Should parents force religion on their children?

[MrDawn]

Should parents force their religion onto their children?

Why or why not?

 

[Crys]

Me personally, nope. That's how problems get started. I don't have or want children but in the slim chance I did, I would want for them to decide when they are old enough what they choose to believe in. That's their decision and I would support and love them no matter what. I myself do not have any type of religion, Catholic, Baptist, etc. I just believe in God and keep my beliefs to myself. If my children asked me questions, I of course would answer, but as far forcing anything on them, no way.
The video above is just awful. That's the type of that gets on my nerves. People that do that get on my nerves, trying to shove stuff down people's throats and passing judgement. This is why I don't go to church.

Edit, I thought I was going crazy. The title changed.

 

[MrDawn]

Me personally, nope. That's how problems get started. I don't have or want children but in the slim chance I did, I would want for them to decide when they are old enough what they choose to believe in. That's their decision and I would support and love them no matter what. I myself do not have any type of religion, Catholic, Baptist, etc. I just believe in God and keep my beliefs to myself. If my children asked me questions, I of course would answer, but as far forcing anything on them, no way.
The video above is just awful. That's the type of that gets on my nerves. People that do that get on my nerves, trying to shove stuff down people's throats and passing judgement. This is why I don't go to church.

My mother was extremely atheophobic when I came out as an atheist 18 years ago. I went to church, read the old and new testament, and did the youth group growing up and at the age of 12 concluded that deities and all of religion were fictional constructs made up by humans out of fear of death. I was a closet atheist for a long time but got tired of feeling like I had to keep my atheism in the closet. Most of my family members are Baptist. At the age of 16 I was pretty much done with her religion. It was a constant uphill battle with my mother. It almost ruined my relationship with her because she was so obtuse and hateful about it. It didn't help that her pastor was filling her head full of bullshit and accusing me of being a Satanist when he didn't know me. I was accused of being immoral. Atheists and Satanists are two different things and morality isn't exclusive to Christianity. For the longest time she didn't know what an atheist was until I talked to her and shared links from Atheist websites. Starting last year, we've patched things up and after some of the immoral things my half brother (who identifies as xtian) has pulled. I think she's realizing that there is a surprisingly large gap between religion and morality.

 

[Crys]

My mother was extremely atheophobic when I came out as an atheist 18 years ago. I went to church, read the old and new testament, and did the youth group growing up and at the age of 12 concluded that deities and all of religion were fictional constructs made up by humans out of fear of death. Most of my family members are Baptist. At the age of 16 I was pretty much done with her religion. It was a constant uphill battle with my mother about getting up in the morning and having to go to church on Sunday morning where I would fall asleep in the pew. It almost ruined my relationship with her because she was so obtuse and hateful about it. it didn't help that her pastor was filling her head full of bullshit and accusing me of being a Satanist when he didn't know me. I was accused of being immoral. Atheists and Satanists are two different things and morality isn't exclusive to Christianity. For the longest time she didn't know what an atheist was until I talked to her and shared links from Atheist websites. Starting last year, we've patched things up and after some of the immoral things my half brother has pulled. I think she's realizing that there is a surprisingly huge gap between religion and morality.

I am sorry you went through that. That is an example of why parents shouldn't force anything on their children and definitely not make their children feel excluded or anything else heinous. It's fine to have differences of beliefs and so forth but anyone that tries to put another person down just adds to the problem. Can I ask you a question?

 

[MrDawn]

It's fine to have differences of beliefs and so forth but anyone that tries to put another person down just adds to the problem.

She's fine with it now. She's changed her attitude towards me. But 20 years ago she acted like Atheists were a threat to her beliefs. I had to wait until I was 18 and not living with her before I confessed to what I really was. Had I confessed while living with her, they would have attempted at forcefully indoctrinating me and I would have had to lie about being a Christian again. I remember coming out in the car and getting dumped off into town. It was a very volatile response. She looked at me like she wanted to kill me, called me the devil in a very hateful voice, and drove off. All of my Christian friends abandoned me except for one. He was disappointed. It all came down to this one thing; they all said their god was real and got pissed off at me for not being convinced.

Can I ask you a question?

Sure.

 

[Crys]

That's what she's saying now. But 20 years ago she acted like Atheists were a threat to her beliefs. I had to wait until I was 18 and not living with her before I confessed to what I really was. Had I confessed while living with her, they would have attempted at forcefully indoctrinating me and I would have had to lie about being a Christian again. I remember coming out in the car and getting dumped off into town. It was a very volatile response. She looked at me like she wanted to kill me, called me the devil in a very hateful voice, and drove off. All of my Christian friends abandoned me except for one. He was disappointed. It all came down to this one thing; they all said their god was real and got pissed off at me for not being convinced.

Sure.

