Question for religious parents

-L. wrote:
Barbara wrote:
SNIP
I tend to stay away from the bible thumpers,
because I'd rather not be told that I'm going to hell, or my kids need to be
in church.
SNIP

And this would differ from religious people who would prefer that their
children not play with non-religious people ... exactly how?

Barbara

Non-religious people aren't going to tell you how wrong you are for
your beliefs and are not going to try to cram *their* beliefs down your
throat. One is an aggressive stance (proselytization) the other is a
passive stance.

The question wasn't related to people who want to jam religion down
your throat. The question was whether your average religious person
would mind their kid being friendly with an atheist child. I thought
not. Then someone popped up saying that she would prefer that her
child not associate with *bible thumpers* -- which in that context I
took to mean *any* religious person. And I maintain -- why is it
*more* acceptable for non-religious people to shun religious people
than vice versa? Perhaps I misinterpreted the words of the OP, and
what she REALLY meant to say was that while she welcomed her children's
friendships not only with people in the communities she mentioned, but
with religious people of all persuasions, she would prefer that they
need befriend the children of prostelytizers.

Frankly, I've encountered a lot more NON-religious people who feel free
to call me crazy for my beliefs, and who challenge me at every step,
than I ever have religious people trying to proselytize. I find both
equally offensive, however.

Again, however, most *religious* people do not proselytize.

Barbara

"Barbara" wrote in message
oups.com...
-L. wrote:
Barbara wrote:
SNIP
I tend to stay away from the bible thumpers,
because I'd rather not be told that I'm going to hell, or my kids
need to be
in church.
SNIP

And this would differ from religious people who would prefer that their
children not play with non-religious people ... exactly how?

Barbara

Non-religious people aren't going to tell you how wrong you are for
your beliefs and are not going to try to cram *their* beliefs down your
throat. One is an aggressive stance (proselytization) the other is a
passive stance.

The question wasn't related to people who want to jam religion down
your throat. The question was whether your average religious person
would mind their kid being friendly with an atheist child. I thought
not. Then someone popped up saying that she would prefer that her
child not associate with *bible thumpers* -- which in that context I
took to mean *any* religious person.

from http://www.answers.com/topic/list-of-political-epithets

Bible thumper
n. Offensive.
Used as a disparaging term for a Christian, especially a fundamentalist or
evangelical Christian, considered to be overly zealous in haranguing or
censuring others.

And I maintain -- why is it
*more* acceptable for non-religious people to shun religious people
than vice versa? Perhaps I misinterpreted the words of the OP, and
what she REALLY meant to say was that while she welcomed her children's
friendships not only with people in the communities she mentioned, but
with religious people of all persuasions, she would prefer that they
need befriend the children of prostelytizers.

Frankly, I've encountered a lot more NON-religious people who feel free
to call me crazy for my beliefs, and who challenge me at every step,
than I ever have religious people trying to proselytize. I find both
equally offensive, however.

Again, however, most *religious* people do not proselytize.

Barbara

My daughter will be prepared to deal with people who want to jam
religion down her throat. I am mostly worried about her not having
friends at all in the community I live it. I remember being afraid of
non religious kids. No one ever told me to be scared of them directly,
but the general enviornment I was raised in made me think all non
religious people were some how sinners who had some reason for not
going to church. That they must want to get away with sins and other
horrible things so they have found a way to reject god.

I've been accused of this myself by my own family. Sometimes I worry
that my daughter will be the black sheep because she wasn't raised to
have any religious beliefs. That is my concern.

"Rosalie B." wrote in message
...
There was a case - in one of the Carolinas (?) where the young boy
(grade school age) was coming to school and preaching on the
playground (I mean the kind of preaching that was LOUD) and telling
not only the other children but also the teachers that they were going
to hell. His parents felt that this was his right to do under free
speech and freedom to practice his religion. OTOH this was on public
property (not a private or religious school) where religion shouldn't
be practiced. [Note - this is a US public and private school - I know
the terminology is different in England]

The teachers did not care for him telling them that they were going to
hell as they felt it was disrespectful and disruptive (which it was).
The parents of the other children were upset and so were the children
themselves. I don't remember how this was resolved.

I remember that. I think most of it was the parents' doing. They
encouraged it, but only of their sons. The girl was not allowed to do it
because it was the boys' job. Their DD just stood behind the boys and
handed out leaflets. They had the poor kids on the talk shows, using
language I doubt most kids understood.

In article .com,
wrote:

My daughter will be prepared to deal with people who want to jam
religion down her throat. I am mostly worried about her not having
friends at all in the community I live it. I remember being afraid of
non religious kids. No one ever told me to be scared of them directly,
but the general enviornment I was raised in made me think all non
religious people were some how sinners who had some reason for not
going to church. That they must want to get away with sins and other
horrible things so they have found a way to reject god.

I've been accused of this myself by my own family. Sometimes I worry
that my daughter will be the black sheep because she wasn't raised to
have any religious beliefs. That is my concern.


I don't think you need to worry about that. Of course, you haven't said
where you live, and I haven't been everywhere, but the USofA is becoming
increasingly secular. Your extended family may be on the rabid side --
but I think that isn't all that common.

