Atheists/agnostics, how would you raise your children?

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In my personal opinion I would not tell my children what to believe but share my view that while I don't believe in their being one single person(s). I do believe that there is something there some kind of faith it might not be religious or spiritual.

It is that which I would say to my children but if it was themselves who believed in religion who am I to be able to criticise them.

Reply 41

picklescamp

I'm raised in the Catholic church but agnostic. If I were to have children I'd absolutely teach them all the values I learned in the catholic church, just maybe minus the God being real bit (not to say I'd teach them that he wasn't real- I'd just say nobody knows). I certainly hope they'd respect religion though.

Reply 42

Kiytt

Before all else, and once a child develops the mental capacity, they should be taught scientific method, the theory of evolution, the big bang theory, and all other fundamental concepts of physics, chemistry and biology.

Thereafter, the key philosophical schools of thoughts, i.e. nihilism, absurdism and existentialism, should be introduced. They can decide which of those they agree with on their own.

I went to a Catholic primary school, and I find it appalling that I was told to treat the existence of God as if fact, before I even had the capacity to critically think.

Moral values can be instilled through fairy-tales (unlike biblical parables which are fictional stories masqueraded as fact).

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 43

troubadour.

Original post by picklescamp

If I were to have children I'd absolutely teach them all the values I learned in the catholic church

Are any of these values exclusive to the Catholic Church, though? I can't really think of any values from that Church that wouldn't exist in its absence, and, for that reason, I don't really think they should be labelled as 'values of the Catholic Church' when being taught to children. :holmes:

Reply 44

AperfectBalance

I would tell him about religion but I would make sure he understood that it was not real. I would tell him about science and the wonders of it, I would hope to make him a free thinking person who is able to challenge others, but If he did want to join a religion I would try put him off but would not force him. if he wanted to be islamic or jewish I would probably be disappointed .

I would encourage to read philosophy also.

Reply 45

Good bloke

Original post by picklescamp

I certainly hope they'd respect religion though.

Why? Religions are, essentially, institutionalised superstitious beliefs. Some religions hold fairly reasonable beliefs and hold unexceptionable practices and rituals.

Some, though, are very objectionable, and completely unworthy of any respect. The religions of many South American native peoples involved human sacrifice, for instance; is that worthy of respect? Is Islam's misogyny and condoning of slavery worthy of respect? If so, why?

Reply 46

picklescamp

Original post by Hydeman

no, of course, because we are a christian country so our morality is based on christianity, informed by Catholicism of course as the predecessor to the church of england. Whilst I wouldn't say 'Jesus said' to a child, I still firmly believe these values are inherently christian. I could go into my views on the philosophy of ethics, which would further explain why I don't see morality as plain common morality, there are clear strands (not a cultural relativist though...) and underlying metaethical beliefs which differ. But that'd be far too long and I cba to write an essay.

Original post by Good bloke

yeah, I can clarify what I meant because I agree what you said. I certainly think religions can be extremely negative and that's one of the reasons I no longer call myself a Catholic. By religion (in general) I meant their common element of spirituality. I don't think it's healthy for anyone to not be in touch with their soul. I am aware of how that could sound wishy washy but having studied it in philosophy I don't think a wholly secular world, governed by pure science and eliminative of transcendent belief (such as there being a soul, a mind, a self, abstract concepts such as justice) would be a good one. So, in short, read 'religion' as 'spirituality'

Reply 47

Good bloke

Original post by picklescamp

I don't think it's healthy for anyone to not be in touch with their soul.

It isn't healthy not to be in touch with a fictional part of oneself?

Reply 48

troubadour.

Original post by picklescamp

Whilst I wouldn't say 'Jesus said' to a child, I still firmly believe these values are inherently christian.

Could you give a few examples of these inherently Christian values? :holmes:

Reply 49

picklescamp

Original post by Good bloke

It isn't healthy not to be in touch with a fictional part of oneself?

Bit of a paradoxical thing to say. When you say 'oneself' what on earth could you be referring to if not the soul. What is the self?
I think it's healthy to be open to the possibility that empirical thought only goes so far. In my opinion it's unhealthy to see oneself as a mere amalgamation of sense impressions and cells which create an illusion of identity. Every time someone says 'I' they refer to something which they identify as themself. A core of their being which ties them to reality- their soul. Without that, we're in sketchy territory linguistically and as a species imo.

Reply 50

picklescamp

Original post by Hydeman

Could you give a few examples of these inherently Christian values? :holmes:

treating others as you would like to be treated; selflessness

Reply 51

Good bloke

Original post by picklescamp

When you say 'oneself' what on earth could you be referring to if not the soul.

The self is the sum of the parts. There is nothing else. The parts change, over time, and in response to ill health, accidents, experiences, so the self changes.

Reply 52

picklescamp

Original post by Good bloke

The self is the sum of the parts. There is nothing else. The parts change, over time, and in response to ill health, accidents, experiences, so the self changes.

So all I am is cells and biology? I don't buy that. I don't think that can account for my experience as a human being- a vending machine functions as a sum of parts but that doesn't mean it has a sense of self like I do. So yes, to me there is something else.

Reply 53

troubadour.

Original post by picklescamp

treating others as you would like to be treated; selflessness

Other belief systems and societies hold and have held these values, too (e.g. Buddhism, whose whole point is to attain happiness through eradicating selfish desire). What I'm trying to get at is that, while these values may be found within Christianity, there's no reason to think that they are inherently Christian.

Reply 54

picklescamp

Original post by Hydeman

Just because they aren't exclusively christian (which I never said) doesn't mean they're inherently christian- inherent meaning an essential characteristic or attribute. I think it would be hard to deny that christianity doesnt hold selflessness as an intrinsic value, so I'm confused about what you're getting at here.

Reply 55

_Fergo

Original post by hussamhussam

I'm sorry but you have just perfectly shown how bankrupt atheist morality is. I can't believe how anyone would allow their daughter to become a professional whore.

How are they not? No one has been able to explain why one is allowed and the other isn't.

Children will always be curious and keep asking why. What will you tell them? "Just becoz"?

Yes, forcing, beating and threatening your kids is evidently a much better morality.

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Reply 56

troubadour.

Original post by picklescamp

You've changed the terminology slightly. Your earlier claim was that these values are inherently Christian -- that's slightly different to saying that a value is inherent to Christianity, which is what I think you're trying to say. 'Inherently Christian values' implies that they are in some way rooted in Christianity (hence, it wasn't necessary for you to explicitly say that they're exclusive -- that's what the wording you used means) and that any non-Christian who lives by them is somehow borrowing from Christianity, which simply isn't the case.

Reply 57

Betelgeuse-

I shall force my atheism on them from an early age. They will have Sunday school with me, dad where i will be indoctrinate them with my atheism. I will explain how non atheists are impure people who will be punished for eternity by our God and that we are better than them.