Teaching kids about God/s: What group are you in and why?

This thread is inspired by the tv show "can of worms". But anyway:

1. Teach them about God/s and try to prove to them that there is a God.

2. Teach them the is no God/s and try to prove to them that there si no God.

3. Wait till they are at an old enough age, give them relevant materials and let them decide.



I am with No. 3 but i would still take them to church mainly to see what religious life is like but i wouldnt tell them one way or another till they are atleast 12. While belief one way or another is reversible, i think telling a child what to believe is wrong. Which is why i would struggle for a child to be told a dinosaur is x million years old because it isnt a schools right to tell kids what they should believe. Same goes for the tooth fairy, but i dont like decieving my child(if i ever have one) by putting money under thier pillow and allowing them to think that the tooth fairy put it there.

Are you trying to say that dinosaurs are as unreal as the tooth fairy or that the dating methods are unreal?

I would choose a modified version of 3. Teach them about various gods and religions and mention the curious lack of evidence in favor of them. Then do nothing. Should they choose, great. But I wouldn't tell them that they need to or should choose.

I told my kids that they would have to decide for themselves. We took them to church until they were old enough to stay at home if they wished.

So, they were exposed to it all, and they decided for themselves.

Korplem said:

Are you trying to say that dinosaurs are as unreal as the tooth fairy or that the dating methods are unreal?

I would choose a modified version of 3. Teach them about various gods and religions and mention the curious lack of evidence in favor of them. Then do nothing. Should they choose, great. But I wouldn't tell them that they need to or should choose.

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No, but i disagree that they are necessarily millions of years old as i find radiometric dating to be an iffy science, ie it could be millions of years old but i dont know because from the way i understand radiometric dating and how it is used, you test very specific things and not other things which i find to not be the scientific way of doing things. My understanding of the way science works by doing experiments in physics for exampel is that you test the negative if it is possible and then you prove the positive by doing so. With radiometric dating you test for the positive and say the negative is wrong. Which is wrong to me. But that is a topic for a another time

Obviously I'm somewhat biased, but my Bible says only a fool says there is no God!! I'm certainly not a fool.

Corwin said:

Obviously I'm somewhat biased, but my Bible says only a fool says there is no God!! I'm certainly not a fool.

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You dont have to tell your kids that there is no God rather you can say that that they are not old enough to make that decision? Accepting god without any real thought into the matter seems as bad as baptism of babies to me.

I am with Korplam. Leaning about religions (including why they kill eachother) is important to understand the world. I will also teach about critical thinking and how the brain works.

I agree as well. I live in a very catholic area, and I think its important my kids understand that religion, but also that they are aware that there are many other beliefs about the world. I try to be honest regarding what I believe or don't believe if they ask, but I am trying not to impose a belief on them. Of course that can only work to an extent while they are young - I am their parent. I do try to keep them away from the moral and social pressures exerted by the church that I remember well and unfavourably from my own childhood.

I generally think there's way too much focus on this single God and Christianity as a whole.

By focusing on it, we're actually telling children that those things are extremely important - no matter your position.

Personally, I don't see why they should be important except if you have faith, which hopefully (if God exists) shouldn't depend on having been taught in school.

I understand the argument that this one relligion (and a few others) have a gigantic impact on history - but that doesn't mean that the religion in detail is important. The way it has impacted history is important, but not the religion in itself. At least, not more than any one other.

I'd rather they learn about the various approaches to personal beliefs - as in atheism, agnosticism, religious faith, and so on - as a combined course. Something that's very open and most definitely NOT biased towards any one thing.

As for what religion has "done" that's pretty incidental, as far as I'm concerned. People will find reasons to kill or rule over each other - and because one religion became dominant - doesn't make the religion in itself too interesting. Even religion as a concept is just a set of beliefs that will guide behavioral patterns - so we don't need religion for people to slaughter or dominate each other. However, children should be free to make such conclusions themselves - so I prefer if teachers stay FAR away from concluding anything based on their own ignorance of the human mind.

Naturally, this will never happen since so many people in power are so biased for or against specific beliefs. So, it's just one more area where ignorance will dominate.

Of the possibilities, I'm rather for point 3.

Free will.

Plus, there are quite a *lot* of religions - and non-religious belief-systems as well.

I am with 2 , kids must learn scientific reasoning not some stone age fairy tales , i don't see why someone must grow up to choose if he likes to become an idiot .

To quote my philosophy teacher; "I rate you not on your ability to give right or wrong answers to questions, but how you reason to come to your answer".

Tragos said:

I am with 2 , kids must learn scientific reasoning not some stone age fairy tales , i don't see why someone must grow up to choose if he likes to become an idiot .

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Kids can learn scientific reasoning without someone imposing their beilefs on them. Infact i believe that telling them something without them reasoning through it themselves is detrimental to their overall knowlege. I dont like to use the word "intelligence" because it is a measure of someones ability to learn not someones knowledge because "intelligence" without perserverence in study is naught. I am a prime example of this.

If Tragos represents the average atheist, then God help us

Damian Mahadevan said:

Kids can learn scientific reasoning without someone imposing their beilefs on them. Infact i believe that telling them something without them reasoning through it themselves is detrimental to their overall knowlege. I dont like to use the word "intelligence" because it is a measure of someones ability to learn not someones knowledge because "intelligence" without perserverence in study is naught. I am a prime example of this.

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I don't understand what you are trying to say , sorry, must be my English

DArtagnan said:

If Tragos represents the average atheist, then God help us

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Deus ex machina ?

DArtagnan said:

If Tragos represents the average atheist, then God help us

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I do not believe the concept of "average atheist" is a fruitful one to ponder about.

JemyM said:

I do not believe the concept of "average atheist" is a fruitful one to ponder about.

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I like apple pie with ice cream a lot, though.

Tragos said:

I don't understand what you are trying to say , sorry, must be my English

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My main point was that a kid being told the answers doesnt increase in knowledge and will lack the ability to think for him/herself.

I'd like to point out that religion works if one believes in it, regardless of how illogical it may appear.

Damian Mahadevan said:

This thread is inspired by the tv show "can of worms". But anyway:

1. Teach them about God/s and try to prove to them that there is a God.

2. Teach them the is no God/s and try to prove to them that there si no God.

3. Wait till they are at an old enough age, give them relevant materials and let them decide.

Click to expand...

I will tell them about religions if they are curious (they'll come across those in culture/media/school soon enough), but I get the feeling that isnt what you are after. As part of that I might also tell them about what kind of attributes the faithful believe their deities have.