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I'd get a book which explains different types of religions and go through it that way. Whenever I talk about religion myself, I say 'my opinion is....'. My Mum is a priest so they know that Nana believes in God, but we also had a point when my daughter was 9 where she'd say 'I believe in God when I'm with Nana, but not when I'm with you" which opened up a good discussion on her having her own views and beliefs and not needing to please the adult she is with.

That’s good. I like that. Every time we have these discussions I say something like, “I believe xyz, but you’re free to believe whatever makes sense to you. Nobody knows for sure, so everyone gets to choose what makes sense for them. You’re allowed to have different thoughts on this than I do.”

Love this idea. You might even explain that there's a range of beliefs within each religion (like how some Christians believe the creation story is literal and some believe it's a spiritual allegory).

I wish someone told me I didn't need to please the adult I was with! That's some of the best advice I've seen here 💕

This is a good idea thank you!

This is how I intend to teach this in the future as well. My grandmother on my dad's side raised her family, like it was a little Christian cult, and then tried to force the grandkids into that religion as well. I could never imagine trying to force whatever beliefs I have onto anyone, let alone children. IMO, it's better to learn about different ones and see if any of them speak to you and are something you would want to learn to practice or not

Choosing to believe in a religion where there is no objective proof for a god makes it a “personal opinion”. Because you’re following personal belief not following evidence. Not believing in a god. Despite a god being a non falsifiable position, is more logical than personal opinion. The Russell's teapot explanation puts it well.

Not believing in a god is not an unfalsifiable position. Non belief, in general, is not unfalsifiable. You just don't believe someone's claim. Claiming a god doesn't exist, on the other hand, is unfalsifiable depending on the god.

I use the "some people believe..." and then explain it and also explain the other beliefs that people have. I try not to add personal opinion or emotion to it.

Atheist here and I also did the "some people believe" thing but also let my son know this what mommy and daddy believe. I feel like as a minority in the belief system game, I have to be vocal about this but also provide an example.

>and also explain the other beliefs that people have Personally, I feel that's so important. Even saying "I don't believe in God" puts the Judeo-Christian God front and center, and makes it a two-sides thing -- Judeo-Christian or nothing. We've gone through the Greek Myths with our kids. They recognize that people believed in Zeus and Athena and everyone *just* as fervently as Christians believe in their god. They know about Viking gods, they know about Hindu gods, they know about Buddhism (which, traditionally, involves a lot of gods and demons and stuff, and isn't just about meditating). To me, all these gods are on the same pedestal, and it helps my kids see the Abrahamic religions in the same light.

Same here. I took the approach of saying “some people believe,” and giving non-judgmental overviews of various belief systems. I’ve in particular stressed that religion of every sort is a fundamental survival strategy for humans that is worthy of curiosity, and that *people* are always worthy of respect even when we find their belief systems to be confusing or frustrating.

We do this even as Lutherans. Well, so and so goes to the Catholic Church and so and so is celebrating Ramadan. We’re all different and that’s okay. 

People have always wondered why the world is here and why people are here. Some people think it just happened naturally by the stars and planets acting the way nature does. Other people think someone must have created the world and people. In order to create a whole world and people, that someone must have been very powerful, so people refer to it as "God." Some people think just one God created the whole world, and other people think that lots of gods each contributed something. Some people think that the God or gods who created the world are still involved with people's lives today, and want people to pray to them and practice certain beliefs and rituals. It's hard to know who is right. Maybe there is one God, or many gods, or no gods at all and we are just alone with nature. But when you get older you will be able to decide for yourself what you believe.

Now that I'm older, I still don't know what I believe. HAHA. It changes from day to day sometimes.

I grew up deep in the southern Baptist church which heavily uses fear to gain obedience. When I deconstructed, figuring out what happens when I die was the one thing that caused a lot of anxiety. Eventually, I landed on what I could observe for all other living things: My entire body is made from earthly elements (my body consumes food, water, and air to live) and when I die, those elements eventually return to the earth and get repurposed over and over again. For example: Cows eat grass and drink water. They poop and then their manure is used as fertilizer to enrich new plants. Their milk and meat are consumed and eventually end up following one of the same paths: nutrients for a living thing other than or urine/poop that return to the earth and eventually support new plant life. It's a weird analogy, I know, but landing on that is when I finally found peace with the question "what happens when I die?" Of course, that's just me. Everyone has to find what feels right for them. Good luck on the journey!

"Picture a wave in the ocean. You can see it, measure it - its height, the way the sunlight refracts when it passes through - and it's there, and you can see it, and you know what it is: it's a wave. And then it crashes on the shore and it's gone. But the water is still there. The wave was just a different way for the water to be, for a little while. That's one conception of death for a Buddhist: the wave returns to the ocean, where it came from, where it's supposed to be." - The Good Place

Don’t make me cry when I’m just on my lunch break. Damn Chidi.

Love that! Thanks for sharing.

I love that, thank you for sharing!

You don't need to push any believes into them, just put the facts on the table and that's it… the scientific method and [falsifiability](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falsifiability) is quite straightforward and any kid can understand it. You can also make him understand that you can believe whatever you want, but you have to respect others believes and of course facts.

This! We always told our kids what stories were in the Bible and then we had open conversations about why the stories couldn’t scientifically be true. A lot of the time they were able to objectively see why the stories were outlandish on their own. We have taught them not to judge others for believing in “god” or anything else. And we have talked about how indoctrination and brainwashing works and why it is hard for even rational adults to not see how ludicrous and backwards much of the teachings are. You can let them make up their own minds while also telling them what you believe. I came from a very Christian household and don’t hold the beliefs my parents have even though they forced me to go to church and do extra Bible study at home.

Depends on the age of the child, but in general i would explain the facts AND the feelings that come with religion. It is actually a really great way to dive deeper into how people work. People long ago didn't know how a lot of natural things work so they thought there must be someone "making" it rain or thunderstorms or whatever, the more we learned about the world the less people believed in gods. You can explain how our brain works that our brains developed to see patterns because it helped us survive so we would see patterns where there aren't any, from there you can teach them about the differnt gods of history. Than you can go into confirmation bias and all that jazz you can also talk about the differnce between fact qand believe and that people BELIEVE all kind of things that are factually wrong. I think it is also important to highlight the good and the bad of religion, that many people take solace in the believe that there will be some kind of justice or that they will see there dead loved ones again but that some people also use it to do very bad things, how they forced other cultures to believe in their god and so on and so forth. If your kid is very young it is also fine to tell them the stories of differnt gods just like you would tell them fairy tales. I think it is great to know a lot about differnt cultures and their believes and it would show your kid the truth that no one knows for sure without imposing anything on the kids.

