Raising your kids to be rational thinkers on ALL subjects.
Offline I don't have a girlfriend and have no plans on ever getting married or having kids, but you never know. Anyway, if I do have children...I was thinking...not only will I tell them the truth about God and how the world was made...but I was thinking...(and this has been something I have been thinking about for a long time)...but I was thinking that telling them the truth about Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny and The Tooth Fairy would be the right thing to do as well.Why lie to your kids? Why let let a fake character get all the thanks when those kids get their gifts? Why not teach them to be good because it's the right thing to do?The myth of Santa Claus is no different then the myth of God in my humble opinion and if you're going to raise you're kids to be atheists, you might as well raise them to be rational on all subjects and let them know...No God...no Santa Claus...no Easter Bunny...no tooth fairy...no magic...no monsters.....just people, animals and fish.I think it not only saves the parents the stress from one day telling their children the truth about Santa and those other characters, but it'll help the kids as well if they know from childbirth that there is no super natural related stuff in the world and you also won't have to worry about them being sad after learning the truth about Santa.
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Or you could, you know, let them make up their own minds.
Just a thought.
I don't think that children should be raised to be Christian, Jewish, Islamic, -any other religion-, or even atheist. In a sense, telling your child from a very, very young age that there absolutely is no God, is the same as teaching them about any religion. you can influence your children without telling them to believe something. Teaching them how to reason, and do logical, critical thinking, showing them to research and analyze evidence vs whatever else, is (in my opinion), the best way to raise your child. Then in the end, let them choose what makes since to them...and if you did teach them how to use those things (ie: logic, reason, evidence), hopefully they will be intelligent enough to not fall victim of theology.
If I were to have children, I would let them make up their own minds. My parents never told me that god was not real. I was encouraged to read an explore.
Kids eventually figure out that santa and all that stuff isn't true. They're so little when they believe that stuff anyway. I don't see any harm in it.
If god takes life he's an indian giver
I personally don't want kids. By the way, a bit off topic, but am I the only one who thinks since she put a real pic up that PariahJane is a smoking hot babe?
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I find that very interesting about how your parents raised you, Jane. However, what do you think one should do if they have a beloved grandparent that constantly talks about god when she visits? This is the situation I am in. I have 3 girls and have not really mentioned god nor any other ideas from either side. The eldest always gets confused after visits. I don't know what to do about that.
"I am an atheist, thank God." -Oriana Fallaci
Thanks Matt!
Watcher - Most of my family was pretty much non-religious or subtly religious so I don't recall that every happening. I did have some cousins who were born again but I thought they were batshit crazy before they were born again so...
I do remember getting upset about a childhood friend who came from a very religious family and she told me I was going to hell because god says so. I was pretty young but I remember being freaked out. My mother just told me that some people believe in a god and it means a lot to them and that I shouldn't take what they say to heart. People believe in different things and that we should be nice to each other about our beliefs. She told me it's ok if I don't but if I want to then I should read something about it.
She also told me it's impolite to talk about religion in public because it's such a sensitive subject. I never really listened to her anyway.
I doubt that helps but...
If god takes life he's an indian giver
I think telling kids about Santa Claus teaches them an important life lesson: Do not believe everything you are told. Authority figures will lie to you or just be wrong.
As a child it was a logical progression from recognising that Santa Claus was a lie to realising that the same was true of God. It also trained me to look for evidence and apply logic. I spent a few years trying to proove that it was really my parents placing the presents under the tree.
Oh, a lesson in not changing history from Mr. I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!
I don't suppose taking Granny aside and asking her to refrain from god-talk (after all, it is YOUR house) would do any good? You can tell her that you love her and respect her, but could she please respect that you feel this is a personal matter between you and your kids?
If not, you can just be up front with your kids by telling them that different people believe different things. They can be respectful of her, but they don't have to take everything she says to heart.
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I never wanted to teach my future children that there is a santa or easter bunny. My wife points out that I was find growing up with them and I still figured out how the world works. I'm still uneasy blatently lying to my kids like that.
I have heard a pretty good alternative however. Kids will learn about Santa from culture. They will learn in school, from friends, from TV, etc... I really don't plan on telling them either way. Let them figure it out for themselves.
Same pretty much goes for religion. I will try to stay out of it as much as possible when they are younger. As they get older and can grasp some of the concepts I plan on questioning them if they mention a belief in a god.
In any event you have to let your kids make up their own mind.
"It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan
About Santa...yeah, I could just let the kids learn about Santa from the world and when they ask me about, I'll tell them I do not believe in him and to just wait for Christmas morning to see if he comes and then when he doesn't, the kid will see for himself that Santa is not real.
....Course, knowing me I'm such a big softie I'd probably feel bad and puts extra gifts under the tree and tell my kid it's from Santa.
Trying to teach my 5 year old son there isn't a boogie man monster is my toughest battle right now. God and Santa are pretty much low priority on the list in regards to the imaginative things out there, those two aren't preventing him from going to the bathroom when it's dark in the house.
Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer. - William S. Burroughs
I would constantly ask my children why they think things work and then help the with their reasoning by offering my knowledge or opinion on the subject while letting them form their own hypothesis.