Religion Shouldn't Be Inherited? Yes? No? I donno.

[midnightvamp 1]

I don't know. I'm sort of on the fence of this whole thing. I was baptised at about 8 or 9 years old. Because it was before then that my parents split up. My mother is religeous, while my father is an atheist. I'm not even sure how he felt about us becoming "one with the church" so to speak. I don't even remember if he was there... but I remember all mom's side of the family being there.I'm one of those kinds of people that would like to believe that something really is out there, but despite my efforts, it's never going to be proven, so I don't think I can ever feel so strongly towards any religion. Mind you, I still have a lot of education to give myself in the world's religions.I like the idea of educating our kids, and giving them the choice to pick which religion they'd like to become, if any when they are old enough to make an educated decision.Maybe someday, I'll turn more to the church, or more to a new church, I'm not really sure about that at the moment. But it would be nice to have had the chance to know more about what "baptism" really meant before getting into it.I don't know that much about my own church even now, so I don't know how a young person should really have to undertake such a thing, without really knowing.This is always a hard topic to talk about coherently, hopefully I've not run in too many circles with this one lol.

[biscuitrat 0]

All right, then let's break it down like this. Say you're baptized into a religion or some such ceremony. Make it easy for the child to get out of commitment. Don't impose your views on them. If they appreciate it, continue. A child is a living breathing being, not a clone of the parent. It's certainly harder in some cultures than others, but if someone wants to be agnostic, don't try to stop them. Just...don't force, is what I'm trying to say. So many religions are conversion based that it annoys me. People have minds of their own. They don't like meandering into things.

 

Under the same pretense, neither do children. Children only do what their parents do because that's what they've learned. So be open-minded. Open them to different cultures, different habits. Show them a little of the world each day. What they learn will influence their decisions. As a parent, you're there to protect and care for your child, not influence their thoughts. Besides, enough nurturing at home will lead to a child's successful development. Religious orientation seldom has anything to do with it.

[SyneWave 0]

I think religion should not be inherited. I feel so because, as a Catholic by birth, I had no choice in my beliefs, but that does not mean i would not be catholic anyway, i just dont like the principal of forcing a child to believe in something before he/she has had a chance to form his/her own beliefs and opinions. Just my 2 cents.