https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 06 May 2026 16:47:43 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-11254 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:39:51 +0000 caitlanc 11254@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wish I knew! We're not even TTC yet but this is something I've been mulling over for at least 2 or 3 years. J considers himself Christian, though it's a rather loose definition to me since he's for marriage equality and the like. I have never been religious and just recently admitted (to myself) that atheist is the best fitting label for me.<br /> I can see the benefits of the community that comes with a church but I refuse to be the "heretic mommy" and I would like my children to be critical thinkers and question the world around them. The biggest hurdle for me though is that I want them to be good because it's the right thing to do. A pastor at a church we used to attend made me realize that when she told us how she told her son to be good "because God is watching." Santa Claus is not what I'm going for. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-11152 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:26:12 +0000 venice4504 11152@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was raised Catholic and my husband was raised Lutheran. Neither of us like the others Church. I also am not a big fan of going to Mass/Church. With that being said, if we found a neutral church that we both liked I would have no problem with him taking our son to church.</p> <p>The weird thing is we are actually leaning towards private schooling (we both went to private school) and the great ones here in town are Catholic and he doesn't have a problem with that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-11144 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:19:55 +0000 cyndistar3 11144@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are Christian and our children will be raised to be Christian. We are very active in our church and hope she will be too. Our daughter already loves to pray at meal times and it warms my hear. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-11127 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:07:38 +0000 eeh 11127@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Husband and I are both Christians and will definitely be taking our children to church with us in the hopes that they too will become Christians one day. We want to stress that going to church doesn't make you a Christian and that going to church on Sunday isn't just an act but a way for us to further our faith and relationship with God every day of the week. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-11108 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:53:02 +0000 Mrs. D 11108@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We both grew up attending church nearly every Sunday, so for us, it's a given that our kids will attend church with us and Sunday School. We'll say prayers at bed time (Now I lay me...). and at meal times (God is good...). And in general we'll teach them good manners, ethics and a moral code. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-9439 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:12:45 +0000 mrsjyw 9439@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DH is Catholic and I am United Methodist. Both of us were brought up in Christian households and church was an active part of my youth. I actually teach Sunday school at my home church and have done so the last few years on/off. </p> <p>DH and I are struggling to find a new "home" church that we can call our own, once we do that I think we will bring our children with us. However, when they get to a mature age - I'd let them decipher and create their own belief system and faith. I wholeheartedly believe that every relationship with Christ is on an individual level and forcing religion on anyone is unacceptable and more damaging than the original intent. I will pray for my children and hope that they follow DH and my beliefs, but that is up to them once they are adults. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-9437 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:11:30 +0000 Mrsbells 9437@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My husband and I are both active at our church and we will raise our children with the faith that we believe in. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-9436 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:06:59 +0000 daniellemybelle 9436@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm an agnostic that leans Christian - meaning that if I were to subscribe to a religious faith, that would probably be it based on my background, but I struggle with faith and some tenets of Christianity. DH is non-religious but more spiritual/optimistic than I am.</p> <p>It's still hard to say, but I think we'd like to attend a more liberal church and take our children to Sunday School. We both agree that a religious foundation provides a context to teach children moral/ethical lessons, and that understanding Christianity can be important culturally. My husband had no religious upbringing and wishes he had been given some sort of framework for understanding religion and faith.</p> <p>I said this on a post on Weddingbee, but I can imagine a conversation in the car or over lunch about what LO learned in Sunday School, and taking the opportunity to say: "Some people believe that {Bible story} really happened, and some people believe it's just a story to teach us things... a 'Once upon a time...' kind of thing. The most important thing isn't whether it happened but the lesson it teaches us." I'd also like to take opportunities to teach our kids that other people learn about different stories as a part of their religion, and that's okay too. We're all trying to do the same thing, which is understand our world and be a good person. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-9149 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:28:21 +0000 MrsStormy 9149@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My husband and I are Christian (I use the term loosely, because we don't prefer titles, and don't agree with a lot of normal "christian" perspectives). And we will raise our Children in way that reflects our faith, we want them to know we love them and so does God, however if they choose to believe differently than us we would support them, I really believe people should challenge their beliefs and what people tell them to believe and think for themselves, so I WANT my children to question, but obviously I do hope that someday they do in fact find their own beliefs and faith. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-9130 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:57:02 +0000 DpeachLu 9130@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are both Catholic and will teach our children the same :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-9099 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:08:31 +0000 tessabella76 9099@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not sure yet. I was raised Catholic and that's where I feel most comfortable if I go to church. My husband was raised Methodist. Neither of us attend church much (maybe once or twice a year) but when we have children I'd like them to be baptised and to have some basic religious education. But we're just not churchgoers. As I get older, I tend to have more faith and belief in God but less faith and belief in religions. I feel my faith is very personal to me. My husband has similar views. So we're trying to figure out how we want to handle this when we have children. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-9085 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:50:54 +0000 Jenna 9085@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is a topic I've put a lot of thought into, especially recently. Both my husband and I are agnostic. I was raised in a church setting; he was not... I don't plan on becoming part of a church after we have children. </p> <p>Hubs and I plan on raising our children with good morals and teaching them to be open minded and compassionate toward all cultures and religions. We hope to be able to teach our children to choose to do good when given the choice, just because it's the right thing to do.