What if your children choose another belief?

wil

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When I had kids I so wanted them to tell me about the world.

I didn't want to tell them the sky was blue, I wanted them to tell me what they saw.

I feel our whole life we are told how to think, how to talk, what to say and then we spend a life trying to find out what we think, what we want to say....

My question here is what kind of "line" are you in and how do you feel about where the line goes?

Are you fourth generation whatever belief system you believe is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth and have raised offspring to do the same?

Or did you leave the fold that birthed you, explore on and found a new path? Is your wish your children also find their own path or that they stick with ya on the path you now follow?

For me, my dad was a believer, but didn't go to church, my mom at 94 still goes to church but doesn't care which Protestant church she attends, and can't hear the sermon, but desires/needs to be there.

I bounced all over, and raised my kids in Unity school of Christianity. I exposed my kids to various religions we attended a number of differing services, my son studied additionally religions in college and hauled me to some other temples and is now a devout atheist. My daughter offers often to take me to church, the one she was raised in, but is ambivalent about it. I pretty much just find it all interesting .

How about you?
 
I believe religious indoctrination for a child is abuse. Children's minds are a blank slate; to fill that slate with your 'beliefs' doesn't give them the chance they need to explore other religions and ideas.

I was fortunate to have parents who did not push their beliefs on me. My mother had a bookshelf in the living room with numerous books about the world's religions. After reading them all, I decided on Taoism. This intertwined well with the martial arts I was studying at the time. It introduced me to an atheistic view of life that put importance on connecting with the 'flow' of my natural environment. It also introduced me to meditation.

As I grew up, my beliefs gravitated to the Western Left Hand Path, which also embraces the harmony of myself and my natural environment, while adding a perspective towards realizing my Greater Self/Higher Self/GodSelf.

My children were privy to a much larger library than my mother supplied, and they became readers of books, something that seems to be lacking today. They've digested the world's religions, we sat and had many talks about them, and eventually decided on their Paths, one becoming a staunch Stoic.
 
When it comes to beliefs (religious, political, etc.) I have taught my step-daughter the following:
1. Are the people of this group honest? If not, they're not worth your time.
2. Are the people of this group happy? Do you see a lot of laughter amongst their friends? Do the people of this group make others happy?
3. Are the people of this group mentally sound? For the members of that group who are not mentally sound, do they seem to be getting beneficial help from this group?
4. Do the people of this group help other people become better people?
5. How do the people of this group react to you asking questions about their beliefs? Are they easily offended? Do they try to avoid answering your questions? Do they resort to insults?
6. Are the people of this group hypocritical?
7. Will being part of this group make you into a better person?
8. Are the people of this group humble?

I have used many of these questions not just in regards to beliefs, but also in regards to joining clubs, organizations, and groups of friends.

My step-daughter is artistically minded , and I am not. So I'm already used to her seeing the world differently from me. I value her perspective. As my sons get older, they will be brought up with the same questions. I'm not worried about my children having beliefs different from my own. But I will not be happy if they join a belief group, or any group, that is harming their well-being.
 
@Alif Balaam Yashin - Judaism does not advocate religious indoctrination.

@wil - Nor does Judaism advocate what is your apparent position of leaving children totally to their own devices, to raise themselves without intervention of any kind, assuming that somehow without guidance, because you seem to believe that any guidance pollutes their souls, they will become wide and caring souls.
 
I think I internalized the value of religious freedom from my mom. My mom, accidental promoter of a philosophy of religious freedom, my mom who considered herself to be the furthest thing from a religious person, the furthest thing from a political person, and the furthest thing from a scholarly or philosophical person - my mom who disapproved of organized religion but insisted I attend a full session summer bible school just once, and who to me she would always support me and never block me from any religion I chose, so long as I did not push it on her.
 
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I grew up in a Jewish household. We were members of an orthodox synagogue but not really orthodox.
I became religious(Judaism) for a couple of short periods in my early 20s before I embarked on a Bhakti path.
It was during this time that I married and had a daughter.
I believed that my Guru was God-incarnate. I also believed that everyone had to come to the realization themselves, so I never tried to convince her that he was God.
I can only remember once time when she asked me about God. She was about 8 and asked "So, what's this God", I answered by just waving my hand implying 'the thing that's everywhere'.