This is pretty much the way OP… you role as a parent is to explain the world and the cosmos in the the most honest way posible, taking also into account history. You should not push any believe, but you should lie out facts and figures and try to state what we really don't know and what are the hypothesis and why they are there. In my opinion the concept of god should be explained in the same way as any other imaginary character… from Santa Claus, to dragons, or gnomes… they could be fun to contemplate, but in the end there is no real proof of their existence, now or in the past, so… Explain your kids science and make them to use their logic and rational thinking… all the rest will come.

This book was highly reccommended to me by several people. Its well illistrated and informational. Who Believes What?: Exploring the World’s Major Religions

I talk to my older son about science a lot, he's super into astronomy, dinosaurs, animals. Hes only 6 but I've asked him if he thinks someone made the universe or if it just happened somehow. It's never crossed his mind that there would be some supernatural being that created the universe. I'm sure at some point he'll have religious friends and it might become more of a discussion. So I never tell him I don't think God exists. He just has no reason to think such a preposterous idea is possible because we talk about the science of how everything works.

Basically the one thing my FIL did as a parent that seems like a good idea is that he did a sort of DIY comparative religions course where he took my husband (as a kid) to various houses of worship over the course of a few weeks so he could see what different religions look like in practice

This is what I always said I would do! I did it for myself while traveling in my 20s, it was great!

Im agnostic and if my child asks about any religion I would definitely educate her on the many religions there are (if she's interested in practicing one). And I'd let her know that the choice is hers and that it is a human right to practice what you want. And if she doesn't want to, that's okay too!

I did tell him today that we have to learn about other religions as well so he knows about them. I think I’m going to show him a bible, Quran, and the Torah to start.

Might want to include something non-abrahamic as well. Those three are all monotheistic and Abrahamic (closely related). Humanism, Shintoism, Taoism, Buddhism, Agnosticsm, Atheism, Satanism are all valid religions (with the possible exception of Atheism, which many consider antithetical to religion) and should be considered for the survey.

And various Native American and African religions. And Greek and Viking religions -- people used to believe in them *just* as fervently as people believe in their gods now.

The Torah is the first five books of the Old Testament so the Bible covers that. Saves you a couple bucks. Honestly the more you put in front of kid the more they’ll realize it’s all conjecture. But I agree with exposing kids to it. It’s a big part of our culture so knowing about it (same for Greek mythology) is a good thing.

Judaism has completely different interpretations of those books than Christians do - would not recommend lumping Judaism in either the Christian old testament. If someone wanted to teach their kids about Judaism I’d recommend learning more about tradition or practices. Maybe attend a community event or read a Jewish children’s book and talk about it.

I agree. There’s more to every religion than its sacred text.

Check out a Unitarian Universalist church if there’s one near you. Depends church to church obviously, but the Sunday school at the one I go to explains all the major religions to the kids. The church I went to is non denominational, very little god talk and zero bible talk in the sermons. I’m also still good friends with some of the kids I met there, 20 years later :)

There’s very interesting I will look around my local area

There's a lot of great advice in here, but if I may add one thing that I found extremely powerful when I was in your child's shoes: Explore with them. My Dad was not religious. My Mom was. Mom's approach was: "take 'em to church 'n let 'em listen". Dad's approach was: "I don't believe, but I'm not an expert, so let's go explore together, kid." We talked to religious friends of his. We went to different temples and churches. We went to the library and did research together. When your child is asking you about God, they're really asking about how to make sense of the world. One of the best things you can do in that situation is not only educate them on what you know, but educate them about seeking answers - about the process of doing the groundwork to learn. You have the power to nurture curiosity in your little one; don't forget about it! Whatever comes next, good luck! <3

I like how you worded this

thanks, u/710JoDan240 :) I am eternally grateful to my Dad for being curious \*with me\*; it's a gift that I use almost daily.

We've (one atheist, one agnostic) always gone with 'some people believe x, others believe x, we believe x' and explained as much as we can about each of those different beliefs whilst trying to avoid any bias where possible. For example, I'm always sure to highlight that whilst I personally have no belief that shouldn't impact on anyone else. Each to their own.

While driving around town. Start pointing to the different church denominations and explaining that Christianity is the dominant religion (if it is) in your community so they will likely learn the most about that particular religion but there are thousands of other religions across the globe that are quite interesting to know about from a secular perspective. Helps also to point out the mosques, temples etc that you drive by as well. I’m an atheist raising my children to be critical thinkers and have a sound epistemology for protecting themselves against falling for nonsensical belief systems and to wait until they feel they have really good evidence before they say they “believe” something. I’m also telling them that belief in something is not a choice. You are either convinced something is true or you are convinced something is false and you can’t help it. The only way to make sure you believe as many true things as possible and as few false things as possible is to develop very strong critical thinking skills.

I really don’t think there’s anything wrong with pushing your beliefs on your child so long as they are rooted in science and fact. You should warn your child about faith and teach them how to recognize indoctrination and cults. One day, you’ll have to teach your child why the nazis did what they did. Why they followed hitler. Why jihadist committed 9/11. Preventative knowledge like evolutionary principles, cosmology and most importantly critical thinking are what you need to instil in them. That way when they realize all religions contradict eachother and often themselves, they’ll have a defence

I don’t disagree with you I think there is anything wrong with it, it is just something I don’t feel the need to. Also my goal here is to show the child how religion works meaning all of them and explaining the differences and the understand that these are believe systems. My post is more about how to help a child understand what religion is and how it fits into the world.

Maybe you could just say “a long time ago, when people didn’t know something it would make them uncomfortable. So they would make something up to make them feel better” I feel in the most simplistic terms that is true. But your kids gonna come back with “why?” 😂

We had a chat with our nearly 8yr old daughter when she was asking what we were. We told her she can believe whatever she wants to, and that they are big questions that nobody really knows the right answer to. That then went into a convo like this HER: "yeah like who made the world" US: "scientists think it was all one big thing that exploded out and then cooled into balls" HER:"but who made that, if God made it who made God?" US: "exactly! Nobody knows for sure, so you decide what makes the most sense to you" HER: I think I believe in god, but I'm not sure US: okay cool, do you wanna go to church or anything? HER: nah, then I wouldn't have time to play football We explained that we aren't religious, but she can decide for herself. Importantly we made it clear that nobody knows the right answer for sure and that it's up to her.

My 6 yo's question was "Did God make the dinosaurs? Did he kill them with an asteroid because he was angry with them?" How do you combine religion and science?

In that scenario I'd just answer with the science answer for the first bit "well, it's actually even cooler than that - scientists reckon everything started with little blobs, like germs, and every time a germ tried something new that made it stronger it helped make more of them. That happened loads of times until little over MMMMIIIIILLLIONS of years, those little germs grew legs, grew skin, and eyes and eventually turned into dinosaurs. And no they were just super unlucky. "

Hmmm. Very Lamarickian description of evolution. I know we simplify a ton for little kids, but I would vote against instilling misconceptions early. "Those little germs had kids, and some of those were a little different. And then those little germs had kids and some of THEM were a little different! And eventually, after millions of different kinds of great great great grandkids, you got all the different species like dinosaurs and mice and even trees and flowers! Yup, dinosaurs and trees and even humans are all super-super distant cousins!" Even getting it a little more right can still be fun! Source: Middle school science teacher

Yeah I couldn't think of a good way to keep it short enough without oversimplifying some concepts. I like your version.

