CNN - Why I Raise My Children Without God

[NoMayo15]

There is a clear line between respecting someone beliefs in a higher power(s) and accepting views where rape victims are blamed for their assaults and child rapists being protected. I'm not saying for people to become hyper-tolerate of any of those views. There are many Islam and Hindu followers who don't cosign with the extremist views of both of their respected religions.

Let's be reality here and not go to the extreme. You're essentially saying that I'm telling people to fall back and accept Al Qaeda for their extremist views which is NOT the point I was attempting to make.

And no I haven't had any agnostic missionaries knock on my door. They have no reason to knock on anyones door. I get enough of the anti-God discourse online and at work anyway.

Well no, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that respecting someones view just because it's their view is retarded. It doesn't matter if it's an quote unquote extreme view or not.

 

[Liu Kang]

Don't know about the article.
You should raise your kids as agnostic not atheist because atheist is already a view on the world which is the extreme opposite of believer. If you really want your kid to willingly choose a paradigm, you should tell him that there is no absolute answer yet and that's up to him to choose when he will be mature enough.

Myself, I was raised in a relatively catholic household (my mom believes, my pop not anymore). One day at age 13, on vacation at my grandma's (who was very catholic (like every west indian lady her age) and was "forcing" us to read the bible before going to sleep), I decided to not believe in God anymore.
That was the best decision in my life because nothing changed in it, I was not cursed, I didn't get crippled suddenly, I wasn't thunderstruck. God wasn't a factor in my life because not believing anymore didn't do me any harm... in fact it relieved me from a kind of burden that there was "somebody/something" who/that was always watching my movements and judging me...

I just chose my way. Every kid should have this opportunity.

 

[WhiteDawg3000]

subs

 

[OG_StankBrefs]

 

[PimpHandStrong]

Well no, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that respecting someones view just because it's their view is retarded. It doesn't matter if it's an quote unquote extreme view or not.

So you don't respect others' opinions if you disagree with it?

 

[Brown_Pride]

Don't know about the article.
You should raise your kids as agnostic not atheist because atheist is already a view on the world which is the extreme opposite of believer. If you really want your kid to willingly choose a paradigm, you should tell him that there is no absolute answer yet and that's up to him to choose when he will be mature enough.

Myself, I was raised in a relatively catholic household (my mom believes, my pop not anymore). One day at age 13, on vacation at my grandma's (who was very catholic (like every west indian lady her age) and was "forcing" us to read the bible before going to sleep), I decided to not believe in God anymore.
That was the best decision in my life because nothing changed in it, I was not cursed, I didn't get crippled suddenly, I wasn't thunderstruck. God wasn't a factor in my life because not believing anymore didn't do me any harm... in fact it relieved me from a kind of burden that there was "somebody/something" who/that was always watching my movements and judging me...

I just chose my way. Every kid should have this opportunity.

Every person does have this opportunity. Many people grow up being taught about god, many people choose not to.

It's not your life that changes btw, it's the afterlife.
65-100 years here on earth vs...
eternity

honestly even from a non religious standpoint what have you got to lose?

 

[Liu Kang]

Every person does have this opportunity. Many people grow up being taught about god, many people choose not to.

It's not your life that changes btw, it's the afterlife.
65-100 years here on earth vs...
eternity

honestly even from a non religious standpoint what have you got to lose?

There a difference between being taught about God as you say, and being raised with/without God. When you're raised with/without it, there is no other opportunity, God exists/or not therefore you have faith/or not.
When you're raised in a religious or atheist household, the truth is already here and you don't have a word about this, the choice is closed because it has already been made for you.

Being taught about it lets you the choice to believe it exists or not.
Not every parents are this aware of that, most of them just raise their kids following their own beliefs which is completely logical. Not every kid have this opportunity then.

Ultimately, yes, you can choose to change your view but let's not act like everybody is able to change their own paradigm, it takes strength and character and most of the people who are raised some way stay that way. Not because it's the easiest way, but because this is the only way for them.

And it's not about just the afterlife. The possibility of God impacts the your very life : the way tou think, the way you act, the way you interact with people too. Living your life with the idea of heaven/hell will definitely impact it.

But don't get me wrong : even if I think God is human made, that doesn't mean that I negates spirituality. I've already have OOBE's and lucid dreams and I done took some psychoactive substances that sometimes put me into altered consciousness that led me to think that our spirit and our body are entites on their own. And one can "move" without the other.

So, that's why the idea of God is not linked to the "afterlife" in my opinion.

