A question about what your kids read *warning mild religious content*

[sparks19]

I would just like to make clear that I am not against parents raising a child in a jewish household or christian household or agnostic household..... whatever the parents personally believe....

My children will be raised in a Christian setting. We will go to church as a family, I will teach them what I know of God, and I will read them stories of my faith because I WANT to share it with them. BUT it will never be forced on them.

I see nothing wrong with letting them read books that contain other faiths in them. Nor will I stop them from learning Science just because I don't nessecarily believe in evolution and the big bang theory etc etc.

Our child will NOT be baptised though as we feel that is a choice that should be made by the person and not their parents.

But just because I want them to have the opportunity to learn about other people's beliefs does not mean I will not share my own beliefs with my child.

 

[milos_mommy]

When i was nearly thirteen, my Dad got remarried. I had known his wife for about a year and a half before this, and we got along very well.

Once they moved in together, my dad got visitation rights. I spent one afternoon a week and weekends at his house. My stepmother slowly began to grow more and more unbearable. She wouldn't let me watch television shows if they were rated y7 (for those of you who don't know, y7 means the show may not be suitable for children under 7.) If i had a book or a magazine, she'd take it away from me. She told me my mom, my grandmother, and all of my friends were going to hell for not going to church. Amazingly, she never took my CDs away. So while i sat in my bedroom and cried about my friend's miscarriage or overdose or boyfriend's arrest or whatever other things happen to normal high school kids (probably makes me sound like some delinquent. I never drank, did drugs, or had sex, i got along great with *most* of my family and was a good student), i listened to music and just kept thinking about how their were other open-minded people like me in the world. I started cutting myself. I drew satanic symbols all over her house, just to **** her off. I bought a bunch of wiccan jewelery and native-american folklore items (i'm native american from my mom's side.) to her house. Eventually the school called my mom and said i needed therapy. I cut my dad and stepmom out of my life and was prescribed zoloft. I kept cutting, was completely depressed and miserable. Eventually i tried to kill myself.

Now, i know my stepmom was not the average "Christian" person. I honestly think her church is a cult (i've heard this from others as well). I know i wasn't completely depressed and suicidal because of her forcing her faith on me, but it played a big part.

I will never, ever, ever trust her again. I don't know if i will ever speak to her or my father again. And i know that i will never, ever, be able to form a strong relationship (friendship, romance, or any kind of relationship.) I have a very good friend who was raised Christian and believes in Christianity very much. I'd love to be closer with him, but honestly i can't because of his religion. I can't trust him or feel comfortable discussing it.

That is why i think religion is a personal matter. A VERY personal matter. The kind of matter each and every PERSON must choose for themselves. Your parents can't choose for you, your spouse can't choose for you. And trying to force a religion on someone is just going to drive them away. If my stepmother took them time to actually practice what she preached, to show me what being a good christian was like, perhaps i would believe in Christ. But the only thing she showed me is that religion can be a very destroying thing.

 

[GlassOnion]

Coming from an Atheist (I didn't read the rest of the thread so I'm assuming it hasn't de-railed from its original post, a dangerous assumption, I know) I don't know. I think it'd be fine for my kids. I wouldn't tell them that god doesn't exist. I'd let them decide that on their own. So if they read a book entitled 'Dear God...' (or whatever the titles were) I wouldn't take it away from them. And if they decide to believe in god, of their own accord, then that's great. But they should have the choice and not have to feel guilty about it like I do about telling my parents I'm atheist. They raised me Christian and don't like that I chose not to believe in god.

If they find their own path to god and the book catalyzed that process then that's great. They would've made the choice sooner or later I reckon. But they won't be forcibly indoctrinated into a church.

Really it probably depends on what my wife will want because I don't care whether my kids believe in god or no.

 

[bubbatd]

^^^^ that was very sad for you . Sparks , I agree . Nash went to a Jewish preschool so his prayers were Hebrew.... to this day , at meals he still repeats the prayer . Who cares !!!

 

[sparks19]

^^^^ that was very sad for you . Sparks , I agree . Nash went to a Jewish preschool so his prayers were Hebrew.... to this day , at meals he still repeats the prayer . Who cares !!!