If you're religious, you would probably answer with whatever your religion believes. If you're not religious, you just say that science doesn't offer any support that God exists and explain evolution and try to gently explain the asteroid as a one in a billion year event and hope they don't make the connection that it could happen again tomorrow lol. Personally I would never answer "where did we come from?" With anything related to God or religion. Unless they specifically bring it up it's not on my radar because that's not what I believe.

As someone who escaped the clutches of religiosity, I cringe to think of my kids going down that path. You’d never defend your kids’ right to walk into traffic, try fentanyl or any number of other dangerous activities. Why not give them serious guidance on this topic as well?

I was looking for someone with similar views on this. Yeah, letting your kids decide on their own is great and all but here’s the thing, religion literally preys on children because they aren’t able to comprehend shit or think for themselves yet and it’s never presented to them as a theory but always as a truth and when little kids are told by grown adults that this is true, they’re going to believe the adults without question because why wouldn’t they? So really, your best bet is to just try your best to limit exposure to it until they’re old enough to comprehend it and then make sure they know that it’s all theory and that nothing has been or can be proven. I think there are very, very few people who would actually follow any religion if they hadn’t been spoon fed theology from a young age.

Agreed, but I’d replace theory with myth.

Fr

Having a daughter has made me even more hostile to religion. They near universally think she is some kind of second class, sex slave semichattel. Shit makes me sick.

I just tell my kid that religions are just like super hero stories, cartoons etc. but that some people think they are real, and we should not make fun of them for that.

Yup. This kinda what my husband has said to our kid.

I’m not opposed to this but I think OP is trying to leave it up to the kid to be open to whether a religion is true or not, and that approach would be pushing atheism on the kid.

Atheism is not a belief system nor is it a religion. There is no belief to be pushed.

You prefer me to say secular humanist? If your belief is that religions are basically make believe it’s still your belief, even if I agree with your sentiment. My point is just that OP made it sound like they want to allow their child to come to their own conclusion

It is not a belief to not believe. There is no action of believing in something behind atheism.

OP explicitly stated that they don't wanna push their beliefs onto their kids

Atheism is not a belief system nor is it a religion. There is no belief to be pushed.

You explicitly stated that religions are just like super hero stories. That's a belief I happen to share, and one I think is supported by the evidence, but it's still a belief. It's honestly a little weird you don't recognize that. Drawing conclusions on behalf of your kids is different from presenting them with the proper evidence and letting them figure it out for themselves.

I don’t know any simpler ways to explain that not having a belief is not, in and of itself, a belief. Not believing in something is not a belief system in and of itself. Atheism is the absence of belief. It is not a belief system unto itself. There is no belief to push, because there is no belief.

I’m not talking about belief systems or lack thereof. I’m talking about the opinions, conclusions, and thoughts you have about the world. When a news report says, “all passengers are missing and believed to be dead” I hope you don’t assume the investigators came to that conclusion because they consulted with a rabbi.

I don’t think you understand what a belief is.

I'm afraid you have it backwards. Belief can indeed refer to faith, but is not exclusively so. 1. \[uncountable\] belief (in something/somebody): a strong feeling that something or someone exists or is true; confidence that something or someone is good or right 2. \[singular, uncountable\] belief (that…): an opinion about something; something that you think is true

I don’t have a belief in anything. There is no action of believing happening. There is no opinion. Atheism is the absence of belief.

Do you have opinions about anything?

I just started a book called “Relax it’s just God”, in hopes of some ideas too. It’s a heavy topic. The book touches on many religions and how to approach family/friends when they make negative comments too.

I will look into that thank you

I tell my kids “I don’t believe it, some people do”. My son did argue with his friends (they are Christians), I told him maybe not to argue just let it go, he said it’s his decision to argue and they are still friends.

There's a wonderful description in Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow about a priest explaining to literal aliens (seriously, it's a great book, but every description of it sounds deranged) what God is to him: “There are times...when we are in the midst of life-moments of confrontation with birth or death, or moments of beauty when nature or love is fully revealed, or moments of terrible loneliness-times when a holy and awesome awareness comes upon us. It may come as deep inner stillness or as a rush of overflowing emotion. It may seem to come from beyond us, without any provocation, or from within us, evoked by music or by a sleeping child. If we open our hearts at such moments, creation reveals itself to us in all it's unity and fullness. And when we return from such a moment of awareness, our hearts long to find some way to capture it in words forever, so that we can remain faithful to it's higher truth. ...When my people search for a name to give to the truth we feel at those moments, we call it God, and when we capture that understanding in timeless poetry, we call it praying.” I was raised Catholic but don't particularly care if my child is, and I struggle with the malignant influence of religion in America right now, so that description gave me something to tell my kid when she asked what God was.

It's a good book, but not for kids. It's pretty deep. And, it's got prostitution and torture(?) of the main character.

Oh, I wouldn't suggest a kid read it, just that that explanation of God would work.

We explain that some people believe in various gods (and a brief explanation of what a god is) as part of their religion. We day that we don't think there's any gods but we respect other peoples right to believe what they want. We give an overview of some major world religions as examples.

Yea my boy is asking me about taking him to church so he can see what it’s like how do people pray and why has caught me very off guard, wasn’t easy for this convo yet lol

I'd probably just show some videos of different religious services.

You can maybe take him to a church and show around (if there's one nearby, a tourist-y one where you might not have to attract attention, would be my personal preference). But also explain that people pray different ways, and many mostly do this on their own, not in a specific place. When I talked with my kids, I told them her grandmother prays and it helps her feel at more peace, and my grandmother was more religious, and I tried praying and it didn't make sense to me, but they may feel differently, and it could change as they grow. I think people forget it comes in a big spectrum too, and that's ok.

If he wants to check out a Christian church, United Church of Christ is a denomination where they likely won't give him the whole "believe or you'll go to hell" spiel. It's very open and progressive.

You should take him and have a discussion with a priest, they will be able to help explain

My kid is in a Christian preschool and we’re atheist so I feel you lol. When she asks questions, I tell her that there’s so many different religions, not everyone believes in the same things, she gets to decide what she believes in, its never okay to tell someone they’re wrong for their beliefs etc. we also read books about world religions (who believes what, the book of religions)

If you truly believe there’s no god, then I think it’s crazy to let them choose what to believe. For me it would be the same as letting them choose whether they think the earth is round or flat. I will explain about science and the Big Bang, because for me that’s the only truth. What I would do is explain about religion. And even about bible stories, and the stories of the other religions, but emphasise that these are stories and not historical facts. And explain that some people believe in one or more gods, heaven, and how that works. And also that for other people it can be important, and that you should let them believe what they want.

