https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 25 Jul 2026 09:45:19 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-240723 Mon, 30 Jul 2012 10:54:05 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 240723@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I like some of the cultural stuff about religion, but we're not very dedicated to exposing the girls to it at this point. Maybe we'll take them to a variety of different religious institutions in the future just to teach them about world religions. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-240719 Mon, 30 Jul 2012 10:51:57 +0000 spaniellove 240719@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was raised Catholic and DH is Jewish, but we are both atheist. We're open to the idea of sending our future LO to Catholic school as I've had good experiences with liberal-minded schools, but it would have to be the right schools and we'd have to have some talks at home about how to handle theology class and Mass. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-240646 Mon, 30 Jul 2012 10:17:14 +0000 ShootingStar 240646@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was raised pretty much without religion (my parents were raised Catholic and Jewish) and DH was raised catholic, but he's kind of having a crisis of faith lately. He's realized he really disagrees with a lot of what the church teaches and he's not sure if it's really the right religion for him. We are TTC-ing right now, and he wants our kids to grow up with some type of belief system.</p> <p>I don't really have much of a belief system, I guess I'm somewhere between Atheist, Agnostic, and Humanist. I would prefer our kids not learn things at Church that go against my beliefs, like that gay marriage is wrong and sinful. </p> <p>I'm somewhat interested in UU as an alternative, if DH continues to want some sort of religious upbringing. They seem to be the most inclusive and respectful of all sorts of beliefs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-240456 Mon, 30 Jul 2012 07:57:00 +0000 Bookish 240456@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was raised Catholic, but no longer attend church or have any desire to. My husband was raised in an atheist family and has never set foot in a church (I think he's afraid he will burst into flames ;)) but as for our future LO, I'm not sure what we will do. My parents I'm sure would prefer we baptized him/her, but I don't think we will. I'd prefer to explore different religions with them them and allow them to make their own decision about what's up there. I may check out the local UU church for a start. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-240452 Mon, 30 Jul 2012 07:54:12 +0000 Adira 240452@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hubs and I are both agnostic, so that's how we'll be raising our kids. If they end up being religious though, that's fine with us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-240417 Mon, 30 Jul 2012 06:48:41 +0000 Mrs. Cat in the Cradle 240417@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My husband and I are both atheists and will be raising our daughter sans religion. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-240396 Mon, 30 Jul 2012 02:55:25 +0000 Shimmer 240396@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: We had to sit my MIL down and tell her to STOP talking about it, actually. She's a lovely woman, but super religious, and was badgering my DH about our plans for the future for our sons. We had to tell her that it was a personal decision for our little family and that her beliefs, while valid for her, do not apply to us. She took it pretty hard, but has promised to defer to us when it comes to religion for our LOs in the future.</p> <p>MIL has pushed the idea of church for the reasons of a community support system and a means of teaching morals and values. I get where she's coming from, but we just don't feel the need for either one in order to have our boys grow up with strong moral compasses. </p> <p>I don't think that a church is the only avenue for that sense of community, but I can see how it would be more convenient. Like I said in my other post, we've always been interested in the UU philosophy, and their religion education programs seem pretty awesome. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it - have to wait for the boys to get here first! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-240272 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 20:32:34 +0000 Mrs. Yoyo 240272@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: I don't think it's the only avenue by a long shot, but it's something I've been thinking about since we're new to town and everything is QUITE church-based here (Bible Belt). Necessary? Nah. But it would be nice to give him a more structured environment for grappling with spiritual questions, and I would sure like to meet some other progressive folks :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-240161 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 18:30:44 +0000 Meridian 240161@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are not religious and I don't have any strong beliefs about religion in general. It's just not something I ever think about! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-240140 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 17:55:24 +0000 regberadaisy 240140@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Shimmer: exactly why we have no intention of baptizing M. I honestly thought my MIL would have approached us about it. I feel her push is partially why my nieces are baptized. But that's one subject my husband and I will stand our ground on no matter what family drama it may cause. Thankfully she has not broach the subject. Perhaps she really does understand where we stand!</p> <p>I have a question for those of you wanting to join a church for a sense of "community". Why do you feel that's necessary and why is a church the only avenue for it? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-240100 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 16:38:22 +0000 littlebug 240100@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hubs was raised Catholic, but has disassociated himself from the Church. I was not raised religious, per se, but when we did attend church, it was always a Lutheran church (that was where we got married). </p> <p>We have talked about getting involved in a church in order to provide our children with that sense of community, but have struggled with what church to join. We keep meaning to attend a few services at various churches in the area (including a UU, which seems like it really may be a good blending of our 2 belief systems), but haven't gotten around to it yet. Most of all, we want our children to grow up to be conscientious members of society, loving and accepting of all people. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-240096 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 16:35:06 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 240096@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think this is such a hard one. I am not religious although I grew up Catholic. I like that I have had the exposure to the religion enough to know that it's not for me. I also like the community aspect of church because I do believe my LO will meet nice kids in that environment.</p> <p>BUT...I don't think we'll do it. It would be "faking it" for us and I just don't know how that would work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-240092 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 16:26:17 +0000 Shimmer 240092@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DH and I are not fans of organized religion. He was raised Catholic and felt that their beliefs were forced on him. We won't be baptizing/christening our boys as we don't want to promise to raise them a certain way when we have no intention of doing so.