Kids and Religion
 

This is going to be a very touchy subject, but I cannot stress it enough, please, PLEASE, please.. respect others religious views and morals, and if it turns into a flame war, I will just have this closed.
But yes... onto the subject...

Am I the only person who finds exposing kids younger than 12 to religion, wrong? It just doesn't seem right to me. My nephew came home today and my dad does the daily "What did you learn today?" routine, and my nephew said he learned one of the most controversial subjects to enter the schools, the theory of evolution.
Since my dad is an extremely devout Christian, it set him off. He started lecturing my nephew, telling him the theory of evolution is wrong, and that anyone who says its right is stupid. Everything has to have been created by someone, things don't just evolve. He told my nephew if any atheists were to ever come to him and tell them their views on such things, to walk away and to not listen to them, because if he does, he's going to go to hell.
I dare not speak up to him, because he'll start lecturing me, telling me the same stuff, and then it'll tick me off, and I will probably at some point during the lecture, start yelling back at him, and then just get up and walk away, thus pissing him off more. And no one wants to piss my dad off.
About a month ago I watched a special on one of the news shows, forgot which one, I think it was 20/20. It was about this little boy who was preaching Christianity and protesting abortion. The lady interviewing him asked him what abortion was, and he said that his dad had told him it was when a lady kills her baby because she doesn't want to keep it. While, yes, it is kind of that, its not that simple and immoral.

I just think telling kids that at such a young age is wrong. In my opinion, it seems like it would teach intolerance and a closed mind.

I never understood religion.

And no, the factor of me not caring about it doesn't count, I really just never got it.

I think religions should be only given to older people, no, not seniors D:, com'on, teaching kids misleading things are stupid :/. Imo, I think atheist is the best religion there is, no restriction of anything :D

Hmmm... Can't really say anything from a personal experience considering Buddhism is basically about peace and harmony, but for my family, with the exception of my grandma, most of us are not really... that devoted so... Nothing was ever really imposed on me. It was just kind of there... I don't really remember if they tried to explain anything to me when I was little or not...

As for the topic in general, yeah, it probably shouldn't be taught unless the person can decide for themselves if that's what they actually believe in or not. I know a few people who became interested in religion during high school, but before that, never really cared.

I don't think its right at all.

They grow up to become completely ignorant, and so their children, and their children's children. (Though people do break away sometimes.)

Its the never-ending cycle of ignorance.


Don't think so? At my cousin's school, they say that all the fossils were planted by science centers and Universities for funding, and to keep your attention off of God. The "Lucy" skeleton was fake, along with the millions of other fossils, apparently.

No, I'm not joking.

I'd also like to point out that she knows NOTHING about any other cultures. "Inca? Were they like... Ink makers...?"

Who was Attila the Hun?
"Uh... A king of... Russ- ...No... China...?"

I'm not religous, and i find that some of the things religous people believe in are... rather hard to understand... in terms of 'logic' to me...

but anyway...

Ideally, it would be best to let the kid/individual choose wat they like to believe... but if the parent, or caregivers, believe in somethign so strongly, it's understandable that they'd want the kids that they're looking after think the same way...

just like how u teach them wat's moral, wat u believe is right or wrong...

turning the table, we'd almost want to convince your nephew that ur dad is not 100% correct.. and want him to believe in evolution.. or that evolution actually probably exist and ppl are not dumb in thinking that way... but who's to say wat really happened billions of years ago?

I think what you can do is, if your nephew is upset about how wat he learnt at school is contradicting wat he's learning at home, you could probably be the middle person and tell him, these are called believes, there's no right answer, and he can choose wat he thinks is "real"....

Scientology = Insta-win.

I don't mind this - to a certain extent.

If I was religious, I would want my children to think the same way as me too. I mean, I'd hate it if my children won't agree with me all the time.

However, I disagree to this when parents teach their kids to hate or ignore other people who have different views. I don't really mind if parents tell their kids about it so the kids will follow them, but those who force their kids to and teach them to look down on those with a different view is annoying.

