“…Any ideas for one this small will be appreciated:)” – CB While I must admit almost total ignorance when it comes to this and other areas of parenting, my best guess is that the best tact is, like with sex education, to start out being entirely clear of one’s own position and views. In this way, there is no ‘shock’ when the subject is broached. Also, when it first comes up, to be already prepared with some notion of the core question(s) being asked in order to be able to respond with simple, cogent responses seems to be wise. All one can do is, like all areas of sharing one’s own subjectivity about the world and how to live in it with a child is to be as clear as possible and able to speak to the proper level of understanding possible and manifesting at the time in the youth. This next part is my own subjectivity and, it is clear to me that the area of a sense of eternity for ‘us’ in both the physical sense (sexual reproduction/activity) and in the non-material sense (‘spiritual’ realm/sense of eternal unity) it must be recognized that these two poles are innate and will always attract subjective concepts when language is acquired. The degree of dogma and imposed belief system imparted seems to be the only issue to be concerned with. Whatever beliefs a kid takes on, and for sure they will take some on, only later when there is enough maturity to objectively examine these beliefs will one be able to achieve some true clarity about these fundamental aspects of being a human being. ornamentalmind
On Nov 22, 8:58 pm, CrossBow <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > We have been discussing how to expose Rhi to religion so hopefully she will > have respect but no special allure to any one type. We have to be careful > because if she is anything like either of her parents she will do the > opposite of what we tell her to for...quite a few years. Education is all > we can give as we can't live for her or through her vicariously. > > Since she is almost four (Jan) we are getting questions about going > "churching" with the other little ones at daycare. We aren't letting her go > until she is older...unless just to walk into a church to drain some of the > curiosity.... > > Any ideas for one this small will be appreciated:) > On Sat, Nov 22, 2008 at 2:46 PM, Liz Purkrabek <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote: > > > > > > > I agree that atheists or other freethinkers don't discuss their points of > > view as much as I think they should. I have heard several people say that > > they don't want to indoctrinate their children as they feel they were > > indoctrinated, but to this I say - If you don't fill the void, someone else > > surely will and with nonsense. > > > My children (my son anyway, my daughter is three) know what I think about > > religion and why. I answer questions the best I can, which can sometimes > > be > > complicated. Especially when one of my son's doting grandmothers is an > > extremely believing Baptist type (She's worked for Benny Hinn.). Trying to > > explain how his grandma could be so largely into something I am so > > obviously > > against and yet someone who I believe is a nice person is difficult. I > > think he finally understood, but for a while, I think he had trouble > > because > > he didn't know how I wanted him to feel about her (He likes to please his > > mama. He's a mama's boy, and that's not a bad thing.) > > > I remember my own upbringing, which was devoid of any real structure, > > religious or material in nature, and although it kept my head above the > > religious dogma in the long run, I see how I also would have accepted a lot > > of the baloney I heard from outside my family simply because there was no > > reason not to as a small child. > > > liz > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [email protected] > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Taylor > > Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2008 11:40 AM > > To: Memphis Freethought Alliance > > Subject: Re: Theism/Atheism within society > > > <<I offer education as a solution. There are many ways to educate >> > > > One thing I find interesting is that many secular parents fail to pass > > on their worldview to their children. My uncle, a nuclear physicist, > > fled his childhood home in southern Mississippi to California. He is > > an atheist, but his three children grew up to be very religious. > > > A friend of mine, a very liberal theist, has a teenager going to a > > local Baptist school, which is teaching them creationism. The child > > is sure the mother is going to hell, but the mother feels the child > > will outgrow this belief system. That's naive, in my view. > > > I suspect that the sum total that the parent offers the child is > > ridicule of religion, rather than teaching them *why* the whole > > mechanism of belief and faith is wrong from its very core. So the > > child has no intellectual tools to defend him/herself when > > encountering groups pushing religious dogma.- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
