Is it right to teach children religion at an early age?

[Yollam]

Is it right to teach children religion at an early age, before they've developed the ability to think for themselves?

[MADem]

1. Do whatcha want with your own rugrats, but don't impose your nonsense

on the rugrats of others, lest ye be damned....

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. I was torn between the two "no" options. both made sense.

I know there are many who disagree - but to my mind, it is horrific brain-washing.

[Warpy]

7. It can be, but then again, it can be a way to get children to think

about things like truth, fairness, and honesty. It can also get them to think about why we might want to help people who are worse off than we are. That's what family and church centered religion can do when it's doing a good job.

I'm an atheist who would never tell religious parents how to bring up their kids beyond defending their kids from physical assault.

Religion should be centered in the church and the home. Even screwball religion can be a source of community and great comfort in times of stress, so it's really not up to me to judge any of it for anyone but myself.

[Brilligator]

48. I second the brainwashing

It was a long and painful process for me to break free from some of the crap that was instilled in me as a child.

But otoh, you can't control what people teach their kids. You can only do your best with your own.

[SteppingRazor]

3. Other:

Whether it's right or wrong depends on the vauleus instilled. There are also cultural considerations -- to those that vote no, are you saying that a Jewish family should NOT teach their kids Hebrew, or instill in them the history of their culture?

Personally, I think that would be pretty sad.

[Yollam]

4. Yes, culture and religion can be pretty tightly woven together...

Personally, If I were of Jewish extraction, I'd take my kids to temple and let them observe the traditions, go to Shabbat dinner at friends' houses, etc. - all the while reminding them that it's only ceremony and mumbo-jumbo. Hopefully they could still appreciate the beauty of a culture of tradition handed down over millenia.

[Bill McBlueState]

5. I don't think it's *wrong* necessarily, but

I think it's a bad idea for kids to get in the habit of holding beliefs for which there is no evidence. (Although, at a young age, kids need to be able to accept their parents' authority without having everything explained to them. It seems silly to debate a four-year-old about whether it's time to come inside for the night.)

Still, I voted "not sure" for the following reason: Everyone should have a basic understanding of the majority religion in their culture. Non-believing kids need to have the resources to evaluate claims like "Jesus was all about love and understanding," or "God hates gay people." I think it's easier to get by in American society if you have at least a skeletal knowledge of what's in the Bible.

As an atheist, I would refrain from "teaching religion" to my kids, but I would make it a point to "teach about religion." Now, how this'll fly with the grandparents is a different story. :eyes:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. There is only God

and to show children the wonders of the world is to show them God. To show them compassion, to encourage creativity, is also part of God. To give them a broad spectrum of belief, including atheism, is also God, for there is only God.

[LizMoonstar]

39. wait, are you the Sufi?

is this from your religion? i like it!

I'm an atheist in practical terms, but believe that there's Good Stuff in the universe, and that's God. I'd teach my kids that, basics on the usual religions - especially handy for literature classes - and what religion is, has been made to be, and should be.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

8. not going to vote, but...

why should anyone have any say about what I or anyone teach their children? I will fight you over what I can or cannot teach MY children, but I won't even speak to YOU on what you should or should not teach YOUR children...

subjectProdigal

[TallahasseeGrannie]

9. You left out a category

My religion (Episcopalian) is very much tied up in my culture. The church is our social life, our kids went to our parish day school. It is our musical and liguistic heritage. We took our children to all church events and we followed traditions at home, but they were always aware that final decisions about matters of belief were personal and up to them. But to take the church out of our lives would have been to remove about 50% or our family activities, particularly musical. (we all sing) I don't see it as brainwashing any more than teaching a child about their culture is brainwashing. I mean I brainwash kids all day, when I tell them to share, not to hit, to keep their fingers out of their noses, not to forget their lunchboxes, etc.

[DemExpat]

10. I opted not to expose my children to religion

(in the form of practice) but sometimes wondered during their growing up if they weren't missing something.

I remember as a child I loved Bible stories so very much - so I did get them a Children's Bible stories book, but other than that I didn't want to indoctrinate them with religious thought.

Still, they both turned out with good strong values, so religion was not necessary to impart that, and any spiritual awareness/knowing they seem to have gotten from my being.

