Why raise kids with religion? Why am I imposing my beliefs on my children?
I'm sure anyone that raises their kids to believe in God (esp Jesus) encounters this question at some point. It's frustrating because an essential characteristic of 'faith' is believing something even without proof, explanation, or reason - which doesn't facilitate "easy answers"
There are a lot of reasons why I chose to pass on Roman Catholicism to my children. But here's the biggie:
If a parent knows something that has made their life easier, their body and mind healthier, their life richer; wouldn't they go out of their way to pass that onto their children? I began taking vitamins and eating less processed foods several years ago. I'm not always as good about it as I should be (or wish I was), but when my kids were infants I began shovelling Shaklee in their little mouths because I believe it's good for them. I'm going to encourage my kids to go to college because I believe that is good for them, too. And the list goes on and on...
Why would I sit back and say "oh yes, this thing changed my life dramatically for the better, but I think I'll let my kids figure that out on their own. I'll just keep taking the vitamins myself and not really talk about it with them or teach them what I know and one day, when they are older, they can figure out what they want to do."
Seriously? So my kids might grow up thinking that Doritos is a food group since that's what TV is willing to tell them. I should be willing to speak up and let them know what I know to be the truth about food...
...or God! There is an entire world out there that is willing to teach my kids about faith if I'm not. And I don't like what some of those people are saying. I want my kids to to learn about God and to know all the good things that come from a relationship with Him.
I don't think that raising children with religion needs to be an oppressive act. I think it can be spiritually healthy, emotionally enriching and intellectually enlightening. These are the gifts I should be giving my children to prepare them for the day when they make their own choice.
I love this post. I was going to post a comment a couple of days ago but you know how it is with a baby....
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I've been thinking about this exact subject matter since the holiday season started (Halloween). What should I teach the baby about life?
I totally agree with you that religion is a good thing. The question for me is, which religion? I too grew up in Catholicism but I don't take the Christian stories (bible) as literal. It makes it difficult because most Christians do. I want the baby to benefit from having some sort of spiritual support in her life, but I'm afraid she is too young and will be too young for a while to not take all of it literally.
But, I don't know. I'm considering going to church but maybe not Catholic church. And I'm thinking if I'm really going to go all out and pursue this that perhaps I just take it to the next level and maybe even convert to Mormonism. They seem like the happiest of all Christians (no guilt tripping) to me. What do you think? Crazy?