Comments on: Raising a-theist Babies and Love Mail from a Concerned Mom

By: Vynce

Vynce — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 22:02:31 +0000

similarly here, Carrie. I was raised by ex-catholics, and didn’t know any of them even believed there was a higher power until i was at least 12, probably 16. higher power optional; greater good considered sufficient.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 19:46:44 +0000

I was raised without a religion. My mom was raised Catholic and now does not believe in organized religion and I feel that I am a responsible and productive member of society. Ethics and morals do not have to follow religion they can stand on their own. If i have children they will be raised to be tolerant and open minded and I hope that if they do choose to follow a religion that i will be accepting of that even though it is my choice to be an atheist.

By: Deanna

Deanna — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 06:39:44 +0000

I’m not quite sure where I fit in regarding the posts mentioned above because I was not raised in the “church”, even though as a child I lived 7 houses down the street from one. I was 8 years old when I attended my first church service. I will never forget my heart’s burning desire to seek out and learn what Jesus was all about. The day I went to church was the day I lost my innocence. I had to suck my father’s penis in order to go. However, I’ll never forget how good it felt to be in that church, sitting in the very last pew, all alone with my little sister listening the the preacher. I was too young to understand what he was talking about but I do remember how safe I felt and how good it was to hear what he had to say.

By: Arend-Jan

Arend-Jan — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 13:05:12 +0000

I added your lens to my lensroll... we discuss about the same topics. MY LENS

By: Alan

Alan — Mon, 08 May 2006 00:49:27 +0000

Greg,
LOL, I’ve never thought of my Episcopalian tradition as being attentuated or ‘less virulent.’ That’s probably the nicest thing anyone’s ever said about religion on these pages. Now that you mention it, we don’t seem to produce our fair share of shoe bombers.

People who are raised without being introduced to a belief system sometimes feel something missing in their lives. I have seen people like this go back and become ‘true believers’ in the religion of one of their parents.

I have also had friends struggling with the effects of a spouse’s drinking problem get their children away from the spouse and into church only to have a priest lay a heavy you-are-an-evil-sinner trip on children who already have serious self-esteem issues. What do you do when you see religion playing a negative effect on your children’s emotional well-being or when church is not a psychologically safe place?

By: Jim

Jim — Sun, 07 May 2006 00:36:29 +0000

Jim W.,

I’ve heard from others that his book oversimplifies the issues and uses strong words like “all” too much. What was your take on the book?

By: Jim W

Jim W — Sun, 07 May 2006 00:16:35 +0000

I suggest you read – “The End of Faith” – Sam Harris 2004

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 06 May 2006 21:17:12 +0000

So Alan,

Kind of sounds like the inoculation theory of religion in child rearing: Expose them to an attenuated form like Unitarianism or Episcopalianism at a young age, and they won’t catch a more virulent strain like Mormonism or Jehovah’s Witnessism later on.

By: Alan

Alan — Sat, 06 May 2006 00:55:33 +0000

“Is it responsible to raise a kid without imposing a particular theism?”
-Kids have a way of choosing their own faith despite what parents try to impose on them. If you don’t give them any religious background, they may choose something even more unacceptible to you. My next door neighbors did not believe in going to church, and their daughter became a Mormon. The parents were not allowed at the wedding. After that, they started bringing their son to church.

The real tragedy is when only one parent is allowed to give the child spiritual values, and the child does not learn about respect, partnership, and valuing each other in a marriage.

“My wife is a Unitarian”
-Do you know what Unitarians burn on your front lawn when they’re mad at you?
-A question mark.

By: Carla

Carla — Fri, 05 May 2006 17:34:15 +0000

My husband and I were raised Catholic. We both attended Catholic schools from kindergarten through 12th grade, attending Mass on Sundays and all holy days. We left the church as soon as we left home, because of what we considered the hypocrisy of organized religion in general, but in Catholicism in particular. When we had our son 17 years ago, our families got right up in our faces about the fact that we weren’t going to baptize him or raise him Catholic. We still hear about it from time to time from the older members of our family. We raised him so that he knew right from wrong, and taught him that asking questions was a good thing, not something to be discouraged. He is a very polite and well behaved young man, ready to head off to college soon. We know that we did a good job raising him, and we don’t worry about his ability to make good decisions on his own. He’s proved to us over the years that he can. He’s going to be a responsible and productive member of society, with a firm grasp on reality, and a good head on his shoulders. It doesn’t take religion to teach a child ethics – it just takes parents that are willing to take the time to teach them.