doubting_thomas

I recognize that organized spirituality is of great importance and has social benefits to a great majority of the world. I am athiest and do participate in any type of organized spirituality. This is fine for me, but am I doing my children a disservice by not exposing them to organized spirituality?

keyser_soze

I think that if you refuse them something, then during their rebellious stages, they might actually get in a little too deep into such things. My kids go with my wife to church, until they are of an age where they can make their own choices. I do not talk negatively about church, or it's members. The trick to christianity is it's use of ANY dislike of it or persecution of it. If you treat it with ambivelance, I think it is the safest route possible.

Salmon of Doubt

I would say expose them to all different kinds of religion, and help them develop the skills to criticise all of them. Then hopefully they should work it out for themselves. I would agree not to push your own opinions on them too hard though, as they could rebell. Personally I wouldn't take them to church, but let them go if they want to. That way if they are the kind of person who needs spirituality they get a chance to experience it, and if they are the kind who doesn't, they don't have to go and be blackmailed or pressured into it.

yguy

Of course not. Where did you get such a silly idea?

They'll encounter it soon enough. I suggest you deal with it at that time.

Nowhere357

The idea is typical of skepticism. It's called "looking at all sides of the issue". Isn't that silly?

Long live freethought!

The Other Michael

This looks to be more of a General Religious Discussion to me, so I'm moving it over there.

cheers,
Michael
MF&P Moderator (Maximus)

yguy

As applied to children, I would say yes. They will naturally seek out what interests them; there is no reason to bombard them with it.

Nowhere357

yguy, "looking at an issue" DOES NOT imply "bombardment". There is nothing silly about considering all options.

If you wish to disagree with this, please provide support to show that "considering all options" is not sensible behavior.

I suspect, though, that you were trying to answer the OP with "there is no reason to expose our children to organized religion because they will be exposed on their own soon enough". Is this close to what you meant?

yguy

Exactly.

Nowhere357

Good.

Now consider this: the child may then be vulnerable to the first cult which grabs ahold. Perhaps it's wiser to expose the child to the many worldviews, which gives the child a greater ability to make more reasoned decisions.