are you the same religion as your children ?

[nikcola]

and do you think they should celebrate both parents special days i.e eid christmas diwali(sp)

?????????

Can't help I'm afraid I'm mildly Christian and DH is overtly Christian - so same festivals no conflict.

However I get a lot of 'stick' as a childminder because I won't 'celebrate' other religions festivals. We discuss them and the concepts but my DH's religious belief would not allow him to 'celebrate' within another belief structure.

Not trying to be contentious btw

I'm an aetheist and my children are Catholic, so no. It hasn't been an issue yet, but I can forsee it becoming an issue in a couple of years when DD1 should go to religious education/take her first communion etc. and you'd better believe I'm not going out of my way for that to happen.

I'm a Christian and dh is an aethiest yet he still enjoys Christmas. I take my sons to sunday school but they can choose their own beliefs when they're older.

Children and I are catholic and dh sits on the fence

Me - vaguely christian by upbringing
dh - vaguely muslim by upbringing

solution - both rabidly atheist by belief and celebrate all the good bits!
(sorry to be flippant I know religion is a serious issue for others)

bump

If dh was a different religion then we probably would follow both but to me it makes it all pointless. I think it would be wiser for both parents to agree on one religion or none stick to it. Otherwise you are teaching them two "truths".

No festivals issue for us, but we have DD baptised as Catholic (same as DH), whilst I am CofE. TBH neither of us are particularly religious anyway so it isn't really an issue for us.

well I was kinda brought up as very vaguely buddhist, my dh is jewish although non practising, we do celebrate some of the jewish festivals as in-laws do, but as I am not jewish dd is not jewish. When my mum invites us over for celebration dinners etc we turn up! Also we tend to celebrate xmas.

I'm what I call a secular Jew, ie, I don't believe in any kind of a higher power out there but am interested in DS knowing about his cultural history. DH is an atheist. This year we are getting a Christmas tree and I'm taking him to see the Hannukah candles.

hi im a catholic but not pratising one dd is not yet christened as of yet

Yes, was very important to me that DD be brought up R.C.

I am jewish and dh is christian, therefore we have both Chanukkah and Christmas. We go to my parents for Chanukkah and his for Christmas. I will take the girls to carol services as it pleases my MIL, however they are being brought up jewish. That is what is on their records. As they are older (5 & 3) we are starting to introduce religion to them and they know that they are jewish, but daddy is christian.

Hopefully this method will work!!

I honestly can't see how you could be a devout follower / believer of a religion whilst your child was devoutly following another - isn't it too hard to negotiate that children primarily have their beliefs shaped by their parents, with two separate and different beliefs which are absolute?
As for an awareness or acceptance of different religions, or participating in the cultural aspects where they co-incide with religion, then I would have thought that it was essential that the child was encouraged to have knowledge of both cultural tradistions and practices - otherwise they will see one parent's culture as more valid than the other.

Neither DP nor I practise any religion, but DS's granparents are Hindu and Christian. We celebrate Christmas and Diwali for their cultural and (to be honest) hedonistic value - and I recently had to explain to DS why his Muslim Aunts were fasting for Ramadan. If either parent belives that the others beliefs are fundementally wrong or not valid, I think there is bound to be difficulty. Hope that helps Nickola - but I suspect not

My DP's dad was Muslim and his mum Christian. I think they celebrated whatever was going, quite frankly.

Crunchie, you sound like a very sorted family

I've come back (I'm so selfless, me ) to add that I think celebrating festivals is different from embracing a religion. I celebrate Christmas and I'm not a Christian. My mum sends Diwali cards and she's not a Hindu. In fact I'm getting keener and keener on the whole idea of 'festival celebrations' without their religious context - including fireworks around now because it's the beginning of winter and we're celebrating with fire, not just because of Guy Fawkes/Eid/Diwali.

So yes, I think celebrating festivals is good, and it's important whether or not you believe in the religion behind it. It's respectful of culture.

[God, I don't half go on, don't I]

we are like shimmy21! Ds and dd will go and celebrate Eid with family but will also have some "minor" xmas celebrations at home.
To be honest I would not have married dh if he really believed in a different religion than me but that is a different issue...

That makes a lot of sense mi.

dh and I both baptised as Roman Catholics but more Christian in our beliefs....both believe in God and want to let our children decide....we have baptised ds and are very soon to baptise dd...if they decide to become atheists later in life fine but tbh it made me think about religion the fact that I'd been baptised and there are no conflicts in our house about this (I had to do RE O-level and am glad so I am)

My DD is muslim like her father. I was vaguely brought up Christian but have never practiced.

I know that DH will be upset if she grows up and turns her back on her religion, and so it is an issue for us how to bring her up Muslim when he is the only one practising at home.

There are basic parts of Islam I do follow, to help set the example, and we all say salah (sp?)in arabic at bed time etc. So unless I convert that is about all I can do.

It isn't an issue now but could potentially become one.

you do make a lot of sence mi as allways

We are non practicing catholics and our child's only faith is that if he screams long enough he will get a bottle of milk.

At what age do you introduce religion? We don't go to mass but we believe in God, so how do you introduce the idea?

we celebrate all festivals - I think it is nice it teaches about culture and also it is fun I think we have something nice to do each month so it's fab - also it means we embrace all the different beliefs in our family and no one feels left outI think it is important for children to be awre of both their faiths and for both to be equal