began researching on the internet, and in books, and through students at school, what it meant to be atheist. I found out I liked the idea of atheism (this was also right after I started playing videogames, no correlation, however).

 

All of this happened without a SINGLE discussion with my parents about religion, although this was probably due to the fact that I was too shy to ask. Students and teachers showed me all I needd to convince myself to become atheist, and my beliefs were massly revealed in the 8th grade.

Around this time our family began going to church, nearly every sunday for 6 months. I have never asked why, and have never found a reason. After this, halfway through the 8th grade, we stopped going to church again. This session of religion had an effect on me, I think, as it showed me loving and caring Christians, rather than the egotistical ones I knew. After this I decided I should be mor open, and began calling myself agnostic at the end of the 8th grade.

It was too late, however, for the people at school. and they mostly regard me as atheist ever since, now nearing the end of high school.

I can see nothing in the near future swaying my beliefs. Thanks if you read this wall.

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domatron23

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#52 domatron23
Member since 2007 • 6226 Posts

I thought you said you were very young its_tolkein and yet you're nearly at the end of highschool. Why by george you're practically a man as far as I'm concerned.

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Teenaged

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#53 Teenaged
Member since 2007 • 31764 Posts

I thought you said you were very young its_tolkein and yet you're nearly at the end of highschool. Why by george you're practically a man as far as I'm concerned.

domatron23

Maybe the union's theme made him think we are all much older - like 30 or something. :P

I think I had the same impression when I first heard of this union. :P

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domatron23

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#54 domatron23
Member since 2007 • 6226 Posts
[QUOTE="domatron23"]

I thought you said you were very young its_tolkein and yet you're nearly at the end of highschool. Why by george you're practically a man as far as I'm concerned.

Teenaged

Maybe the union's theme made him think we are all much older - like 30 or something. :P

I think I had the same impression when I first heard of this union. :P

Eh, I'm only twenty. By the sounds of it itstolkein is about three or so years younger than me.

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ChiliDragon

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#55 ChiliDragon
Member since 2006 • 8444 Posts
[QUOTE="domatron23"]I thought you said you were very young its_tolkein and yet you're nearly at the end of highschool. Why by george you're practically a man as far as I'm concerned.Teenaged
Maybe the union's theme made him think we are all much older - like 30 or something.

... I am... I feel old now... :(
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Teenaged

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#56 Teenaged
Member since 2007 • 31764 Posts
[QUOTE="Teenaged"][QUOTE="domatron23"]I thought you said you were very young its_tolkein and yet you're nearly at the end of highschool. Why by george you're practically a man as far as I'm concerned.ChiliDragon
Maybe the union's theme made him think we are all much older - like 30 or something.

... I am... I feel old now... :(

Ah dont worry. That may as well mean that we are mature debaters and well people think that 20-year-olds are not that mature (and hence when they see our threads they get the impression we are older), but we'll teach them, right? :awesome:
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ChiliDragon

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#57 ChiliDragon
Member since 2006 • 8444 Posts
Ah dont worry. That may as well mean that we are mature debaters and well people think that 20-year-olds are not that mature (and hence when they see our threads they get the impression we are older), but we'll teach them, right? :awesome:Teenaged
I'm a "mature woman" now...? :x Next you'll tell me I have "aged gracefully" and that "the years have been kind"! :evil: :P
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MatrixSamurai27

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#58 MatrixSamurai27
Member since 2003 • 198 Posts
I find the rhetoric of indoctrination silly. Children are like sponges, so everyone is "indoctrinated" with some worldview.
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Teenaged

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#59 Teenaged
Member since 2007 • 31764 Posts

[QUOTE="Teenaged"]Ah dont worry. That may as well mean that we are mature debaters and well people think that 20-year-olds are not that mature (and hence when they see our threads they get the impression we are older), but we'll teach them, right? :awesome:ChiliDragon
I'm a "mature woman" now...? :x Next you'll tell me I have "aged gracefully" and that "the years have been kind"! :evil: :P

Well I havent see any pics of you. :|

:P

 

We are mentally, not physically mature. Come to think of it we are wonders of nature! :awesome:

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itsTolkien_time

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#60 itsTolkien_time
Member since 2009 • 2295 Posts

hahaha, I am 16, maybe I shouldn't exactly say "end" of high school, but middle.

I saw a pic of you on your profile, domatron, you looked young but I couldn't exactly tell...

I did get the impression that most were 25+, :P

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itsTolkien_time

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#61 itsTolkien_time
Member since 2009 • 2295 Posts

oh, whoops, that was a serious mistake, no idea how I did that.

I'm 15, not 16, sorry guys, just reread my post. You get out of 9th grade and it feels like you've been in school for years. :P

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dracula_16

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#62 dracula_16
Member since 2005 • 16554 Posts

I think both instances are wrong. You should give them a choice.

Telling them from the start that there is no god is going to get you some angry phone calls after your kid makes fun of his/her friend for believing. On the other hand, filling your child's head with images of satan and hellfire is borderline child abuse, and should be punishable by law, in my opinion.

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itsTolkien_time

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#63 itsTolkien_time
Member since 2009 • 2295 Posts

I think both instances are wrong. You should give them a choice.

