kids and religion

I would never consider going to church, though I would be ok with sending my kids to a school like that (though maybe not primary - I don't want them brainwashed!) IMO everyone should be able to grow up and decide for themselves what religion if any they should be a part of - not being told that "this religion" is right from when they're too young to judge for themselves.

I can't remember the exact figure but its something like 90-95% of all children will grow up to embrace the same faith of their parents eg the one that they were raised with. So I think its an incredibly important decision- good on you for giving it some serious thought.

I love the saying "There is no such thing as a Christian/Muslim/Athiest/Jewish (insert belief system here) child- just a child raised by Christian/Muslim/Athiest... Parents".

DH and I are both Athiests and will raise the girls with our beliefs. We are already teaching them about evolution but also explain about other peoples beliefs in a way as to hopefully not influence them so they can come to their own choices when the time comes. I believe that religion and morality are mutually exclusive- I know right from wrong, as will my girls.

Well we were sent to church and sunday school as children, even though our parents didn't have religious beliefs as they felt that they could talka botu evolution etc, sunday school could talk about god and we could make up our own minds. I have flitted between the 2 and would say that now I am agnostic.

Both DH and I grow up in religious families niether of us now go to chuch, Im going to let the boys deiced if church is for them, we'll support them either way

As a child i was taken to a cathloic church and i hated it , as it just seemed so routine and it never really meant anything.

Now however, i got to City Impact church morning and night on a sunday and i absolutly love it , And as for the all the kids they love it , they jump up and down during the music and have a great time then go out to Childrens Church (not sunday school!!) and do heaps of cool stuff , I can't wait for my bubs to be able to go!!

Lizzle- not sure what part of nz ur in but if your in auckland i would definitly recommend city impact they also have churches in invercargill queenstown and balclutha, and in answer to the question is it just a habit? .. definitly not it is so much more. If you have any questions feel free to PM me !

Have a great night!! :)

My children go to a catholic primary school and I am pretty sure they arent getting brainwashed! I am raising my kids in the catholic faith but they have also learnt about other religions as the Inlaws are a different faith and they have attended their church when staying out there. They know there are all different things out there and they dont necessarily have to stay catholic when they are older. I love the emphaises on family, community, and education within the catholic faith. Granted my kids are more naive than most but they are also have a great understanding of love, honesty and sincerity (sp?). I heart my kids primary!!

BTW just to clarify I was no way meaning other schools dont offer all these great things either, I went to a public school myself.

Andie wrote:   But if you're after some info about the basics of christianity, the Alpha course that Paws mentioned is meant to be good for that (and apparently fun, I'm told).  Some churches run them, some don't.

Don't forget the free meals or at least free dessert!!

You do tend to have a pretty good time at them, depending on the group of course...I've attended a number of them as I've helped run them. (and was in no way influenced to help out with the free meal!)

I'm a Christian too so we go to Church most Sundays but Christianity is a real part of our everyday lives and it is 'real' to us, not just 'habitual/religious' IYGWIM. We bring our girls along with us, I guess we would like to influence them but when they are older we'll be letting them make their own choice about it. If nothing else it's good practice for learning to participate in a service whether it be a wedding/funeral/etc. We usually stay in for the singing and take them out to children's program/creche for the sermon. They can be long for adults let alone kids who have already been on good behaviour (stayed in rows etc) for the singing half.

As for embracing the school's ... whatever the phrase was - I wouldn't take that as a dictation that you have to go to Church or be converted etc, I think it's more about how you are at work and that you're not standing in the way of whatever you have to teach that is 'religious school ish' but not your personal belief. I wouldn't have read it more than that.

Alpha is a good way to learn. I used to lead an Alpha course. Some of the larger churches have their own versions of intro to Christianity courses. Some people love Alpha and some find it a bit dry so just hunt around.

In most churches nowadays there is a big emphasis on giving kids/people the space to make their own decisions. It's great to teach them things and obviously they follow their parents lead when they are very little but they need to make their own decisions and choose their own personal faith. Christianity is all about a personal faith, kids just get basic info, and sunday school etc is mainly about fun. They decide if and when they are ready to make a personal decision.

For me....it's not about religion, it is about faith...a personal and living relationship with Jesus Christ. It's not about a set of rules such as you must go to church or you must not do this or that.

It is a combination of things. To start with, it is about using your head and learning but as with anything there is a point where you have to move beyond pure reasoning and have faith. e.g. in Christianity you have faith in God, in evolution you have "faith" in science and concepts such as the big bang etc. There is always an unknown element that goes beyond our human ability to understand. Faith is a reality in all our lives whether we recognise it or not.

I was brought up in a Christain home but dropped away from it as a teenager. I randomly went back to church at 21 and haven't turned back. I regret the years I spent away from the church. There are several reasons for my faith:
1. I beleive the idea of a creator to be more acceptable (to me) than a random selection of chances. Our universe is amazingly intricate and I just don't see that THAT many chances...all the millions of things that have to be in perfect balance in order for us to be here can just be random.
2. After getting past the "head knowledge" stage I have had personal experiences (nothing freaky!!!) that make me know, beyond doubt that there is a God.
3. The Christian way of life makes sense to me. If everyone followed the 10 commandments for example imagine how wonderful our world would be! It would be so different from the way it is now. I could rant and rave about this bit but I won't LOL!

I hope that answers your questions! I'm really useless at talking about all this!

FionaS wrote: For me....it's not about religion, it is about faith...a personal and living relationship with Jesus Christ. It's not about a set of rules such as you must go to church or you must not do this or that.

I love that you said that!! It's not about religion and that is a word I don't like...it is all about faith!