She went to a CofE school, where they taught about many religions as were the pupils. She had one friend whose father was the leader of a local Christian community, She even had a Jehova Witness as a friend, who , believe it or not, was allowed to come with us to a music festival. This was a round the age of 12. Also Hindu and Muslim friends.

So she has been exposed to a wide range of belief systems.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When I was into the Guru, she used to watch videos of him with me when she was about 7 or 8. She was interested particularly because he became a Guru when was very young(8 or9).
Nowadays she is a writer and wrote a book of short stories, in one of which she tells her thoughts about those videos.

This is an extract from a short story my daughter wrote about her childhood.

"When I was a little girl, I used to watch my dad watch videos of the little fat Indian boy who was meant to be the bringer of Divine Light. In these videos the boy on stage blinked and smiled at unbelievable huge crowds. I remember asking my dad how comes he was a bringer of light. My dad said because his dad was, and then his dad died, and I remember feeling less jealous of the boy and more sad, because he was littler that I was, and he didn't even have a dad. But I was a bit jealous: it would be nice, I thought, if I didn't have to be as close to perfect as possible, in order to be watched. It would be nice for people to love you for just being there. in the world, sitting down, doing nothing."

So, I think she's ok :)
(It's 85F here and I'm going out to meet a friend in a local pub where we will drink cold lemonade and eat a bowl of chips with dips.)
Enjoy your weeks.
 
@Alif Balaam Yashin - Judaism does not advocate religious indoctrination.

@wil - Nor does Judaism advocate what is your apparent position of leaving children totally to their own devices, to raise themselves without intervention of any kind, assuming that somehow without guidance, because you seem to believe that any guidance pollutes their souls, they will become wide and caring souls.
Don't make me laugh . . . Jewish education, also known as Chinuch, plays a central role in transmitting the principles, beliefs, and practices of Judaism to children. This process is not limited to formal schooling but occurs in various settings, including the home, the synagogue, and the wider community.

Jewish law places a strong emphasis on parents educating their children from a young age in the observance of mitzvot (commandments). This responsibility begins as soon as children are capable of understanding and performing a particular mitzvah.

Traditionally, children as young as three are taught basic prayers and blessings. Boys at this age may begin wearing a kippah (head covering) and tzitzit (fringes on a garment). Girls may begin lighting Shabbat candles. Fathers are traditionally obligated to teach their sons Torah. Even from a young age, children are taught key passages of the Torah, such as the Shema.

Not to mention, if your mother is Jewish, then you are automatically considered Jewish (never quite understood that one). Consequences for not following Jewish Law include spiritual repercussions like a tainted soul, distance from God, and missed opportunities in the afterlife. Judaism regarded apostasy as a grave offense, as it represented a rejection of the covenant with God and the Jewish people. Deuteronomy mentioned death as the punishment for abandoning the faith.
.
 
Don't make me laugh . . . Jewish education
Is something I have always admired. I never put it all together till I had a Jewish business partner and was at a juggling club meeting in my 30s where a new fellow (jewish) was reading the membership list of the club and commented that three quarters of the club were Jews...me I was shocked... I never learned to differentiate names. But the discussions that followed regarding the community aspect, the knowledge that in a certain.way between all the holdidays and the various levels of orthodoxy or active participation...they all knew their mothers taught them all similar things....that gave them all a standard.
Nor does Judaism advocate what is your apparent position of leaving children totally to their own devices, to raise themselves without intervention of any kind, assuming that somehow without guidance, because you seem to believe that any guidance pollutes their souls, they will become wide and caring souls.
 
she would always support me and never block me from any religion I chose, so long as I did not push it on her
Your mother definitely said it better than I.

My totally blunt thought regarding religions .. don't try to wave it in my face or shove it down my throat.

And of course Rabio, I did no teach my children that when they were young... but they did probably hear me say that to others before they were 13.
 
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Is something I have always admired. I never put it all together till I had a Jewish business partner and was at a juggling club meeting in my 30s where a new fellow (jewish) was reading the membership list of the club and commented that three quarters of the club were Jews...me I was shocked... I never learned to differentiate names. But the discussions that followed regarding the community aspect, the knowledge that in a certain.way between all the holdidays and the various levels of orthodoxy or active participation...they all knew their mothers taught them all similar things....that gave them all a standard.
So, you find religious indoctrination of children a good thing?
 