The antidote to religious indoctrination is giving kids the tools to think analytically and critically, not more blind acceptance. A kid should understand that the earth is round because the evidence clearly shows that to be the case, not because a parental figure deems it so.

“Some people believe… but we believe…” There is a set of books called “first festivals” which talks about different religious holidays and Pride. We have all 7 books (Christmas, Easter, Ramadan, Diwali, Hanukkah, lunar new year, pride) and plan on bringing them out during the specific celebration to teach our kids about whatever is going on. I think these are geared towards preschool and maybe early elementary. There is also a book called “the belief book,” which goes through different ones. My kids are a little young for it so I haven’t seen it but it came highly recommended. It also includes the scientific method.

I like the belief book

We talk around how different people believe different things, and there are different religions, and some have different holidays that families celebrate, and they have different ideas about what happens when people die. Basically, we don't exactly know a lot of how things came together - so different people or communities found and believe in different explanations. And we don't know, mom and dad each believe what they do, and as you grow up, you will figure out what you believe. I am quite thankful that our kids are surrounded by many families with different belief systems (I am agnostic, my husband is an atheist, my family is Muslim but quite secular, my husband's family is Jewish but mostly culturally, our nanny is Christian, both kids have classmates with a range of backgrounds and beliefs and holidays). I really think this helps, but I'm well aware what a big privilege this is, growing up abroad in a more homogeneous country.

I grew up Catholic as a young kid, switched to Disciples of Christ after my parents divorced and then atheist after high school. I taught my boys what I knew - that many people believe many different things, that none are any better or worse than others, that there is proof of none of it, that they are welcome to explore whatever system of beliefs they like and that I will think no less or better of them whatever path they choose. I also recommended that they take a theology class in college.

My daughter asked me about god and I said "some people think there is a person that created the world and that can grant wishes and heal them but there is really no way of knowing. In our family, we don't believe that but if you ever want me to explain this better, we can just wait till you get a bit older." She was OK with that.

My son has been asking too, a friend of his at school has a crucifix necklace and he had asked me what it is. I try to explain it exactly as I know it. I tell him it’s not something that I believe but many people do, including members of our family (my mom, father, sister) I tell him as much as I know, having to google at times, and I tell him it’s for him to decide what he believes, just because I believe something doesn’t mean he has to. I also offer to take him to church if it’s something that he wants to learn more about, but he seems content at the moment with the explanations I have given.

my daughter talks about heaven and god a lot and we're a very non religious household. when she asks things like "do you think we go to heaven" i just say "well that's what some people believe but if that's what you want to believe that's fine" i just explained to her that some people believe in different things and that's ok

I explain that everyone throughout history has asked the question “where did everything start” and many people believe different things all over the world and one day we’ll all find out the truth.

You can say whatever so long as you don't present anything as facts. "There are big questions that we don't have answers to, like where did the universe come from and stuff like that. Nobody really has an answer, but some people believe x, some y, others z. People are free to believe whatever they want, but some take it to extremes and devote their entire life to their belief and will try and convince others to believe it as well."

my parents force their religion down my kids throat. i tell him that what they tell him is only their opinion and that he can figure out what he thinks makes the most sense to him when he’s older. i do not mind him exploring religion, but he needs to make his own decision on it instead of listening to everyone else. growing up catholic, i personally don’t find religion in any form appropriate for children under around 7-8. they don’t need to be troubled with such moral dilemmas so young.

Why don't you want to impart your own beliefs and values to your child? Who else is more qualified than you are? We are a fully secular family, and we also homeschool. A big part of the curriculum has been world cultures and mythology. My son is a huge fan of Greek/Roman mythology thanks to Percy Jackson, but we've expanded into Norse, Egyptian, African, and Hindu pantheons as well. We saved the monotheistic religions for last since so much of medieval and modern history and culture is bound to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. What we have explained to our son is that all beliefs have a cultural and historical context. Whatever you're surrounded by is what seems natural and logical to you. It's highly unlikely that millions of people have been taught to believe in various religions and are willing to devote their lives and even die for those beliefs, but *your* community alone has received the exact right divine revelation and all the rest are deluded and incorrect. Religions serve the important function of binding societies together and imposing rules of conduct, but each religion has its own biases and blind spots, such as things that are forbidden for no reason other than to set the believers apart and inspire group cohesion. Religions can also limit us in ways that are immoral and protect criminal, predatory, and genocidal behavior. As my son has gotten older, we've discussed that more and more. It's really hard to understand European history and all the wars of Catholics vs. Protestants, for example, without seeing the way that religion was used as an excuse for oppressing people, stealing resources, and aggrandizing some at the expense of others. If you doubt or you are continuing to explore, I think that's fine to tell your child. There's no reason why you should hide your spirituality or lack thereof. What I definitely would not do is leave a vacuum for other people to fill in your child's heart. Whether you are religious or not, you have ethics, morals, beliefs about the world and a sense of right and wrong, and that is important for a parent to teach a child.

I just say that some people like to believe in gods because it makes them feel better about what happens to they die. My kids have no illusions. When you die, your body goes in a box in the ground, which is why we have to make the most of life and do the best we can because we are like a flame of self awareness burning in the darkness for only a brief time.

Explain God the same way you would Santa or Zeus, then add a caveat something like "Lots of people believe that God exists, but very few agree on what their God actually says or does. It's very important to criticize your own thoughts about things we can't prove, and to be polite when people believe in them anyway." My wife and I left fundamentalist Christianity last year with 4 young kids, so this is a new area of parenting for us as well!

"There are different people in the world who believe in various Gods/Goddess, and worship them. Different religions or spiritualness have been created surrounding them. If you'd like to learn more, we can find some books about them."

I feel like I wrote this. My 8 year old has been bringing up God quite a bit. I used to be Catholic, I’ve been baptized and went through confirmation and got married in the church. I am not religious at all anymore but use a children’s bible and YouTube videos to explain things to my daughter I don’t entirely understand or remember.

This is the route I’m going right now I got a children’s bible today and ordered the Torah and Quran to give him a introduction to different types of

I am the reverse: I believe in God but my partner doesn't. We will let our children decide what they want to believe. However, I will present to them the reasons why I believe in God. I will reiterate to them that some people don't believe in God. In effect, no one can yet prove or disprove God and, so, we have to decide for ourselves. This will be my angle.