</p> <p>That being said, we have been interested in the UU setup and their religion education programs. We want our boys to grow up respecting everyone and to have open, inquisitive minds. We want to help them explore the world through knowledge as much as we can! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-240080 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 16:18:53 +0000 lovehoneybee 240080@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DH is an atheist, and I hover somewhere between agnosticism and atheism, so no, we will not be raising our LO in a religion. However we both know a good deal about different religions, and will answer any questions LO has and be supportive and encourage LO to explore and make those decisions for him/herself. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-240058 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 15:26:36 +0000 DigAPony 240058@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My husband and I are both agnostic and not fans of organized religion (to say the least). I'm sure we will teach our kids about different religions as they grow up and express curiosity, but as PPs have said, we know that religion is not a necessary part of teaching morality and ethics. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-239865 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 09:13:24 +0000 SleepyMonkey 239865@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we are not religious either, and neither of us ever went to church regularly or at all when we were growing up. organized religion is not something we will pursue with our children, and like @yoursilverlining, i think we can teach our children morality, ethics and other virtues through alternative channels. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-239861 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 09:09:20 +0000 Mrs. Yoyo 239861@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsjazz: @mrs. bird: Interesting to hear of your experiences with UU. Neither DH or I are particularly religious, but I would like to try out our UU church to meet some like-minded souls. I also like the idea of having that community for LO, especially because so much is church-based around here. DH is a bit more skeptical because he never ever went to church (I was raised Catholic so the concept is not as foreign to me). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-239859 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 09:03:37 +0000 yoursilverlining 239859@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're both atheists, and will not participate in religious services with LO. We are not fans of organized religion and don't believe attending any church is required for teaching morality and ethics. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-239857 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 09:00:08 +0000 Mrs. Tricycle 239857@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're not at all religious. My mom was raised as a Baha'i, and although I really dig some of their principles - reconcile science with religion, believe that ultimately all religions worship the same god, women totally equal with men, no sermonizing, big sense of community - I can't say I believe in a higher power. And it's kind of a cop-out to practice a faith and not believe in God, right? </p> <p>So although I dig the idea of exposing my LO to the sense of community associated with practicing a religion, I don't know that I can get behind the actual tenants of practicing a religion. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-239821 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 08:14:41 +0000 kgbee 239821@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Neither my husband nor I are religious, and other than potential local community-supporting aspects, we are not typically fans of organized religions. Our family will not participate in religious services, and we're totally happy about that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-239808 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 07:54:09 +0000 mrs. bird 239808@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I do not believe in a god, DH is open to the possibility, but is opposed to most organized religion (catholic upbringing left some terrible feeling towards it for him). He does attend a UU church regularly and I volunteer there in the food pantry. </p> <p>They have a children's studies program where they learn about religions and about being an active conscious member of society. I wouldn't be opposed to DH bringing LOs to it because it doesn't teach any scripture as fact, just as stories with lessons, as any fable. My main issue is not exposing them to bigotry cloaked in scripture or prayer. They will not be attending church with my ILs, ever- or until they're much older and want to on their own. I don't want them hearing that DH &amp; I are going for hell for our beliefs or that they are because they weren't baptized. I really don't want them learning that birth control is wrong, or that people who are gay are evil, or that it is a church's place to support law outside the church. I want them to respect everyone's beliefs, differences, and choices- provided they are not harmful to others. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-239792 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 07:30:36 +0000 Mrs.B 239792@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: My Mom was crazy cultish about religion growing up. I do not speak to my Mom anymore as she has some serious mental issues she refuses to get help for. We basically lived in a cult within our family. Going threw all that as a child and teen has made me very anti organzied religion. I do believe in a higher power but I do not associate myself with any religion or church. DH is the same but grew up catholic. We will teach our children to be good people and I do not think a religion is required to do that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-239789 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 07:25:50 +0000 mrsjazz 239789@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No specific religion here, too. DH is an atheist and I believe in a higher power but we are both not fans of organized religion. Though there's this great Unitarian Universalist church that has a children's program that teaches them about all religions that I'd like her to go to. Our families will probably take her to church and we are fine with that though we both secretly hope she will decide to be like us! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-239782 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 07:21:12 +0000 Mrs. Sunglasses 239782@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We got our kids baptized even though we aren't very religious. I found it easier to do it now then IF they chose to want to. I probably won't get them do the other sacraments unless they express interest in the Christian religion. I'll definitely teach them about other religions. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/so-any-other-parents-not-raising-their-lo-to-any-specific-religion#post-239776 Sun, 29 Jul 2012 07:14:30 +0000 regberadaisy 239776@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My husband and I are not religious people especially organized religion. But we do believe there is something up there.</p> <p>We plan on exposing our children to all religions. Maybe in a monthly casual Sunday family format. Then they can decide whether they want to believe in religion and if so which one.</p> <p>If they do choose to we'll absolutely support them in it.</p> <p>Anyone else? </p>