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/sci/ - Science & Math

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2086615 No.2086615 [Reply] [Original]

Hullo.
How can I raise my son atheist?
I want him to enjoy shit like Christmas, but I don't want him to believe in any gods. I also want him to know about gods, and other ancient traditions, but I don't want him to believe in them. How can I do this without compromising his free will?

>> No.2086621

>implying he has free will in the first place

Raise him to be a god, not believe in them.

>> No.2086634

What do you care what your son believes? According to your beliefs he's just another insignificant bag of water with no higher purpose or reason for existing.

>> No.2086640

So... just tell him the truth. You can still celebrate Christmas with presents and chocolate and everything else, and do Easter with eggs and a bunny, and so on. Bed time reading might include stories about Greek gods, and Roman gods, and also Christian gods. Just explain as you read them that they're all made up, like the 3 bears or whatever.

>> No.2086643

>>2086634
And this is why everyone else thinks religious people are douchebags. (inb4 he's just a troll)

>> No.2086660

>>2086621
I plan to do that
>>2086640
And how should I prepare him? I don't want him to be some elitist fuck who attacks people's beliefs. How can I explain that some people believe in God and how can I explain why we don't?

>> No.2086673

Let your son believe whatever he chooses to believe. If you set out with a goal of making your son an atheist you're not really that much better than those who make their children *insert religion here*. Let him believe whatever makes him happy. The best thing you can do is to not discuss it much; no one, at least for the first 10 years of his life is going to either.

>> No.2086682

Make sure he is smart. He'll eventually figure it out.

>> No.2086685

All I can suggest is to teach him how to be rational and think for himself.

The again, children are bastards. I've no idea how you would go about teaching them life skills.

>> No.2086696

>>2086643
You make a point. I was acting no better than any religious or anti-religious militant.

I sincerely apologize to OP and take back what I said.

But /sci/ isn't the place to be asking for advice on raising a child. There are more appropriate places for this kind of thing.

>> No.2086730

Why raise your son to be anything? Educate him as best you and let him decide for himself if he wants to be Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Daoist, pagan, wiccan, follow the Norse, Roman, or Greek gods or whatever he chooses.

He'll still be your son and you'll still love him no matter what his beliefs are.

>> No.2086836

>>2086615
teach him to question everything and look for evidence? seems pretty straitforward. 'indoctrinate him' into a mindset that protests against indoctrination by demanding evidence logic and tough questions, little kids love to ask questions already, just make sure that theres never such thing as a bad question. whether or not he believes in god, he certainly wont end up religious (dogmatic) in this way.

>> No.2086866

>>2086660
Just tell him stuff like "a lot of people believe that the universe had a creator, and that creator was born on a person on earth 2,000 years ago, and that's what they celebrate on Christmas. We've never seen any evidence to show that any of that is true, so we don't believe it's true, but we join in the celebrations anyway to be part of the culture and share the festive time with our friends."

>> No.2086903

>How can I raise my son atheist?

There's your problem. You are compromising his free will by trying to raise him as ANYTHING. Just teach him what you believe, and let him decide for himself.

>> No.2086929

>>2086660
You don't need to prepare anything. Just be a good parent, tell the same bedtime stories that every parent tells their kids, but make sure your son knows they're just stories. Most importantly, teach the idea that your son shouldn't believe things just because someone said so, and that he should look for evidence that things are true.

If he later says, "well, Trevor down the street says that God is real," you can say, "yes, lots of people believe that. I don't, but you can believe it if you want. You can also believe in Odin or Zeus or anything. But why would you believe in one but not the other?"

And if he does decide to become religious, let him. Don't sweat it. But when he does, make sure he actually reads the Bible, because if there's one sure way to make sure someone is not a Christian, it's to make sure they've read the Bible.

>> No.2086948

>>2086615
My parents never even mentioned god around me. When I saw stuff on tv, I asked questions. Now, even when bad stuff goes down, I don't pray. I don't even feel the need to pray either.

People who ask questions are pretty much never going to go nutty religious. Forcing your kid into some ideology isn't so good. And yeah, I'm an atheist, but it should be a personal decision.

>> No.2086947

>>2086929
>if there's one sure way to make sure someone is not a Christian, it's to make sure they've read the Bible.

Are you retarded? How do you think Christianity spread in the first place? Why do you think Christian missions translate the Bible into every language on the planet. Anyone who reads the Bible at a young age -- though whole thing -- is more than 50% likely to become a Christian. If you don't want him to become a Christian, don't encourage him to read the Bible.

>> No.2086963

>>2086947
most christians i know dont really read the bible. they read hand picked versus from the bible leaving out other things.

