The fifth in a series on nonreligious parenting. Hosted by Dale McGowan, editor and co-author of “Parenting Beyond Belief” and “Raising Freethinkers.”
“What if your child becomes religious?” (Parenting Beyond Belief #5)
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{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Speaking of the importance of a world view in a child -I think it is important as well and, as a matter of fact, doesn’t mean you should impose per se. Being as important as it is, chances are that if you impose at all, they may rebel out of spite.
Great stuff.
thanks for creating these.
(feels way better about how I raise my midgets)
These videos are cool, thanks, Dale! You’re doing good work here.
“Too much thinking = problem”
Haaaahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
That sums up religion pretty well. It and its followers prefer disabling the higher brain centers. Emotion does this thoroughly, and is the trick and device of choice.
Wait recs, lemme write that down…Too much thinking is a problem. Got it. Check.
I believe you are over-thinking all of this.
Nicely done, I’ve been ‘preaching’ this kind of child rearing myself. I’ve intentionally exposed my offspring to as many different types of religion as possible. I consider it similar to vaccinations. I start our lessons by compressing the core dogmas into a brief 10 minute story. And all religions seem ridiculous when compressed into 10 minutes.
I do disagree with one point. There is no way in hell im going to let my kid be ‘political’
Oh, I liked this video. great job.
True, and unintentional, and funny!
Great job per usual Dale. Our 4 year old is just starting to ask those big questions about the world and you’ve already been a big help.
BTW, you’re kind of listing to the left throughout this video.
One other thing, I think most people in the USA that claim to be Christian aren’t what I would define as a truly committed born again Christian who truly follows the Christ of the bible. Our society is an example of what I say, don’t you think? cya : )
What’s a ” Pew”? Is it a study done by religious people or secular? What do you mean by identifying, you mean making a commitment? When I said “get religion” I meant become born again and that maybe inaccurate as I didn’t get that information from a poll!
I’m not sure that I believe that a religious person can be good. If I think religion is evil which I do believe than a religious person(if he/she witnesses to others) in my opinion is not good. Can they do good things? Sure I think so. Anyway, that’s just my opinion and I should have stated that(my mistake)to begin with.
Peace : )
According to the most recent Pew study on the topic, your first sentence is incorrect. 54 percent of kids raised in unaffiliated homes end up identifying with a religious worldview at some point later in life.
This is a common mishearing. I never claimed Rogers’ goodness was “due to his religion,” since I don’t believe that. The point of the video is to show that someone can be both religious and good, not that religion causes their goodness.
That’s where their own critical thinking skills and the unconditional love of reality come in. Build those early and deep, then let the games begin!
Sure but it wasn’t due to his religion! As a matter of fact that was the one area that he wasn’t so nice! He tried to convert people in a very subtle passive manner but he tried to convert people non the less!
Although it can happen it’s HIGHLY unlikely that a child will get religion in a non-religious family! Now, if it did happen in my family I would find out what led them to their experience and would make sure that they understood that religion as a whole was poison! Now Fred Rogers a good person?
I have two kids and both of them go to church every week. I am an atheist and don’t really wish my kids would take this route in life but I believe in religious freedom as well. If my kids have to stand up everyday and put their hands on their hearts and pledge alleigence to the flag then they can at very least be granted that much freedom in their young lives. Sorry this was so long.
I’m a staunch atheist who is with you 100% on this!
Good job Dale! Liked it a lot. But how about everyone else trying to influence my child?
“Whoever must deal with the consequences of a decision is entitled to make that decision.”
I first heard this concept 25 years ago, and it still strikes me as one of the great ideas.
A great argument in favor of letting children decide the important questions in life for themselves. In our laws and mores there is the embedded concept that whoever must deal with the consequences of a decision is entitled to make that decision. No one else, not the state, not parents, not the Pope.
Just found the PBB YouTube channel after listening to Dale’s interview on the Point Of Inquiry podcast. Thanks for organizing and sharing your thoughts, Dale. Really like your concept of “freethinker with a lower case ‘f.’” I’m reading Parenting Beyond Belief now. My first child is 6 week old. -Matt
@ wimvandenberghe: Yes! The Belief-o-Matic is one of the best ways to show how much we all overlap and intertwine in values and beliefs.