Comments on: Raising Kids Without Religion

By: Rita

Rita — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:39:37 +0000

Speaking of the threat of hell:
My high school English class once had a discussion about the moral capacity of atheists. The consensus, which really blew me away, was that atheists have no reason to live moral lives because there isn’t any punishment for bad behavior. I thought – really? – if I treat a friend poorly, is it God who punishes me? Or am I punished by losing the friend? If I murder someone, does God send me to prison? If the only reason a person avoids a life of crime is because they fear punishment by God, just how moral is that person? I, as an atheist, don’t need a heavenly father to teach me right from wrong.

On another note:
Growing up in a small town, I feared the day anyone found out that I was an atheist. In fact, I never heard the word “atheist” until I was 14. I literally believed that I would be banished from society if anyone discovered my secret. I don’t want my kids growing up with that kind of fear in their hearts.

By: Willy

Willy — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:47:11 +0000

You sound like the kind of religious person that every religious person should be more like.

By: Wyzyrd

Wyzyrd — Tue, 19 May 2009 04:58:19 +0000

I am getting much more agnostic, the older I get. The last stumbling-block to total atheism is the idea that whatever-the-hell consciousness may be, it is the one form of energy that DOESN’T get conserved, somehow, so I still have some sort of religion, but I do reserve the right to make it up as I go along.

“Faith” is not good. “Doubt” is not bad. Don’t believe anything you can’t prove to yourself, at least ‘close enough” – dump it. Just because someone else said it, means absolutely zip.

Any set of myths (in the sense of “stories that teach you how to live as a human”) can work. YOU are the ultimate authority, not anyone else.

Thor didn’t have a big hammer? who cares? No Jewish Zombies? BFD.. Horses don’t fly? That means you can eat bacon….

Find what works for you and when it comes to teaching your kids, or anyone else, give them books and STFU.

By: My Best And Worst of 2008 : Wired For Noise

My Best And Worst of 2008 : Wired For Noise — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:17:10 +0000

[...] Raising Kids Without Religion [...]

By: mapsguy1955

mapsguy1955 — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 13:34:41 +0000

Religion was made by man. We would hope that all religions were made by intelligent people who thought a lot before they wrote it, put it together, but that may not be the case entirely. I’ve been involved with many different religions and am, in fact, a minister. But my belief is that there are many different paths to one’s own truth. Some may find it in the bible and some may find it on a quiet night in the forest. To teach our children to have an open mind and to question is where we are enabling them to find their own truth.

By: phdinparenting

phdinparenting — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:01:24 +0000

What a great post!

I wrote a related post recently about why we have rejected the concept of sin in our house. Essentially, I want my children’s decisions to be guided by reason, openness, and love, not a dictated closed set of values. I also want them to understand that making a poor decision does not make you a bad person and that people are different and that’s okay. I also really want them to start out in life believing people are essentially good (rather than believing we are all sinners), because I think this type of optimism is key to changing society and succeeding in life.

More here: http://phdinparenting.com/2008/11/10/no-sinners-in-my-house/

phdinparenting´s last blog post..What are your nap challenges?

By: jo,king

jo,king — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:52:03 +0000

Hey great blog, Thanks
My wife and I are about to have our first child,I was raised Mormon and she was raised evangelical so this is something we’ve talked about alot. Your blog articulated stuff we’ve both felt very clearly, it will make it easier to explain to others why we are doing what we are doing. Thanks Again