 

[Johnny Kilroy]

So you believe in God then.

:hov: Mowgli be killing me.

 

[Johnny Kilroy]

That right there in the bold. A lot of religions say you must accept such and such diety of your own free will, But how can you accept it truly of your own free will when you are ignorant to whats really out there. I was raised Christian and didn't explore other faiths until college. I believed in Christianity because its what my parents believed in and thats what they told me to believe in. Fear is put in you to believe these things. Also if you have free will, then how can someone have a plan for you? Your destiny is already planned out, so it doesnt matter you dont have a choice. If you dont follow the plan you are doing something wrong and will be punished. Its as if we are born as slaves to this plan. It doesnt add up. I do believe in God but not the God I've read in books or was told about. I don't have it all together, but I do have faith a God is there, not out of fear or desperation, but i dunno a God is there and its more than I can comprehend right now

Not everybody believes in God out of fear. That's your take on it.

Take me for example, I wasn't raised religious at all but I'm interested in learning as much as I can but not out of fear. No fear was instilled in me, just a thirst for knowledge and truth.

As far as your take on predestination, yeah, that's always a tricky thing. But fate doesn't necessarily take away from free will because we still have to live out our lives. Just because someone knows what decision you'll make before you make it doesn't mean you don't make it. See what I'm saying?

Like when they got Tyrone Biggums () with the "free crack giveaway." They knew he would come but he still had to make that decision completely independent of their knowledge.

 

[daze23]

Don't know about the article.
You should raise your kids as agnostic not atheist because atheist is already a view on the world which is the extreme opposite of believer. If you really want your kid to willingly choose a paradigm, you should tell him that there is no absolute answer yet and that's up to him to choose when he will be mature enough.

I think the article was more about the fact that the mother does consider herself an atheist, and she wants to be honest with her kid. how she deals with that is a nuanced thing (as is the line between agnosticism and weak/agnostic atheism), but I don't think she'll be forcing any particular view on the child

 

[Brown_Pride]

Like when they got Tyrone Biggums () with the "free crack giveaway." They knew he would come but he still had to make that decision completely independent of their knowledge.

... you know something.
This may be the clearest explanation of this complex issue i've ever seen lol.

@Liu Kang
as Kilroy said you view worship as something done out of fear...for me and most people I know it's an act of love. It may start out as fear, but inevitably it leads to love. It's something you want to do. I really don't think you give people enough credit to make their own choices.

 

[Liu Kang]

I think the article was more about the fact that the mother does consider herself an atheist, and she wants to be honest with her kid. how she deals with that is a nuanced thing (as is the line between agnosticism and weak/agnostic atheism), but I don't think she'll be forcing any particular view on the child

You sure ?
She says she raises her children "without God" which doesn't really let the chance for them to believe.
But you may be right, re-reading the article, she states our view on the subject more than the way she's raising her kid(s), so don't know (even if it doesn't change my view on the subject).

[...]
@Liu Kang
as Kilroy said you view worship as something done out of fear...for me and most people I know it's an act of love. It may start out as fear, but inevitably it leads to love. It's something you want to do. I really don't think you give people enough credit to make their own choices.

Where did I say that ?
I just say it was in my own experience that I viewed the idea of God as a judge and that was a reason I felt it was a burden. Never talked about other people's experience...

About the choices... I'm pretty sure people keeping the paradigm they were raised in as adults are the majority. Were you raised with God/ as a believer ? What are you now ? Else, did you have the choice to believe or not ? Did you ever consider the opportunity of being an atheist ?

 

[daze23]

You sure ?
She says she raises her children "without God" which doesn't really let the chance for them to believe.

raising your children "without god" doesn't necessarily mean you specifically tell them "God does not exist"

 

[Liu Kang]

raising your children "without god" doesn't necessarily mean you specifically tell them "God does not exist"

Subtle but true nonetheless. :tisalute:

 

[Brown_Pride]

Where did I say that ?
I just say it was in my own experience that I viewed the idea of God as a judge and that was a reason I felt it was a burden. Never talked about other people's experience...

fair enough.

About the choices... I'm pretty sure people keeping the paradigm they were raised in as adults are the majority. Were you raised with God/ as a believer ? What are you now ? Else, did you have the choice to believe or not ? Did you ever consider the opportunity of being an atheist ?

Grew up going to church once ina blue moon. Ultimately was saved in highschool because of a "basketball" mission. Prior to that I was doing ...other things...

Ultimately I based my beliefs on my experiences and communions with God.