>> No.2086965

>>2086947

Actually, until quite recently very few people besides the clergy ever read the Bible.

In the 9th century someone (I think it was Aelfric) wanted to translate the Bible into English and a lot of people were pissed off because they didn't think commoners could be trusted to read it. Only people who read Latin were deemed responsible enough to actually read the Bible; everyone else was assumed to be so stupid that they had to have the stories interpreted and explained for them in church. It wasn't until comparatively recently that it was considered normal for laymen to read it.

>> No.2087103

he'll probably just naturally adopt atheism since his parents are. that's what happened to me since my dad's a scientist. you don't have to try to train him to be an atheist, he'll probably just pick it up by himself, especially in this modern world of chaos we live in.

>> No.2087318

Let your son believe what he wants you fucking prick

>> No.2087348

Kids are defiant.
If you tell him not to, he will be tempted into learning more about it.
Just, raise a kid. Don't give a fuck.
If you hate the stereotyped Christian shoving their beliefs in your face, what do you think your kid will think of you when you shove your non-belief in their face? What example would YOU be setting?

Christianity is all about kindness to others regardless of background or beliefs, trolls will LOVE to tell you otherwise.
Christmas can be celebrated by anyone. While it is a celebration of the birth of Christ, it's also about the spirit of giving and generosity. The modern version of Christmas is more about the commercialism anyway, even going as far to rename it "holiday."

>> No.2087350

>free will

lol... yea right.. why don't you try raising him to think about things instead of believing what makes you feel better like free will

>> No.2087374
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2087374

>>2087348
>>christianity is all about kindness to others regardless of belief
>>everyone who tells you otherwise is a troll
so i guess Jesus all religious leaders and the bible are trolls

Or would you say god WOULDN'T send me to hell or not being Christian? seems pretty heretical to me. picture related. don't worship this guy? then you're going to hell.

>> No.2087388

>>2087350
You are so fucking stupid it's beyond words

>> No.2087393

>How can I do this without compromising his free will?
>I want him to believe what I believe, fuck what he wants.

Fucking hilarious, made my day man.

>> No.2088291

WELL SAID
CLAP x 12

>>2087348

>> No.2088336

Atheism is easy to put into kids. I'm happy with whatever religion my kids choose, but I'm confident they'll become Atheist. If you live in a secular household, and answer and encourage all their questions (cruise control for ending up smart too), they'll either end up Atheist or Agnostic.

>> No.2088343
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2088343

>>2088336
>Atheist or Agnostic
>Atheist OR Agnostic
gbt8 fdil;sohk WO(PNA

>> No.2088356

>>2088343
Oops, sorry. Agnostic Atheist.

>> No.2088364

>>2088356
Thank you.

>> No.2088367

>>2088336
Most kids of atheist parents end up atheist. Most kids of agnostic parents end up agnostic. Most kids of religious parents end up religious. Most kids don't have an original thought in their heads.

>> No.2088376

>>2088367
>Most kids of religious parents end up religious

Bullshit. Most kids of religious partens, while intially religious end up atheist or agnostic.

>> No.2088380

>>2088367
>AGAIN SPEAKING OF ATHEISM AND AGNOSTICISM AS IF THEY ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
>FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUK IGOSNKMDS wn 9.k,tl 5BRITAKBW LZHNBL,Kntni RZLNYISZ YAZT49

>> No.2088382

>>2088376

...Then why are there still religious people?

>> No.2088383

>>2088380
Yes, in their most common definitions, ATHEISM and AGNOSTICISM are mutually exclusive.

Also, you mad.

>> No.2088394

>>2088376
That's demonstrably false. Nearly everyone goes through an agnostic or atheistic phase around 13-15, but most who are raised religious return to religion of some sort or another.

>> No.2088406

>>2088394

That's propaganda spread by christfags to retain their dropping numbers of sheep.

The reason so many teenagers leave is that with the onset of puberty their brain has grown enough to question the world around them.

>> No.2088413

I was raised atheist. Although I never even heard the word "athiest" or knew what it meant until I saw some shit on the Internet a few years ago.

We celebrated Christmas by sticking presents under a tree like anyone else. A number of years my family decided we'd celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, Yule, or Pancha Ganapati instead of Christmas. That was really fucking awesome. It was exciting and educational as a child to learn about and participate in the lore of these celebrations instead of reading Rudolph the red nosed reindeer for the hundredth fucking time and hanging lights on a tree.

If you want to raise your child atheist you need to expose him or her to every religion ever and encourage thought. Sheltering him or her from religion is the opposite of what you should do.

