aruki said:
The Idea of god is not that he is only loving. Christians and Jews believe he is a harsh, but fair judge.
Atheists. Its time to turn the spotlight on you.
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The Idea of god is not that he is only loving. Christians and Jews believe he is a harsh, but fair judge.
My mom is a Lutheran or something and raised me with the basics of all the bible stories and took me to church on Easter. Even as a little child I noticed something odd when the pastor was outright insulting other religions by saying Jews are wrong and are going to hell. As a child I was Christan, I lost faith in God about the same time I learned Santa wasn't real. However today I am agnostic, I want to believe in God but with all the stuff I know he seems more like a murdering hypocritical dictator than a saint. Children can change their religion when they get older, it doesn't matter how your raised. Then again look back at the Romans (or Greeks) and they believed a guy in a carriage pulled the sun across the sky, nowadays no one practices that because science completely killed it. Or at least after christans did.
To be honest, I don't think most children have a true concept of what religion is until they actually study it. My sister is 13 years old, having only been a Christian for 4 years or so, and when I ask her what her reasoning is for believing in a creator, she has no idea. Really she only became one because my mother did, which I believe is wrong.
No one should become a Christian purely because they wake up and believe, or because they attended church a few times and it seems alright. If you don't question your belief, then its not reasonable or logical, and I don't think anyone without a decent level of education can ponder the pros and cons of creation theories.
No one should become a Christian purely because they wake up and believe, or because they attended church a few times and it seems alright. If you don't question your belief, then its not reasonable or logical, and I don't think anyone without a decent level of education can ponder the pros and cons of creation theories.
IF I have kids (big if, I'd honestly rather procreate through ideas and art, I'm just that kind of pretentious douche) they're getting their own say. Won't raise them as apart of any religion, but if they one day choose to be apart of one, I won't give them crap for it.
I will not mention my views to my children, until they are old enough to ask properly. They can make up their own desicions without my interference, and if I hear someone is trying to sway them either way, I will get angry.
i only figured out my parents were atheists when i was 18 and had spent a couple of years being an agnostic trying to decide whether to become a christian or atheist (or remain with agnositicism). after choosing atheism, i told my parents, who revealed they were atheists too.
if i have children, i don't want to force my religious beliefs on my child, but equally i don't want them choosing christianity just because it is so prominent here. having said that it is a rarity seeing people grow up to be christians who had agnostic/atheist parents. the couple of people i knew who did, did it for purely social reasons, which i would be perfectly fine with for my child.
if i have children, i don't want to force my religious beliefs on my child, but equally i don't want them choosing christianity just because it is so prominent here. having said that it is a rarity seeing people grow up to be christians who had agnostic/atheist parents. the couple of people i knew who did, did it for purely social reasons, which i would be perfectly fine with for my child.
Nope. Atheism is actually disbelief in a god, not just lack of belief in something. I believe there is no god; I also do not believe there is a god. This is belief. I believe in this lack.Ossum said:
But there are atheist religions.
I will not force them to go to church and I will not force them not to as long as I don't have to go with them it's fine. They can make their decision on their own, I don't want them coming back and telling me "Jesus loves you".
Disbelief is lack of belief.skyfire_freckles said:
If a friend tells me that a robber glided in on a mechanical plane to rob them and then took off again, I would probably look at them in disbelief. That doesn't mean that I believe that their claim couldn't have happen at all, it means that I don't believe their claim, I lack belief in what they are saying.
As an athiest I plan to not raise my children religious or non-religious. I plan to raise them to be open minded and accepting of another person's beliefs.
From Positive Atheism:skyfire_freckles said:
"The definition for atheism that we use, put simply, says that atheism is the lack of a god-belief, the absence of theism, to whatever degree and for whatever reason. "
http://www.positiveatheism.org/faq/faq1111.htm
From Wikipedia:
"Historically, the terms positive and negative atheism have been used for this distinction, where "positive" atheism refers to the specific belief that gods do not exist, and "negative" atheism refers merely to an absence of belief in gods.[1] Because of flexibility in the term "god", it is understood that a person could be a strong atheist in terms of certain portrayals of gods, while remaining a weak atheist in terms of others."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weak_and_strong_atheism
From American Atheists:
"Theists usually define atheism incorrectly as a belief system. Atheism is not a belief system. Atheism is not a religion.
