Question for religious parents
 

Would you have a problem with your child being friends with an atheist,
or being friends with a child who's parents are atheists?

The reason I ask is that I am an atheist and I have a daughter who is
almost two and I live in a very religious area. Now that my daughter is
not really a baby anymore I am starting to think about these issues and
wondering if she is going to have trouble having friends.

Question for religious parents
 

Question for religious parents
 

Question for religious parents
 

wrote in message
oups.com...
Would you have a problem with your child being friends with an atheist,
or being friends with a child who's parents are atheists?

The reason I ask is that I am an atheist and I have a daughter who is
almost two and I live in a very religious area. Now that my daughter is
not really a baby anymore I am starting to think about these issues and
wondering if she is going to have trouble having friends.

When I was growing up, my parents did not allow me to be friends with other
kids who were not Christians or were not "good enough". I frequently lied
about who I talked to at school, because even though someone might have gone
to church, if he/she wasn't perfect (or didn't give off that perfect
righteous image my parents fell for) I would get in trouble for hanging
around with them. So yes there are people who will not let their children be
friends with atheists.
I doubt your daughter will have trouble having friends, though, as long as
you don't live in a hokey little town in the Deep South like I did. I am not
religious now, and in fact we are in a group of secular homeschoolers and
all of my closest friends(including my best friend from middle school) are
pagan, agnostic, or atheist. I tend to stay away from the bible thumpers,
because I'd rather not be told that I'm going to hell, or my kids need to be
in church.
In which area of the US do you live?
Marie

Question for religious parents
 

Marie wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
Would you have a problem with your child being friends with an atheist,
or being friends with a child who's parents are atheists?
SNIP
I tend to stay away from the bible thumpers,
because I'd rather not be told that I'm going to hell, or my kids need to be
in church.
SNIP

And this would differ from religious people who would prefer that their
children not play with non-religious people ... exactly how?

Barbara

Question for religious parents
 

"Barbara" wrote in message
oups.com...

Marie wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
Would you have a problem with your child being friends with an atheist,
or being friends with a child who's parents are atheists?
SNIP
I tend to stay away from the bible thumpers,
because I'd rather not be told that I'm going to hell, or my kids need to
be
in church.
SNIP

And this would differ from religious people who would prefer that their
children not play with non-religious people ... exactly how?

In that the non-religious people aren't going to tell the
religious people that they are going to Hell. Besides,
she said, "Bible thumpers" which I take to mean
people who are very vocal about their religion, people
who are likely to judge others about their lack, or difference
of religion. There are atheists like this too. People who
consider anyone who believes in a higher power to be
a gullible idiot, and don't mind saying so at any
opportunity. I wouldn't hold it against a religious family
to keep their child away from someone like that.

Bizby

Question for religious parents
 

Barbara writes:

Marie wrote:
SNIP I tend to stay away from the bible thumpers,
because I'd rather not be told that I'm going to hell, or my kids need
to be in church.
SNIP

And this would differ from religious people who would prefer that their
children not play with non-religious people ... exactly how?

In whether the person concerned is attempting to impose their beliefs on
someone else, or not. A "Bible thumper" is by definition a person who does
this wrt Christianity, or at least that's my understanding.

I do think there's a difficult angle where children are concerned, though.
As an adult, I don't need to avoid religious people as a group: if someone
does push their religion on me, I can recognise what's happening and choose
whether to avoid that individual in future. I'm slightly concerned, though,
that preschoolers may not have adult sensitivities on this. If it ever
happened that someone else's preschooler told mine he was going to hell, or
that Jesus saved us, for that matter, I'd be a lot more concerned about
whom he talked unsupervised to in future, and yes, if that happened, I
could imagine wanting myself or a trusted adult to be present any time he
talked to a child from a fundamentalist household.

I'm not sure whether this is a reasonable concern, or whether actually even
very young children have enough tact that it isn't likely to happen in
practice. I *do* remember this kind of talk directed at me by other
children when I was a child, but age 8-10, at which point I could more or
less cope.

Sidheag
DS Colin Oct 27 2003

Question for religious parents
 

In article , Sidheag McCormack says...

Barbara writes:

Marie wrote:
SNIP I tend to stay away from the bible thumpers,
because I'd rather not be told that I'm going to hell, or my kids need
to be in church.
SNIP

And this would differ from religious people who would prefer that their
children not play with non-religious people ... exactly how?

In whether the person concerned is attempting to impose their beliefs on
someone else, or not. A "Bible thumper" is by definition a person who does
this wrt Christianity, or at least that's my understanding.

I do think there's a difficult angle where children are concerned, though.
As an adult, I don't need to avoid religious people as a group: if someone
does push their religion on me, I can recognise what's happening and choose
whether to avoid that individual in future. I'm slightly concerned, though,
that preschoolers may not have adult sensitivities on this. If it ever
happened that someone else's preschooler told mine he was going to hell, or
that Jesus saved us, for that matter, I'd be a lot more concerned about
whom he talked unsupervised to in future, and yes, if that happened, I
could imagine wanting myself or a trusted adult to be present any time he
talked to a child from a fundamentalist household.

I'm not sure whether this is a reasonable concern, or whether actually even
very young children have enough tact that it isn't likely to happen in
practice. I *do* remember this kind of talk directed at me by other
children when I was a child, but age 8-10, at which point I could more or
less cope.

I think it depends on what it means by 'religious'. And how the particular
religious family handles it. Atheists by and large don't proseltyse; and most
religions by and large do not. I don't view occassional comments and
discussions between kids of different faiths (or no faith) as a problem - it's
fodder for family discussion about differences between people and how to handle
it.

Concerted prosyltization, on the other hand, can be a problem.

Banty

Question for religious parents
 

Question for religious parents
 

On 20 Feb 2006 06:34:45 -0800, "Barbara"
wrote:


Marie wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
Would you have a problem with your child being friends with an atheist,
or being friends with a child who's parents are atheists?
SNIP
I tend to stay away from the bible thumpers,
because I'd rather not be told that I'm going to hell, or my kids need to be
in church.
SNIP

And this would differ from religious people who would prefer that their
children not play with non-religious people ... exactly how?

Bible thumpers are a specific *brand* of religious people.

Most religious folks I know don't generally bring up religion
with others who are not of their own faith. Most children who are
religious don't tell other kids they are going to hell either.

Barbara


--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..

The Outer Limits