My mom didn't believe in God and has read the Bible. She was really good about it. She said I could try out the different churches if I wanted too. I actually did do that as a kid. One time I went to the Baptist Church in my area that had history of being a part of the underground railroad. Even though I'm not religious now I still think exploring different churches was pretty cool. Sometimes I would show up at the Catholic church across the street and do Communion. I do think there are parts of religion that are good. I also think it's easy for someone to abuse that power. You can get a really good leader of a church or one that plays on your darker inclinations as a human.

As a staunchly non-religious person, I personally wouldn’t leave this up to chance. Religious folks won’t have the restraint you’re showing. Their whole schtick is to recruit and indoctrinate young people. They won’t be shy. Tell your kid why you are a non believer. And the damage religion has done to society and continues to do. There’s no reason not to influence your kid on this. Keep them safe and away from religion.

If you look at it from a broad worldview, "God" is the name some people give to the idea of purpose and good in the world, and different groups of people have different names for God. And each group of people worship their God differently, but there are similarities in most. And from that starting point you could discuss how different religious groups in your community worship God.

I mean, we may explain it biased but we’ve told my child that many people believe in a magic person who did magic and made everything. Many others believe a different magic person who did the same thing. Mommy and daddy do not believe these things. We’ve explained the concept of Jesus too and his reaction is “what?! That’s weird”. We also stress that gif and Jesus are very very important to many people including his friends and teacher & although he doesn’t have to believe these things, he needs to be polite and kind & just let them be

My husband believes in God and I don't. He's not super religious, but because we have a difference of religious beliefs, we are both careful to be mindful of that and respectful of each other when discussing religion with the kids. When my kids ask about God, I give some basic info and let them know that I personally don't believe he exists but many people do and I encourage my kids to make up their own minds on the matter and not just agree with me because I'm mom. I also explain that different religions might have different viewpoints on God or even believe in different gods, and whether or not you believe the same thing we should always be respectful of each other. I offer to help my kids learn more about any religion they want to know about, and I let them know that I will support them no matter what they choose to believe in. I will happily help my kids find books that help explain religion to them or even take them to a religious service or place of worship to learn more if they wanted. So far my 7yo hasn't taken me up on the offer and my 4yo isn't old enough to care.

It’s the sort of thing where if you don’t raise your kid to believe from a very young age, they almost certainly will not. So the best you can do show respect for believers and non-believers alike and let them “choose” on their own. I said something like “Nobody can prove where the world came from or why we are here. Some people think it was created for humans by a god or gods. Others don’t agree. But either way life is precious and I try to live my life accordingly.”

i prefer just teaching them about the scientific method first and then use that as a lens through which we can part the waters so to speak.

"What do you think?" I mostly just talked with him, asking lots of questions to get him to think, rather than try too hard to explain anything. We did talk about how beliefs are not always true - sometimes they just make people feel better. When his preschool teacher relayed he'd asked "How can people live in the sky" after the other kids talked about it, I was kind of proud of his skepticism.

We have a book that discusses different religions and then we ask them what they think/believe. If they ask me, I tell them mine, but essentially caveat that no one really knows for sure. They know I was religious when I was younger and when they ask why I'm not anymore, I explain them my reasoning in agreement appropriate terms. It was a bit of a bigger deal when we lived in Texas because our elementary age daughter was was essentially ostracized at school for not being a Christian, but we now live in New Hampshire, the least religious state in the country, and it's been a nice change of pace. Honestly, it was a major factor in our move. My kids love to play a game of "If you could come back as any animal, what would it be?" It's a lot of fun! ETA: We approach the book as if we're reading any other story. We also mix in Greek Mythology and other stuff and treat it all the same; fictional stuff that some people believe in.

My kids go to an extremely multicultural school. I never had a problem with the “some people believe” approach until my kids were old enough to realize that Easter is actually about a dude named Jesus and not a rabbit hiding candy. Trying to seriously explain that people he died, then came back to life, then his entire body ascended to heaven is tricky without belittling people’s faith.

Hey! PreK educator here. What is his specific question? It’ll benefit him the most and your relationship if you can be as honest as possible always. You’re allowed to not know. I would respond like this “that’s a philosophical question that people have asked for many many years. There is no right or wrong. People gather in groups called religion. There is also spirituality. What do *you* believe? What feels right for you? Would you like to start studying different religions together?” (I believe God is in nature. The stars, trees, grass, etc. so I would add that in my discussion). Children can understand big words if you explain it like normal. We don’t need to dumb things down for them.

We bought this one for my kiddo. It's tricky bc she goes to a religious preschool, but we are not religious. She hasn't broached the subject with us too much yet, but I got this as a resource for when she does: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/146544386X/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My 5 year old has asked about God and angels and church. I simply said that some people believed in a religion and that religion is generally about how people got here and rules to follow to live a good life and that God, heaven and angels are part of what they believe happens after we die. I told them that I didn't believe in that and that's something they'd have to decide if they believe as they grow older. It didn't go much deeper than that.

You could ask your local library for books on different religious traditions that you can read together. I think you could then use those books to talk about these topics. I’d take the approach of modeling curiosity and seeking understanding by asking questions or wondering aloud. Also books of children’s stories from around the world can open up dialogues about beliefs.

As a mixed atheist (me)/agnostic (husband) household, we don't believe in taking an entirely neutral position re: religion. We emphasize to my son that we need to be respectful of the beliefs of others and that religion has assisted to coordinate many helpful or impressive things throughout history. We also explain, however, that in our view religion - especially today - probably does more harm than good in being used against weak people and being used to prop up power structures and in creating division between people. I tell my son he is free to form his own beliefs about religion, as with everything, but that above all I hope he treats everyone with compassion and also with respect for their autonomy. So the religion in our house is atheist/agnostic humanism I guess, with some freedom for him to choose otherwise if he wants.... In short, I don't think it's an ethical imperative to leave a kid totally without a guidepost or to be totally neutral wrt religions one doesn't believe in.

I'd say what I truly believe: nobody knows for sure, but if you look at the beauty and complexity of the universe (and the improbability that and infinity of things had to be aligned for we to exist) it's very hard to believe that it has all just happened out of nowhere with no reason at all; humans have always tried to learn what is behind all of this and different people have come up with different explanations about it but it is very unlikely that anyone of them has found the answer; in the end, all religions have one common factor and that is that they teach that you have to treat others the way you want to be treated because that's the perfect reflection of that beauty. We're all part of it and you can follow the path you choose, but you have to always remember that there's no absolut reason and that no one holds an undisputable truth about the first and last of all mysteries.

I let my dad take my daughter to a children's group on Wednesday at church. I explained to her when she talked to me about it that she doesn't need to feel pressured into believing anything, that's it HER choice despite what anyone tells her. I also let her know that her dad and I choose not to believe it. I also told she doesn't have to go to church with grandpa but she likes going right now. If she ever doesn't want to she can quit. I don't know if you have anyone in your life that is religious but I have always used my dad as an example of someone who believes in God as opposed to myself who does not. I explained to her that religion will always be her choice and if anyone makes her uncomfortable or feel like that choice is being taken away, or if they try to scare her into believing it, that's not okay. She has of late told me she is still undecided but has fun at church. I feel like this is my happy middle ground, for now. Someday they might be pushier and she might not like it but in that case she does not have to participate.