Atheism is a lack of belief in gods, from the original Greek meaning of "without gods." That is it. There is nothing more to it."
http://www.atheists.org/atheism/About_Atheism
Yes, thank you for saying exactly what I was trying to say. Atheism is not a belief system; however, lack of belief in something is a belief. It is, as you quoted, a negative belief. Even if you don't believe in anything, those are your beliefs.Ossum said:From Positive Atheism:skyfire_freckles said:
"The definition for atheism that we use, put simply, says that atheism is the lack of a god-belief, the absence of theism, to whatever degree and for whatever reason. "
http://www.positiveatheism.org/faq/faq1111.htm
From Wikipedia:
"Historically, the terms positive and negative atheism have been used for this distinction, where "positive" atheism refers to the specific belief that gods do not exist, and "negative" atheism refers merely to an absence of belief in gods.[1] Because of flexibility in the term "god", it is understood that a person could be a strong atheist in terms of certain portrayals of gods, while remaining a weak atheist in terms of others."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weak_and_strong_atheism
From American Atheists:
"Theists usually define atheism incorrectly as a belief system. Atheism is not a belief system. Atheism is not a religion.
Atheism is a lack of belief in gods, from the original Greek meaning of "without gods." That is it. There is nothing more to it."
http://www.atheists.org/atheism/About_Atheism
Except that image in the spoiler. Religion does not require a deity. I do not believe in a god, and yet I have religion. I take part in an athiest religion. Why is this so difficult?
For the first several years, I would try to avoid religious discussions with my child entirely (this is purely hypothetical, as I don't have any children, and have not yet been in a position to make or support children... and I don't really have the right mind-set to raise a child right now... I hate kids... annoying little yappy bastards that they are)...
Anyway, I would try to avoid discussing religion with them for several years until I feel they are mature enough to decide for themselves what they want to believe, at which point, I would present to them all of the options the world would traditionally impose on them, as well as making sure that they know that they can eschew all of these options (including atheism), and make up what they believe in as they go. To me, it seems the fairest approach to this problem.
Anyway, I would try to avoid discussing religion with them for several years until I feel they are mature enough to decide for themselves what they want to believe, at which point, I would present to them all of the options the world would traditionally impose on them, as well as making sure that they know that they can eschew all of these options (including atheism), and make up what they believe in as they go. To me, it seems the fairest approach to this problem.
I've been down this road....My parents meant well, I sure of that but I just didn't buy the whole religion thing...catholic school didn't help either....long story short? got expelled from catholic high school and now I've gone Agnosticism... FYI: I am in another school, I'm no drop out
I don't think parents, or anyone, has the right to force a belief on anybody.pimppeter2 said:
I will raise my child to believe in whatever it wants, I won't raise it to believe in God or not to, I will let it make its own mind up and offer what ever knowledge I can to help
I'll raise it with knowledge, that a God could exist.
I won't take my child to church because I don't believe and because I'd find it boring. If my child wanted to go then yay for it.
I made my own decision and will let my child do so
I tihnk mine could be Atheist, as I am, and as much as a perosn would try, my opinion might slip through and sound like I want my child to believe the same way as me. Even though I'd want to make it's own decision. I'm only human afterall.
I will teach my child or children to think critically of the world around them. I will probably discourage belief in a god, but if they decide to believe I won't mock them for it. they will be aware of the Christian mythos, and any other mythos that they are interested in. I will teach them how some people thought the world was made, but I will point out that evolution makes more sense.
More than that, I will teach them to be good citizens, both of the neighbourhood, country, and world, and to be good people overall (you can teach morals without religion, if you think you can't you are wrong. Simple as that). If they decide to take up a belief, I will acknowledge their right to do so, but I will also ask them why.
Also, they are going to be taught that video games are awesome. And yes, I will probably impose on them the belief that Western RPGs and FPS's are better than Final Fantasy.
More than that, I will teach them to be good citizens, both of the neighbourhood, country, and world, and to be good people overall (you can teach morals without religion, if you think you can't you are wrong. Simple as that). If they decide to take up a belief, I will acknowledge their right to do so, but I will also ask them why.
Also, they are going to be taught that video games are awesome. And yes, I will probably impose on them the belief that Western RPGs and FPS's are better than Final Fantasy.
I won't bother teaching my children about science and thinking critically, I'm gonna go straight to the core of the problem and teach them to think for themselves, to be individuals.
That way, any inadvertant indoctrination I may or may not perform should have minimal impact.
That way, any inadvertant indoctrination I may or may not perform should have minimal impact.