Why I raise my kids without God.

[formergothardite]

This article sums up a lot of what I feel about why I am raising my kids without a god to worship. I am just listing the headings here to give an idea of what the writer is saying.

God is a bad parent and role model

God is not logical.

God is not fair.

This one really sticks out for me because we have Miss Raquel praying for a horse (a want not a need) and she gets it, yet people are praying for food (a need not a want) and God just lets them starve to death.

God does not protect the innocent.

God is not present.

God Does Not Teach Children to Be Good

God Teaches Narcissism

The last paragraph says this and this is exactly how I feel:

I do not want religion to go away. I only want religion to be kept at home or in church where it belongs. It’s a personal effect, like a toothbrush or a pair of shoes. It’s not something to be used or worn by strangers. I want my children to be free not to believe and to know that our schools and our government will make decisions based on what is logical, just and fair—not on what they believe an imaginary God wants.

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-910282?hpt=hp_c3

[BravaAmica]

I read that article and am about to send her a bundt cake! She's said pretty much what I think about religion in the public sphere.

I do attend church, and sometimes my son goes to Sunday school. But you know what? If he wants to stay home, he stays home. I'm not forcing religion on him. Ever.

[Lostie]

Is there a link?

[formergothardite]

I added the link, sorry about that. So many Christians go on about how it is a personal relationship, and then they try and force that relationship on everyone else. If you want to have a personal relationship with God, go for it but a personal relationship with God needs to stay just that, personal.

[AnnieC 305]

What's amusing is that a number of people reported it to CNN as inappropriate content.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/1 ... ?hpt=hp_c3

[SamuraiKatz]

Excellent article. Not inappropriate at all. Differing points of view and discussion are a good thing.

[debrand]

What's amusing is that a number of people reported it to CNN as inappropriate content.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/1 ... ?hpt=hp_c3

But there were plenty of others who wrote thoughtful rebuttals, respectfully disagreeing with Mitchell while not foisting their own beliefs on her. Take, for instance, a Methodist dad, who said faith can be hard to nail down, but “not to avail ourselves of the power of something we don't completely understand is silly

.â€

I didn't read Mitchell's rebuttal but the quote sounds very condescending. How do you avail yourself of something that isn't there? That makes no sense. Why is it silly to want proof before you offer worship to an unseen, all knowing, all powerful being who can throw your butt into eternal torture?

In the United States being religious is considered the normal state. A religious person-especially a Christian- can make snide comments, try to change a nonbeliever's views, and talk about their faith constantly without being seen as being obnoxious. Atheists are often told that they are rude or pushing their nonreligion down other people's throats merely for pointing out that atheists aren't monsters or that we might have legitimate reasons for not believing.

[JenniferJuniper]

In the United States being religious is considered the normal state. A religious person-especially a Christian- can make snide comments, try to change a nonbeliever's views, and talk about their faith constantly without being seen as being obnoxious. Atheists are often told that they are rude or pushing their nonreligion down other people's throats merely for pointing out that atheists aren't monsters or that we might have legitimate reasons for not believing.

Agree. And I see it not so much that we have legitimate reasons for "not believing" but that there are no legitimate reasons for believing anything. We're here. (I think!) That's all any of us know. And world-views founded upon dusty old fairy tales have caused a tremendous amount of suffering on this planet. But an atheist isn't allowed to point that out, even when some utterly obnoxious individual is relentlessly proselytizing in his or her face.

I just wish more atheists would come out of the closet. If they did, I think it would be like gay rights. "Hey, my neighbor is an atheist and she's a good person who is there for anyone who needs a hand. Maybe you can actually be a good person without being motivated by some after-life reward or fear of eternal damnation!"

[FloraKitty35]

I usually read and don't make posts, but I have NEVER had an atheist try to foist their beliefs on me, can't say the same for a lot of the Christians that I have encountered in my life. If her kids a kind, compassionate, ethical people who take account for their own actions, than that says alot more for them than it does some hypocrite who goes to church three times a week.

[formergothardite]

I have to admit that I am often wary of telling people of my non-belief because often they automatically start treating me different and then a good portion of the time they just see me as a soul to save. Just telling people I don't go to church is enough to freak people out around here.

[MarthaMarcyMayMarlen]

It is a good reason to freak them out.

