Explaining religion to children
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Untermensch
Squid
just tell them the truth.
That religion is an evil set of superstitions and rules that were invented to help control people.
Do what we say or you go to 'hell' instead of 'heaven'. Some religions even get creative and promise you 6 dozen virgins in the afterlife if you
are kind enough to kill innocents while you are on earth.
Basically it boils down to 'my imaginary friend is better than your imaginary friend'
As you can see I am no fan of religion and consider it the greatest cancer on mankind and civilisation.
That religion is an evil set of superstitions and rules that were invented to help control people.
Do what we say or you go to 'hell' instead of 'heaven'. Some religions even get creative and promise you 6 dozen virgins in the afterlife if you
are kind enough to kill innocents while you are on earth.
Basically it boils down to 'my imaginary friend is better than your imaginary friend'
As you can see I am no fan of religion and consider it the greatest cancer on mankind and civilisation.
pharmaboy
Eats Squid
Surely this depends almost entirely on the age of the child?
The group in sydney to me, seem to be completely insane. They take offense of something that supposed to offend them, advertise it to the world, but wont watch it, then seemingly blame foreign governments for its production. To top it all off, they become violent as well.
perhaps the lesson to children is the importance of secularism -
jayjay3032
Likes Bikes
Yeah, the last thing you want is to force a set of beliefs on them...
indica
Serial flasher
Tell them how it is, explain it as it appears - stories, no absolute truth - and they will see.
Mine did.
indica
Serial flasher
Yep, I wanted the credit for the presents.
Untermensch
Squid
Correct. I prefer to force the truth on them instead. Right from the start so they don't waste their lives looking for something that simply isn't real.
Spike-X
Grumpy Old Sarah
That's because it's not bloody finished yet, is it?
smitho
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Fixed for you
Untermensch
Squid
"Why do my cute wives keep divorcing me ?"
Hamsta
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Can you source some age appropriate picture books that try and explain religion/s to little ones? Assuming that your kid is quite young? Surely 'mainstream' religions provide propaganda aimed at all age groups/levels of development. They probably have a 1800 number as well. If you could find something for each religion, you could encourage her to read them (or you read them with her) and maybe she could begin to develop her own understanding of what it is all about.
Fuck it, I would tell her that the Sydney protesters are all bad people because they have sex with animals, lie all the time and hate little girls and women in general.
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fatboyonabike
Captain oblivious
Even religions evolve with the times, so why can't they get the concept of evolution through their thick skulls!
Elbo
pesky scooter kids git off ma lawn
I can't see any way of describing the concept to children without it being a bit messy. Maybe use an object and tell a story about how all these different people came across it and all of them tried to explain why it was there (like Aborigines and the Dreaming, Islam, Christianity, Science - all are different world views that sound equally foreign to someone coming from another one). Then you can say each had a different explanation and when they listened to each other and respected each other they could see maybe they didn't know everything. But when they didn't respect each other, some teased and bullied the others which wasn't nice, etc.
I guess you stumbled across the paradox that we realise we assign truth to a particular world view over others, but we can't live in the world without holding a world view, whether that's scientific, christian, muslim, scientology, relativism, nihilism, etc, its still a choice of how we wish to make sense of the world. There's no escaping the need for humans to assign truth value to things.
I guess you stumbled across the paradox that we realise we assign truth to a particular world view over others, but we can't live in the world without holding a world view, whether that's scientific, christian, muslim, scientology, relativism, nihilism, etc, its still a choice of how we wish to make sense of the world. There's no escaping the need for humans to assign truth value to things.
kjd
Likes Bikes
Science can't explain fairy tales with no evidence to support them.
Sorry creation did not happen. Intelligent design was a way to explain the unexplainable before man could explain where and how we exist.
The why is that we are the fittest which is why we are here.
moorey
call me Mia
I talk about religion (lower case 'r') with my (almost) 7yo often, but only because he asks. We (wife is a heathen also) explain what people believe, never in a derogatory or negative way, and that we simply don't believe the same thing. His grandma on wife's side is a JW, my mum is an elder in uniting church. He knows the basics of what they believe, and respects their beliefs (even the 'no Chrissy or birthday' thing on the JW side)
When he asked why they believe what they go, I tell him it's what makes them happy and helps them understand the world.
Btw, both my kids (other is 4), know, and are cool with our bodies turning back into fertilizer when he die. Wife's grandfather is on last legs at the moment, and I loved my 4yo reminding my wife that's it ok, because the worms will eat him.
My tips, never shy away from the questions, never ridicule or trivialize others beliefs (ridiculous as they are), and teach them to respect others beliefs (do as I say, not as I do). I try to explain, as best as I can, what science and nature has on offer to make sense of the world for them.
Whats HARD, is trying to explain to him why one if his friends loudly an frequently tell him that his mum says that ghosts are the tortured spirits of people who don't believe in god, and that's what's going to happen to him (my son) and his family (us). He doesn't believe it, but it baffles him that people would think and say such things...,
When he asked why they believe what they go, I tell him it's what makes them happy and helps them understand the world.
Btw, both my kids (other is 4), know, and are cool with our bodies turning back into fertilizer when he die. Wife's grandfather is on last legs at the moment, and I loved my 4yo reminding my wife that's it ok, because the worms will eat him.
My tips, never shy away from the questions, never ridicule or trivialize others beliefs (ridiculous as they are), and teach them to respect others beliefs (do as I say, not as I do). I try to explain, as best as I can, what science and nature has on offer to make sense of the world for them.
Whats HARD, is trying to explain to him why one if his friends loudly an frequently tell him that his mum says that ghosts are the tortured spirits of people who don't believe in god, and that's what's going to happen to him (my son) and his family (us). He doesn't believe it, but it baffles him that people would think and say such things...,
dontfeelcold
Likes Dirt
My vote for best answer of this thread.
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