Discussing religion with kids

[Goaters]

So my 5 year old at school is starting to be taught religion and specifically Christianity. So with this it obviously raises questions for me - an atheist - the sort of response I should provide. He is asking to pray before bed and wants to visit church etc, which obviously I can't object to but equally am fairly uncomfortable with.

An emphasis on critical thinking though is also important. If you raise your children to be skeptical as a general rule, it shouldn't be necessary to go out of your way to have them treat religious claims skeptically. They should end up doing that on their own anyway. Skepticism and critical thinking are attitudes which should be cultivated across a broad range of topics, but again age comes in to this.

So, for parents who are not religious how do you broach the subject? Do you say you don't believe or just go along with it until your child comes to a certain age where he can more form his own opinions?

 

[mexico1970]

So my 5 year old at school is starting to be taught religion and specifically Christianity. So with this it obviously raises questions for me - an atheist - the sort of response I should provide. He is asking to pray before bed and wants to visit church etc, which obviously I can't object to but equally am fairly uncomfortable with.

An emphasis on critical thinking though is also important. If you raise your children to be skeptical as a general rule, it shouldn't be necessary to go out of your way to have them treat religious claims skeptically. They should end up doing that on their own anyway. Skepticism and critical thinking are attitudes which should be cultivated across a broad range of topics, but again age comes in to this.

So, for parents who are not religious how do you broach the subject? Do you say you don't believe or just go along with it until your child comes to a certain age where he can more form his own opinions?

If the school hadn't told him there was a thing called churches he would never have known, same goes for Mosques, Synagogues etc.

IMHO religion should be kept out of ALL schools.

 

[andyhinch]

Easy one this, tell your children they believe in a different god and should kill the teacher for blasphemy.

 

[dronefromsector7G]

If the school hadn't told him there was a thing called churches he would never have known, same goes for Mosques, Synagogues etc.

IMHO religion should be kept out of ALL schools.

This. Unless they just refer to it all as mythology/load of bollocks.

My daughter isn’t religious but last night was asking why so many people are religious and why so many people become religious after being an atheist. Hopefully I talked her out of considering becoming a convert.

 

[mexico1970]

This. Unless they just refer to it all as mythology/load of bollocks.

My daughter isn’t religious but last night was asking why so many people are religious and why so many people become religious after being an atheist. Hopefully I talked her out of considering becoming a convert.

I would have been more than impressed if one of my children had made a thunderbolt out of tin foil and went to school proclaiming Odin to be the King of all gods ;)

 

[mat]

 

[mayo31]

I was raised as a Catholic but gave up on that years ago

My 2 kids were raised without any religious pressure but they knew my mum still went to church.

They fancied going so they did. About twice and then boredom set in.

Never been since and it's not a topic we bother with much.

Occasionally we take the piss out of stuff we hear or show disgust at some of the things done in the name of religion.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

You can't object to?

Of course you can. You are his dad, he's five years old.

Millions of kids indoctrinated into religion, it should work both ways.

Tell him the truth and ask him one day to prove you wrong.

 

[Cityfan]

I am not religious but not am I anti religion..
As far as I'm concerned my children could make up their own mind.
My daughter asked me if I believed in God and I said no, she said that was good because she didn't either.
Living in the West of Scotland the question is occasionally fraught.
My son asked if we were Protestant or Catholic and I said neither.
He has subsequently gone on to live in Belfast and the answer stands him in good stead.

 

[FantasyIreland]

Easy.

Just tell them its all complete bollocks that only causes misery in the world.

 

[MellowJoe]

Just pass him the Bible and leave it up to him

 

[mexico1970]

You can always start your explanation with..

A Priest Vicar Imam and a Rabbi meet in a brothel.

 

[meltonblue]

So my 5 year old at school is starting to be taught religion and specifically Christianity. So with this it obviously raises questions for me - an atheist - the sort of response I should provide. He is asking to pray before bed and wants to visit church etc, which obviously I can't object to but equally am fairly uncomfortable with.

An emphasis on critical thinking though is also important. If you raise your children to be skeptical as a general rule, it shouldn't be necessary to go out of your way to have them treat religious claims skeptically. They should end up doing that on their own anyway. Skepticism and critical thinking are attitudes which should be cultivated across a broad range of topics, but again age comes in to this.

So, for parents who are not religious how do you broach the subject? Do you say you don't believe or just go along with it until your child comes to a certain age where he can more form his own opinions?

I did the latter.

 

[JASR]

I'm not religious, nor were my parents.
The kids went to a CofE primary school which had (at the time) a slightly relaxed attitude - despite being a stone's throw from the church.
They started coming back saying various things.