[debrand]

It is a good reason to freak them out.

Why? I don't get freaked out if someone goes to church every Sunday. On Sundays, I like seeing so many people dressed up when I go grocery shopping. It is obvious that they stopped on their way home from church but that doesn't offend me. Sometimes I think that it would be nice to have a reason to get dressed up every week and then I remember that I can sleep in on Sunday morning.

It shouldn't freak a religious person that I don't go to church anymore than I get freaked out that they get dressed up and attend church

[BravaAmica]

Why? I don't get freaked out if someone goes to church every Sunday. On Sundays, I like seeing so many people dressed up when I go grocery shopping. It is obvious that they stopped on their way home from church but that doesn't offend me. Sometimes I think that it would be nice to have a reason to get dressed up every week and then I remember that I can sleep in on Sunday morning.

It shouldn't freak a religious person that I don't go to church anymore than I get freaked out that they get dressed up and attend church

Psssst, debrand. FYI- MarthaMarcyMayMarlen is a troll.

[formergothardite]

It is a good reason to freak them out.

My dear, you have already admitted that you care so little about Jesus that you only follow what he teaches when it suits you. That you don't even attempt to follow the Bible and that you are trolling a forum after getting mad because people disagreed with your religion. So, since you can't be bothered with your god that much in your own life, why don't you stop trying to act like people who also don't follow or believe in your religion are scary.

[deelaem]

What a great article. These are things that I think about all the time.

Where I live, I'm actually afraid to tell people that I not only don't go to church, but that I'm a non-believer. I naively did that when I first moved here, and it resulted in me being bullied to the point of having to quit my job. From my experience, atheists and non-believers are way more persecuted than any religious group.

[keeks21]

Have you guys read the CNN ed's notes? Fundies keep on reporting the article as inapropriate.

Update: CNN hasn't flagged this iReport as inappropriate, but some community members have. This is a divisive topic, however it does not violate our Community Guidelines, so we ask people to please stop flagging it. We will continue to review the story as often as possible.

Edited typos because my ipad hates me.

[LostSamurai]

The fact that people are reporting some opinion piece as inapproiate is the reason why Fundies are truly awful, despicable people.

I don't care what religion you are...be it that you worship Jesus, Xenu, Buddha, Mohammed...hell, I don't care if you worship a cookie. I'm Catholic myself and I do pray, but I wouldn't force religion on you if you don't believe. That's your own choice.

Interesting article.

[Dev83]

Living in a conservative area of CA, I do worry about how my hypothetical kids will handle being non believers, and mainly how kids and parents will treat them. I shouldn't have too, and it pisses me off that I do. I grew up mildly Christian (heh) but even then I consistently felt the need to fudge just how religious I was in order to fit in.

So yes, I wish people would keep their personal beliefs to themselves. I do t walk around trying to convert people to secular humanism, and I expect the same consideration from others.

[EyeQueue]

just wish more atheists would come out of the closet. I just wish more atheists would come out of the closet. If they did, I think it would be like gay rights. If they did, I think it would be like gay rights. "Hey, my "Hey, my neighbor is an atheist and she's a good person who is there for anyone who needs a hand. neighbor is an atheist and she's a good person who is there for anyone who needs a hand. Maybe you can actually Maybe you can actually be a good person without being motivated by some after-life reward or fear of eternal damnation!"

THIS x 1,000. [Edited for spelling, and noting it here because my phone is freaking out and for some reason won't let me scroll to bottom of entry]. :(

I'm raising my daughter in a non-religious environment, but have made it clear to her that if she wants to pursue a religion, she is free to do so in a few years, when she's developed a stronger set of critical thinking skills (she turs 14 this week).

I wish more people would "come out.". I have just recently started to do so with close friends, but do get a few who I can tell would like to make me their salvation project, which I then vehemently deny.

It's super sad that in the U.S., non-believers are the most hated and distrusted group. Very sad and ridiculous. :(

[debrand]

The fact that people are reporting some opinion piece as inapproiate is the reason why Fundies are truly awful, despicable people.

I don't care what religion you are...be it that you worship Jesus, Xenu, Buddha, Mohammed...hell, I don't care if you worship a cookie. I'm Catholic myself and I do pray, but I wouldn't force religion on you if you don't believe. That's your own choice.

