Opposing Views: Should Skeptics Send Their Kids to Church on Sundays?

Should Skeptics Send Their Kids to Church on Sundays?

Opinion by John W Loftus
(July 09, 2009) in Religion / Religion in Society

Last night I talked with a skeptic who wants his children to be exposed to Christianity in order for them to learn about it and to decide for themselves. So he's sending them to some church on Sundays. Is this a good strategy? NO, not at all, for several reasons. There are other alternatives. I have an alternative proposal for him and others like him.

Let me suggest to these skeptics what they ought to do. If they want to truly expose their children to religious ideas then they should send their children to different churches for a month at a time, or more. Have them attend them in a random order. Have them attend a Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, Seventh-Day Adventist, United Church of Christ, Congregational, Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, Unitarian, Disciples of Christ, and Non-instrumental Church of Christ churches. And don't forget a Jewish Synagogue, a Muslim Mosque, a snake handling service, a Pentecostal healing service, and so on and so on, and so on and so on. If this skeptical parent truly wants to expose his children to the religious ideas of his culture then give them the whole range of choices to choose from. And don’t forget to take these children to atheist meet-ups, and freethought gatherings too. Then these children can truly choose for themselves. Then these children can be truly educated about these ideas. And then these children will most assuredly choose to be skeptics.

Nothing but total exposure to the varying options will educate his children. This is what Daniel Dennett proposes with regard to educating our youths in American schools, but will probably never fly because of First Amendment concerns. When placed on a equal playing field religious options are no options at all. That's why I love Bill Maher’s movie Religulous, because it does just that.

One danger in sending our children to the same church over and over is that children are easily swayed to believe what an authority figure tells them in a community of happy looking, but deluded, people. Take for instance Norman Geisler, known as the "Dean of Christian Apologetics." He was raised in an atheist home, but because of a bus ministry he went to church every Sunday for nine years and was swayed to accept and then later defend Christianity. His parents thought the same thing as this skeptic, but they were wrong to do so.

Regarding Opinion

Reading Writing Arithmetic

People, especially in the US, should just focus on getting their kids to learn language, math, science and maybe the arts. If they master that then they can make room for all the socio-political bullshit one needs to know to properly contextualize most religious 'thought'. By that time they will likely have little interest in any religion , except maybe some morbid academic curiosity.

- Submariner July 9, 2009 2:03PM

Reply to this Recommend (2)

Thank You for your Comment

We review all comments before they're posted. For more on our comment policy, please see our FAQ.
Sorry I promoted religion to my kids

I have always been an atheist at heart, but tried for many years to maintain a religious upbringing for my kids , because I felt there was something wrong with being an atheist. I always told them that they should make their own choices about religion . Now that I am free of religion, my kids are having trouble adjusting. I wish fervently that I would have brought them up as humanists, but that's now beside the point. I am now doing my best to erase the damage I've done by exposing them to the irrationality of god and religion. I would love to hear how others addressed this.

- Enlightened1 September 8, 2009 1:28AM

Reply to this Recommend (2)

Thank You for your Comment

We review all comments before they're posted. For more on our comment policy, please see our FAQ.
- What church?
  
  It is hard to answer your question without knowing what denomination you sent them to. Are your children fundamentalist or Unitarians or somewhere in between?
  
  - mike1948 September 8, 2009 11:30PM
  
  Reply to this Recommend (0)
  
  Thank You for your Comment
  
  We review all comments before they're posted. For more on our comment policy, please see our FAQ.
  - catholic-lutheran
    
    We attended the catholic church , and a lutheran church too.
    
    - Enlightened1 September 10, 2009 3:12PM
    
    Reply to this Recommend (0)
    
    Thank You for your Comment
    
    We review all comments before they're posted. For more on our comment policy, please see our FAQ.
    - Church.
      
      I was raised Methodist but am a Catholic by marriage . Catholics are very structured with a lot of zero tolerance rules that box them into corners. Unitarian would probably have been a better choice. I never got the idea of church . If God is everywhere why do I have to go to church to visit him?
      
      I have a son-in- law that is an atheist. We discuss religion . The important thing is he isn't hostile to religion and I don't push my faith on him. We just discuss. If you and your children can do that it's a good start. If there is a particular point they are giving you trouble with I will try to help.
      
      - mike1948 September 10, 2009 11:44PM
      
      Reply to this Recommend (0)
      
      Thank You for your Comment
      
      We review all comments before they're posted. For more on our comment policy, please see our FAQ.
    - Also...
      
      How old are your kids ?
      
      - Johnny September 17, 2009 10:46AM
      
      Reply to this Recommend (0)
      
      Thank You for your Comment
      
      We review all comments before they're posted. For more on our comment policy, please see our FAQ.
send the kids

No, I would not send my (hypothetical) children to a church to expose them to religion ... if they want to explore it when they are older then they would be welcome to do so.

Would a Christian send their children to a mosque or a Buddhist temple?

- MrBook September 9, 2009 6:12AM

Reply to this Recommend (1)

Thank You for your Comment

We review all comments before they're posted. For more on our comment policy, please see our FAQ.
- I wouldn't want to send them either...
  
  But with my (also hypothetical) kids , I would also want to be careful not to fall into indoctrinating them into atheism. Paraphrasing a quote I saw somewhere: "Teach children HOW to think; not WHAT to think."
  
  As for a Christian sending their child to a different faith for the experience... How many Christians do you know who are open-minded enough, and have enough faith in their children's faith (or brainwashing) to actually allow them to explore.
  
  - Johnny September 17, 2009 10:56AM
  
  Reply to this Recommend (1)
  
  Thank You for your Comment
  
  We review all comments before they're posted. For more on our comment policy, please see our FAQ.