Should Parents Raise Their Child(ren) Into a Religion?

madmachio:

Out of the Greeks, Norse, Roman, Egyptians, Aztecs, or any multitude of older pre-Christian civilizations would you want to live in? Or does good ol Christianty work fine?

What specifically do you think existed in those societies that Christianity got rid of? I can't think of a single problem that Christianity does not share with those societies, or our modern Christian societies today.

Just because the Bible has the ten commandments does not mean, A, that they are Christian concepts, and B, that they are followed to the T and abolish all crime...

By the way? I'm new on this site.. I was wondering.. What are the points under your name for?

occupy druscilla.:

Just because morals found their way into religion, doesn't mean that people without religion are too inherently evil or stupid to figure out that you shouldn't kill, cheat, steal, or lie. Being in the list of the commandments doesn't make a moral code religious.

You misinterpreted what I was saying. I did not say that people without religion don't have a sense of right and wrong. I'm saying that those morals originated within religious morals. I also said that may not be the case today.

madmachio:

Out of the Greeks, Norse, Roman, Egyptians, Aztecs, or any multitude of older pre-Christian civilizations would you want to live in? Or does good ol Christianty work fine?

Honestly? I wouldn't mind living in any of pre-Christian civilisations. Especially the Norse. I don't get why you treat them as inferiors to Christianity. They're not. They're just... different religions.

The Pies Endure:

What great misfortune? Well, I'd say a lot. Most morals originated within religions. Unless there is somewhere where morals originated from other than religion.

I'm not saying that today that's the case, I'm just saying from the beginning of human history.

Lol what morals originated in religion? Religious books are some of the most immoral things I have ever read, full of senseless death, judgement, opression and mind boggling ideologies, which somehow manage to even contradict themself in their "moral" instructions.

Morals didn't originate in religion, they originated in human mind, and I can bet they were there long before religion came. And even if that wasn't the case, morals can be had without religion, and children wont turn into immoral lunatics if somehow we don't shower them with local god-worship.

madmachio:

Just look at the morality of preChristian civilizations. They weren't very nice.

What are you talking about? Could you please try and remember the 2 000 years of horror during the expansion of Christianity? I think all of us here at least covered the basics of it in our history classes.

Even disregarding the ridiculous idea that without religious "morals" children would have been growing up in a grossly immoral society several centuries ago (lol oh wait), there is absolutely no truth in the "religion is necessary for morals" today.

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All of you who think religion is necessary for developing morals (whatever they may be like) - I don't think you quite understand what morals actually are. Morality is for the greatest part the ability to tell the difference between right and wrong. By just chucking down religious rules (because that's what the morals you speak of are - rules) down children's throats, you aren't influencing their sense of morality. The notions they would learn there will be "wrong" or "right" just because "God said so". That's not teaching morals, that's teaching mindless obedience.

The only way to acquire morals is through rational thought, it's a process in which you come to terms of why something is wrong and something else right. Once a person understands the reasoning behind their own judgements, decisions and rules they will follow, only then will they actually acquire some sense of morals.

"We can't understand what God meant to do with this rule, because God is so uberly complex and incomprehensible to us mere humans, but you should do what he said because it must be good, since God is good." I've seen this kind of line of thought a lot in arguments about morality. That is the biggest sack of baloney you could possibly imbed into someone who you're trying to teach morals. Morals should ultimately be understandable to the person and should be acquired through at least some amount of thought invested. Getting this incomprehensible moral guidance from religious teachings is a cop out, something only a person too lazy to think would try and sell for morality.

The Pies Endure:

You misinterpreted what I was saying. I did not say that people without religion don't have a sense of right and wrong. I'm saying that those morals originated within religious morals. I also said that may not be the case today.

I'm think you misunderstood what I was saying. I was saying most morals are not religious based, they've just been twisted by society as being such. I think most morals are humanity [secular] based and religion later adopted them [creeds, commandments, etc.].

Alright, so maybe I was wrong, but these days it seems that morals arose from religion, because most of the Western countries at least were founded by religious people so their laws etc were based upon religious morals. I am not saying people need religion or have to have it to be able to have morals.

But, I personally wouldn't want to live without religion.

The Pies Endure:

Alright, so maybe I was wrong, but these days it seems that morals arose from religion, because most of the Western countries at least were founded by religious people so their laws etc were based upon religious morals.

Or their laws were based on secular morals that came to be adopted by religions. It's not like religions never steal things from other places . . .

