by reneeisorym 34 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
1.) Take them to your church and encourage them to learn about other faiths too.
2.) Don't teach them anything about religion.
3.) Encourage atheism.
4.) Take them to church . . period.
5.) Take them too all kinds of places and let them choose where they want to go.
(Maybe I haven't thought of all the options -- feel free to add to the list)
I'll raise them Catholic, and when they are old enough they can go to other churches and learn about other religions (execpt for JW's) on their own if they wish, as I went to Mormon, Luthern, Angelican, Hebrew Temple, before becoming Catholic.
If I had children, I would teach them all the lies and deceptions that God's Bible is full of. I would teach them that many of the things the Bible praises are actually wrong, like going into an occupied land and murdering everyone in it simply to provide a place for God's people and then justifying it because they wouldn't give up everything, waste their time and resources to sacrifice to Almighty Tyrant, and stop being good at producing value.
Of course, I would additionally teach them that Jehovah's Witlesses are full of even worse hot air. Anyone in my household that wanted to get baptized would have to wait until age 18 and having read Crisis of Conscience and at least one apostate web site through before getting baptized, or they would have to be totally on their own and making their own stupid mistakes.
I would show them all the isms. Both theism and atheism. I would try my best to allow them to decide from all the major belief/non-belief systems. Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Atheism, Sikhism, etc. I would make sure they know and avoid the nasty ones like the JWs, Scientology, the Cult of Satan, Satanism (yes, they really are two different things, one is a commie/bigot/business religion the other is the proper thing), any anti religion organisation (Anyone that is set to, wants to or wishes they could destroy the beliefs, faith and hope of the World are just plan **** heads.), suicide pacts (yeah, some of these I would save for a later age that is more ideal for education in the subject of the particular organization/belief system), neo Nazis, etc. I would want my children to know about everything, know the good, know the bad, and then decide what is right for them. And if they want to be agnostic then so be it. Whatever they would want I would support them through. I would want them to have a sense of justice, positive morality, strong common sense and to know what is right and what is wrong.
I would give them a choice. The freedom to choose without having to suffer one sided comments.
I will teach them in much the same way I was taught about religion in RE (Religious Education) classes in the UK. I will tell them what different people believe, but I won't say 'this is definitely untrue' or 'this is definitely true'. That way, they will get a good overall view of many religious beliefs and if they choose one it will be after looking at a wide range first.
Number 3 (encourage atheism), and what WTWizard said. My kids won't need supernatural beliefs to have human values; history speaks for itself regarding what religion does. They will, of course, be free to think about it for themselves, but they will not be ignorant in the same way I was.
Let the find their path.
Daddy, what made that leaf move?
Wind.
Where is the wind?
You can't see it. It's air.
How do you know it's there, then?
By the things it does.
Is that the same with who made us, then? We can't see it, but it does things?
Yes, honey. It "affects" us. That's your vocabulary word for today.
My wife and I are atheists so we have been having to fight off all the Christian influences which are forced upon our daughter by my wife's Southern Baptist family, school mates, preschool teachers and the society at large. I have to laugh when I hear Christians complaining about how they are so persecuted and discriminated against here in the U.S.A. by all the secularists. Please...atheists are such a tiny minority and the whole American society reaks so thick with Christianity that we are constantly having to answer questions from our 4 year about various misconceptions of reality based upon Christian mythology.
We try not to make a big deal about it and calmly explain that there are many religions in the world and many beliefs but this is what we think....etc. The calmness is a mask for my annoyment at having this crap forced upon her without our consent. I wonder how happy these Christians would be if I constantly did the same to their children? So many Christians without a second thought take it as their right and duty to push their beliefs upon others, especially an innocent child.
I try not to make a big deal of it so she will not become obsessed with it like I am. I want her to be a skeptical, rational, and independant thinker. I don't want her afraid of the Devil, demons, Hell, the destruction of Armageddon and a whole host of other nightmarish superstitious nonsense so she can concetrate on having a real life without a lot of irrational fear and guilt.
We try to teach her about science, reason, observation, trusting her senses, and the application of Ocham's razor.
This is particularly tricky for me because we still associate with my jw family alot. I basically attack issues as they come. I don't teach any religion but if something comes up that seems illogical we talk about it. I let them give there own opinions. I told them whatever religion they want to be is fine with me, but to investigate and inform themselves because you should really be convinced if you are going to be a member of something. My oldest I see tending more towrds atheism. (smart child) but the scond one is too little. He wants to be catholic sometimes I guess from peer pressure. But honestky as long as they are happy I could care less.
I would teach them that "Religion is the Opium of the people." {and so is Politcs}