I guess it's okay generally, but there's a limit to it. If my child, for some reason, chooses not to believe with me, then I'll let it be. Not that this will happen for me anyway, since I'm an Atheist.

It's a simple matter really. In my school, my biology teacher told us at the VERY first lesson:

"What I'm teaching you now are just THEORIES, and you DO NOT have to believe in them. This however does not mean you can go into the exam room and write 'I don't believe in evolution'."

Matter solved. There is no problem in teaching kids of any age about religion. I went to church school since I was five, yet, I'm going to chose Biology as my major in University (If i make it. My results come out tomorow). People need to realise that things like these are just theories, taught to us by other people, sharing their knowledge with us. They are not forcing us to believe it. It's like the same with maths. What percentage of the population use trigonometry in their everyday lives? And yet, we still learn it in school.

I think you should talk to your dad, and get him to understand that the school is not forcing him to believe in what they teach. They are simply, 1. Teaching whatever is in the syllabus, 2. Sharing knowledge. And IMO, there is nothing wrong with teaching kids about religion. As I said before, I'm planning to go Biology all the way, and I'm kind of religious. Never missed a Sunday mass, and I've been to church school since I was five.

I'd go with what Bla~ah said. Of course, i'd want my children to know about my religion and to grow up with the same beliefs that i have. To every religion, there's an extremist. Even though i'm a christian, I don't go around forcing the word of God unto other people. I just think that the word is out there and when the calling comes, people will come. Be respecful of others belief's and stop having the mentality of a little kid (ie: my dad can beat up your dad type of mentality) even though they may be extremist. And to the extremist, do your duty but in a way that is not so abrasive to others.

A child should be exposed to religion; that much is inevitable, so you might as well make the transition easier. However, like previous posters have said, there are extremists. My opinion is that you should teach them what the fundamental concepts of the religion are, and leave it at that...let them pick it up on their own. Either way, it's the safest solution, for if they happen to dislike it, then there is no permanent effects. If they choose to expand on their knowledge, you would have already set the foundations for that expansion, so no harm there.

Yeah, thats how I view things. I mean.. if I choose on religion, of course its going to be in my kids life, but I will not force it onto my child. I'd let my child choose their religion. Morals isn't always related to religion. As long as my childs a decent and kind person, I don't care what religion they choose.

Thats some kind of an ethical problem, I guess.

I think what needs to be debated, is how religion is affecting a child.
I dont think that it makes a lot of sense to talk about extremists, because this is a seperate and specified problem concerning religions. I dont know how many creationists are teaching their children that evolution is some kind of a well-structured lie, but in Germany they are quite a few. But I think this is a very extreme form of religion, something extremly old-fashioned and also very ignorant, I guess.

But this has nothing to do with `How to raise your kids and their relationship to religions!´. It is more a problem of stupidity, I think.
In normal families religion can be some kind of protection and something to hold onto, especially for children. When I was a child I was told by my parents, that they do not believe in god. On the other hand my grandmother told me that there is a god, watching and protecting me and I could tell him everything...blabla. Well, everytime I was sad, I knew I could tell someone:god. In fact I never knew what god should be like or whatever.

Contrastly, I am not religious today... not since I was 10 or so. Nevertheless I know, that the only way to choose your religion is to feel it and not to proove it. As an adult you tend to proove everything, as a child you just dont care. Whats wrong with choosing something which doesnt hurt anyone, if you can rethink your choice? I dont see the point...

Of course it would be better not to have religions at all, because ( as you already said) they are causing a lot of trouble.(<---philosophical problem!)
AND there is nothing in this world, I hate more than philosophy:
Just to talk about a problem but never find a solution. So it does not really makes sense to argue about it...we cannot change anyones mind. But we do not have to adapt anyones thoughts either- thats the good point.