Telling them from the start that there is no god is going to get you some angry phone calls after your kid makes fun of his/her friend for believing. On the other hand, filling your child's head with images of satan and hellfire is borderline child abuse, and should be punishable by law, in my opinion.

dracula_16

That would be the atheist student I refered to in my story, "Haha, God's a fake!"

Really annoying.

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twilightpanda

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#64 twilightpanda
Member since 2008 • 10607 Posts
i would teach them about both sides........and they choose what they want to believe in and if they do choose to believe in god then i will still love them for who they are :) and i do hope that by teaching them that they will respect both non believers and believers :D
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itsTolkien_time

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#65 itsTolkien_time
Member since 2009 • 2295 Posts

i would teach them about both sides........and they choose what they want to believe in and if they do choose to believe in god then i will still love them for who they are :) and i do hope that by teaching them that they will respect both non believers and believers :Dtwilightpanda

Both sides?

Believers and non-believers?

There are many more sides than two to this argument. Will your children respect Buddhists? Or just Christians and Atheists?

What about Agnostics?

Consider everything.

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_Tobli_

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#66 _Tobli_
Member since 2007 • 5733 Posts
Both sides?

Believers and non-believers?

There are many more sides than two to this argument. Will your children respect Buddhists? Or just Christians and Atheists?

What about Agnostics?itsTolkien_time

How do buddhists not fit into the mold that twilight provided? 

 Agnosticism ... I am an agnostic athiest. So obviously i would explain what agnosticism really is, and why agnostics are usually lumped in with atheists in statistics. 

 

 

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itsTolkien_time

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#67 itsTolkien_time
Member since 2009 • 2295 Posts
[QUOTE="itsTolkien_time"]Both sides?

Believers and non-believers?

There are many more sides than two to this argument. Will your children respect Buddhists? Or just Christians and Atheists?

What about Agnostics?_Tobli_

How do buddhists not fit into the mold that twilight provided? 

 Agnosticism ... I am an agnostic athiest. So obviously i would explain what agnosticism really is, and why agnostics are usually lumped in with atheists in statistics. 

 

 

Buddhism was just a random example to show that there are more than simply two belief systems. If you re-read Tpanda's post, it clearly states "I will teach them both sides." (sorry if that quote was not exact) This screams to me, "I will show them Christianity, but also make sure they understand that they don't have to believe anything." I apologize if you think I'm making a big deal out of this, but I get annoyed when people treat the religious discussion as 2-sided. It has many sides and many oppurtunities.
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GabuEx

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#68 GabuEx
Member since 2006 • 36552 Posts

Buddhism was just a random example to show that there are more than simply two belief systems. If you re-read Tpanda's post, it clearly states "I will teach them both sides." (sorry if that quote was not exact) This screams to me, "I will show them Christianity, but also make sure they understand that they don't have to believe anything." I apologize if you think I'm making a big deal out of this, but I get annoyed when people treat the religious discussion as 2-sided. It has many sides and many oppurtunities.itsTolkien_time

It seems to me that "both sides" refers to theism and atheism, no?

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itsTolkien_time

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#69 itsTolkien_time
Member since 2009 • 2295 Posts

[QUOTE="itsTolkien_time"]Buddhism was just a random example to show that there are more than simply two belief systems. If you re-read Tpanda's post, it clearly states "I will teach them both sides." (sorry if that quote was not exact) This screams to me, "I will show them Christianity, but also make sure they understand that they don't have to believe anything." I apologize if you think I'm making a big deal out of this, but I get annoyed when people treat the religious discussion as 2-sided. It has many sides and many oppurtunities.GabuEx

It seems to me that "both sides" refers to theism and atheism, no?

If you generalize and say that one side is believing in any religion or self-created deity you want, and the other is believing in nothing. You can't teach your child to believe, you can only teach them a belief system.
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twilightpanda

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#70 twilightpanda
Member since 2008 • 10607 Posts
[QUOTE="_Tobli_"][QUOTE="itsTolkien_time"]Both sides?

Believers and non-believers?

There are many more sides than two to this argument. Will your children respect Buddhists? Or just Christians and Atheists?

What about Agnostics?itsTolkien_time

How do buddhists not fit into the mold that twilight provided? 

 Agnosticism ... I am an agnostic athiest. So obviously i would explain what agnosticism really is, and why agnostics are usually lumped in with atheists in statistics. 

 

 

Buddhism was just a random example to show that there are more than simply two belief systems. If you re-read Tpanda's post, it clearly states "I will teach them both sides." (sorry if that quote was not exact) This screams to me, "I will show them Christianity, but also make sure they understand that they don't have to believe anything." I apologize if you think I'm making a big deal out of this, but I get annoyed when people treat the religious discussion as 2-sided. It has many sides and many oppurtunities.

what i meant by it is people who believe in god and people who do not.........and buddhists do not believe in a god so they are non-believers

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#71 Maqda7
Member since 2008 • 3299 Posts
I will expose my child to all possible beliefs and let him/her make a rational decision when they are older and wiser. That is if they asked about it.
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itsTolkien_time

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#72 itsTolkien_time
Member since 2009 • 2295 Posts
I'm just plain hoping that my children are like me and simply don't ask. Although I would much rather they were informed by their parents as opposed to outside sources, so if they do have questions I hope they come to me. I'm just not sure how I'll deal with it yet.