Not to mention, if your mother is Jewish, then you are automatically considered Jewish (never quite understood that one).
What is hard to understand? Jewishness is not only religious, it is ethnic tribal, you are born into the Jewish people, whether or not you follow the religion.
 
I grew up in a Jewish household. We were members of an orthodox synagogue but not really orthodox.
I became religious(Judaism) for a couple of short periods in my early 20s before I embarked on a Bhakti path.
It was during this time that I married and had a daughter.
I believed that my Guru was God-incarnate. I also believed that everyone had to come to the realization themselves, so I never tried to convince her that he was God.
I can only remember once time when she asked me about God. She was about 8 and asked "So, what's this God", I answered by just waving my hand implying 'the thing that's everywhere'.

She went to a CofE school, where they taught about many religions as were the pupils. She had one friend whose father was the leader of a local Christian community, She even had a Jehova Witness as a friend, who , believe it or not, was allowed to come with us to a music festival. This was a round the age of 12. Also Hindu and Muslim friends.

So she has been exposed to a wide range of belief systems.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When I was into the Guru, she used to watch videos of him with me when she was about 7 or 8. She was interested particularly because he became a Guru when was very young(8 or9).
Nowadays she is a writer and wrote a book of short stories, in one of which she tells her thoughts about those videos.

This is an extract from a short story my daughter wrote about her childhood.

"When I was a little girl, I used to watch my dad watch videos of the little fat Indian boy who was meant to be the bringer of Divine Light. In these videos the boy on stage blinked and smiled at unbelievable huge crowds. I remember asking my dad how comes he was a bringer of light. My dad said because his dad was, and then his dad died, and I remember feeling less jealous of the boy and more sad, because he was littler that I was, and he didn't even have a dad. But I was a bit jealous: it would be nice, I thought, if I didn't have to be as close to perfect as possible, in order to be watched. It would be nice for people to love you for just being there. in the world, sitting down, doing nothing."

So, I think she's ok :)
(It's 85F here and I'm going out to meet a friend in a local pub where we will drink cold lemonade and eat a bowl of chips with dips.)
Enjoy your weeks.
At the end of the above story she addresses belief:

If I believe in anything, I believe that no matter how many times we sand the pavement, no matter how many books we read or sit-ups we do, there will always be cracks, and we, whether we're using our GPS or our A to Z or one of those silly cartoon tourist maps or one of those Boris bike maps, whether we're following our instincts, a best friend, a stranger, a lover or a mother, we will fall into them. We'll skin our chins and noses. We'll tear our new jeans. Some people will just step over us, others will laugh and maybe, if we're very lucky, some might take a few seconds out of the day they've got planned, that perfect day forever shimmering on the horizon, and help us up. Most of the time however, it's up to us to move and scream and shout - whatever it takes to find the voice that will get us out.
 
What do you mean by that?
What do you mean by indoctrination?
Is any and all teaching or conveying of information indoctrination?
Indoctrination is the process of instilling an ideology in a person or group through repeated teaching, often without encouraging critical analysis.

Religious indoctrination is the process of instilling religious beliefs in a person or group through repeated teaching, often without encouraging critical analysis.

Religious indoctrination of children is the process of instilling religious beliefs in young minds through repeated instruction, typically before they are capable of independent thought or critical analysis.
 
What is hard to understand? Jewishness is not only religious, it is ethnic tribal, you are born into the Jewish people, whether or not you follow the religion.
The idea that someone is considered Jewish if their mother is Jewish comes from traditional Jewish law (halakha), which states that Jewish identity is passed down matrilineally, from mother to child.

Judaism is a religion.
Jews are not a race.
 
The idea that someone is considered Jewish if their mother is Jewish comes from traditional Jewish law (halakha), which states that Jewish identity is passed down matrilineally, from mother to child.

Judaism is a religion.
Jews are not a race.
Judaism is often referred to as an ethno-religion. Judaism is indeed a religion, and Jewishness is at least sort-of a nationality, or tribe, or ethnicity, or a group thereof, if I understand correctly.
 
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