DemEx

[ArbustoBuster]

16. I don't think they missed anything.

My parents didn't expose me to religion as a child. I grew up ethical and compassionate (or, at least, I like to think I did) by watching how my parents lived their lives. I feel that you can get just as much respect for honor, truth, and compassion by teaching about the good people of history as you can by teaching the Bible. You might even be able to get more good teachings into your children by using real history than by using the Bible, because the Bible has all those "hate gays, kill witches, bash babies against rocks" verses in it that confuse atheists like me. While real history is rife with villainy and horror, at least it's not God-sanctioned villainy and horror.

[catabryna]

11. I couldn't vote, but I suppose the closest would be "Other"

I go to church on Sunday, and my kid goes to Sunday school. So, he is actively learning of my belief system. That does not mean he won't grow up and hold some other belief, nor would I actively try to dissuade him. But, the "ability to think for themselves" argument would imply that no family should attend church with their kids until they are old enough to understand. What age would that be? 10, 12, 14, 16? All children are different, afterall.

And, I do talk to my child about other belief systems as well as explain that many people don't think there is a God; none of which he really understands at the tender age of five anyway.

[Inland]

12. Teach them something they can reject later without any repercussions.

I'm a firm believer in insisting certain things on children in order to allow them to completely reject them in an assertion of invididuality and refuse them altogether. Religion is perfect in this regard, as are piano lessons, and my own personal pick, Chinese lessons for toddlers.

[DemExpat]

14. I heard this argument before from a friend

and he wasn't kidding.

:D

DemEx

[Inland]

15. I'm not kidding either.

I know it's going to happen, so why not pick it myself?

[LibertyLover]

38. Chinese lessons

My toddler loves doing her Chinese lessons with the BBC's Muzzi program. As for religion - well, I don't keep her isolated from my practice and she likes to be in circle with me but if she decided to believe something else down the line, that's fine too.

[rucky]

13. All kinds of faiths. Why keep them in the dark?

[XemaSab]

17. I think it's better to raise children with your religion

and let them reject it later. Learning about Christianity from the inside has taught me a LOT about how other people think, and what they believe. I think it's an important cultural experience, no matter what the faith.

[bryant69]

18. Hmmmm.

I suppose it depends on whether you see religion as a positive thing or not. Since I do, I would teach my children (assuming I have any, which seems unlikely) my faith. If I saw relgion as a bad thing, I obviously wouldn't - and would do quite the opposite.

Is it ok for Atheists to teach their children that there's no point to faith?

Bryant
check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Yollam]

25. I'm an atheist and I would never teach that.

I don't believe that teaching kids religion is right. However, I would never teach my kids the kind of arrogant worldview you describe. I simply teach them that I've chosen not to practice religion, because I don't need to have the secrets of the universe all laid out and described for me - I'd just as soon find out the "truth" if there is such a thing - after I die. I simply have no interest in wasting a moment of this precious short life worshipping some deity that could very well be completely fictitious, or simply the "wrong one".

I teach my kids that "some people believe XXX or YYY, and you don't have to decide to believe in anything right now. Just observe the world and you can decide what you believe in when you're older"

I'm well aware that people have different temperaments, and that religious faith and routines serve a valuable purpose for some people. I just want no part of it myself, and consider it unethical to indoctrinate my kids in one way or another.

[bryant69]

28. You might be accurate.

I would say that it seems like the more fervent Atheists, like the most fervent believers, seem unable to not prosolyte.

Hidden in this question are a few other things.

1. I go to church most weeks; do I leave my child home during that period? Or should I simply abandon my faith until my children are all above 8?

2. I speak religion - I mean it's part of my vocabulary, part of how I live my life. A certain part of my life has been devoted to my faith, and it's not an insignificant part. Assuming I build a good relationship with my kids and assuming I live my faith, aren't I in effect prosyletizing just by doing that?

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Bridget Burke]

29. Any values you transmit to your children might be called "indoctrination".

Whether they are God-based or not.

[bunkerbuster1]

19. You don't define "early age."

I'm not sure I figured out how to think for myself until sometime around last year.

And I'm old enough to recall rooting for Hubert Humphrey.

Anyway, I voted for "teach all religions." Which is why we belong to a UU congregation. It seemed the best way to honor my own family's liberal-Christian tradition.