I want to say time heals but it doesn't. I'm sure you have scars of that to this day. If I'm wrong, I apologize. I just can't ever doing something like that to my flesh and blood. It's unfathomable.
As far as those former friends, the real ones will stick with you no matter what. A difference of beliefs is not going to break up a friendship, I believe, let alone have people abandon you. But people tend to show their true colors when you need them the most I guess.

I'm not assuming anything. If you have children or not, want to, if they developed different beliefs than your own how would that make you feel?

 

[MrDawn]

I'm not assuming anything. If you have children or not, want to, if they developed different beliefs than your own how would that make you feel?

I've already been down that road with them. I am perfectly comfortable with it so long as it doesn't cause them to act immorally. They're currently exploring their beliefs and I'm sure they will change them many many times before they find something that they are comfortable with. My son clearly states he's not Christian, but believes in the existence of deities and creationism, so I've concluded his views are somewhat paganist. My daughter has gravitated towards Animism or Neo Paganism and strongly believes in ghosts and spirits but has told me she doesn't believe in the Christian's patron deity.

 

[Crys]

I've already been down that road with them. I am perfectly comfortable with it so long as it doesn't cause them to act immorally. They're currently exploring their beliefs and I'm sure they will change them many many times before they find something that they are comfortable with. My son clearly states he's not Christian, but believes in the existence of deities and creationism, so I've concluded he's an unidentified Pagan. My daughter has gravitated towards Animism or Neo Paganism and strongly believes in ghosts and spirits but has told me she doesn't believe in the Christian's patron deity.

That's nice that you support them.
That's how it should be in any case though as seen in the video it doesn't happen all the time.

 

[DrLeftover]

Ask that question in a country that observes Sharia and let me know how it works out for you.

 

[MamaFrankie]

No because religion is the cause of most of the world's problems.

 

[DrLeftover]

No because religion is the cause of most of the world's problems.

So in a country that is officially atheist everything should be peaches and cream and everybody stands in the sunshine and recites poetry.

Or not.

 

[riseabovethis]

The only time parents have to force their religious beliefs on a child is when the child is old enough to question it.

 

[Juneberry]

I'm personally against forcing religion on children or on anyone in general. I was forced into Judaism as a child myself and hated it. My father was more open-minded and fine with me exploring other religions, but his parents were vehemently against it at least for a time. I was forced to go to Hebrew school and follow Judaism until I was old enough to have my bat mitzvah by my grandparents. Incidentally, they stopped pushing it on me after that though. When I told my dad I wasn't interested in it, he made it clear he never minded that- in fact, he's not really religious either. I was just forced to by my grandparents because they wanted to push it on me, but once I was old enough, they decided to let me decide- though my grandmother still kinda pushes Judaism in general, she's not forcing me to go to synagogue or anything anymore since I was like 13/14. I just keep an eye on the calendar to tell her and a few doctors who I am close to that are Jewish "happy holidays" and stuff.

I personally am since areligious and spiritually inclined. My father is perfectly fine with it and will talk openly with me about it, since he is actually pretty similar in viewpoint. It's just his mom that still assumes we're Jewish... Which I mean, genetically speaking, we still are. It's partially a race it seems like and not just a religion...

I've always had a general interest in world religions though. I was really happy when I got to go with my friend to her Hindi temple for a holiday celebration, and similarly, she came to my synagogue a couple times for Hannukah (she wanted free latkas, to be fair).

 

[Crys]

If I had children, which I don't, I would not force anything on them. There's a difference between explaining about one's beliefs and then basically forcing another person to think and feel the same way. It's going to be harmful in the long especially when the person/kids/etc grow older and want to make decisions for themselves about religion, if they want to practice or even believe in anything. It should be their choice. Forcing something on someone is going to do the exact opposite.

 

[Nebulous]

I have a child (who is an adult now) and I have never forced her to believe anything. She is free to think how she wants.

 

[riseabovethis]

Children aren't forced into learning a religion, they grow up into one. I grew up Catholic because my mom was Catholic and probably all of my ancestors. If my mom had been a devil worshiper I'd be a devil worshiper. If a baby's parents aren't religious it will grow up to be a Pagan or heathen. That video you had up there was a Catholic kid turning away from his religion. When I turned away from my religion no one noticed because we weren't that religious.

 

[Nebulous]

When I turned away from my religion no one noticed because we weren't that religious.

What made you want to do that?

 

[riseabovethis]

What made you want to do that?

I read about what the Spanish did in the name of God when they came to the Americas. I stopped believing in God.

 

[Nebulous]

I read about what the Spanish did in the name of God when they came to the Americas. I stopped believing in God.

Lots of cruelty in history.

 

[MrDawn]

So in a country that is officially atheist everything should be peaches and cream and everybody stands in the sunshine and recites poetry.

I do have to disagree with this statement. There's been several studies that show France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand having one of the largest Atheist populations combined in the world and they're getting along just fine without those beliefs. Definitely not like North Korea. You don't have to be a Theist to be moral. Morality is not exclusive to religion. I do remember the Nazi's having their own Christian religion and they ravaged Europe and murdered millions of people.