Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Adam Shope on June 11, 2010 at 7:14pm

I know someone that had their child christened just so that she could have a party

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Permalink Reply by B. on June 11, 2010 at 10:20pm

What atheists teach their children to believe in god?

That's kind of like.. lying.

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Permalink Reply by Owen on June 12, 2010 at 7:15am

I have something to tell you about Christmas :(

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Permalink Reply by Reggie on June 12, 2010 at 8:05am

Christmas is a secular holiday where everyone gets to lie to their children about Santa Claus.

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Permalink Reply by Adam Shope on June 12, 2010 at 10:01am

That is the same thing.

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Permalink Reply by Reggie on June 12, 2010 at 10:14am

Except that Santa is not a deity, therefore atheists are free to indulge in the conceit of children without contradicting themselves. And I am being very facetious.

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Permalink Reply by Owen on June 15, 2010 at 5:47am

I'm sure it's been done before, but I wonder how many people have considered religion from that angle. If people will lie about Santa...

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Permalink Reply by Shine on June 11, 2010 at 11:45pm

I have never heard of an atheist teaching his or her child to believe in god. Or, at least, not an open atheist; I imagine that there are atheists who pretend to be theists that are raising their children as such.

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Permalink Reply by Adam Shope on June 12, 2010 at 10:00am

That is what I meant. People who don't practice any religion and don't believe in any god but still feel the need to tell their children that there is a god.

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Permalink Reply by Velogiraptor on June 12, 2010 at 1:00pm

I think it's because they desperately want to believe in a god and if they teach someone else to, they may convince themselves at the same time. It sounds like these people are really in a state of transition or crisis regarding their belief system or identity.
All speculation though.

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Permalink Reply by Adam Shope on June 12, 2010 at 1:50pm

I think you're right

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Permalink Reply by FTLebanon on June 12, 2010 at 12:09am

Since I don't have any children, I faced this "dilemma" with my little brother (8 years-old). Raised by my parents (liberal Catholics), he grew up believing in a creator. Before I could indulge in any discussion with him I had to convince my parents first, not to keep on encouraging him to believe in god. I couldn't persuade them to let me handle it and to change his outlook completely. However, I made them promise that they would no longer discuss religion with him. I also convinced that when he starts asking the usual questions (about creation, why we are here, etc..), which every kid will ask at one point during his or her childhood, they should not answer him; instead, I will try to communicate to him the best scientific answer there is, or I can simply tell him "no body knows, yet"!

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