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But, I personally wouldn't want to live without religion.

it should be a choice though.

occupy druscilla.:

it should be a choice though.

Well, of course? I'm not saying it shouldn't be. But that also means it should be the parents choice to raise their child within the religion.

The Pies Endure:

Well, of course? I'm not saying it shouldn't be. But that also means it should be the parents choice to raise their child within the religion.

So long as the child is also given the right to leave said religion if they don't wish to be a part of it, I have no problem with that at all.

Because it does happen. I had an ex- who was a closet Wiccan because she was afraid of telling her parents because they were... really hardcore Christians, and likely would have kicked her out if she didn't conform to their beliefs.

madmachio:

Out of the Greeks, Norse, Roman, Egyptians, Aztecs, or any multitude of older pre-Christian civilizations would you want to live in? Or does good ol Christianty work fine?

What in the name of all that is good and green is wrong with the Greeks?

The Ancient Greeks were...frankly epic. It is from there we have our modern societal roots: medicine, philosophy, democracy, poetry...even the very langauge we speak...some may have got their conclusions incorrect but that was far more in due with the technology available at the time.

And even with the little wars betweeb the fragmented nature of the population, the slavery and the limited nature of democracy, Christianity hardly absolved these.

Whilst Christian (and other Abrahamic religions) have had an influence on modern religion and law, the influence of the Greeks...I'd suggest is even greater than that of Christianity simply due to the vastness of wonderful stuff that the Greeks managed to do.

I'd rather much be in Ancient Greece than any Christian theocracy, any day of the week. Might even visit Sappho whilst I'm there...

leaf's wierd:

So long as the child is also given the right to leave said religion if they don't wish to be a part of it, I have no problem with that at all.

Because it does happen. I had an ex- who was a closet Wiccan because she was afraid of telling her parents because they were... really hardcore Christians, and likely would have kicked her out if she didn't conform to their beliefs.

Well, of course. I was given the choice. My parents said when I turned 16 I could make my own decisions regarding Church. I did drift away from the institution of the Church during my first few years of University, but I never stopped believing.

That is sad when there are parents out there who would disown their own children or kick them out for not choosing to remain Christian. Because that's kinda sadly ironic, considering we're meant to show love to 'our neighbours'. That was Jesus' commandment to all of us.

river song.:

What in the name of all that is good and green is wrong with the Greeks?

The Ancient Greeks were...frankly epic. It is from there we have our modern societal roots: medicine, philosophy, democracy, poetry...even the very langauge we speak...some may have got their conclusions incorrect but that was far more in due with the technology available at the time.

And I especially appreciate their modern sexual views.

^Is that sarcasm?

^ As far as I know their attitudes towards sex were much more... relaxed, than they are today. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm fairly sure homosexuality was less of a big deal.

@ Alex; periphery.
I was going with you and not being sarcastic. Not all of their views were good, but some of them were better. They certainly didn't have problems with the naked human form or multiple sex partners or multiple relationship partners the way we do today.

Should parents raise there child(ren) into a religion?

Well, in my eyes, it all depends of the Parents. If only one parent is religious, or if there both different religions, then I say no, because the child might get a bit confused. But if both parents are part of the same religion. Then sure, if the parents want to raise them that way then sure, go for it. I know that if me and my partner stay together and have kids, that I would want them to be brought up with the religion of Christianity because that's what me and Carl are. And if our children say they don't want to be christian's, then that's fine. Plus, it didn't do me any harm to be raised that way.

@ Just Another Picture
I like your attitude about it. I think the problem isn't in raising a child into a religion, it's forcing them into one. As long as, when they're old enough to decide, they're allowed a choice, then I think it's fine. And I also think it's totally okay for a parent to 'force' their child to go to church on Christmas/Easter/etc. because I think it shows respect to go with your family on special occasions, so long as there isn't an underlying reason [your minister talks about gays going to hell and you're gay, for example].

I've seen too many people force children into trying to be religious and all it really does is make them resent religion more.

@ of dru's being.

That's exactly what I think, really. The child usually doesn't know anything else, any other religion than the one they're being raised into. So I don't see a problem with that. I was raised as an Agnostic/Atheist, but my parents are still giving me the choice of my religion.

Besides on the special occasions, like you said, I don't think it's okay to force your child to go to church on those weekly or monthly days. That's where I draw the line of slightly forcing them to believe in a religion. I know that they may not have to listen, but there could be a number of things at the church where they would have to.