Yes.....

Don't you just find it amazing that a child at his age can repeat a prayer in Hebrew. To me that is amazing and far more important than what his "final choice of faith" is. I think it's an amazing thing that he was able to even learn something in a different language at that age.... that would by FAR overshadow any "belief infringement"

 

[M&M's Mommy]

Our child will NOT be baptised though as we feel that is a choice that should be made by the person and not their parents.

While I respect your choice on this matter, I just want to say that children don’t have to understand the significance of the sacrament of Baptism to benefit from it. This sacrament’s great value lies in what it does to the soul by bestowing on it sanctifying grace which makes us co-heirs of heaven with Christ. Through Baptism the life of Jesus becomes our own. This means that we are raised to the level of the divine, which we could never achieve on our own.

We don’t wait for children to understand the value of vitamins before we give them to them. Why would we ever want to wait to give them the greatest gift possible—life in Christ?

I guess I just stated an answer to the question that no one asks, why do Catholic baptize infant? lol.

 

[sparks19]

While I respect your choice on this matter, I just want to say that children don’t have to understand the significance of the sacrament of Baptism to benefit from it. This sacrament’s great value lies in what it does to the soul by bestowing on it sanctifying grace which makes us co-heirs of heaven with Christ. Through Baptism the life of Jesus becomes our own. This means that we are raised to the level of the divine, which we could never achieve on our own.

We don’t wait for children to understand the value of vitamins before we give them to them. Why would we ever want to wait to give them the greatest gift possible—life in Christ?

I guess I just stated an answer to the question that no one asks, why do Catholic baptize infant? lol.

I don't know..... I wasn't given vitamins as a kid..... I got the vitamins through food

 

[Xerxes]

We don’t wait for children to understand the value of vitamins before we give them to them. Why would we ever want to wait to give them the greatest gift possible—life in Christ?

So you're saying that just by baptizing an infant, that infant is saved?

Can you quote the scripture reference for that? It's something I've never read and I've read the bible cover to cover several times. Thanks!

 

[bnwalker2]

I think the very idea of "forcing faith" is an oxymoron. Faith is trusting the unseen and unknown. How can that be "forced" upon someone?

External structure can be forced, but internal structure cannot. JMO.

I consider "forced" to be how my mother would punish me if I didn't pray "properly", or if I ever said anything that went against what she believed.

 

[M&M's Mommy]

So you're saying that just by baptizing an infant, that infant is saved?

Can you quote the scripture reference for that? It's something I've never read and I've read the bible cover to cover several times. Thanks!

Can we move this question to the other thread? (about Catholic's practices?) I don't want to hi-jack Sparks thread too much

 

[sparks19]

Can we move this question to the other thread? (about Catholic's practices?) I don't want to hi-jack Sparks thread too much

LOL No problem....

It's already gone from "mildly religious content" to "highly religious content" hehehe I don't mind.

 

[mrose_s]

I honestly wouldn't care what they read, i'm not going to try to screen materials so they are more likley to share my views. I was never baptised, as my mother wanted me to make my own decision about that. Iwent to church for a while with my dad but didn't really enjoy it or see the point in me staying so I stopped.

I would rather my child get as much info on different views as possible and make they're own decision

 

[ToscasMom]

Children learn from their parents. Mostly they learn by Watching their parents. Children learn their values from their parents. They learn more by watching what parents do than by hearing what parents say. If parents have integrity, they learn that. If parents are religious, they learn that. If parents aren't religious, they learn that as well. Later in life when they are old enough to form opinions in ways other than watching, they may sort things out and depart from some of their parents' values and ideas. By choice. But during their most impressionable years, when their world is really controlled by their parents, they watch and they learn. So it is natural that parents would pass their belief in a religion or even their lack of belief in any religion onto their children without even trying. Religious parents are going to take their child to church with them. Non religious parents are not going to do that. Religious parents are not going to take their young child to a church of a different doctrine. So even if a young child were allowed to read religious material that is a departure from what their parents do or believe, I would imagine they would form a negative opinion at that time, because they Watch Their Parents. Those young, impressionable years are the best years for parental propaganda in any direction and on any subject. I say "propaganda" because inadvertently that is what it is, regardless of whether it is atheism or christianity. We are Influencing.

