BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Atheist Raising Children as Atheists

Thank you so much!

Hah that's good! My bit is to say "Do you believe god has a divine plan for all of us?" Typically the response is "Yes". Then I'll say, "Well gosh maybe it's in his divine plan for me to be an atheist!" Not much is said after that

The bit about "Don't you think you should believe, just in case?" blows my mind. I can't force myself to believe, though certainly I could pretend in public. That question and mindset is so common, I wonder how many religious people have it! "I should fake my belief just in case all this stuff in the bible turns out to be true."
Wouldn't an all knowing god be able to see through that...?

Hi Michelle, welcome to the forum. I agree with most of what you said with the exception of the above. I do not teach my children atheism. I do not teach about god either so by default they would be atheists. Atheism is not a decision people arrive at. It is how we are born, without a god belief. Everyone, if left alone and not indoctrinated would be atheist. My children are atheists because I have not taught them about god. I find many christians like to think that atheism is those who have denied the existence of god and for many who once believed it is. But it is also those who never had a god belief.

I would do the same.

When I said I wouldn't teach my children atheism I wasn't implying anything except that I would have no desire to drill any belief into my children's heads, as my family drilled their Christian belief into mine.

In our scientific age certainly it's easier to be an atheist by default (and a 'default atheist' is realistic, you certainly couldn't be a default Christian!) but I disagree humans in general are atheists by default...if so, how did religion come about in the first place? Certainly human beings in the absence of science aren't typically keen on accepting "I don't know" for an answer.

That is the interesting question, how did religion come about?

I know what you mean by humans are not atheist by default in that humanity has grasped on to religion. But individual human beings are atheist by default.

I have done no research into the beginnings of religions but have stumbled on information from time to time. My guess is that in search of answers to the big questions and without science to help, people developed stories which over time evolved into superstitions. Which further evolved and many of those superstitions became religion.

I do know that there is evidence that ritual burial of the dead started in some cultures about 10 000 years ago (which is 4 000 years before creation)so something started to change as people began to consider things like an afterlife.

You got me interested I am going to read more on this.

Hah I think that's how most major religions came about, stories that evolved into bigger 'fish tales' if you know what I mean.

Anyway, I do understand your point...I guess I'm coming from a viewpoint where my mom's friend had an atheist mother who never mentioned god or religion, and my mom's friend was attracted to Christianity anyway. I think certain people, whether groups or individuals, just have some need to believe in god.

I am childfree, BUT if I had kids I would explain to them ~~ "different strokes for different folks", that some people believe there is a bearded sky daddy and if they talk to this make believe thing, life will be just peachy keen. Just as I would explain that some people lie to their kids about such things as santa clause, easter bunny, tooth fairies, etc., etc.

When adults lie to kids it leads to mistrust. Why do parents delierately want their kids to not trust them? I could never figure this out and I could NEVER lie to a child OR anyone else.