</p> <p>ETA: I was thinking about Bee's recent post about her cat, Sparky. As Atheist parents, what will you tell your children about death? Even though I generally don't believe, the idea of Heaven certainly is comforting to children, heck, adults even. I can imagine myself reassuring my kids with the, "He's in a better place with all of his puppy friends," line. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-9044 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:09:31 +0000 MH.Abroad 9044@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're definitely a Christian family, but we also study and respect other religions and will teach our children to do the same. Our kids will probably attend many churches and mosques (we live in a Muslim country) before they leave childhood. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-1925 Sat, 01 Oct 2011 10:20:17 +0000 geekinheels 1925@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are Christian and we will be raising our kids in the church. We will do our best to give our kids a good foundation in the Christian faith, but at the same time we will not FORCE them to be Christians when they get older. If they end up not believing in God for whatever reason, we will pray for them and just have faith that there's a reason for everything. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-1903 Fri, 30 Sep 2011 22:22:49 +0000 mrs. wagon 1903@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're Christian so we will raise RJ going to church, making sure he gets a good education about God and the bible as he grows up. When he's old enough to understand spirituality, we'll make sure he knows that he can make those kinds of decisions on his own. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-1891 Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:49:12 +0000 yin 1891@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My husband and I are agnostic, and we will raise our son with good ethics and morals. We will teach him about different cultures and religions and educate him the best that we can. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-1864 Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:16:03 +0000 bakingAbug 1864@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are both Catholic and follow the morals and ethics taught to us through the religion, we just don't go to mass all that regularly and tend to be a bit more liberal as far as gay rights go. I think our attendance will change once we find the right parish and Bug is born. </p> <p>We plan on having him baptized around the holidays and are carefully picking his godparents. It's important to give him a good foundation but also teach him that sometimes the Church may be a little stricter than we are. It will be interesting to discuss the Churches views on Homosexuality when his Uncle, my brother, is gay. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-1276 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:24:26 +0000 meaganceleste 1276@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>To be honest, I'm not sure. I was raised Lutheran, but church to me was always more of a community gathering. I still go to church when I'm back home visiting my parents but all of the churches we've tried here in Dallas, we don't like, so we don't go. I want my kid to have faith, but I think we'll probably do most of that at home. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-1270 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:16:14 +0000 chopsuey 1270@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're both Christian, so our children will be raised in the church. We're really blessed to have an awesome local church, which happens to be the 2nd largest in the country! They have a great teaching environment for babies and beyond. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-1261 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:59:37 +0000 tequiero21 1261@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we're both christian, so we'll raise our kids in a church - i just hope we finally get settled somewhere and find a good church. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-1244 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:22:53 +0000 Mrs. Sunglasses 1244@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We aren't very religious. But we are catholics. We did get Mavrick Baptized, but for the rest we will let him decide whether or not he wants to follow that route.</p> <p>I need to read that article. Seems interesting. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-1231 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:47:23 +0000 Adira 1231@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Both my husband and I are agnostic with more atheist leanings. We will most likely raise our children agnostic like us, but if my children are interested in learning about religions, I certainly won't be opposed to helping them do that!</p> <p>I'm curious if the not having enough quarters for a parking meter comment is really talking about the dilemma of deciding whether to just park there and not pay vs finding other parking where they could afford it? That might be a stretch, but I'm guessing that's what they meant. I don't understand the apartment one though... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-1225 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:07:51 +0000 mediagirl 1225@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We will bring a child up with some religion. I go to an Episcopal church (converting from Catholic) and my husband will go if I ask him to (which I don't). We plan on sending our child/children to sunday school and plan to get them baptised and confirmed in the church. After that, I'll leave it up to them what they want to do - once they are old enough to make those decisions. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-1194 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 23:03:31 +0000 MaisyMay 1194@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hubs and I are very active in our church. He runs the computer during the services, and I help in the nursery as well as children's church. We both attend mid-week Bible study and help with various other events. All of our kiddos will be raised in church. Our faith is very important to us, and without it, I don't know how we would have survived our MC this summer. We've definitely been leaning on Christ throughout all of this. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-sort-of-religious-or-spiritual-guidanceupbringing-will-you-give-your-child#post-1186 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 22:40:11 +0000 mrbee 1186@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am an atheist and Mrs. Bee is an apathist (just kidding, she's atheist too).</p> <p>We don't plan to give Charlie a religious upbringing, although if he wants to go to church then I wouldn't object. But I am going to give him a robust education on ethics and morals! This recent quote from the NYT really shook me:</p> <p>&lt;&lt; When asked to describe a moral dilemma they had faced, two-thirds of the young people either couldn’t answer the question or described problems that are not moral at all, like whether they could afford to rent a certain apartment or whether they had enough quarters to feed the meter at a parking spot.</p> <p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/opinion/if-it-feels-right.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/opinion/if-it-feels-right.html</a> &gt;&gt;</p> <p>Whether they had enough quarters to feed the meter?!?!</p> <p>What sort of religious or spiritual guidance/upbringing do you plan to give your child? </p>