I have no problem exposing them to religion when they're younger...seeing as it promotes good morals...and that's important when you're young.

But what I don't like is when people force them at it. I was watching this documentary on A&E called "Jesus Camp" and it scared the crap out of me. I'm catholic, so I'm very religious... but even that disturbed me.

They impose radical christian beliefs on them and teach them all to speak in tongues and, I was extremely disturbed. That's too much for kids to handle at that age.

I don't know if this is a necropost, its not incredibly old.. but its been awhile.
But morals can be taught without religion. Actually some religious people I know are some of the most immortal people I know.

I don't think younger kids should be exposed. Its better they are exposed to religion when they are older so they can decide for themselves. Otherwise they aren't really making their own decisions anymore =\ It also means they can't learn certain things. Its almost like taking control of the kids life. I dunno..I just think they should be exposed when they are older so its them making the decision whether or not to believe in that religion. I don't see how its right to take advantage of younger kids since they don't really know what to believe or really know how to make a decision since their parents have been making decisions for them for a while. When they're older and more mature they finally have their own mind and own beliefs. They don't have to follow their parents anymore.

My parents chose to bring us up with no religion at all so we could make our own decisions and believe what we thought was right and not what they did. I think thats a better way to go. Have the kids explore life on their own and if they find a religion they believe in to be right then let them believe in that.

Yeah. My friend was raised as a Christian, but as she got older and really began to learn about the religion, she lost faith in it and became a closet buddhist. She didn't say anything because she felt pressured and obligated to stay a Christian, because thats what she grew up as. I don't think thats right.

Honestly this is a big subject for me. When I was a young child religion was always forced on me. I was always told Catholics/Pagans/Mormons/etc. where all going to hell. Apparently Southern Baptist was the only way to go.

Luckily when I was 13 I began to think. From my own observations and views on how things worked I decided to not believe in a God. I knew it was impossible to prove he did not exist, but I couldn't force myself to believe without proof.

Any-who, to the subject. I think it's wrong. Children should not be force-fed that type of information. They should not be made to worship one way or another. They should be allowed to think freely and make a decision based on how they perceive the world.

Now, I am an Atheist, but I believe it is any man's right to choose to believe in what he/she wants to believe in, but I think brain washing, and recruitment through fear are disgusting.

@Yosei: You are right. It does, more often than not, teach a child to be close-minded of others beliefs. Being close-minded leads to intolerance of those beliefs. I think you should talk to your nephew in private and tell him that he should believe what he wants to believe, and not be afraid of what others will think about him for it. "You can't please everyone."

Well, I'd prefer not making an essay-length post like I did at another forum I was on, but I only have a problem with how ignorant many "minister's children" are becoming.
*might revise on comp*

I'm wondering if any of you watched the Nova special on teaching "intelligent design" as a purely scientifc topic in a Dover, Pennsylvania Biology class.

I highly recommend using Veoh, YouTube, Limewire, anything to watch it.

I feel sick and slightly (very) mad when I think about it, so I'll let you guys find out more.

hmmm in short i believe..

Exposure = good

Forced = very bad...

Well I am a Christian and I do not believe in evolution, and I dont believe there is anything wrong with sharing my opinions. However, I still think that it is wrong to force them on other people. I also do not believe that anyone will go to hell just for listening to the theory of evolution. While I dont believe that its wrong to expose children to religion at a young age, they shouldnt be forced. They should believe out of their own free will.

I think your father should try and understand that while there is nothing wrong with expressing his views, there is a proper way to do it. Rather then saying "evolution is wrong and all who believe are stupid", try "I believe that evolution is wrong...". and do not insult other people, and tolerate them.

Also, perhaps u might want to explain to your father that the way he says it, the child might grow up one day and look back at that point in his life, and forever have a bad impression of Christians.

Another thing to note (is this turning into an essay?), is that Christians are not required to force people to become Christians. We are only commanded to share the story, and what I believe is that only God can convince the person.

