Hellobee Boards

@Mrs. Sunshine: three different people and could not get a straight answer. Which made it all the more strange.

DH and I are atheists. We aren't open to having our children explore religion until they are in their teens. I don't think children under, say, the age of 13 are psychologically capable of making a decision like that for themselves with real discernment. Until they reach an age where their brains can truly undertake more abstract thought, we'll teach them the truth as we ourselves understand it--which is that there is no evidence that there is a god(s). While we will teach them religion's place in history (we plan to homeschool) we will not "expose" them to religion by bringing them to any churches or temples, etc. That said, if they became religious as a teen/adult, that would be fine. I would only have a problem with it if they tried to convert us or openly condemned us for being nonreligious.

DH and I are atheists. We don't believe there is a god/gods, but we don't "know" (just like religious people don't "know" there is one/some).

We plan to teach our future little ones the history of all religion (kind of using the book the Evolution of God as sort of an outline). I want them to know the historical context of religion and not feel out of the loop when religion is discussed in a cultural context. I want to teach them that religion does not dictate morality.

I'm not opposed to teaching them variations of parables of the bible, but it would be more in the context of fables.

In theory, I would be supportive if my future kids chose to be religious, but it would be really hard if they joined a church that had teaching/principles that I fundamentally disagree with.

DH and I are both Catholic and consider it very important to teach LO in our faith. I would be very sad if she didn't feel as close to God as I do. But all I can do is try my best.

I grew up Methodist, DH grew up Southern Baptist. DH is now the worship pastor of a non-denominational church. I believe, but I also very much wrestle with parts of Christianity (and all religions for that matter) that I don't agree with. I feel like many people abuse the principles and words of the Bible, and many people have their own interpretation of the moral code of Christianity. So I'd call myself a jaded believer.

@MrsMcD: Exactly the same! He doesn't go to Mass, can't even remember the last time he took communion or did confession, but isn't ready to commit or fully enjoy the church we choose together.

@Torchwood: my views are just like your husband's. My DH is an athiest. He comes from a country where the balance between a secular government and religious society is tenuous and hS been tipping toward religion, and he is very upset by the things that have been going on there. We intend to raise our DD (and any other kids we might have) to know about religions from an academic/historical perspective, but we will not attend religious services and will try to limit how much exposure she gets to organized religion. If she decides when she gets older that a specific religion interests her, we'll figure out how we feel about it at that time.

ETA: it's interesting how many agnostics and atheists are here, especially since so many of the blogger bees seem to be pretty religious.

My husband and I are non-denominational Christians. I think of myself more as a believer than "religious" because I don't agree with what religion implies. We have a relationship with God because we love him and we acknowledge that we need his help. From the day our children are born we encourage the growth of their relationship with God, it's not a forced matter but my 5 year old knows that God cares for her and loves her and she loves him right back, he gives her unspeakable comfort so I would be more sad than anything if she were to try other religions. But I also plan on teaching them to be respectful of what other people believe even if it's not what we agree with because being disrespectful is completely counterproductive.

@Torchwood: I agree. my MIL is quite religious and I can't just cut her our of our life. Especially because, besides the religious bits, I love her very dearly. We tease each other about believing/not believing.

She talks about God on a regular basis and I am not going to ask her to NOT do that in front of my child because it's a part of who she is. However, if my kid comes home talking about God, or telling me that nonna told him this or that, I will probably sit down with him and try to explain that it is what nonna believes. Or something like that. I haven't quite figured out the logistics of it yet...

I am a believer. My husband and I are both non denominational Christians and go to church every Sunday because we looooove going and it really strengthens our relationship with God and each other. I fully support my little one exploring whatever religions they choose because I was not always a believer. I do think it is important to know why you believe and be 100% in your faith.

@.twist.: Essentially, trying to be as Christ-Like (Christian) as possible on a day to day bases. It's not just about what I do, is also about my attitude toward things, situations and people, coming from Biblical values. I don't believe I could do it without God's help. I would say one of the main things that drew me towards Christ was a difference I saw in His followers that I didn't see in everyone else. It's hard to explain.

I plan to expose my son to religion just as we do with other subjects, there is a wide variety and he can choose what suits him.

I am a recovering Catholic. I have major issues with the handling of the abuse scandal and the treatment of homosexuals and divorced people.

DH and I are both non-denominational Evangelical Christians. We were both raised in Christian families but became devoutly committed independently in our 20's. We are 99.9% on the same page spiritually and consider our faith the fundamental underpinning of our marriage. Actually, we consider it the most important thing in our life, period.

Our children will definitely be raised as Christians. While we've considered homeschooling our kids for many reasons, one of the biggest is that we could integrate faith and education more freely than we could if our children were in public school.

That said, one of the fundamental tenets of Christianity is that God loves each of us unconditionally and gives us complete freedom to choose a relationship with Him. Thus, if our children decided to explore other faiths or belief systems, we would respect their freedom to do so and love them just the same. Don't get me wrong - we would be gutted, sad, and would fervently pray they would come back into a relationship with Christ. But their choice of beliefs would not affect how much we loved them.

@dc yoga bee: walling you

We are both non-religious. My SO was raised a Christian, but now considers himself athiest. I was raised with no religion at all (the only time I've been to church is for weddings/funerals), but I consider myself to be agnostic. I've explored a lot of different religions, and I don't feel that I fit with any one in particular.

I think we will encourage our children to explore and learn as much as possible, but we won't push or guide them in any one direction.

Both Jewish but non religious--I consider myself culturally Jewish, religiously agnostic. DH is an athiest. I wouldn't necessarily discourage LO's involvement in any religion, but I would be really surprised if he did become religious (in any religion) because it's just something that's not a part of our lives.

@gingerbebe: That's pretty cool. I was homeschooled myself with a Christian curriculum.

Had a very negative experience with Christianity most of my life. My mom's like the mom from the original "Carrie."

We're religious. I grew up Catholic and still love the religion but don't practice. DH grew up Southern Baptist and we attend/are very involved in a church of that denomination.

We will definitely be raising our children in the faith-it's something that is very important to us.

@dc yoga bee: @Mrs. Sunshine: right there with you guys! Both DH and I grew up southern baptist. Denomination isn't as huge of a deal to me as I've gotten older--just my relationship with Jesus Christ. But the church definitely has to preach the Truth and communion is a must for us. We will definitely be raising our children in Christianity but when the time comes only they can decide if they want to follow Jesus and have a relationship with Him.

@dc yoga bee: will be praying for you as well! i know it can feel pretty empty to not be able to find the right church home for your family. Praying for God's guidance.