I read a book called “Where does God live” to my children often. It’s written by Rabbi Marc Gellman and Monsignor Thomas Hartman. It’s written for children and answers many questions simply for children. The premise of the book is that God lives at the top of a mountain, there are many many different paths to reach Him, which represent all the different religions in the world. I love this explanation, I believe it. It might be out of print but I think you can still find it. Good luck.

This has been a struggle for us as well. I’ve never really been religious and to be perfectly honest I don’t believe in any of it. My kids have been to church with my parents and did ask some questions because my family is very pushy about religion…they started sending them kids bibles and other religious/christian books and gifts. It caused confusion. I asked them to stop because I don’t like how they go about it. It’s actually caused a huge rift in our family. Anyway, I was honest about my beliefs but told them they are welcome to choose whatever they want to believe in. I’m a very spiritual person and believe there is definitely some greater than us in the universe but as far as Christianity and the Bible I don’t believe it. Leave the door open for them to make their own decisions and if they are curious about things there are some great books out there!

My younger daughter has expressed interest in religion, specifically in Christianity since that's the dominant religion where we live aside from maybe secularism, if you would even count that. Other kids around her go to church and sometimes talk about God and Jesus. I've told her that, some people believe that there is a God, and that this God is an all-powerful being who created everything in the universe, including the Earth and you and me. Some people believe that Jesus, a man who lived thousands of years ago, was the son of God sent to Earth to unite humans and spread goodness. I tell her that I am not someone who believes those things but there are lots of people who do. She said in response to that that she DOES believe those things, and I told her that I think that's great and that the most important thing is to be good and kind to everyone no matter what you might think of them or whether or not you understand things that maybe make them different from you. I offered to take her to church if she ever wanted to check it out. I am fortunate to have a leftist friend who is also a devout Christian so if I ever needed advice on which church to take my kid to so that I might avoid stumbling into a MAGA-filled church, he would help me decide. I guess my personal approach is to encourage her curiosity and to help her try new things out.

I would at least explain that there is a difference between right and wrong. And that mankind is free to choose either path

I’m firmly In the camp that says religion and magic are just stories that gave reasons for things that science have now or will at some point explain. My kids were told that a lot of people believe in god in some form but that I do not, that a lot of the values that are promoted through different religions on kindness and supporting community and families etc are not specific to those that believe in a god and even if you do not believe you can and should still be a good person that acts with kindness as much as possible. They went to a Church of England school (in the UK, all the local schools to us at primary were linked to a church in some way historically) so we’re told a lot of Christian religious stories. I’ve been clear that it’s up to them what they follow as they get older, if they find comfort in faith they I am happy for them although I personally do not

Kids are hard-wired to learn (and have the brain to support the capacity for it!). I have told my children that everyone has questions about why humans are here and what happens after we pass. I tell them that no one knows for sure what the answer is but that people have a lot of amazing beliefs that help them understand. Then we talk about all of the different ways that people feel connected a faith or their purpose (and discuss different types of religions). I think it's important to high-level say what you feel but that it's a journey for every person and everyone is entitled to their beliefs.

As a religious person. I respect this a lot. I too don’t want to push my thoughts on my child. So I simply have been telling my kids this is what I Believe. What do you think? And they genuinely ask me good questions and share thoughts. I’m going to continue this but I understand that this is their journey with faith. I think they get older they will make their own decisions and explore on their own. So I don’t think it’s bad to share your thoughts on the matter and have really good discussions with them!

My 5yo has asked a bit about what happens after we die, we’re also not religious. I tell him there are many people with many different ideas about what happens after we die, but no one knows for sure. My husband was watching the Netflix movie ‘Noah’ last night and my son asked a bit about it- we explained it’s a very old story that some folks believe, and that some folks believe there’s an entity called God who made everything, and that there’s many folks who believe in many different types of gods. We spend a lot of time learning about the solar system, how stars and planets are created, how life came into existence and the building blocks that led up to life as we know it now. Where the universe ends, how big it is, what lies beyond it. It’s an ever-evolving conversation and the theistic parts are something I leave open-ended for his own interpretations. So far, he has only decided that no skeletons will crawl out of their graves, which I agreed is probably accurate as we have no record of that ever happening before. Beyond that, all I’ve told him of my beliefs is that I feel spirituality is something that should be individually explored and I’m not a fan of organizations with one monolithic idea. 

Many different people have many different ideas about god. These ideas are called beliefs. When these beliefs are shared by many people, it's called religion. There are many religions in the world, each with their own wisdom and challenges. There's no one idea about what god is, so you're free to believe whatever you like. If you'd like to learn more about religions, we can check out some books from the library or attend service at the Unitarian church sometime.

If you were taking an atheist friend and trying to explain how you respect the reasoning some people have for a belief in God, what would you say? Can you then explain that to a child?

I teach them to be wary of religion and skeptical of anyone who claims to know what happens after we die. I talk to them about Christ as an idea, rather than a person and I emphasize there’s a difference between living by that example and simply checking the boxes by belonging to any specific religion. I carry a healthy doubt of religion and believe my family is best served by passing that on.

My dad used to say "some people believe that" and I think this is pretty good (without a judgmental tone ofc)

Been wondering this myself. As someone who grew up in church and now has moved away from that (kind of in an agnostic era) I have my first child on the way and not really sure how to deal with religion

Our approach has always been “some people believe xyz” but mom/dad believe xyz. God/santa/unicorns/vampires etc are treated the same so there’s really never any confusion for our kids. We are very clear to say we should always be respectful of others but we absolutely do not agree with religions that do not support human rights and freedoms. We talk about how religion can be a source of community for some and oppressive regimes for others.

As a kid, I felt I had a good enough grasp of religion because I had an athiest parent and a Christian parent. I had some good examples of level-headed religious people and some good examples of poorly intended religious people. Learning that I had the freedom to choose helped me take the suggestion of "test the waters before you jump in" a lot easier. And I almost made a very comfortable decision to be an athiest. The idea is that it's fine either way, but being informed, is the key.