Just as an experiment, once soccer season (or softball or baseball or
any other outdoor sport) has started, drive around on a Sunday morning
and see how many children's games are going on in your area. While
playing soccer on Sunday is certainly no guarantee that a family isn't
religious, it IS an indication that the local Christian churches don't
have the kind of power they once did.

I suspect your own upbringing and family members are making you more
nervous about this than is necessary. Your family members might be a
problem, but there'll be plenty of friends for your child who are not
overly concerned about her religious beliefs (or lack thereof.)

--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

In article ,
"toypup" wrote:

"Rosalie B." wrote in message
...
There was a case - in one of the Carolinas (?) where the young boy
(grade school age) was coming to school and preaching on the
playground (I mean the kind of preaching that was LOUD) and telling
not only the other children but also the teachers that they were going
to hell. His parents felt that this was his right to do under free
speech and freedom to practice his religion. OTOH this was on public
property (not a private or religious school) where religion shouldn't
be practiced. [Note - this is a US public and private school - I know
the terminology is different in England]

The teachers did not care for him telling them that they were going to
hell as they felt it was disrespectful and disruptive (which it was).
The parents of the other children were upset and so were the children
themselves. I don't remember how this was resolved.

I remember that. I think most of it was the parents' doing. They
encouraged it, but only of their sons. The girl was not allowed to do it
because it was the boys' job. Their DD just stood behind the boys and
handed out leaflets. They had the poor kids on the talk shows, using
language I doubt most kids understood.



I remember this case, too -- but can't for the life of me remember what
the eventual outcome was. I know lawsuits were filed . . .

Does anyone reading this remember how it came out? None of the searches
I've tried have brought me to anything.

--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

"Barbara" wrote in message
oups.com...
The question wasn't related to people who want to jam religion down
your throat. The question was whether your average religious person
would mind their kid being friendly with an atheist child. I thought
not.

There are many people who will not let their children hang around
non-believers.

Then someone popped up saying that she would prefer that her
child not associate with *bible thumpers* -- which in that context I
took to mean *any* religious person.

No, by bible thumpers, I meant people who try to cram their beliefs down my
throat, tell me I'm going to hell or that my children need to be in church.
Those who think their way is the ONLY way to believe and everyone else is
damned to hell.

And I maintain -- why is it
*more* acceptable for non-religious people to shun religious people
than vice versa? Perhaps I misinterpreted the words of the OP, and
what she REALLY meant to say was that while she welcomed her children's
friendships not only with people in the communities she mentioned, but
with religious people of all persuasions, she would prefer that they
need befriend the children of prostelytizers.

Frankly, I've encountered a lot more NON-religious people who feel free
to call me crazy for my beliefs, and who challenge me at every step,
than I ever have religious people trying to proselytize. I find both
equally offensive, however.
Again, however, most *religious* people do not proselytize.

I actually have never heard any atheist irl say negative things to a
Christian. I have seen it online of course! I have witnessed many, many
Christians be nasty to Muslims and Jews, and african-americans. It is
amazing and disappointing to me.
I was raised in baptist churches, and the children and teens were always
given tracts to pass out to sinners. We were taught that one of the things
to show you were a Christian was to witness to others.
Marie

wrote in message
oups.com...
Would you have a problem with your child being friends with an atheist,
or being friends with a child who's parents are atheists?

The reason I ask is that I am an atheist and I have a daughter who is
almost two and I live in a very religious area. Now that my daughter is
not really a baby anymore I am starting to think about these issues and
wondering if she is going to have trouble having friends.

I live in a religious area. I kid you not. Within a two block area near my
house, there are five churches. If I drive from here to the freeway, there
are even more. We don't have many trick-or-treaters anymore because they're
all at church the harvest festival (aka Halloween). There are plenty of
religious people knocking on our doors trying to convert us. We are not
religious. However, I don't think my kids will be friendless. It just
doesn't come up. If the kids were that intolerant, they just lost the
opportunity to know my wonderful kids.

Anyway, I spent a part of my childhood in an all white neighborhood that did
not like Asians much because of the Vietnam war. When bigotry was a
problem, I did not understand it, so it did not affect me. Looking back, I
can see the racist comments, but I had no clue at the time. Likewise, your
DD may not even notice why things are. By the time she does, she'll have
her own way of dealing with it.

I remember that. I think most of it was the parents' doing. They
encouraged it, but only of their sons. The girl was not allowed to do it
because it was the boys' job. Their DD just stood behind the boys and
handed out leaflets. They had the poor kids on the talk shows, using
..language I doubt most kids understood.

Seriously? Geeze, that girl is going to have issues left and right for
the rest of her life.

In article .com,
wrote:

I remember that. I think most of it was the parents' doing. They
encouraged it, but only of their sons. The girl was not allowed to do it
because it was the boys' job. Their DD just stood behind the boys and
handed out leaflets. They had the poor kids on the talk shows, using
.language I doubt most kids understood.

Seriously? Geeze, that girl is going to have issues left and right for
the rest of her life.


As will her brothers.

--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care