[DemExpat]

20. Yes, that would have been the only choice I would have made

for my kids if there had been one near us.

DemEx

[Union Thug]

21. NO.

Teach fairness, kindness and responsibility to self and community.

IMO, religion should be discussed as one of the many mind-trips we play with ourselves, but not as fact.

On the other hand, don't deny children their choices. When our 8 year tells me he believes in god(of course the ever popular in the US Mattel action figure, anlgo-saxonized xtian one), I simply tell him that I don't, but if that's what he chooses, that's his business.

[Johonny]

22. The belief in the super natural

appear to be pre-existing in even very young children. At least according to new scientific research.

[sakabatou]

23. What age are we talking about here?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

24. yes it is.

most people pass on their values to their kids..and religion is part of a value-system for a lot of people.

also in some communities religion plays a large role ..

[ScreamingMeemie]

26. It is fine to expose them to the many different religions or the religion

of the parents at any age. Children at some point think for themselves anyway. My parents were diehard Catholics. I am not.

[Bridget Burke]

27. I picked "other"....

If parents have true religious convictions, why not teach them to their children? You did not include an option for letting the kids know that many good people had other religious beliefs--or none at all.

Children do not learn to think for themselves by being isolated from reality. They may reject the religion of their childhood--life goes on. But if they have not been exposed to religion, they just might get involved with the first cult that speaks of things that had been forbidden at home. It's another form of rebellion.

Should atheists teach their children to be atheists?

[Yollam]

31. I'm an atheist and I would say no to that.

I'm an atheist because it's how I choose to spend my life. I don't think atheism works for everybody. A lot of people want to believe in magical alternate realities - there's nothing wrong with that as long as they don't start passing laws that force me to observe their beliefs.

Because I want more than anything for my kids to have a happy, fulfilled life, I don't try to tell them that one religion, or lack thereof is better than another. I don't want them to feel that they need to be atheist to please me, but then somehow feel empty and unfulfilled. But by the same token, I don't want their minds shackled early on by the notion that there is some singular cosmic truth out there and that they have to stay married to it, when there are a myriad of different religions out there, and they should choose the one that's most to their liking.

BTW, my wife is a Buddhist who wants to teach the kids religion, which I try to kind of at least moderate. I tell them that mommy's beliefs make her happy and that's a good thing, but that they never have to practice or chant if they don't feel like it. Occasionally they do, usually they don't. The compromise has worked for us thus far.

In the first years of our marriage, I joined her sect and went through the motions of the practice, but I really came to resent it, because it was false - so I asserted my will to be myself, which is atheist since I was a kid.

[Bridget Burke]

32. Is mommy allowed to speak to the kids about Buddhism?

Or is your viewpoint the only one they hear?

[Yollam]

33. As I said...

"BTW, my wife is a Buddhist who wants to teach the kids religion, which I try to kind of at least moderate. "

In other words, she tells them what she believes as an absolute truth, which is how she sees it, and then I explain to them that not everyone see it that way, and that I don't do religion and am very happy that way. We respect each other's beliefs, although she'd rather I practiced her religion, and I wish she'd lay off the religion a bit, but we've both accepted that we each are who we are. She's okay with it, and the kids seem to be okay with it.

[More Than A Feeling]

30. I wasn't taught religion, period.

My parents never said a word about it, literally. I would not choose to do that to my children. I think it creates cultural illiteracy, and it caused me to miss out on some things that I really could have used back then. Meaning, and purpose beyond success as defined by the amount of material possessions you have.

Of course, there are other ways of imparting meaning and purpose than religion, but there is still the matter of understanding other people who belong to religions.

I will not preordain my religion on my children. They will get the choice I had, but they will be aware that there is a choice.

[slackmaster]

34. My church taught "golden rule" values

Being exposed to religion at an early age did me no harm. I've always been able to make up my own mind and support my views, they contradict what everyone else is telling me.

[phylny]

35. Other because it's a personal thing.

I would not sooner tell someone else how to parent their children than I'd want someone telling me how to parent mine.

[Iris]

36. I said "Yes - it's a positive way to instill values"

but it shouldn't be presented as an all or nothing way of thinking. They should be allowed, even encouraged, to explore other faiths. I think it should also be made clear that as they get older, they are free to reject the religious principles - but the basics like treating others the way you want to be treated, having compassion for the poor or less fortunate - that's the stuff I hope would stick with them.

