Why do you (or don't you) want your children going to church?

Whether you are pro/anti church, would it be important for you that your children live in accordance to your devotion (or non devotion) to church going? If when they are old enough to voice their opinion, would you be willing to allow them to choose whether or not they go?

I don't really care. She wasn't raised by church goers and, surprise, surprise, she isn't one either. But if she ever did "get religion" it wouldn't matter to me unless it was with some fundamentalist cult.

alan smithee wrote:I don't really care. She wasn't raised by church goers and, surprise, surprise, she isn't one either. But if she ever did "get religion" it wouldn't matter to me unless it was with some fundamentalist cult.

We never went to church and neither does she.

Oh, we got married at Unity on the Bay here in Miami and our daughter attended - but that is one of those all inclusive type churches and the only time we went.

I've never set foot in a church in my life, I'd like to someday but I don't think it would become an every Sunday thing. And if when I had kids they did or did not go to church, either way for the most part would be fine with me, so long as they don't go overboard with it.

Supernova wrote:I've never set foot in a church in my life, I'd like to someday ...

If big black clouds form and the wind picks up as you near the church, you might just want to scrap that and go back home.

I think it's wrong to impose religious beliefs on an impressionable child. I think that's a design they should make themselves when they're a little older.

I wouldn't care if my child agreed with my opinions on religion, I'd want them to develop their own opinions and decide if they wanted to go or not and I'd support them either way. I don't think it's a good idea to force children to go to church because forced religion is fake religion and it doesn't do anybody any good to try to make them believe the way their parents believe. And in addition to that, children don't know what the hell is going in church or what the minister is saying - I'd imagine they'd be bored out of their mind

They can go to church if they want to. However, I'm not a church go-er like that. So they definitely won't be emulating me.

My kid's salvation is more important than what is currently their whims. So yeah, I'm going to do everything I can to guide them on the path I believe best leads them to salvation. I wouldn't leave them unvaccinated or let them eat whatever they want while they are young. I wouldn't leave it their responsibility to go to the doctor. While they are under my health, their needs, physical and spiritual, are my responsibility.

But what if they don't believe in "salvation" when they are older?

Rockbird wrote:But what if they don't believe in "salvation" when they are older?

Well once they are on they're own, they'll have to take responsibility for their own choices and I can only offer my advice. Just like if they decide to eat 6000 calories a day with little to no exercise (or start any other of the myriad of health habits), I have little power to do anything about it. The consequences will be theirs.

But when they are under my care, I am their parent. It's not my job to give them their way. It's my job to provide for their physical and spiritual needs. Just like I am going to do my best to keep them physically healthy, I am going to do my best to keep them spiritually healthy. I wouldn't starve them physically; why would I starve them spiritually?

I believe in God, read the Bible here and there, and follow a few online ministries that I feel are on track and of sound teaching. I don't attend church services or belong to any religious denomination, but, rather I am part of the "church" in the sense that it is not the actual building, but the body of believers, world-wide.

I have more of a solo walk with God, but also the influence of other believers, be it in person or online. I would hope that my daughter will eventually find her way in faith, and although it's great to have fellowship, sometimes it doesn't work out for some of us to do that in our lives, due to circumstances at home, etc., I don't believe that you have to physically attend church services every Sunday to believe in God and be "saved".

Gentle suggestions and answers to my daughter's questions, as well as being a living example through my own actions, go a lot further than being preached to by some of what you get out there in the world. Also, my husband is a non-believer and mistrustful of God/religion, and the dynamics in my home work much better with me being a closet Christian.

I don't think that's starving them spiritually. I think it's just allowing them to experience religion and spirituality without interruption or bias.

I don't impose church on my kids. There are numerous people in the family they can go to church with if that's what they want to do....but it's never been mandatory.

I attend church and would want my children to attend church with. When they are old enough to make an informed decision, I hope that they would continue attending.

Being an atheist and raising your children the same way is no different than going to church and raising your children in the church. You're imposing your atheist views on your child just as much as a church goer is imposing church-going views on a child. It would be one thing if you exposed them to ALL belief systems and made sure they knew about the various religions and faiths and belief systems out there. Then you could truly say that you were not imposing beliefs on your child.

Atheist raising their children as atheists are imposing their atheist views on their children just as much as those who attend a church, temple or mosque.

Rockbird wrote:I don't think that's starving them spiritually. I think it's just allowing them to experience religion and spirituality without interruption or bias.

1. What YOU think isn't really relevant to how I'll raise my kids, no offense.

2. We all raise our kids with bias.

3. Truth isn't contingent on what we think.

4. It certainly IS starving them spiritually. It's leaving them to fend for themselves. My job as a parent isn't to give them an unbiased lesson. It's to provide for their needs. I ain't interested in parental copouts.

Chris wrote:Whether you are pro/anti church, would it be important for you that your children live in accordance to your devotion (or non devotion) to church going? If when they are old enough to voice their opinion, would you be willing to allow them to choose whether or not they go?

If I had kids, I wouldn't really be pro or anti church. If they wanted to go to Church, fine. If not, that would be fine too. I certainly wouldn't make them go, but I wouldn't necessarily discourage the practice either. I would simply explain to them (should they question me about religion) what it is that I believe, why I believe it and then tell them that it's up to each person to decide what it is that they believe and find religion for themself. That's pretty much it.