Thank you for posting back to this thread. It is always interesting when someone reports on what helped (or didn't) whether technical or otherwise.

Indeed, and I am attached to LQ so it is nice to see the old faces again.

Yes I also noticed the resurrection of the thread. (Pun alert! ;) )

Not re-reading the entire history, but instead the more recent update.

Regarding her questioning of her friends, except for the age and the cited results where it's gone poorly, I still feel it's a great idea. Meaning knowledge is good.

I know it's a loaded statement, but I always felt that being raised with something, and deciding that it wasn't my cup of tea, sort of enabled myself and similar friends to be able to look at extremists and be able to roll our eyes, versus get enamored and join them. Meaning we didn't go join Jim Jones and drink Kool-Aide, or hope that aliens were going to resurrect us as they rode by in a comet.

I've also discussed the various religions with a few devout observers, those being Orthodox Jews and Muslims, and learned about their sabbath, their rituals, ... the what's and why's their religion decided the rules and structures which they follow, and further one of them related how they updated things, such as the interpretation as to what constitutes making fire, also known as conducting work, once electricity was introduced.

At least they learned things about their religion. I guess I did too, but I learned the prayers, the rituals, and never the reasons, until I was old enough to ask the occasional priest, "Hey, why is that?" Probably due to parents being blind faith, "Go! ... because you're supposed to" versus instructing. My most sobering knowledge was when I was probably 35 or so and it was after the holidays where my mother lamented people keeping lights up after New Years, and I made a comment about Little Christmas, where my lifelong Catholic mother didn't understand it. So there you go.

Anyways, I don't know. The first assumption/discussion was the title about how to raise your child. Well, 7 seems to be school age, they start solidifying relationships with other kids, reasoning, and discussing topics like this stuff. To me it's not supposed to be a social justice thingy, especially with 7 year old kids, but instead, "Well, this is what I believe to be the way it is. I'm fine. You're fine. We don't need to argue about it."

I try to follow, "don't be such a nightmare that you emotionally scar your kid." We're parents, not friends. We can be friends when they're grownups and they need home buying/child rearing/investment/retirement advice versus religion advice.

I think it is essential for children to know that people disagree about these matters and to accept that as part of the way the world is. Most children should be intelligent enough to understand that, when Mummy and Grandma say different things about God, it is not because someone is lying but because they genuinely disagree.

I would call my father an agnostic and my mother definitely an atheist, but they brought me up to make up my own mind. They never indoctrinated me. I am now a Christian, but I suspect I would not be one if I had had all that gentle-Jesus-meek-and-mild stuff pumped into me when I was a child.

I hold to most 'christian' values, but I'm not religious in any way, just seems like the right way to go about life in general.

A lot of so called Christians that I have met, are nothing of the sort, they are self indulgent & greedy.

If you choose to believe, that's OK by me, just don't push it onto others that disagree. :)

I could say to certain rather vocal atheists, "If you choose not to believe, that's OK by me, just don't push it onto others that disagree."

Hi hazel,
Just in case, mind you ;), since that just might possibly be directed to me, or a few including me, I'd like to remind you that I don't consider myself responsible for what people I will probably never meet chose to believe, but I am fairly heavily invested in my only child, my Son. I have posted and it is most certainly true, that I did not hide my convictions NOR those of Believers from my Son. He is something of a Believer, and that's his choice and his alone. To me teaching the value of Tolerance and validity of Reason is more important to his character than his religious convictions.

I am however deeply invested in how people treat each other and it seems to me that historically Religion harbors far more bullies and sketchy evangelists that atheists. It also concerns me when Science gets perverted for those who at once cast doubting aspersions on Science, and at the same time, try to "prove their Faith" by "hitching a ride". If 99% of Humanity was religious but solely on a personal and private level, you'd not hear a peep from me on this subject.

My battle is with the political power that religions so often seek and exploit. It seems rather rare that the counterpart occurs.

Of course I wasn't thinking about you, Enorbet! You've always struck me as a most civilised opponent. The people I had in mind were the "new atheists", as intolerant a crowd as I've ever come across. Almost anyone in my local church could give them a lesson in toleration.

As usual, an eloquent response enorbet, thank you.

Could not agree more.

Perhaps I should present my situation to stay on topic: I was raised without any sort of religion. It is a completely foreign concept to me. My parents said if I wanted to believe I could, it was my choice, but never come back and berate other family members for not believing if I chose to believe.

So, as I got older and "wiser", I chose to be an Atheist because it fit with my intellectual view on the world. I remain so to this day. I do not push my beliefs on anyone, nor do I ridicule them for their beliefs. I do however believe religion is a personal matter and should be kept to one's self, not forced on others. I also believe it should be kept out of government, as in my case, the US constitution and the "separation of church and state" verbiage. This line has been "greyed" as of late and I find this tremendously disturbing.

I do have one family member on my wife's side that is a militant Christian. He has not pushed anything on me, probably because he knows my mindset and we continue to have a good relationship.

Welcome back Anisha.

What do you do now? Is it still work from home in your case?

What type of stay at home classes does your daughter get? (Since schools have not re opened in India).

What type of learning platform / learning management system (eg. Moodle) does your daughter's school use?


AP

Hello, I hope all is well with you and yours.

Kind regard,
SAM

Resurrecting a three-year old thread? But, an interesting one.

If you are "strongly religious" and your child now appears not to be, or vice-versa, "let it go." If your child questions you "strongly," as a child might well do, answer "calmly."

I suggest that people – child or adult – should be taught to think for themselves, "without fear or favor." Always realizing that there are other opinions and that those "other opinions" might be very strongly held. Teach them to be sensitive towards others. Teach them that they do not have to engage in combat in such situations, even if invited to. Teach them that they actually don't have to say anything at all, if so inclined.

"Right" and "Wrong" sounds like a binary decision, but it very rarely is. If you're convinced that your position, whatever it may be, is "certain," then there is probably something that you don't know. (Especially if you now feel fit to "defend" it.) Or maybe, something that is yet to be known. Or maybe, something that cannot (yet?) be known. (Yes. Plenty of such things exist ...)

- - -

But also, particularly with regards to this subject ... religion ... to behave with sensitivity to what other people may think. "Religion is not an 'ordinary' subject, and to some people, neither is 'science.'" One's own position on this matter is intensely personal, whether or not it is also private.

You can do a lot of harm to people, even without realizing it or intending to do it, if you try to press your point too hard. And, it is rarely productive to do so. (The Good Book refers to this essential notion as: "sinning against your brother," and – "sinning" aside – it is a very important point that you can do so: that you can be in the wrong even when you are right.)

State your personal belief (if you want to), and then let it go. Or, as I generally prefer, say, "how very interesting." Do try to show people the common courtesy of showing them that you are actually listening, even if you never intend to agree. You can be the one to courteously end the exchange without replying.

I think it depends a lot on the age of the child. Small children need to be taught whatever their parents believe to be true (for example that it is dangerous to poke anything into that inviting little square hole in the wall). For thousands of years, the survival of children, (and therefore indirectly of the human race) has depended on their believing and obeying their parents.

The teen years are the time for questioning and making up your own mind, and then parents can indeed do a lot of harm by too much dogmatism.