Growing up in an irreligious household.

[Asher]

lord of the mark: Please add to the last line of your sig: "Living the Jewish Experience since (date of birth)"

[Japher]

If hes too little for subtlety, I tell her that theyre not real. Like I said, youve got to answer one way or the other. When shes older i will talk to her about the universal human for meaning, and how thats expressed in different cultures history.

Why do you have to answer one way or another? And why are you telling her something you don't know to be true? By doing this you are turning god into a myth.

I guess it would be alright if some parent told their kid that people with darker skin have committed more sins...

Propogating lies, or presenting theory as fact, or instilling belief without faith is brainwashing.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse

Been there, done that.

You better hope that your mates didn't announce the details of your sex life to the rest of the class.

Sample:

Agathon: "Where are ***** and ****** this afternoon?"

Students: "Would you believe, they're ****ing again?"

Agathon: "Do we really have to indulge in salacious gossip about the private lives of other members of the class?"

Student: "Hell yeah! You can hear them at it from the quad!"

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Japher


Why do you have to answer one way or another?

LOTM - have you ever tried to turn away a curious 5 year old without an answer?

And why are you telling her something you don't know to be true?
LOTM - I would say "i believe" it - when youre a parent talking to a little kid, the distinction between I believe it and I know it is fairly academic. Youre quibbling over words - you have to answer.

I guess it would be alright if some parent told their kid that people with darker skin have committed more sins...

LOTM - I would tell her that all people have commited sins. Though I cant prove that.


Propogating lies, or presenting theory as fact, or instilling belief without faith is brainwashing.

LOTM - What i have said i believe to be true, though simplified for the audience in question.

[st_swithin]

Originally posted by Arrian

exposing your daughter to the ideas, but encouraging her to think for herself and make her own choices about it.

Hey Arrian - if you ever run for public office, you'll DEFINITELY get my vote. And you can quote me.

[lord of the mark]

so how many people answering this thread actually have children?

[MikeH]

And how many have been children?

BTW, I also went to church of england school, because it was the best one in the area when I grew up. My parent's weren't religious though, they just let me make my own mind up.

[Kaak]

The obvious answer is, expose her to it in a positive way when she is younger, and as she gets older, let her make up her own mind. Don't force it on her, but give her the opportunity to be a christian should she so desire it.

[KrazyHorse]

I went to a Jesuit school.

[MikeH]

Funny how many non-religious people went to religious schools.

[Japher]

What i have said i believe to be true, though simplified for the audience in question.

Saying that you believe that they don't exist is a lot different than:

I tell her that theyre not real

Anywho... that's a good answer, and I don't have any kids of my own, but I have 5 neices and nephews who are pretty good at asking really bad questions. So, I understand what youo mean by having to tell them something...

One time my nephew jumped on my lap, I felt my cigarettes smash in my pocket. He felt the smashed box and asked what it was... I told him they were boring pills... nothing would be fun if you take them...

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by MikeH
And how many have been children?

BTW, I also went to church of england school, because it was the best one in the area when I grew up. My parent's weren't religious though, they just let me make my own mind up.

we've all been children. Even us parents. You dont understand parenting from being a child. Sorry. Its too bad. Its a cliche. You wont understand your parents fully till you have kids. And that DOES NOT mean you'll agree with everything your parents did (I sure dont) but it does mean you'll understand things you didnt understand before. Like with MOST things in life.

[Japher]

Ah, so it's a "you can't understand" thing... I hate those... "It's a woman thing", "It's a black thing"...

They're all great arguments... as long as you don't expect to win that argument

[MikeH]

Originally posted by lord of the mark we've all been children. Even us parents. You dont understand parenting from being a child. Sorry. Its too bad. Its a cliche. You wont understand your parents fully till you have kids. And that DOES NOT mean you'll agree with everything your parents did (I sure dont) but it does mean you'll understand things you didnt understand before. Like with MOST things in life.

Thanks for patronising me (us), that's what I was hoping for.

Have you ever been president of the US? No? Well if you were you'd understand what it was like and understand his decisions, until then you might as well accept you can't understand or comment on what he does.

[lord of the mark]

another reason this is a very "christian" centric thread.

What do you need to learn to "become a christian" its a matter of faith, after all (sole fide) , and a faith in a few simple beliefs. So naturally "education" might take on the form of "brainwashing".

I beg to remind that not all religions are like that. You CAN't be a good Jew without a fair amount of learning. You cant follow a traditional service without some learning. You cant really get the concepts without some Hebrew. You cant do the things observant Jewish people do, like holidays, kashrut, shabbas, etc without learning. Not giving a child learning is foreclosing that option, until they go and get the education later themselves. Its like not teaching a child to use machines, cause someday they might decide to become a luddite.

I suspect that Catholicism is closer to Judaism in this regard than Protestantism.