Christians, why make your kids go to church?

Most atheists in the U.S. were brought up Christian. Many professed being born again Christians. The Richard Dawkins Foundation even has a program for religious leaders who have become atheists and seek help in leaving the ministry. Your premise that atheists "are never taught anything about it" is just wrong. Most atheists are well informed regarding religion. On this forum they're generally better informed than the theists they're debating.

 

I used to be a creationist, used to be Christian, then I realized how little sense it made.

 

All of which is true about Theists as well.
Theism includes Judaism, Satanism, the Greek gods, Christianity and so on. These do not share a collective worldview, but wild variances.
If only Neut understood the word "atheist".

 

And you are clearly well informed regarding religion.

 

Baptized in the Catholic Church, and schooled on uber conservative Southern Baptist curriculum.

People say I misunderstand Christianity, which is false. I simply regurgitate what I was taught as a child and what people tell me today and end it with a question mark. Even here, Christians will say one thing there, you call them on it, and they try to avoid it.

 

Millions of parents force their kids to go to church.

When you intelligence level improves, check out my first post and try to actually address it properly. And then address my last reply to you properly instead of ignoring the fact that you just dug a deeper hole.

Really? Because I thought everyone had free will and was capable of knowing right from wrong. I thought god would judge them fairly, so what are you worried about? lol @ the ridiculous fear mongering about non-church going children.

Uh, no they're not. Name a single law our country was founded on that's unique to the Bible.

That really makes no sense. It's sunday school - not law school. They learn Bible stories, not national laws.

So far, no one is really addressing my points. Maybe I should take it one step at a time. Answer me this: do you trust that god will be fair to your children?

 

People have told me and mother mother that my brother is going to hell fro being gay, why should I respect such a vile belief?

People have told me that they don't consider Buddhism or other beliefs because they don't want to go to hell, why should I respect such a fear driven belief?

People have denied science and reason to preserve their fragile beliefs, why should I respect such an intellectually insulting belief?

I need not construct strawmen, believers give me all the material I need to point out exactly how non-nonsensical X, Y, and Z are.

 

Christians are the ones that say people KNOW the Christian god exists and they KNOW right from wrong, so are you telling me you think the Bible is lying?

Uh, I'm not the one that actually believes children will automatically grow up knowing things - you Christians are. lol, you are rather confused.

I know you think I'm a large group of atheists, but get over it.

hahaha, exactly. You tell me. Why would ******* people to hell for eternity and be angry about people being non-Christians if not everyone is properly "informed" about the religion?


And your stance is incredibly ironic, illogical, and unBiblical. The Bibles states that everyone knows the Christian god exists, but you apparently believe otherwise.

 

So we should not present this evidence to our own children because it offends someone who is not even in our family?

Now, you are the ones who are screaming theocracy and pointing out that Christians are sticking themselves into your private lives, yet at the drop of a hat, you invent a convoluted excuse to interfere with someone own children, and attempt to turn both their children and their faith into an illogical weapon?

Fo you understand why atheism is so little respected?

I was unaware that any Christian stated that all our children would grow up to be Prophets? Rather this is a case of anothervrandomignorant atheist deliberately getting it wrong simply for the sake of being mean. It's illogical, and not based in fact in the slightest.

So what better example to teach our kids? See what jack hole over there is saying? Now what does our God say? Which is telling the truth? Better by far that our children understand malice of such statements, and avoid the peril of self worship before they are ensnared in its angry web of derision and castigation.

Would you and the rest of the angry athtrolls consider yourself informed about a faith you routinely failmtonaccurately present?

Choice. People know that stealing is wrong, they do it anyway. You know what our religion is about, yet you reject it because you cannot figure out whether you are actively rejecting it as an atheist or merely not believing as an apatheist ... Even as youbstartbthads like this that indicate active rejection?

Once again, asking an exploratory child to determine which one is honest is a no brainer.

Well, I guess every idiot is entitled to an opinion. The difference is, tomorrow, my arguement will rest on the same standards and you'll be screaming about impending theocracy, having forgotten completely about your rubber necked intrusion into the privacy of a parent child relationship.

The funny thing about conspiracy nut balls, is that they think everyone else is illogical and evil.

Well, atheism like yours is only a threat to those already angry and looking for an excuse. But at some point, anger goes away, and what are we left with then? Right nothing. Nothing that can't even figure out whether is actually saying something.

