I'm an agnostic with two small children -- 5 and 2. They're unbaptized, and religion plays very little role in our household.

However, I'm not hostile to religion, and I want my children to be able to make their own religious choices. So I plan to discuss religion with them as they get older, take them to church/synagogue/temple if they want, even expose them to my evangelical mother-in-law.

What about others? Atheists or people of faith -- how do you plan to deal with it when your children start asking about beliefs other than your own?

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Man up.

There are 9 registered users on the board. I guess you and I are the only ones with all ten fingers.

Being Christian, I wanted my kids to be Christian, too. But, I did not take them to church like an indoctrination. I wanted them to believe it for themselves. In some ways, they may have missed out by not having a church "family." I just answered all their questions truthfully. I allowed them to go to different churches with their friends. My husband studies the Bible everyday and often he would hold a little "class". They all decided for themselves to believe. They each have their own ideas and are finding their own way. One is very private. One studies daily. Another found a little church that she loves. I never wanted them to believe just because I hoped they would. I wanted it to be real.

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Do you know what it's like to fall in the mud and get kicked... in the head... with an iron boot? Of course you don't, no one does. It never happens. It's a dumb question... skip it.

I was baptized Roman Catholic and went to a Catholic church till I was 10 or 11. My mother was a Baptist but my father (who took off when I was a baby) wanted me to know about Catholicism. It got to the point to where I told my mom I didn’t want anything more to do with the church. The church didn’t make me feel good about my self or anyone who was not a Catholic.

I didn’t go back to church till I was about 15. I started going to a Baptist church with my mom and grandmother. From then on I probably went to about every different kind of church there was in town till I was 18. In the end I decided that there was a higher power (of some kind) but I had no faith in organized religion. I think if I were forced to go to church I would have resented the church and religion. My mom gave me the choice to believe in what ever it was that would make me a better person to myself and to others.

My son is not baptized either. I feel that should be a choice he makes. My wife and I plan on taking him to church and eventually letting him make his own decision if he want to continue or not.

As young man in search of answers I came away with putting faith in my self to do the right things for me and others, Seeing isn’t always believing, keeping at least one ear open and standing in awe of the wonders of our world and universe.

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7th ID