My partner (at the time) + I, both went with answering any statements they came out with "some people believe in..' whatever they had come out with, and explained what that was, then came out with the emphasis on there are many other religions and people following those relgions who don't believe in 'whatever they came out with', and then finally 'partner+I, don't believe it, we are athiests and don't believe in god(s) at all.

All this can be backed up with making sure they have a grounding in some simple science juxtasupposed with the relgious belief. eg 'The bible mentions the world being a small area around the mediterainian, it doesn't mention all those billions of other worlds in the billions of other star systems, in the billions of other other galaxys... odd eh?'
Ditto get them to think about the nice story of the Ark... how did they gather all the animals from Australia for example, when they didn't know Australia existed, nor the time spent to get there, nor the time spent to capture the animals, feed them, bring them back, shove them in an ark, float for a bit, and then take them all the way back across ocaens that hadn't still hadn't been mentioned...' You get the idea.

Don't deny or come out with 'it's bollox' just give practical, scientific, factual examples of the crap. And ensure 100% that they are aware that there will be no comeback from a god(s) for not following what others tell them is the only religion.

 

[BlueHammer85]

I’ll tell my kid I don’t believe in religion and be relaxed about whatever he’s being taught at school to be honest

 

[Keeper!]

Just teach your kids things that are real and relevant, their lives will be much better for that.

 

[lust overlord]

Encourage your children to love science.
As they grow a bit older they will work out the nonsense for themselves.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

Easy.

Just tell them its all complete bollocks that only causes misery in the world.

It's certainly all bollocks but it's best to let kids find their own balance.

If you 'ground them' the right way they'll soon see that once they're able to evaluate stuff themselves.

Pushing my/your/the OP's opinions on them could make them rebel and move deep into religion.

 

[Dazzle84]

I'm not religious, nor were my parents.
The kids went to a CofE primary school which had (at the time) a slightly relaxed attitude - despite being a stone's throw from the church.
They started coming back saying various things.

My partner (at the time) + I, both went with answering any statements they came out with "some people believe in..' whatever they had come out with, and explained what that was, then came out with the emphasis on there are many other religions and people following those relgions who don't believe in 'whatever they came out with', and then finally 'partner+I, don't believe it, we are athiests and don't believe in god(s) at all.

All this can be backed up with making sure they have a grounding in some simple science juxtasupposed with the relgious belief. eg 'The bible mentions the world being a small area around the mediterainian, it doesn't mention all those billions of other worlds in the billions of other star systems, in the billions of other other galaxys... odd eh?'
Ditto get them to think about the nice story of the Ark... how did they gather all the animals from Australia for example, when they didn't know Australia existed, nor the time spent to get there, nor the time spent to capture the animals, feed them, bring them back, shove them in an ark, float for a bit, and then take them all the way back across ocaens that hadn't still hadn't been mentioned...' You get the idea.

Don't deny or come out with 'it's bollox' just give practical, scientific, factual examples of the crap. And ensure 100% that they are aware that there will be no comeback from a god(s) for not following what others tell them is the only religion.

The "some people believe..." Is the one I used. I also included different cultural beliefs, "loving who you love" and stuff like that.

My daughter isn't daft and twigged religion is all made up very quickly, which makes it easier. Having a lot of Irish family does mean that there is a lot of religion about though, so she's been taught to be tolerant and not belittling

 

[domalino]

So my 5 year old at school is starting to be taught religion and specifically Christianity. So with this it obviously raises questions for me - an atheist - the sort of response I should provide. He is asking to pray before bed and wants to visit church etc, which obviously I can't object to but equally am fairly uncomfortable with.

An emphasis on critical thinking though is also important. If you raise your children to be skeptical as a general rule, it shouldn't be necessary to go out of your way to have them treat religious claims skeptically. They should end up doing that on their own anyway. Skepticism and critical thinking are attitudes which should be cultivated across a broad range of topics, but again age comes in to this.

So, for parents who are not religious how do you broach the subject? Do you say you don't believe or just go along with it until your child comes to a certain age where he can more form his own opinions?

I think the fact you’re an atheist means he’s not going to be cartoonishly indoctrinated into religion as other people have feared. I grew up with a catholic mother and atheist father so my siblings and I always knew there was another option, that not everyone believed the same thing. You exist as a counterpoint to any moral impeachment of non-Christians.


It would eat up a few weekends but you could take him to visit a mosque, buddhist centre, Hindu Temple, synagogue as well as a church, let him know that there’s lots of different religions and faiths out there.

It might be worth speaking to the school about their future plans as well. In primary school even though it had a CoE tilt I remember going to a synagogue and some Hindus coming in to speak to us so we learned about different religions, so you might find they do plan on educating the kids on all religions and Christianity is just the first because it’s the most common at home.

No one becomes devoutly religious at 5 years old though, you’ve got 10 years to broaden horizons and give him options.