Mom unapologetically raising kid without religion

[ImmortalFlame]

It's not that they're not religious, it's that their being not religious and my belonging to a very niche faith makes it impossible for me to find a partner and difficult to find friends as our hobbies, what we want to discuss and so on are very different and often at odds.

I find non-Christian religious communities over here do tend to be more insular (no idea how it stacks up to such communities in America, though). I'm not sure what the reasons for this are, but I suspect that the undercurrent of England's Christian heritage and intolerance do still remain, albeit in a far less obvious way than across the pond. It's quite an interesting contrast. Over in America, politicians practically jump at the chance to profess their Christianity, whereas over here the connection between Christianity and our politicians (although undoubtedly still existing) is sort of left out of public view. It's almost seen as embarrassing for a politician to talk about their own religion.

 

[Rival]

I find non-Christian religious communities over here do tend to be more insular (no idea how it stacks up to such communities in America, though). I'm not sure what the reasons for this are, but I suspect that the undercurrent of England's Christian heritage and intolerance do still remain, albeit in a far less obvious way than across the pond. It's quite an interesting contrast. Over in America, politicians practically jump at the chance to profess their Christianity, whereas over here the connection between Christianity and our politicians (although undoubtedly still existing) is sort of left out of public view. It's almost seen as embarrassing for a politician to talk about their own religion.

I live in Yorkshire. I find few Christians let alone anything else.

 

[Terry Sampson]

But in places where there are few such people, it does seem odd.

As odd as a couple raising their kids with a religion in a non-religious society, IMO.

 

[Jose Fly]

It's interesting how in the US this is noteworthy enough to warrant a blog post and discussion, whereas in Europe the reaction is more like...."So what?"

Given the current trends away from religion in the US, I suspect that it won't be long before "raising kids without religion" will be as unremarkable in the US as it is in Europe.

 

[Vinayaka]

As odd as a couple raising their kids with a religion in a non-religious society, IMO.

Yes, I concur. Any minority situation basically. My father (in rural small town Alberta, Canada) related to me how a person of African descent was treated in his small town, in the late 30s or so. It would be labelled rather racist today, but back then it was just something people had never seen. With any new acquaintances from India (that seems almost weekly these days), explaining I was raised with no religion just gets puzzled looks. It's incredibly rare there.

 

[ImmortalFlame]

I live in Yorkshire. I find few Christians let alone anything else.

Lots of puddings, though!

Spoiler

 

[Terry Sampson]

I was raised with no religion just gets puzzled looks. It's incredibly rare there.

As rare as a virgin in a whorehouse, eh?

 

[columbus]

It's not that they're not religious, it's that their being not religious and my belonging to a very niche faith makes it impossible for me to find a partner and difficult to find friends as our hobbies, what we want to discuss and so on are very different and often at odds.

I'm not sure what to suggest other than don't move to where I live (southern Indiana,USA).
Here you'll be a fake Jew. That'll get you ostracized by nearly everyone except the non-religious. You're much better off where you are because you're surrounded by the non-religious.
Tom

 

[Hockeycowboy]

Who can blame her, with all the hypocrisy found in the worship of fake gods?

But worship of the one Creator will always exist and flourish, especially after He steps in to clean up the Earth. Revelation 11:18

 

[Terry Sampson]

especially after He steps in to clean up the Earth.

Which reminds me: .... when does the Watchtower Society say that clean-up is set to occur?

 

[LuisDantas]

I raised my kids without religion; I didn't stop them being exposed to it ... school, Brownies and the like ... but if they asked me, I just said, "God is made up"

This may be too personal a question, but I sure wonder how often and at what age did they ask.

 

[sun rise]

My parents were atheist Jews and I grew up basically ignoring religion as not interesting. My parents sent me to Hebrew School and I learned some prayers etc but only superficially. My belief in God was awakened in my early 20's.

 

[LuisDantas]

I find non-Christian religious communities over here do tend to be more insular (no idea how it stacks up to such communities in America, though). I'm not sure what the reasons for this are, but I suspect that the undercurrent of England's Christian heritage and intolerance do still remain, albeit in a far less obvious way than across the pond. It's quite an interesting contrast. Over in America, politicians practically jump at the chance to profess their Christianity, whereas over here the connection between Christianity and our politicians (although undoubtedly still existing) is sort of left out of public view. It's almost seen as embarrassing for a politician to talk about their own religion.

I get the sense that it is to some extent a reflection of usual attitudes. That the British people tend not to wear their beliefs on their sleeves, and not to expect others to feel some sense of duty to be reverential to those beliefs either.

