How can I help religious DD?

[IsabellaofFrance]

My DD is 6.

She has become increasingly more religious in the last year. She attends Rainbows and Sunday School (at her request) and she loves both.

I think she understands that beliefs are individual and that not everyone believes the things she does, and she is happy to share her own beliefs. She has started to get interested in Dinosaurs and Space, and became really upset when learning about the creation of the universe as it doesn't fit with what she believes.

DH is Atheist, I am Christian but only attend Church semi-regularly and I just don't know how to handle it. I can't answer the questions she has without upsetting her. She is bright and articulate so its not explaining it on a level that is the problem, its knowing what to say.

Take responsibility, goblin. You are participating, with other posters, in ganging up on one poster who has different beliefs to your own. She has stated that she has no problem with what others believe but simply wants the right to make her own choice in relation to her faith. You and others responded to that by ridiculing the basis for her choice and claiming that you have a right to comment negatively on her religion because the state forces that religion on others.

The irony is that criticising this poster will make absolutely no difference to what the state does, it will simply relieve your feelings. If you want to fight, fight the right person. Otherwise you are taking part in something that has a bullying cumulative effect and is exactly what you are being a martyr about.

It would be different if springy was attacking your choices or saying you don't have a right to them. She has taken a position that is defensive, rather than adversarial. So leave her alone all of you.
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feather- but who is the church, not its members?

I am sure springy is capable of speaking for herself- it's quite patronising of you to assume to speak on her behalf.

I know it is, that's why I apologised. She hasn't complained (yet) though.

You know perfectly well that private individuals don't influence the degree of involvement that the state has with the church.

You know perfectly well that private individuals don't influence the degree of involvement that the state has with the church.

And yet to advise me to take my gripes to that higher level.

Ground level conversations can have a huge effect nowadays.

Let's not forget that christianity is an evangelical religion.
Keeping it to themselves is not their style.

If springy chooses to discuss her faith here she has a perfect right to do so- I would have thought that with god on her side us atheists are at a disadvantage anyway.

No idea what your sentence means goblin

A conversation is which you are maintaining your right to non-belief while sniping at another individual's right to believe is not likely to bring about positive change for anyone. And no, I don't think springy was choosing to 'discuss' her faith; she was feeling forced to defend it, a feeling that a group of you were exploiting. There's a difference.

So the only kind of data you consider of any value is eye-witness accounts? Ok. Have the gospels :)

Ahh but they are probably altered and biased I hear you say. So there is actually no kind of data you would consider valid at all.

Now that's biased.

Yes, they were the accounts of men who were growing older and wished to record their memories for a time when they would no longer be able to give aural accounts themselves.

It seems likely that notes were taken much earlier and used as a basis for the complete accounts.

As with any important document in days before digital media, different copies were transcribed as the original aged, in full knowledge that not every copy would survive forever.

Can you state your sources, please.

Well, I suggest you keep reading as at present your research is sadly incomplete.

Given that you made your assertions with such confidence, as if you are an authority or quoting from an authority, it's a surprise that you are unable to lay your hand on any information that would provide a basis for such a claim.

Yes, that is irritating. If you choose not to believe, fine. I would happily engage with that. If you choose not to believe and to create a case for that, also fine and I would engage with dialogue.

If you choose not to believe and choose to undermine and ridicule those who do believe by setting out information you have no evidence for as if it was fact, that's not fine at all. When you're ready to have genuine dialogue, in which you play by the rules as well, I will be happy to play :)

I asked you first. And yes, I'm still waiting. Don't you have anything?

You apparently research for years, dismiss a religion to people you know are devout, and then turn out not to have a single shred of evidence for the 'facts' you were pretending to possess.

And you think I will be falling over myself to try to convince you?

You didn't make your point. You couldn't even begin to support it. And no, that doesn't make me self-important or intellectual - it's called fair debate.

Your way is 'I'll say what I like and you won't be able to challenge it because I've been researching for years. Why not just try to convince me and I'll just focus on dismissing your points.' Because that's so much easier than substantiating any of your own.

Entitled

Interesting that you think you'd have to consult every book and article you've read over the last few years to support the theory that Matthew and Luke are copies of Mark...

feather what was that you were saying about sniping.......?

Yes fair enough Goblin :)

Big Don't understand why that was your last post. Surely it should be discussed now you've gone to all the effort?