Rest assured people educate their children about the need to be honorable in action, regardless of their religion - and the antics of atheism seen right here in this thread have earned atheism it's bottom of the pile status. But keep thinking everyone but you is the problem.

 

People have freewill. Though influenced by society, and their upbringing. When children come of a certain age they will have their passed experiences to help guide them through life. You, may as well asked should parents bring their children to football matches?. It is self evident if someone in their youth is brought to football matches as a child they also tend to love the sport when they are older. I believe children and adults for that matter are influenced by their surroundings home life, and past experiences. Those who went to church as children are more likely to go when they are adults. Do I beleive God will punish the wicked and reward the just?, the simple answer is yes, though not necessarily in this life.

 

Well, you can go there to learn about the deity. Maybe people believe that their deity likes a community etc, etc. There is I am sure many reasons I suppose it would depend on whos' deity you are talking about.

 

I also think no faith should dictate who is going and who is not going to heaven or hell.

Well there are religions that do not deny science.

 

Even through all your generalizations and hypocritical accusations I still understood your reason for using Christianity as a moral tool.

However you also seem to suggest that you use it as a moral tool because you are simply unaware how else to achieve it.

Having no or little knowledge on a subject does not make one an expert on the subject and you could have asked the question without adding all your bias.

You and I have spoke at least a few times on where we stand in regards to ideology. Ideologies stifle the human intellect and restrain the mind in order to obtain obedience. For instance a group could burn certain books while only allowing those that agree with said ideology. They cast out others as the enemy through various false claims or they could simply kill those who disagree.

The best way however is to reduce ones knowledge base. To educate them as if it was the only thing the really mattered. Though this may not be the desire of all or any Christians who teach their kids their religion from a very young age it would be quite absurd to suggest that a). They are not in a human beings most gullible state of mind and or b). That teaching them something they are surrounded with most of their lives will not prohibit them from truly seeing other perspectives with an open mind.

Personally I teach my kids the obvious such as treat others as you would wish to be treated, to respect one another, cherish your family and friends and do your best to always do what they feel is right.

In regards to some of the situations you mentioned above I would never try to give my children answers instead I do my best to open their minds through asking them questions.

One of my sons may have an answer no one else has thought of but I would be hard pressed to lead him to it or allow him to find it himself by filling his head with mine or anyone else’s as if it were absolute, this is how progress is made.

I will not hand my son a intellectual anchor of any sort, religious or otherwise.

When my son asked me about God I didn’t tell him God doesn’t exist nor did I tell him he did. Instead I asked him what he thought and he responded by saying “I don’t know”. I told him at the age of 8 that’s a very good answer.

 

If God occupies all time and space, why go to a church that expects my money?

Your premise of God makes very little sense.

 

Absolutely, however the next time you are at church ask around and see how many people accept the fact we are the descendants of primates.

 

I hope no matter what church anyone goes to they are not EXPECTED to give their hard earned money. Maybe it is pleasing to God for a community of people to gather together and to worship and praise Him.

My premise of God makes little sense?. I am not claiming to know why God would do this, that, or the other, or why He would not. It is you who is trying to second guess God's intentions and ask why He would need to something. Maybe God has no need, he just does it because it is pleasing to Him.

 

I have no qualms about evolution, I do not think people at my congregation give it much thought, though I believe most would not have any problems accepting evolution.

 

Yet I remember being in a super conservative Protestant church last March and listening to them claim that those who tithe at least 10% will be blessed and those who do not will be cursed.

 

Someone has to pay the bills. So why not have the people who participate fork over some money to keep things going?

 

Church and Sunday school are a family thing.. so you raise your children in that family way. If later they choose to be Catholic or Presbyterian instead of Methodist.. what is the problem?

 

I guess the idea that humans came from primates is just too much for the folks who believe in talking snakes and talking donkeys, zombies and ghosts.

 

Oh stop.. Most Christians aren't nuts.

 

I took my daughter and now she is a devoted Christian... She loves God and Praises him often. I couldn't be any happier with my Princess.... She's seventeen, a virgin, and has had only two boys in her life. One for a minute and the other since she turned 15... They will probably get married...

 

I really don't know what you are getting at here....just being destructive?

 

Why send your kids to school? Your kids probably hate some of their classes but you make them go anyway. Why?

Going to church is just like going to school, its to educate children.