All you atheist parents wondering how to broach the religion topic to your kids listen up!

[Rhubarb]

I'm a catholic and I teach my kids about all religions. I explain that some people believe different things and some people don't believe at all. I tell them what the Bible says about creation and what science says.

I tell them what my personal beliefs are but I encourage them to make their own minds up. I answer questions with "well this is what I believe but you might think something different".

I take them to Church and they know about the religion we follow, but I do encourage questions as far as I can bearing in mind their young ages.

So what I say to you is this. Don't put a barrier between yourselves and religion when it comes to your kids. Arm them with information and let them make their own minds up. If you push them a certain way, chances are that they'll reject it later on in life. Whereas if you add your support to whatever they decide to believe or not, it will give them the confidence to choose their own paths.

You may be disappointed in their choices but don't try to influence them too strongly one way or the other.

So says me.

So what if you reject all forms of organised religion but feel a sense of spirituality within. What does that make you?

I call myself an atheist, but actually I suspect that I'm agnostic

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But even an agnostic will have a position. One of the misconceptions about agnostics is that they are always totally on the fence and 50-50, whereas in truth nobody is exactly 50-50 on the subject. It's all to do with how much weight you choose to give to the evidence. Or lack of it.

On the Loch Ness Monster, for example, I'm about 90-10. I'm 90% convinced it doesn't exist, but prepared to admit to the 10% possibility that it might, because there is some evidence. It's dubious and old, and mainly consists of the stuff we have probably all seen like this and this . Against that has to be set, for instance, the BBC survey of the loch a couple of years ago using 600 different sonar sweeps which found absolutely nothing. Nessie, like god, either doesn't exist or is very good at hiding.

Yes I agree with that unquiet dad.

The reason why I usually describe myself as an atheist is because born again christians usually leave me alone/consider me a lost cause, pity me and carry on with their smug existence. If I say I'm agnostic they will think there is an opening - there most certainly isn't where Christianity is concerned.

Dawkins does an interesting 7-point "sliding scale" of belief in "The God Delusion". There is some discussion of it here .

Agreed UQD, no-one is completely impartial.

I do not understand you UnquietDad.

You say that atheism is not a faith - no-one ever said it was. You say that there are no ceremonies attached to it, nothing to believe in - we never said there was. I think you are implying that Christians do not know what athiesm is, which is not true.

I still do not understand why you cannot tell your children about something even if you do not believe in it yourself. I'm not saying you have to define your own beliefs or lack of, you tell them because it's a worldwide culture, because it's a big influence on the world in general, because it has psychological interest and a whole host of other reasons.

I do not believe in Father Christmas. I do not tell my children that it is true. But I do tell them about him, where he came from and the story surrounding him. Then I tell them that some children believe he is real, but that I do not. If they chose to believe in him then I'll humour that. I won't buy presents from him or leave out a glass of sherry or anything like that, I'll just let them get on with it.

So why is it so difficult for some of you to at least tell your children Biblical stories in the name of education? Just as UnQuietDad linked them to Greek mythology of the past. The Greeks believe in their myths didn't they? And our children do learn about it at school. So for athiests I see no difference in teaching them about Jason and the Argonauts and teaching them about Jesus and the Disciples.

I told my children about God - baby Jesus, the virgin Mary, Heavenly host appearing to shepherds, etc - it's a great story.

I also told them that a man in a red suit flies round on a sledge drawn by magical reindeer delivering presents down our chimney.

Very happy that my children believed both!

I think I have learned to be defensive where my beliefs re religion are concerned. Maybe because I was always under pressure to attend mass, get married in a church etc etc. I feel my back go up when anyone starts discussing their religious beliefs (not people I know, more acquaintances) and I think that is because I feel I will have to justify my position which I don't really want to have to do. With this in mind, I have to be careful how I broach the topic with ds

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But if you don't tell your child the stories, are you not denying them that part of their education?

Whether you like it or not, religion has a huge part to play in society. If you understand religion then you understand politics to a certain extent.

And tbh, the OT stories really are just stories. The only guidelines on life are in the NT and I challenge anyone to find anything remotely offensive or wrong in the words of Jesus there. In fact, Jesus gives us a bloody good blueprint of how to live our lives, whether you believe he was the Son of God or just some bloke, you can't argue with his wisdom and logic.