For example, I grew up "in" a religion. I was born into it. Most of us are either born into a particular faith or born into no faith. I therefore went to the church my parents went to, and was taught what that church taught. At such a young age, I hadn't reached a phase in my life where I would be questioning such complex things as religion outside the scope of what I Watched. This would only come later in life. But in the meantime, that was my particular propaganda. Later I changed my religion. By choice. But until then, I was subject to knowing what I Watched my parents do.

 

[ToscasMom]

Don't you just find it amazing that a child at his age can repeat a prayer in Hebrew.

I really don't. Children, before they reach their concrete operational phase can learn by repetition. The language really doesn't matter. How many kids sat at grampa's knee and heard him sing a song in his native language so many times that the child can sing it now too?

 

[sparks19]

I really don't. Children, before they reach their concrete operational phase can learn by repetition. The language really doesn't matter. How many kids sat at grampa's knee and heard him sing a song in his native language so many times that the child can sing it now too?

Sorry.... what I meant was I know how difficult it can be for adults (myself lol) to learn anything in a different language. it can be so complicated. But a childs mind is so open and "simple" that they can get it just like that. That a child's mind works in such a simplistic way that it's so easy for them to figure these things out where we as adults tend to overcomplicate everything and make it more difficult than it needs to be. Kids are brilliant.

I know even here at the shop we have people come in to make stuff and the adults have a heck of a time and the kids are the first ones done and have gorgeous designs and they make it look so easy.

 

[ToscasMom]

They may not even get it sparks. They just mem'rize and repeat it. Especially if it is catchy and repeated constantly. I remember singing songs in my grandfather's native language and I didn't know what they meant at all.

 

[sparks19]

They may not even get it sparks. They just mem'rize and repeat it. Especially if it is catchy and repeated constantly. I remember singing songs in my grandfather's native language and I didn't know what they meant at all.

I don't know about that..... I mean I learned frere jaques and I knew what all the words meant. I originally learned it by memorization and then we were taught what it really means in English. My neice also attends a French Immersion school from Kindergarten on up and it was amazing how she could say sentences and tell you exactly what they meant at 5 years old. She knew more French in one school year than I knew in French after taking it every year at school for ten years lol.

I am willing to bet that Nash knows what his Hebrew prayer means. I could be wrong but kids are so quick to learn stuff like that I wouldn't doubt it for a minute that he could tell us exactly what it means.

 

[Baxter'smybaby]

there is no doubt kids can learn languages more readily than adults can--they have not yet learned all the "rules" of language--so don't have as difficult a time "coding' different languages.

 

[Boemy]

Kids are very adept at learning languages, they're like little sponges. If you haven't been exposed to any language by a certain age, it becomes almost impossible to learn. (I mean not being exposed to any language AT ALL . . . If you've already learned one language, you can learn another language. Although not as quickly as a kid could.)

 

[GipsyQueen]

While I respect your choice on this matter, I just want to say that children don’t have to understand the significance of the sacrament of Baptism to benefit from it. This sacrament’s great value lies in what it does to the soul by bestowing on it sanctifying grace which makes us co-heirs of heaven with Christ. Through Baptism the life of Jesus becomes our own. This means that we are raised to the level of the divine, which we could never achieve on our own.

We don’t wait for children to understand the value of vitamins before we give them to them. Why would we ever want to wait to give them the greatest gift possible—life in Christ?

I guess I just stated an answer to the question that no one asks, why do Catholic baptize infant? lol.

What does the child benefit from when it's baptized?

Vitamins are different. I personally don't 'believe' in vitamins(The Pill form). If you eat healthy enough from the beginning you'll do fine.


[I was christened when I was 2 1/2... I could talk and all I did was scream around 'don't wanna be christened... don't wanna be christened.' All that did was stress me out. A year later I refused to go into another church and just said 'Im already christened, no thanks.' To this day I prefer not to go inside churches... they creep my out.]