Interesting article.

It isn't just fundies. There are an awful lot of sensitive conservative evangelicals who can't handle any criticism of their beliefs. Even an atheist saying that they should be treated with respect is viewed with suspicion.

Except for on this site, I don't hear a lot of liberal Christians speaking out against their evangelical counterparts. Liberal Christians seem to wrongly believe that evangelicals and fundamentalists are a small portion of their religion. When someone makes a complaint based on their negative, real experiences with some Christians, liberal Christians assure the other person that all Christians aren't crazy. Of course, all Christians aren't crazy. The other person doesn't need to hear that. What they need is for the liberal Christian to speak out against his/her conservative Christian counterpart.

[debrand]

THIS x 1,000. [Edited for spelling, and noting it here because my phone is freaking out and for some reason won't let me scroll to bottom of entry]. :(

I'm raising my daughter in a non-religious environment, but have made it clear to her that if she wants to pursue a religion, she is free to do so in a few years, when she's developed a stronger set of critical thinking skills (she turs 14 this week).

I wish more people would "come out.". I have just recently started to do so with close friends, but do get a few who I can tell would like to make me their salvation project, which I then vehemently deny.

It's super sad that in the U.S., non-believers are the most hated and distrusted group. Very sad and ridiculous. :(

I'm slowly letting people know that I don't have faith anymore. My facebook page lists me as an agnostic atheist but until a couple of days ago, no one noticed. My brother knows and moved on. His reaction surprised me. After being angry for a day, he let it drop and doesn't seem inclined to convert me.

Sometimes I post images from an atheist facebook page. My aunt and sister have finally noticed that I am not a Christian. My aunt wrote me a letter telling me she wanted to see me in heaven. I told her that was sweet and that her concern meant a lot to me. So far, she has let the subject drop. My sister seemed more alarmed when she wrote me but I think that she accepted my explanation. I'm sort of dreading eventually seeing her because she likes to debate just like I do.

[MarthaMarcyMayMarlen]

My dear, you have already admitted that you care so little about Jesus that you only follow what he teaches when it suits you. That you don't even attempt to follow the Bible and that you are trolling a forum after getting mad because people disagreed with your religion. So, since you can't be bothered with your god that much in your own life, why don't you stop trying to act like people who also don't follow or b

believe in your religion are scary.

Its scary because you are going to HELL if you dont believe!!!!

[keeks21]

I wonder though with those that have said " I'm Christian but I wouldn't force my views on you" how do you align this with the bible and christian teachings?

When I was a Christian and went to church we were always told to "share the gospel and the good news of Christ" and we were repeatedly told to invite people to church. I personally don't see how you can be a Christian and not try to convert people.

I don't intend to be antagonistic it's just a question I've had in my head since my agnostic conversion.

[formergothardite]

Its scary because you are going to HELL if you dont believe!!!!

So the only reason you believe in god is for fire insurance?

[Arete]

I wonder though with those that have said " I'm Christian but I wouldn't force my views on you" how do you align this with the bible and christian teachings?

When I was a Christian and went to church we were always told to "share the gospel and the good news of Christ" and we were repeatedly told to invite people to church. I personally don't see how you can be a Christian and not try to convert people.

I don't intend to be antagonistic it's just a question I've had in my head since my agnostic conversion.

It depends on the church culture, keeks. I'm a Greek Orthodox Christian, and we do not have this emphasis on soul winning and conversions. As a matter of fact, we have NO emphasis on soul winning or conversions. One of our priests explained the relationship between the Great Commandment and the Great Commission this way: If you are practicing the Great Commandment, the Great Commission will take care of itself. The theology puts a big emphasis on the fact that the only person's salvation that you need to be interested in is your own. Orthodoxy also does not believe in the doctrine of Original Sin, so we don't see human beings as totally depraved and deserving of hell as a Calvinist would.

I have to say this business of shoving your beliefs down everyone's throat with a side of ostentatious public peity is a uniquely evangelical protestant phenomenom. A non-convert Catholic, Orthodox, or Episcopalian is not taught that you have some sort of responsibility to tell everyone about Jesus. This is the 21st century, people know who he is and can get further information if they so choose.