I guess you do have to be happy with your stance as a whole though.

Pruners - I was Aderyn for awhile. Does that help? Do you mean know me irl? I wish I did. Sadly no-one I know has no TV and gets excited about the Bagpus soundtrack

ooooh, we have the Bagpuss video! dd loves it!

Rhubarb - I think in time my children will learn about some of the major bible stories - probably at school or more preferably as part of RE in secondary school. I don't want them to be completely ignorant and say things like "Jesus was found in the Bulrushes" as my dad once overheard a young man say in the pub one Christmas.

But at the moment I feel they are too young and vulnerable and there is soooo much more that they need to learn about the world first.

I often waver between doing nothing and actually being pre-emptive about what they might learn somewhere else and come home spouting as truth - so the last thing I am going to do is introduce the concept at this impressionable age.

Rhubarb - actually I think someone (not you) did say earlier that atheism was as much a faith position as having a faith. I was just challenging that.

I was also trying to point out that you can't "teach children about atheism" as someone suggested, because it's not a belief position - it's simply a word that describes a lack of any interest in or need for religion. If you like it's akin to not being interested in football and someone asking you why you don't teach your children to support Manchester United - it's just not part of your world-view.

But I have little argument with most of what you say. Christian belief is so much a part of Western history and culture that I would not want to deny my children its stories, but the difference between me and you is, I suppose, that I try to give them no greater credence than the stories of Greek, Egyptian and Norse mythology. I have no problem with children learning - at home and school - about religion. Not the same thing as learning that a religion is true.

Absolutely Unquietdad, just by teaching them about something does not mean to say that you are saying it is true. But you are giving them the knowledge at least, the understanding of why people do believe in it.

As I said, one of our very good friends is an athiest. He attended ds's christening and actually read out some promises written specially for him. So whilst he couldn't be his official Godfather, I wanted him to be there for ds as he is a wonderful man. One day hopefully he'll be able to tell the kids his point of view and why he doesn't believe. So the kids can chew over that at their leisure.

For now I'm content to tease him with overly religious Christmas cards and birthday cards telling him that we're "praying for him" - oh how childish we are!

Oh, and on this: "Jesus gives us a bloody good blueprint of how to live our lives, whether you believe he was the Son of God or just some bloke, you can't argue with his wisdom and logic..." Yes, I go for the "just some bloke" option, obviously, and again I wouldn't disagree with you, although I think what you say is just part of the truth. Jesus doesn't have a monopoly on that wisdom and logic, and people can arrive at his position without believing that he was divinely inspired. Or, indeed, without believing that there is any such thing as "the divine", except in human imagination (I maintain that there is not).

Again I agree, you can look into the teachings of Buddha and be just as inspired! Sadly though, not Mohammed.

Admit Unquietdad, there's a catholic inside you just crying to get out!

Oh and the only one of those prophets to say he was the Son of God was Jesus.

Apart from David Icke but he doesn't count.

I was actualy thinking of the number of people who arrive at a moral world-view without the help of prophets. You know - just being nice to each other because it's the sensible thing to do. I operate on a "do as you would be done by" basis, not because I follow any teachings but because it's the best way to get along. You could argue that I do so out of self-interest, probably...

(I would like the bumper-sticker "Atheism - a non-prophet organisation" if it wasn't for the fact that it's not an organisation!!)

lol...i believe i said this earlier UQD? A set of morals/ beliefs not relying on a prophet or higher being to tell us we should.
Isn't that the main point at the end of it? We want our dcs to be good people, irrespective of whether they have a religious belief or not.
What was the argument about again?

Rhubarb: while I haven't read the Qu'ran from cover to cover, it is my understanding that Mohammed had as much to say about being kind, being honest, being fair in your dealings etc as the central figures of most if not all other myth systems. Equally, most if not all myth systems have plenty of stuff about killing people who reject or mock the myth system or choose a different one.
I really due find all myth systems equally worthy of disdain for their silliness and nastiness, or interest for the way their stories attempt to explain the world, and of merit, what little merit they possess, in the advice given by the central figures and special books to be nice, kind, fair and friendly. You know, the bit that to many people who insist on clinging to one of these mental comfort blankets seem to forget about...

I agree M