SHOULD WE BRING OUR CHILDREN UP IN OUR OWN FAITH?

[doodoot]

i've just been having this discussion with a friend of mine who is an aetheist.

he was brought up as a catholic and found that he was very confused with his beliefs when he hit his teens and more so when he got married.

although his wife was also a catholic, he didn't agree with the "rule" of zero contraception, whereas she stuck by the rules implicitly.

unfortunately their marriage didn't last long and he now flatly refuses to be with anyone with religious/spiritual beliefs.

i am wiccan, though i was brought up as c of e, although not very strictly.

i teach my 2 boys - 2 and 5 - to respect and love nature, be kind to others and how nature "works" - seasons etc.

but i will leave out the magick side of my beliefs until they are old enough to make up their own minds.

my eldest goes to a c of e school and knows his prayers and i tell him about the bible, but he also knows about other religions too.

so, should we bring our children up with our own personal beliefs only?

[sydneylights]

I was brought up in a house where my father was a Catholic, although not a strict one and my mother was C of E. However when they were married Mam made a promise to bring any kids they might have up to be educated in the Catholic religion. She well and truly kept her promise for she was a good woman my Mother. It was her who got us up on Sunday to attend Mass when we really would have preferred to stay in bed..... She also told us of the days when she belonged to the Salvation Army and used to play the tambourine in the band and sing. Anyhow to cut a long story short. I grew up to understand things in both religions and to reject things too. So I think as children get older they do learn from their parents example and if they don't always follow the same path
a sprinkling of what they learn at home will always stay with them. Well thats my belief anyway. Sydney.

[aries458]

I was raised Catholic. My father was Catholic and my mother converted when she married my father to raise children in his religion. Although both parents insisted I go to church every Sunday and observe Catholic holiday rituals, my dad had always maintained that he believed in God, but didn't believe in the ways of the church.
As I got older and questioned many of the Church's rules and teachings I decided to look towards the Wiccan religion.
Now, my daughter also believes in the wiccan traditions and raises her children with the teachings of Catholisism but talks openly about wicca.
She figures as her children get older, they will follow the path that they feel comfortable with.
The down side of what we do, many of my neighbors think I'm going to slaughter their cows, bay at the moon, cast evil spells and that I'm just plain nuts. (well, I may be :wink: ). I find there is still a 16th century ignorance from people who do not understand the wiccan religion.

[morticia1977]

I am a non-believer and so when my daughter was born, I did not have her christened. She is now 6 and asked to go to church so I have let her. She has learnt about different religions at school and I have answered her questions. I don't think that it is my place, even as her mother, to bias her with any religion. She must make her own choices as to what she believes in. She knows that I do not believe yet she still believes and she knows that I'm fine with that. I don't think we can tell our kids what to believe, I think we just have to let them explore and discover their own preferences when it comes to religion. I was brought up in a household where my Dad did not believe and my Mum did. I went to Sunday school and to church because I wanted to, not because I was forced to. I have explained to my daughter that different people have different beliefs and that sometimes she may not agree with others' beliefs. She has a bible and books with stories of Jesus in them. I think this is one decision that we, as parents, cannot make for our kids. We will be there to give our opinions if they ask but I think that's all we can do.

[2steps]

My parents weren't religous at all and neither am I, I don't believe in god. I don't know that much about it all, but agree with alot of pagan/wicca stuff myself. I haven't bought my children up in any religion at all as I want them to choose for themselves. Like doodoot said, I do teach to respect and love nature, be kind to others and how nature works and how we fit in with it. I grow a lot of our vegtables and hav emany pets so that's the main reason for this. My son who's 6 was learning about Muslims at school last term and asked to goto a Mosque which we will be doing during the summer.
I try to answer his questions honestly but without hurting any beliefs he may have. Though I'd did complain to the school when he teacher told the class god was real. I don't think they should be saying that, just as they shouldn't say he isn't

[dulwich-herbs]

I think that children should be given as wide a view as possible so they can make up their own minds.
I am trying to teach my children about herbs (although on of them seems more interested in crystals at the moment..) I don't force my beliefs upon them, if they want to join in with what I do they can, if they don't then they don't have too.

I always hated being at school and having christianity thrust down my throat...... one of the reasons I home educate my girls I suppose.

They will decide what religion they want to be in when they are older anyway.... so I might as well teach them as many different ones as possible so they can make an informed choice.