Topic: Atheist parents: Got advice on how to explain Christian mythology to children?

[mkrone]

My seven-year-old-atheist-in-pigtails has finally hit the point where she needs to understand some of the Christian mythology and ritual to understand the books that she reads - and she reads a lot.  Does anyone know of any good resources that don't also tell the kids to believe or burn in hell?  If there were a D'Aulaires' book for Christianity, I'd be all set.

[andrewclunn]

Aren't there Jesus comic books?  Get that and Superman and give them both to her at the same time 

[EhJayArr]

"People have always tried to imagine where we come from, and what happens when we die. Some people think a magic person created us, and we'll get to live forever after we die."

[Audiophile]

When raising my own kid I've found myself telling a lie in order to make him accept or understand something easier.

Like telling him that the King have decided that we must go to school. I might add that it's not exactly like that, but pretty much. The full explanation is so much longer and so much more complex that it would be way over his head. So I tell a little lie that is easily built into the proper explenatipn when he has the brain power to undertand it.

I'm not telling you to lie about the mythology. I'm advising you to explain that before there was laws, police, judicial systems and whatnot people still needed rules. Since there was no real goverment and the common people where often uneducated and saimple folk religion was a simple and effective way of getting them to obey. Basically religion is a way of controlling people and to justify rules, punishment and so on.

I'd also explain that today, when we DO have goverments Christian Mythology is no longer relevant. In fact, many of the rules laid down there are today forbidden.

...but thats just the way I see it and the way I'll explain it to my kids.

[jomike]

One World, Many Religions by Mary Pope Osborn got a big thumbs up from my youngest daughter.  It appears to be aimed at tweens.  I don't think it'd hold the interest of the average 7yo, but if your kiddo is precocious she might dig it.

[mkrone]

Jomike - Thanks! That book looks amazing.  I will check it out.

The rest of you - Don't worry, my girl is already a declared atheist.  When she was six, the pediatrician told her that her intelligence was a gift from God.  She promptly replied, "You know, there's no evidence for the that." 

Oh wait, technically, that's agnostic, right? 

[Desert Fox]

The rest of you - Don't worry, my girl is already a declared atheist.  When she was six, the pediatrician told her that her intelligence was a gift from God.  She promptly replied, "You know, there's no evidence for the that." 

Thanks, you just brightened my day

[jomike]

When she was six, the pediatrician told her that her intelligence was a gift from God.  She promptly replied, "You know, there's no evidence for the that."

   Mini-Laplace has no need for that hypothesis!

[mkrone]

   Mini-Laplace has no need for that hypothesis!

But for Google and Wikipedia, I would never understand jomike's extremely funny comment.

[jomike]

Thanks!   (Though I think I mangled the quote; I believe it should read I have no need of that hypothesis)

I would love to have seen the doc's reaction to your young philosopher...

[Johnny Slick]

I think the "problem" here is not so much making your kid be sure that gods aren't real - the Bible in particular has some howlers in it that even a 4 year old is going to laugh at if you point it out to them - but that said kid is going to go around saying this to other kids and you are going to turn them into a Bad Influence with Poor Parenting. I don't know how to stop that because I do not have kids. THE END

[jmars]

I have young children and we have raised them without religion. We have never told them anything about God and plan on letting them ask questions on their own. If they ask us directly, we will say we don't believe in a God because of lack of evidence, etc, but we don't plan to directly tell them there is no God.

I worry that one day the influence of others in school like teachers or schoolmates will confuse them, but I don't want to tell them something that will make them unpopular or make other parents angry. For instance, if they start telling other kids there is no God. However, at this point its still hard to say what they will believe. I will support them in their beliefs, but I'd be lying if I said I would be happy if they became Christians. I'd also be lying if I said I wouldn't try to argue the atheist side while not telling them they are wrong.

I suppose if they directly asked about Christianity, I would have no idea how to teach them without presenting it in a negative light. I would have to teach them as if it is all a myth akin to Greek Mythology, and tell them if they don't want it taught that way, they'd have to talk to someone else.

[Halleyscomet/Wakefield]

Chick tracts?

[mkrone]

jmars - All your points are well taken.  As a parent, I've got two issues I'm trying to address.  I'm guessing you do too: 

First, some of the books she reads would make more sense if she knew about Christian rituals and beliefs.  So I need to give her some cultural reference.  The tricky part is finding kid friendly sources that educate but don't indoctrinate.  jomike suggested "One World, Many Religions" by Mary Pope Osborne.  It's on order and I will let you know.

Second, some well-meaning grownups inevitably will, out of concern for her immortal soul, try to persuade my daughter into their religion by telling her some very disturbing stuff.  As grown-ups, we can laugh off the fire and brimstone, but that is sick imagery for a seven-year-old to process.  Considering the positions of authority that adults occupy in her young mind, the burn-in-hell shtick could be hard for her to handle.  The only solution I see is to give her an over-view of beliefs and arm her with the ability to respectfully say, "Thank you, but my family and I don't follow your religion."  I guess it's bit like talking about the birds and the bees: would you rather that conversation be started by a stranger or by you?

[metime00]

snip
I guess it's bit like talking about the birds and the bees: would you rather that conversation be started by a stranger or by you?

Oh I've never thought of either thing like that, and I don't think that's just cause I really need some sleep. That's basically the ace in the hole, you don't even need any other argument to talk to your kids about stuff.