 

[Jedster]

Lots of puddings, though!

Spoiler

and let us not forget chip butties

Spoiler

 

[LuisDantas]

Yes, I concur. Any minority situation basically. My father (in rural small town Alberta, Canada) related to me how a person of African descent was treated in his small town, in the late 30s or so. It would be labelled rather racist today, but back then it was just something people had never seen. With any new acquaintances from India (that seems almost weekly these days), explaining I was raised with no religion just gets puzzled looks. It's incredibly rare there.

Familiarity has significant consequences, clearly. So does peer pressure (or, perhaps equivalently, peer support).

While in these forums we tend to speak of religion as a function of beliefs, sometimes to incredibly arcane levels, the everyday reality of religious practice tends to be somewhat different.

Religious congregations very much have a real, valid, significant role as a safe haven for people to meet each other and fulfill various social and affective roles and needs that do not always have much to do with beliefs as such.

I do not personally think that this diminishes nor conflicts with more theologically-oriented aspects of practice, but I understand that time and emphasis are limited resources, and it is entirely reasonable to expect some groups to feel the need to focus on doctrine now and then.

In any case, someone who is raised expecting such an environment will of course be disoriented by the sudden realization that someone else may have lacked a comparable environment. Particularly if belief-oriented doctrine is not a big deal in that environment.

I guess that I am making the case for unashamed, openly non-theistic religious services, despite the willing of many theists and non-theists to criticize those for often vague reasons.

 

[Samantha Rinne]

Another insightful article from the perspective of the non-believer.



I Am Unapologetically Raising My Daughter Without Religion

I will have all atheists who praise this quote their own words about how children being raised Christian are being brainwashed. And then ask them to defend her actions.

It is one thing to ignore religion is your child's education. It's quite another to attempt enforce a childhood without religion.

So either it's not that bad after all, or Christians are perfectly justified in not wanting a child to go "unsaved."

 

[epronovost]

I will have all atheists who praise this quote their own words about how children being raised Christian are being brainwashed. And then ask them to defend her actions.

It is one thing to ignore religion is your child's education. It's quite another to attempt enforce a childhood without religion.

So either it's not that bad after all, or Christians are perfectly justified in not wanting a child to go "unsaved."

The crux of the issue isn't really about parents teaching their values and beliefs to their children. This is large part of parenting in the first place and isn't prima facie a bad thing. What's problematic is if those values are harmful and those beliefs false. In that case, the simple act of teaching your children might become a form of child abuse depending on the level of harmfulness of the values and inaccuracy of the beliefs.

There is also the question of ''shelterdness''. That a child is raised religious or not isn't so much of a problem more then the child is isolated and forbidden to interact with non-religious or religious people; that the subject of religion, faith or atheism is proscribed or demonized.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I suppose I was brought up essentially without religion playing much of a role in my early life. My mother had me attend the Methodist chapel close by on Sundays but I stopped after just a few sessions, since it seemed quite boring and I wanted to play with the other kids. She didn't nag me to go. We never attended church apart from special occasions and we didn't pray or say grace at meals. My mother used to get the Watchtower later in life but I'm not sure if she really subscribed to the religion. She spent a year in a convent as a child because of abuse in the family (her father) but she didn't talk about religious matters, and my two brothers seemed to have escaped any influences too. I suspected religions were not for me in the last year of primary school when I discovered there were so many different ones - such that I doubted if any were that true, apart from the messages they sent out.

 

[Father Heathen]

'suggest that raising your children with secular morality is highly beneficial, saying that these children are “less vengeful, less nationalistic, less militaristic, less authoritarian, and more tolerant.'

So a non-religious upbringing makes you more sheep like

They said less nationalistic, militaristic, and authoritarian, so no.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Militaristic, nationalistic, vengeful, intolerant and authoritarian people are the very definition of ''sheeps''. The will of such a person is dominated by that of their superior in the military hierarchy, their leaders (political and religious) in civil society and a very narrow and isolationist group of allies to which loyalty is paramount under penalty of death (or something similarly severe). If you are a person with such values and you don't sit at the absolute top of the pyramid, you are nothing else then a ''sheep'', a soldier, who simply waits his turn to slaughter or be slaughter for the benefit of someone else and at the orders of someone else without question. The problem is that the more a society is militaristic, vengeful, nationalist, authoritarian and intolerent, the narrower the pyramid is up to the point where there is only one person at the top with legions of ''sheeps'' underneath to execute his or her whims all the while claiming htey are for the benefits of others (who are conveniantly not allowed to speak).

...except for in China, because their secular society protects them from such problems. Right?