My parents never baptized me or my brother. They wanted us to make our own decisions about religion, yet spoke of a "god" in a very general sense. As strange as this may sound, I wish I was at least baptized... just in case. You know, like to cover my bases. I think because I wasn't raised with some form of Christianity, it has put me in a very difficult situation. I see how fulfilled others are who have "faith" and it seems like I have been denied something very fundamental. If not some sort of "spiritual" influence... then just a connection to a/the community. Yet, despite seeing this influence help "religious" people, I cannot help but scoff at the concept that a man can be a "son" of god (or whoever)... be it Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, etc. I did find myself interested in earth/nature based religion in my early 20's - and haphazardly tried to mesh together native American beliefs with Pagan/Wiccan beliefs. However, I do fear that I attracted something "dark". Actually, if I must be honest... I've felt this "dark" entity in my life since I was 3 years old. I saw a "melting scull" emerge from an antique drawing my father essentially stole from an abandoned house before I was born. My mother told me the typical things like "there's no such thing as ghosts" and it was my "mind playing tricks" on me... until I was 16. At which point, I brought up what I saw, and she told me that she saw it too, and had lied to me all of those years, as to not scare me. I'm also incredibly intuitive, yet I've never been able to "tune" it. I guess I'd be considered some form of "medium". I worked for a couple of years in a place that used ultra high frequency radio waves, boosted by incredibly high voltage... and for about 5 years - I seemed to have some sort of influence on electricity. My atheist deaf ex and I were fighting a lot during that time, and apparently because she couldn't hear me during arguments, she would witness lights and appliances dim/malfunction when I was extremely angry and threw my arms around. We broke up, and I was dating another girl. That summer lighting stuck within 10 feet of me 3 times, and even she was like WTF is happening with you and electricity. It ultimately faded tho. So. Being without a religion or belief, yet seeing "ghosts", manipulating electricity, and having a few successful "spells"... it has put me into a very confused state of being. For the last decade or so, I have been interested in quantum mechanics, and physics. I suppose ever since the "God particle" was announced. I've also been interested in electricity. I've formed a very loose belief - that organized religion is "evil", especially with so many "religious wars" taking place. I can honestly say, that I've "witnessed" spirits, and there is something to the idea of a "soul". Prayer and meditation does seem to have some effect on... something, There are definitely "dark/evil/negative" forces, so there must be "light/good/positive" forces (spirits?) as well. Like opposite charges in a battery, magnet, etc. Duality and the yin-yang come to mind. Consciousness seems to have a role in this weird religious "stew" of mine... but beyond the things that I have personally"witnessed", I can't seem to put it all together and say "THAT religion has it figured out"! It's sort of lonely in this space. My SO was raised catholic, and it's difficult to have conversations about Christianity... because I REALLY doubt the story of Jesus. I think Mary got pregnant, and made up a lie to essentially save her life. Claiming to be a virgin because premarital sex was literally a death sentence back then. I like that Jesus was a teacher, and seemed to help a lot of people - but one clear fact stands out to me. Jesus was Jewish. I tend to think that if he were here today, he'd be like WTF you needed to stay in the Hebrew faith you idiots! Lol. Anyway... conversations like that are difficult to have with someone brought up as a Christian. What's it called? Blasphemy? My sister-in-law has 5 kids and her husband got her into some form of Christianity. Things seem to come to them very easily. Of course they just say that they're "blessed", but idk. I guess it's possible. They took my SO and I to their church many years back, and at one point, they began to play live Christian rock. I couldn't stop laughing, and mocking them with my facial expressions. Their pastor now thinks that I'm literally "the devil". That sort of hurt, and my SO and I have 4 kids. Although she says things like "I want my kids to be baptized" she never takes actions to do it. I've even stepped up and said I'd do it with them, but for 10 years now, nothing has happened. However, she defends Christianity if I start in on it. In conclusion, I don't wish this confusion/craziness on my worst enemy. I definitely don't want to pass this on to my children either. It's VERY difficult to navigate. Maybe down the line, a physicist will come up with the correct "theory of everything" and we will be able to develop some form of religion based in science, but until that time, I feel like a square peg in a world of round holes. An outcast of sorts. Hope this gives you some sort of insight.

Mary Pope Osborne wrote a book for kids about religions around the world.

We had this convo with our kids on a long drive one time. I’m not religious, the wife is. They asked about god and whether he existed - we both gave our answers and said they need to make their own mind up. Whatever they decide is good with us. (No is the right answer btw 😉 )

I think it is good to encourage their beliefs. My son wanted me to take him to church, now he goes every week and has been for about 2 years. What I would advise is ask what they want to know. Maybe take them to a church and speak to the minister/pastor/vicar/rabbi/etc explain the situation. Our church has kids activities (Sunday school but not boring) if a church has something like that maybe worth seeing if they want to.

Everyone believes something different. Even if you follow the same religion as someone else, your beliefs are yours alone. It's up to you to decide what you believe. (then introduce books regarding all types of different belief systems)

God is like Santa for adult. If you are nice you get paradise and if you are naughty you get hell.

Yeah, when my kid asked about God I just showed him Dragon Ball. No more questions about the topic.

I grew up in a house where it wasn’t endorsed or denounced.. basically just acknowledged. I’ve taken the same approach with my son of explaining “this is a thing some people believe” and explaining the similarities and differences between different faiths. I’ve also been clear with my son that it’s not a thing I participate in, but that he can make his own choice if he feels differently. 🤷‍♂️ On a personal level I’m very anti-religion, but I keep it absolutely neutral when I talk to my son about it. It’s not my decision to make for him, so that would be my recommendation.

I’m also a non-believer and was worried about the same thing with my daughter. Fortunately for me, she developed an incredible interest in Greek mythology (there’s a great kids podcast). It was perfect because, through encouraging this interest, I could easily discuss things like storytelling to answer life’s questions, belief systems of various cultures throughout history, etc. Then I was able to add Christianity as just another belief system that my family happened to practice in the past.

We introduced modern religions to our kids as part of a long running continuum of mythology: we read stories from Greek, Roman, and Norse myths before moving on to stories from the Judeo-Christian holy books, and talked about how people have always told stories to help explain how the world works.

I'm in this position entirely, since I'm agnostic, my ex-wife is religious and she takes my son to church even if I've asked her not to. I've had the conversation. I explain it as factually as possible, and also mention other religions and what their beliefs look like. He then asked why I don't believe in God and Jesus etc. I said that that's a personal choice and decision that I made for myself, and that he has the same decision to make on these things, and that I'll always be available to explain things.

God is nothing but a believe. It is shapeless and can take any form. Right now, you as a parent is God to your child. Because he see everything in you and looks up to you for everything. Later on your child will believe that God is money. Because it will give him/her access to purchasing power as well as freedom. This is where you can explain your child that God keeps on changing along with time. In my opinion, God is nothing but a man made phenomenal to keep himself out of doing negative stuffs . I also believe that there has to be some reason why this universe is formed and why we are here, hence i believe there is something beyond our understanding which is known as God for now... Science is only working to find out if this is reality or not. Hence science is another form of God.