[immoderate]

37. It's a tough question.

I'm a Jewish atheist. Never bought the mumbo-jumbo. But there were times I enjoyed participation in some of the customs and rituals. My parents never told me what to believe. They just told me to show up.

Also there are community interests involved. It was the opportunity to interract with other children and adultss I wouldn't have known if not for the temple. There are many variable to consider. I just know I wouldn't scare them with the bullshit.

--IMM

[LaurenG]

40. I was really lucky

I was indoctrinated as a child in the Chapel on the Army base in the city we lived in. I then went to a Presbyterian Church, then Methodist and finally A Pentecostal Church.

I had the urge to prove that one sided religions were all screwed up, so about the age of 13 I got up on Sundays (once my parents started sleeping in) and rode the bus to every church I could find. I had the opportunity to see that none of them were correct in my mind. Everyone of them taught separation and that only they were right. It was a wonderful experience, because I had some connection to reality and I wouldn't swallow that. I found that Christ and Buddha and Mohamed were all just trying to get people to understand that there was a better way than to screw over other people (among other things). I also realized that MEN wanted to control through fear and if those they preached about were really that darn controlling I'd rather just talk to the spirit I felt inside. Whether it's me or God, (or the same thing)I don't know, but I found better answers within. Then I could use what I thought they were really trying to say. It kept me from being prejudiced against any religion because they were all polluted as they came through humans with their own agendas.

It's really no big deal once you get past the control issues. I feel loved and safe, I don't need dogma from small minded, frightened people to keep me feeling that way. Like I said I was lucky, I wish every child could have the opportunity to learn to think for themselves, learn about hypocrisy first hand and then love people anyway. :)

[InaneAnanity]

41. NO

Indoctrination should be avoided whenever possible. Teach what is provable. Don't teach nonsense.

[manic expression]

42. It's fine

but it should be done with an open mind. The child should be taught certain things, never FORCED to think a certain way. It's just like having honest political discussions with a kid, but "honest" (among other attributes) is a big part of this.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

43. Other: I'd teach them ABOUT religion.

I'd let them figure out what they want for themselves, when they're older.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

44. If parents are religious, it's ridiculous for them not to raise their

children that way. If people are really committed, it's a big part of their lives, as Tallahassee Granny said. Should parents shut their children out of a major part of their lives?

Would you tell parents who were staunch peace activists not to take their children to demonstrations or teach them the values of peace-making? Would you tell parents who were staunch environmentalists not to teach their children environmentally responsible behavior?

However, if the parents themselves are not religious, then they shouldn't bother with the routine of sending the kids off to Sunday School just so they can have some quality time alone.

Instead, the parents should figure out what their values really ARE. If their values are scientific materialism, that's what they should teach. If they're Buddhists, that's what they should teach. If they're Christians, that's what they should teach. If they're Wiccans, that's what they should teach.

Parents should teach their children SOME set of values, as long as they are the values the parents themselves hold. The children may reject their parents' values, but at least they have something to measure themselves against.

And yes, teach them that there are other ways of thinking. I was brought up as a Lutheran, a preacher's kid no less, and we had a definite identity and a set of family rituals (that I remember fondly), but we were also encouraged to learn about other religions and cultures.

If parents leave their children as completely blank slates, the children will grow up "lost," looking for something to hold onto, adrift in the mindless consumer culture, where the only value is being just like everyone else. Such people are prime candidates for personality-led cults.

I have to wonder about parents who say that they're going to "let the children decide for themselves." Is it laziness? Are they going to provide NO moral and ethical guidance? Are they going to say, "Oh, so you beat up that kid who's of a different race. That's cool"? Are they going to say, "You left your picnic trash lying around in the woods. That's cool"? Of course not.

No matter what values you inculcate in your children, they will eventually grow up and make their own decisions. I have a couple of friends who were brought up as atheists who became Christians. I have another friend who was brought up as an atheist and has remained that way. And obviously, there are people on this board who were raised religious and became atheists. It's not as if whatever values you teach your children will stick with them unchanged all their lives. Indeed, if they mature at all, their beliefs will change even if they stay within the same tradition.