There will always be debate. Religious parents argue they are teaching their children to live moral lives, non-religious parents argue that children should choose on their own. I know parents on both sides of the issue, and I don't think I can judge which is right or wrong. I won't force religion on my children, though.

On a related note:

(O_O)

I wouldn't force my children to practice the same religion as me. Of course, when they're young, I would include them in the religious ceremonies I participate in, but I would also expose them to other religions so that when they're older they can choose what to believe in, if to believe in anything at all. I don't think it's fair to teach a child to follow a certain way of living if he or she doesn't understand the full meaning of it. As adults, they would not know anything about their religion apart from that it's the "best" one there is, and therefore they would teach their kids about their religion and denounce all others, and the kids would follow the same pattern, and even if they wanted to get out of it they wouldn't be able to.

Greetings,
I want to have a say in this if you all dont mind,I want to ask one question and if you can answer this then you mybe in the right path..

Q.Why are we created?

yes, simple yes..but do u actually know the answer? well in my opinion I think learning relegion is the most important thing, sepcialy in an early age to strengthen your beliefs, like when you learn what right and whats wrong, if you think its worng to learn it at an early age, what do you say if your parents didnt teach you how to read and write untill you are above 12?

its simple, relegion is what makes us humans move, live and believe,you try to figure it out, lolzzz.

If u really are interested, I believe that humans were created because God wanted to have a relationship with us. I also believe that we are given free will because God doesnt want to force us.

parents (well, good parents) want what's best for their children. simple as that. Now, according to most religions, its sort of a "join or suffer the consequences" thing. so these people honestly believe in their heart of hearts that exposing their children and teaching their children the ways of their given religion is what's best for them. How can you honestly argue with that?

you guys say "blah blah, give the kids a choice, you cant force them" but they are kids, they don't always comprehend the "big picture". if a child doesn't want to eat his vegetable, does the parent just think oh well thats fine, dont eat your veggies? no, usually, there is some sort of coersion to make the child eat. This is the same idea applied to a much bigger issue. If the child doesn't want to go to church and save his or her soul from eternal damnation, can you expect the parents to just sit idly by?

i might not agree with it, and you might not agree with it. But they aren't our kids, so it really doesn't matter. These parents are doing what's right by the kid in their eyes, and that's all you can ask a parent to do.

I still think my dad is sending them the wrong message. If I were religious and and exposed my kids to my religion, I certainly wouldn't say "Don't listen to buddhists/atheists/pagans/wiccans/islamics/jews/etc, their religion is wrong and stupid, and everything that they believe in is wrong".

that's what he honestly believes though, that's the thing. As he sees it, those other religions/schools of thought are erroneous, so why not warn your children to guard against them?

i am christian and i find most people like this guy dont know what they are talking about, but i think it is imperative that kids are taught what their parents believe even if it is against the school teaching. It is always better to have an informed opinion on both sides and not just one. I say the same that everybody should be taught about evolution if they go to a christian school. evolution and creation, secular and christian are a huge part of the culture (of my country any way) and should be taught. It doesnt matter what you teach somebody as a kid really, they will make up their own mind (especially with both sides of the story) in and through adelecence.

edit: there is an age / maturity level they should be exposed to this kind of thing and the parents as always underestimates how mature their child is. if it was a 5 year old i wouldnt want them listening to evolution because its a hard concept to understand, you cant understand two sides of an argument at that age, not because i want them to be brainwashed.

If a child is incapable of such higher reasoning skills you have to make the choice for them, its called parenting.

In my eyes we are not even "commanded" to do that. the bible says go out into all the land and be my wittnesses. it does not refer to missionary projects or actively seeking converts. he is talking about when we fill up the globe, live your life as an example to others. But this doesnt encompass the child parent relationship, and that is something hard to comment on.

In my opinion there is relation between religion and kids.

This whoe religion thing scared my brother he can't choose to beleive science or religion thanks to my uncle