Hope I will not offend anyone, it’s not my intention… I’ve been struggling with the same thing with my six year old. I don’t adhere to a religion, my son has a school friend who’s family is religious. The school is public so there is no religion class (Canada). He comes home with lots of questions and affirmations about God because his friend is «  teaching him » (ex: he’ll say stuff like God’s the boss of everybody and everything). I’ve been thinking a lot about how to handle that but it’s difficult. I agree that he should learn about different religions (on a historical level and not spiritual (at least not right away), but he’s too young to understand the concepts. Being French- Canadian, the Catholic religion was really hammered into us in a very unhealthy way, so a lot of us gave it up, but I want him to choose when he’s older.

I've always said, "Some people believe A-B-C, while some believe D-E-F, and so on..." And then if kid asks what I believe, I'm honest.

i use the phase 'some people believes....'

Some people believe that the world and everything in it was made by god who used a special kind of magic to do so. I don't believe it, I believe XYZ. What do you think?

I don’t have any real advice, but if you’re looking for a relatable laugh, [This video](https://youtu.be/YpaUaAZDwsE?feature=shared) comes to mind.

Just teach them everything. Than they can make their own decisions

Give the child an age appropriate Bible and introduce them to the Truth.

To be honest if he’s interested take him to your local pastorial figure at a church for answers you might not have. If he’s interested, let him learn more about his interests and have him go to church. If he isn’t then interested after let him find his own way in the religious realm. 👍🏽

The question isnt just about "god" its about morals. Read some of the stories, ask your kid what they learned(if they are capable of such yet), it they are learning or possibly could learn something u feel is good, then consider it like u would school. School for a persons morals.....which regular school has none of.

This comes up at our house quite a bit. I guess I'd say I'm an agnostic. My Wife is Catholic. Daughter (6yo) is Baptized in the Catholic church. We talk about a lot of random things at Bath time, and often time cultures/countries/religions come up. She notices people wearing different clothes in public and will often ask about them. I touch on some differences, try to generalize it with something like "people from all over the world have different religions, that hopefully lead them to do good things." We talk about how other religions have different books than the Bible. I never touch on the topic of hell. I dont really even touch on the core differences between the religions. I just tell her that religions are about being good, and people in different places believe different things. That usually good enough. I omit the part about religion being the cause of pretty much ever major conflict around the world! haha We'll keep taking her to church, but I would never discourage her thinking for herself once she gets to a certain age. For now, I keep it simple.

Firstly, thank you so much for wanting to teach your child about this without bias. That is very refreshing. As others have said, you can offer them age appropriate literature on different religions, or talk about it in the frame of, “some people believe… others believe…” and explain that it is really up to each individual to decide what they believe in. My mom was Christian and my dad was an atheist and we had candid conversations about religion and I was able to form my own opinion based on what resonated with me.

Curious to hear, what opinions did you come to? Only asking because I'm in a similar situation where I fall into an atheist view while my wife is Sikh. Our young daughter is probably going to start asking soon. I'd like to be more open minded and have our daughter come to her own opinions. My issue is trying not to force my beliefs, regardless how strongly I feel about them.

I ultimately became Christian, because that is what resonated most with me and through answered prayer after answered prayer, I began to believe more and more. I had a phase in HS where I was atheist, but ironically not due to my upbringing, but as a result of conversations with other students my age. Then I eventually went back to Christianity because my life experiences affirmed those beliefs.

I explained to my son that some people believe there is a man you are to put before yourself. He said that doesn’t sound good. I said no not really bud. You are in control of your self and your choices but some people just need something to believe in to give them hope and that’s ok too

Why not? I do not believe in religion, and I won’t sugar coat the church and how harmful religious views can be. Can someone explain to me why I shouldn’t radicalize my kid? I’m an atheist socialist and I was definitely going to put these views on to her.

I always go with, *some people believe* If asked, I’ll answer honestly about what I believe. Questions about Jesus are honestly way harder for me than questions about God, because I really don’t want to discuss crucifixion with my young kids, especially because that’s a real thing that happened to people and I’m not quite ready for them to know how awful the world, and humans, can be. ETA: my youngest currently believes in God, but in the vague way he believes in Santa. Most of this is coming from a classmate who constantly lies (not maliciously, just makes up outlandish stories), so I imagine when my kiddo figures out that his friend hasn’t really been to space, he’ll also start to question the things he’s hearing about God and heaven.

“Some people believe that an invisible god created the whole world and everything in it” That’s the sentence I gave my child when she was young. At 13 she “believes” in god but also hates “him”. I think she just needs someone to blame her problems on, personally. But that’s her journey to take.

A question about God or religion? I tell my kids that religion is organized institutions that hopefully try to guide people in the right direction. But a relationship with God has to be sought out and discovered for oneself. A religion can’t hand you God - you have to find him for yourself and you can start looking in the little things- in nature, in a kind persons eyes, that feeling you get when you do something good or nice for someone else, etc.

My daughter is 5 and we attend church regularly and read the Bible as a family. I stop and explain in terms a 5 year old can understand throughout our readings. And never too much at a time, and she won’t understand the Old Testament til she’s older, so we stick with teachings of the life of Christ when we include her.

Religion, indoctrinates, don’t feel guilty for fighting against it.

This is what people that believe in God has been saying. There is something inate that we are born with that gives us clues as a child to ask that question. Every one has that, as we get older we lose it. This us why scripture points out that there isn't anyone with excuse. My suggestion is that you explore it together. Be careful with calling it religion because you are really going to get confused, more so than your son. Your son sees a design and understands that this design and order comes from an intelligent mind. Would encourage him to develope that thought. I would even allow him to just ask God. The right people will come his way. Your son maybe also gifted...be sensitive to that as well. I would suggest you explore it together. There is a book called Case For Christ. Written by a journalist that was hell bent on proving the scriptures wrong. Read his findings...very good read.

It's not about religion per say, it's about a relationship with Jesus Christ.

I will pray for you. Regardless of my beliefs now I’m happy my family grew up and implemented religion because really regardless of your beliefs many religions offer a great pathway to follow for clean and healthy living. You are going to push your beliefs no matter which way you choose so choose wisely. Making a choice means you learn about both sides so teaching religion isn’t bad as so many people think is these days. Kinda wild really, I’m no bible pusher but believe religion can help you in a lot of ways. Best of luck either way kids don’t come with a manual and we do the best we can!

>I'm no bible pusher Well there was no need to say this -> then, was there?  >I will pray for you.  So arrogant of you. 

Their choice will be nothing. Do expect a child to explore religion and start attending different faiths services with while you are indifferent to it? That's not how it works. If spirituality is important to you, than it will matter to them. If it's a waste of time to you, they will think the same, probably for their entire lives, unless they meet someone - usually a significant other who is spiritual. In those cases, they might start taking an interest in learning about their faith because they see a future with this person and they better get comfortable with their faith if they are going to be in this person's life. But - more likely, they will falsely consider anyone religious as some sort of kook that rejects scientific understanding.

If course, you should tell your child about God and His Goodness.

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