To take toddler to church when I dont believe.

[Waitinginthewings]

I've just started taking my toddler. I go because we enjoy the music and there's a lovely supportive, caring family atmosphere and its something to do. I have no idea if there's a god- but am totally respectful of others beliefs. I obviously wouldn't pretend to believe if anyone asked. Am I wrong to go? I think it could provide some of support networks that they are maybe missing out a bit at the moment. Theres a real community feel. A lot of stuff they preach is just about being kind/ treating everyone equally etc. I come away feeling good.
Am i wrong to go?

I was bought up evangelical Christian but now have a different, nature-based spirituality. I still take DD to a pre-school group at an evangelical church where they mostly play but also hear a bible story and sing some simple religious songs. I often disagree with the deeper meaning of the stories, but I think it's important for DD to learn them as part of our cultural heritage (and of course I will discuss them with her as she gets older).

The organisers are lovely welcoming people who put a lot of thought into the children's activities and crafts. They are very sincere in their beliefs but not at all pushy and I feel very comfortable there (although I don't openly declare myself to be a semi-pagan )

No it’s fine. Churches do want to evangelise but I hate ‘in your face’ efforts or any kind of guilt-tripping/coercion to get people to believe. Arriving at a belief in God should be natural and originate within the person or what’s the point?

Anyway - a massive part of my church’s purpose is community support and outreach. There’s no obligation for those benefitting to give anything; helping others is one of the things Christians are bound to do.

Plenty of people attend church but do not "believe". I don't know any vicars who believe in the bible being literal truth eg world created in 7 days.

But that has nothing to do with belief?

Historically and globally, it is a tiny, tiny, tiny subset of Christians who have ever argued that the Bible should be taken literally. Most serious Christians don't have that kind of belief - never have.

I think it sounds like a rather lovely thing to do.

You would be very welcome at our church.

“ Most serious Christians don't have that kind of belief - never have.”

Oh that’s news to me.

I do wonder if someone will ask me a religious question at church one day!!

The Bible says 7 days for creation. But it also says that a day to God is 1000 years.

So obviously the earth etc was made in 7 days but it's humans who count a day as 24 hours. That a human concept. We do not know how long God's day was.

Nobody who reads the Bible properly believes that it was 7 x 24 hr days but they do believe it was created by God.

So many people talk crap about a book they have never read or studied.

No, our local churches are welcoming of you either way. I personally can't do it, but I don't think you're wrong to. I'm not religious in the slightest but my ex is so he takes them to messy church once a month. I hate all the stuff they bring back with 'God forgives us' and all that stuff, but ho hum.

We do not know how long God's day was.

Well, not to get theological on you, but we do. God is outside time. The Bible doesn't offer any consistent scheme for divine time.

(And also, I do not see why, if we can accept that creation time is a metaphor, we can't accept creation matter as one too.)

DD2 is doing RE GCSE and has just studied 'Religion and Life'

• The Big Bang theory was apparently first put forward by a Catholic priest, Georges Lemaitre.
• In 2014 Pope Francis said that 'evolution in nature does not conflict with the notion of creation'.

She is also being taught that most Christians believe the creation story in the Bible is symbolic/metaphorical rather than literally true.

The church I attend is very community spirited. They feed approx 100 people a week with a hot lunch and also give out food parcels. They also signpost people to appropriate services.They also have messy church once a month and give the dc sandwiches which they get them to help make. I spent yesterday cutting up paper shapes for the next messy church.

I chose Christianity myself as a teenager, I have had my periods of doubt. Over the years I have met some people who come purely for the social side and some who are very devout with rock solid faith. It doesn’t matter to me.I see a world where people have access to more information and choices than ever but I see shrinking community. My 90 year old neighbour summed up modern life. She moved in to our road as a five year old, people walked about then and cars were rare so people would bump in to each other now they jump in their cars. We also do so much stuff online, no more queueing at the post office or bank. While our lives can be more streamlined all that lost human contact means the world overall is a lonelier place for many.

I will attend two Christmas tree festivals soon, not at my own church. Local schools, businesses and charities decorate an individual tree. For anyone who wants a look round a church it’s a nice time to go. One of the churches has about 50 trees decorated it looks beautiful and I would imagine small dc would find it exciting.

You only need to get as involved in church life as you want to. Lapsed Catholic in my fifties here. You could spend your entire church attending life without getting "sucked into" anything.

@TeenPlusTwenties. Interesting post. I'd never heard of Georges LeMaitre. Just looked him up.

What happens if/when they start to preach things you don't agree with?

I go to church on Christmas Day because my wife and youngest like to and they want me to come with them. My wife does believe (well more than I do) and I most certainly don't.

Do I believe anything that is being said? No not at all, I just tune it out, It's one day out of my year that I go, because they want me to.

Meadow The GCSE RE is really interesting. She has to learn about Christianity & one other main religion (Islam) and as well as their faith & worship & festivals, also their views (and UK law and non religious views) on issues such as Divorce, Euthanasia, Environment etc.

As you say, you’re not feigning belief. I’m sure they’re very happy to have you there (and you sound lovely for checking).

Just as most Christians don’t believe in the literal truth of the bible, most atheists don’t think they do!

I don't think there's anything wrong with it if you're contributing to the community and helping to keep a dwindling institution alive.

We're atheists but I was raised by a Muslim and a Catholic - my Catholic mother took me to church for a few years and there are definitely elements I miss. The smell of a church is wonderfully nostalgic to me but I would feel like a fraud going to mass just for a good sniff and wouldn't get the warm and fuzzies donating to that particular institution.