As Christians, are you willing to raise your children to have your same faith?

[orangelight]

Or to teach them about other religions equally (including your own ) so they would be able to decide for themselves.

 

[homeofmew]

There isn't a problem with teaching your kids your own faith, but it shouldn't be overly forced. I also think you should tell them about other faiths, because as they get older it's going to be confusing, I remember being 7 and not understanding other religions, even other sects of Christianity.

By 18 they should have the freedom to explore for them self.

 

[AEmily168]

I love my believes and will always stand by it. But when it comes to my children I will never force my beliefs on them. I will tell them equally about all the religions and it will be their decision which one to follow. I will never force anything on them. I wanted them to learn good deeds and culture, no religion teach negativity. That's it....

 

[livinwhope]

My children are raised going to church and being taught what I believe. We pray as a family together, so they know that it is my prayer that they will have a faith of their own. I know they will go to public schools and college and they will learn about other beliefs and I would not stop them from attending a different church/faith service with someone they know.

I am not a religions teacher and have not studied other religions enough to teach much about them. I do encourage my children to learn about their interests, and would include other religions in that.

I think that my children need to have their own belief system, mine will not sustain their faith. All I can do is model what I believe and hope that they understand why I choose to follow Jesus.

 

[Inkachu]

Why would I teach my kid that all religions are equal when they're not? Truth is not relative, there is only one truth. Jesus said "I am The Truth". I would be doing a complete disservice to my child if I didn't steer him towards what I know to be the one and only truth. I can't force faith into him; faith is a personal choice. But the Bible is explicit in that we are to raise our children according to our faith as parents (Joshua 24:15, Ephesians 6:4, Proverbs 22:6, Deuteronomy 6:6-9). If you claim to be a Christian, and raise your children to pick whatever religion they want as they grow up, you are going directly against God's word.

Do I want my child to be educated and informed about other belief systems? Sure. He needs to know what other people believe so he can respect and understand where they're coming from. But this is not the same as laying every religion in the world before him and saying "it doesn't matter which one you pick, just pick the one you like". That's insanity.

 

[RDKirk]

There isn't a problem with teaching your kids your own faith, but it shouldn't be overly forced. I also think you should tell them about other faiths, because as they get older it's going to be confusing, I remember being 7 and not understanding other religions, even other sects of Christianity.

By 18 they should have the freedom to explore for them self.

Would you really expect to understand other religions by age seven?

 

[RDKirk]

As a single parent, I taught my son to cross the street on the green light. I could have left it up to him to decide what light to cross on, but I've learned that it's definitely best to cross on the green light.

Why would I not teach him the way I've learned is best?

Now, when he comes of age, he may decide to cross on the yellow or red. I can't stop that. But I know I will have taught him the way I knew was best.

 

[homeofmew]

Would you really expect to understand other religions by age seven?

Well, I remember being 7 raised, non denominational in a very catholic area.
I remember friends/peers going through first communion (Catholic) and I was very confused on when I was suppose to do that myself.

I think it's important to a parent to address that, kids aren't stupid.

 

[RDKirk]

Well, I remember being 7 raised, non denominational in a very catholic area.
I remember friends/peers going through first communion (Catholic) and I was very confused on when I was suppose to do that myself.

I think it's important to a parent to address that, kids aren't stupid.

So your own parents hadn't explained their own religion to you well enough to know what was expected of you. And "knowing what was expected of you" is still far short of understanding the religion.

But one of the problems with too many non-denominational congregations is a lack of systematic training--indoctrination--of children in the faith.

I've only been a member of one that had systematic training. That was in Honolulu, where they knew they were competing with a public school system that did have systematic training in the local pagan religion.

 

[homeofmew]

I was always too much of a free thinker, so don't blame it on my parents.

When I was about 3-4 I remember the Parents telling me about God and Jesus for the first time. And I had a slew of questions, so yeah I wasn't the "just accept it" type of person. I also was a smart cookie and knew some of what was already going on in the "what they believed area".

I remember asking "If Lucifer knows Gods word, he knows he's going to loose, so why doesn't he repent?" - I was about 4 when I asked this shenanigans.

Anyway I wasn't aware of all the different sects, I just remember feeling left out or "why don't we do that" or "what is catholic and how it is different". Until I was 7 I thought Catholic was another word for being Christan, really not my fault since the parents didn't tell me there was other sects of Christianity.

Now I did know other religions existed like Buddhism, and Islam, not sure about others, but the entire sect thing threw me off.
Heck I was 7 we can't know everything xD

 

[RDKirk]

I remember asking "If Lucifer knows Gods word, he knows he's going to loose, so why doesn't he repent?" - I was about 4 when I asked this shenanigans.

I asked my grandfather--a pastor--the same question. I think I was five, though...less precocious, I guess, than you.

His answer was: "Because Satan knew exactly what he was doing when he started."

Actually, though, my belief today is that Satan has done precisely what God created him to do.

 

[bigvman]

I agree with Inca on this one. I don't believe all religions are created equal, so why should I teach my children that. I am not going to make them follow my beliefs either, but I will explain my reasons for thinking the way I do and acting the way I do.

We should all be prepared to give an answer, and in this case I believe that means teaching that Jesus is the way to God. End of story.

 

[blackribbon]

I taught my children the Truth first...so that their lives were grounded on solid rock. One made a choice for Jesus at a very young age. The other didn't make that choice until she was a teenager. I also exposed them to other world religions but we don't look at them as equals but rather study them from a Christ-centered world view. If they don't have a basic understanding or respect for other religions, how are they going to be able to share Christ with others? I have only recently realized how little they understand about other Christian denominations, so I hope to expose them to the different ways that other Christian worship God.. They may find as I did, that the different options meet different needs in their lives as time passes. Although we attend a very non-traditional but very Bible based church, I know that after my husband died, I found some comfort and meaning in attending the church of my childhood which was rich in rituals and symbolism for a period of time when concentrating was difficult.

 

[Emmyc]

I was raised atheist, and I HATED it. I always wished there was something more out there. Now that I am an adult I find it very hard to believe, I constantly struggle with doubt, my brain keeps trying to automatically reset to “there is no God, and you’re just making this up out of wishful thinking”.

So it is very important that I teach my daughter how to have faith. I also have a very religiously diverse family: My father is Atheist, my cousin and her husband are Buddhist, my sister is Oneness Pentecostal, my best friend is Pagan, a work friend is Jewish…. So she also has to be sensitive to religious diversity.

I think it is very important that she make up her own mind, but that doesn’t mean I have no say in the matter. We go to church and I try to talk as though God were just a natural, normal thing (ex “Why are potato chips not healthy?” “Because there’s a lot of added salt and fat. Generally the more you change a food from the way God made it the less healthy it is.”). I don’t shelter her from other religions, if she wanted to go to church with a friend of a different faith I would let her.

Eventually they WILL make their own choice no matter what you do anyway. My dad would have insured I stayed atheist if he could.