>> No.2088417

>>2088383
YOU BET YOUR FUCKING MORONIC ASS I MAD, QUEERBAG. I HOPE YOU CHOKE ON THE SHIT OF A MEXICAN LEPER.

>> No.2088419

>>2088376
bullshit. most general terms are used incorrectly and with little regard for their actual meaning.

you're seriously implying that people raised to be religious end up not being religious more than 50% of the time?

I do understand what you're trying to say, but your choice of words is incredibly flawed.

finally, I disagree. Sometimes youths will act out against their parents beliefs, more often when their parents are overbearingly religious, but you can't seriously believe that kids taught to believe in god believe in him less often than kids who are not?

people who are above average intelligent (we'll go by iq for this quantity) have been shown to have a slight favor toward atheism, but personally, I believe it has more to do with personality type and upbringing.

My parents were religious, and so was I, until about 10 years ago when I realized all that was wrong with religion, such as contradictions, paradox's, and obviously incorrect things within the bible itself. If I wasn't who I was in terms of personality and perception of the world, I'd still be religious, rather than an agnostic atheist.

>> No.2088423

>>2088413
GAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY

>> No.2088429

>>2088406
>That's propaganda spread by christfags to retain their dropping numbers of sheep.
Their numbers aren't dropping. The numbers in moderate churches are dropping. The numbers in conservative churches are booming.

>The reason so many teenagers leave is that with the onset of puberty their brain has grown enough to question the world around them.
Yes, that's right. At the age of rationality, an adolescent has to challenge everything and determine for himself what is true.

>> No.2088438
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2088438

>>2088417

>> No.2088445

>>2088413
Wow. Two gay dads, amirite?

>> No.2088456

>>2088438
BECAUSE IT IS ON THE SAME FUCKING LEVEL AS "IRREGARDLESS" AND "I COULD CARE LESS" IN MENTAL RETARDATION. I WISH I COULD HATE YOU SO MUCH YOU'D GET CANCER.

>> No.2088467

Just mention that you personally don't believe in God, and you don't really mind what he believes. It's what my parents did, as long as your kid isn't retarded you'll be fine. I was sort of Christian when I was 8, but then I realized that it didn't make much sense and I just thought Jesus was just a pretty cool role model with his charity work, not the son of God.

Seriously, as long as you don't push religion onto a relatively smart kid you'll be fine.

>> No.2088475

>>2088429
>Their numbers aren't dropping. The numbers in moderate churches are dropping. The numbers in conservative churches are booming.

Way to avoid the point bro. The point is that Christianity is dropping.

Christians are getting "squeezed", and they either pop out atheist or fundie. It's a polarisation, not a "religious revival". And as more Christians become fundies, Christianity will look more and more ridiculous.

>> No.2088481
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2088481

>>2088456
You don't have to redefine words in order to be an atheist or an agnostic. Just accept words the way they are, and stop being mad.

ag·nos·tic
noun \ag-ˈnäs-tik, əg-\ : one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god

athe·ist
noun \ˈā-thē-ist\ : one who believes that there is no deity

Courtesy, merriam webster. They are mutually exclusive, friendo.

>> No.2088489

>>2088475
You can have whatever social theories you like, but the number of Christians are not dropping.

>> No.2088495

>>2088481
That's the online one. The hard copy has both definitions.

Atheism meaning "lack of belief in gods" isn't new.

>> No.2088532

>>2088481

Try a real dictionary, faggot.

Atheist:
1. One who denies or disbelieves the existence of a God.
2. One who practically denies the existence of a God by disregard of moral obligation to Him; a godless man.

Agnostic:
1. One who holds that the existence of anything beyond and behind material phenomena is unknown and (so far as can be judged) unknowable, and especially that a First Cause and an unseen world are subjects of which we know nothing.

Courtesy of the OED.

So if you don't attend Church regularly, you're an atheist, regardless of whether you're also an agnostic or not.

>> No.2088561
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2088561

>implying Saturnalia is a Christian holiday

>> No.2088569

You can enjoy Christmas by understanding that it is a tradition of holiday and celebration, and knowing how it originated, without actually holding religious beliefs.

I'm not sure why you are so confused about how to accomplish this when this is what the logical outcome will be without dogmatic indoctrination in the first place.

Also I doubt celebrating Halloween has turned any Christians into pagans.

PS: Not science and/or math.

>> No.2088573

>>2086660
you have no choice. the only way to prevent your kid form becoming an elitist fuck...is by teaching the kid subjective morality..and you decide what or what not to teach him manners wise.

>> No.2088592

>>2088532
>and especially that a First Cause and an unseen world are subjects of which we know nothing.

Agnosticism isn't even that specific.

This shit right here is why traditional authorities just don't enjoy the credibility they once did.