If you have or will have children...

breal

What would you teach them with regards to religion, spirituality, God? I often wonder about this since I don't have any "beliefs" now or belong to any religous group. (Sphere's thread got me thinking again) What if your children wanted to become a dub?

Latte

Hi Breal,

I do think about this question quite a lot myself. Spirituality can take a person on some very strange roads to say the least! I have endeavoured to encourage my children to look closely at religion….any religion, study it whilst at school, look at it from every angle if possible. I do hope and believe that by doing this, it will help my kids avoid getting entangled in any religion/cult etc.

We live in age of information, I intend to use it as best I can. It’s certainly nothing like the time when I was deciding to dedicate my life to the men in Crooklyn. I really want my kids to be free from the chain of ‘religion’. Their ‘spirituality’ can be that of ‘doing to others as you would want them to do to you’ - and that’s it! By the way my kids are aged 8 & 10yrs.

Scully

One thing I've been teaching my children about religion is a fundamental principle that I came across in a book about religious addiction. Here it is:

“If you cannot question or examine what you are taught, if you cannot doubt or challenge authority, you are in danger of being victimized and abused” - When God Becomes a Drug - L. Booth (1991)

They seem to have learned well. They are always questioning me, challenging me, etc. There are times when it drives me crazy, but I know they will do likewise in other situations.

Love, Scully

little witch

Finally, a thread I can give an experienced answer to! lol. I am the mom of four. Ages 11, 14 15 and 20

I daresay, that children have no inborn desire for religion. It is something I have always pondered. They have no natural curiousity about it. I guess it is something that they don't think about until they are older.

I am a fairly new Christian, for the past five years, or so. I took my three youngest to church for awhile, and they seemed to enjoy all the activities and such. They believe in God, but are not consumed by dogma.

Other than a basic education in Christianity, they hold to no doctrines, I will let them decide on their own. I was made to attend the kingdom hall as a kid, and I hated it so much, and got very rebelious about it, so I would never force my kids to attend any place, or make them convert.

My kids are too educated about JW's and others to ever fall for the boloney. I have told them about the dubs, and even share some of the posts here with them. I have raised them to question the strange and unusual, and they do.

Thanks for the interesting post.

Brummie

They believe in God, but are not consumed by dogma.

LW thats the same here. I have 2 boys and I used to take them to Sunday School and they loved it. Havent been to Church since I moved to Somerset but I'm surprised at how my kids have formed their own set of innocent beliefs.

My youngest came home from shool last week and told me that Jesus died on the cross " x" but on the tick (check) he came back alive. LOL. I dont believe in taking this innocence away from our kids and I am so pleased to know they wont have to sit and listen to the doctrines of Armageddon & the twisted wrathful teachings of the WT.

SpiceItUp

When I do have children I don't think I will tell them what to believe. I will share with them what I believe as well as making sure they are informed. Encourage them to ask lots of questions and not be afraid of the answers even if its not what they want to hear. Have them read read read and learn before they invest their life in something.

If they decide they want to look into the witnesses. I will encourage them to as long as they ask lots of questions. And I know the questions they should be asking...enough for them to make the informed decision that the dubs are not the troof.

(Of coarse you can never predict what kids will do so this is just my goal)

RunningMan

Whenever I get an appropriate chance, I give my kids a lesson on evolution or rationalism.

With regard to the Bible, I regularly make sure they realize that the Bible is filled with myths and legends, but it is also a work of ancient peotry, history, and wisdom. Many of the Bible stories are far richer from an anthropological perspective than they are from a literal fundamentalist viewpoint.

Spirituality is extremely important to having a satisfying human experience. But, there are many satisfying methods of feeding one's soul. Religion is not only not necessary, but not even as effective as it should be.

freein89

When I DA'd my kids were ages 11, 9, 7, 6 and the older two were pretty confused by my about face on god and religion. I ended up raising a passel of atheists now ages 25, 23, 21, 19. Great, hardworking (2 in college) honest, honorable, delightful members of the human race. (do I sound proud?) They are open to possibility and we have many lively discussions about life beyond. They have however taken some guff about not having a religion and never having been baptized. If I had it to do over, I'm not sure but I would lean towards doing it the same way. Their friends eyes bulge in disbelief when they find out that they were never baptized, but the kids are able to defend themselves, I hope I haven't robbed them of anything, I don't think I have but a Mom's guilt reflex is never at rest.

as far as any of them become dub's well my eldest son-25 has informed me that he would be dismayed (putting it lightly) if I ever went back, the rest concur, so I guess I have no worries on that front.

amen

What if your children wanted to become a dub?

No way, i'll start to teach them about cults when they are old enough to understand.

I remember many time while on service I have met kid at the door they seem to stand firm against us. They were not interested.

amen

breal

Thanx for all the input and replies.

Latte – I agree about spirituality vs. religion. I hope I will be able to instill some good basic values in our children. I guess it is simply getting used to viewing the two separately.

I love that quote Scully.

Running Man - What a wonderful way to look at the Bible.

Little Witch – your kids are fortunate that you are so open to them exploring this on there own.

Spice – Yeah one cannot predict the future. Perhaps I should look at getting more comfortable with what I believe so if the need arises I can explain it to someone else.

Free – I don’t think you robbed your kids of anything by not having them baptized. I firmly believe that any baptism should take place once a person is old enough to have weighed all options without it being decided for them. Sounds like your kids turned out great.

Amen – Kids do tend to know what they like and don’t like. However I have seen posts where DF’d ones JW families attempted to pressure/impose there JW beliefs on the no-longer-a–believers children. (Not that I think any of my JW relatives would) but it makes me think…

Since most of you have experience I guess it is simply another part of raising kids where you do the best you can with what you have/know. It is interesting to see that other people's kids have attended Sunday School. I always worried that the Sunday School's were a part of the churches.

Brummie when your kids went to Sunday School was there pressure for your family to join any church?

BReal

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