But what Dem Expat said about culture reminds me of a friend who had been raised as a preacher's kid but was indifferent to religion at the time I spoke to him. He said that even though he no longer attended church, he was grateful for his religious upbringing because it had increased his cultural literacy and taught him how to behave in public at a very early age.

[Solon]

45. There is a problem there...

While quite a few religions do NOT practice evangelism at all, like Judaism, others go further, as you quoted:

If they're Wiccans, that's what they should teach.

Actually this is something many Wiccans struggle with, for our religion basically states that ALL religions have value and that EVERYONE, including our own children, should be given the opportunity to explore their own path. Unlike many religions, which proclaim they are the TRUTH, Wiccans would claim their religion is the truth, FOR THEMSELVES. Combine this with the fact that as much as 80% of Wiccans were and are self-initiates, who have no social structure, no Church or temple to go to, outside of the UUA, if they are lucky enough to live near a good-sized city. By and large, most Wiccans know from first hand experience both the pain of being brought up in a religion that was jammed down their throats, and the value of self-discovery in spiritual matters. To many, the golden rule of Wicca "An it Harm None, do what thy will." would be violated if they did the same as their parents and grandparents as far as spiritual development. Most Covens will NOT initiate minors at all into them, and this even includes their own children in many cases.

Most Wiccans, as a matter of course, don't believe in any punishment or special reward in an afterlife due to belief, hence no real motive for "saving" their children from hellfire or ensure them a place in heaven. As far as values and ethics are concerned, those are usually far removed from religion to begin with, to Wiccans, as an example, me, I was a seeker in something I already believed in, something I couldn't put a name to until I picked up a book, and discovered Wicca. Now, for me, the values I was raised in were a definite factor in how I found my religion, a religion that matched my ethics and self-identity, but I would be loathe to claim that the same name would apply to my own children. I guess this could be attributed to the fact that both my parents are lapsed Catholics, people who reject much of the church's teachings as wrong, and came to their own conclusions about such matters and allowed us, their children, the freedom to learn what we may, without encumbrances in dogma and ideology.

While culture and religion can be intertwined, that isn't necessary, not really, some values that can and do cross such barriers are common courtesy things mostly. Don't lie, steal, cheat, harm others for your own gain, know your own value, and always question everything. I guess that for me, if my children did ask about my religion, I would answer as honestly and completely as possible, but I wouldn't force them to conduct the rituals, or even witness them, unless they ask first, and even then, I would tell them to always be mindful that other people practice other religions and that they are free to learn about and even attend services in those religions if they want to. Hell, I'd even drive them to those Churches, Mosques, Synagogues or Temples if they wish. If they grow up to be Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Wiccan, or even Atheist and curse me as an old fool, I wouldn't really care, I would support them, love them, and be proud I was able to raise someone who was able to blaze their own trail, rather than follow others, including even me. I'm far too individualistic in this to believe that I'm the only one who is qualified to be a leader of my own child, nor do I believe that such a child, once grown up, should have to follow in my footsteps.

[Barking Spider]

46. All kinds...

As a parent-to-be, we (the Mrs and I) are planning to teach our child about all different kinds of faith. Of course, we believe that there is no single right answer about faith, and that we each must find our own path to spiritual fulfillment. Hopefully, by exposing our children to many different paths, they will be well informed and able to seek comfort in their own way.

Also, we just think its important to learn different points of view - to become tolerant and understanding of others views of faith. I have this undercurrent of fear that without a good understanding of faith in general, my child will become an easy target for evangelists of all persuasions.

[nemo137]

47. Should I ever produce nemolings, I do plan to raise them in the religious

tradition I am in. It's part of my life, it's part of my cultural tradition, it's part of how I think and who I am. But so is thinking through things, looking at context and history, and looking at the broader picture of things, recognizing that I'm not always right, and I would try to teach them that, too. And maybe my kids will take something from that.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

49. I had to vote for other.

All your answers seem to imply either "you have a moral duty to teach your children religion at an early age" or "you have a moral duty not to teach your children religion at an early age", neither of which I believe.

You have a moral duty to teach your children what you believe is true from an early age.

[hunter]

50. How else will they understand my heresy?

:evilgrin:

[Nikia]

51. My parents and their siblings had a religous and atheist parent

They both taught them what they believed was true. The families ended up about half and half in regards to being religious or not. All of them are very tolerant of the religion or non religion of others though.