Atheist/Religious/Question! How would you react if...

[Truronian]

What created the universe? I ask you that. I do not ask you to believe in a specific god, just ask that one question. If you can answer that question without saying that it is irellevent then I will be happy to know.

It is irrelevent . Something may have created it, or it may just exist of its own accord. As soon as you insist that everything must be created, you have yourself an infinite chain of creators all being created and creating something.

 

[GenMarshall]

(1) Religious Posters:
How would you react if your offspring announced they had chosen to be Atheist?

I would be deaply upset and angry with my child if they comit apostasy and turn atheist. So long as the child does not become a jerk and start to bash other religious people, I would still love my child. I would still pray for my child to return back to the Church.

 

[Mise]

"Whatever makes you happy dear."

 

[Thequeenisgay]

I

As Judaism does not accept converts , I am not worried on that front .
?

i dont know where you heard that but judasim does accept converts

 

[tomsnowman123]

Couldn't give a damn what they believed so long as it didn't harm them or anyone else. If spaghettimonsterism or pink unicornism or Judaism or Chatolicism is your thing, by all means go for it.

Agreed, 100%. I would never try to force my beliefs on a child. They have their rights, they can follow what they want, as long as it's safe.

 

[Neonanocyborgasm]

...Your kid announced he/she was going to live contrary to your beliefs?

Choose your scenario!

(1) Religious Posters:
How would you react if your offspring announced they had chosen to be Atheist?

(2) Atheist Posters:
How would you react if your offspring announced they had chosen to be Religious?

Assume the lifestyle they have chosen is no just 'soft', but the full ideological deal.

So what would you do? Get angry? Not care? Lock them up? Send them to military camp?
Tell me (and everyone else) what would happen if your kid chose a philosphy you dislike.

Fire away!

.

If you mean a cult, I would do everything possible to make sure my kid doesn't stay in that cult, including take legal action against the cult. Perhaps if desperate enough, and if the cult were destructive enough, and if the opportunity presented itself, I might even collect a small posse to beat the cult's leader senseless. Cults are dangerous entities and recent events bear that out.

On the other hand, if it were a "lighter" religion, perhaps I'd do nothing than hope that my kid would realize some sense in time. If that failed to happen, I'd say that my kid is a fool, and I unfortunately raised him that way.

BTW, I know a family that this happened to. They did nothing about it. Nothing destructive happened and by all accounts, their daughter is happy.

 

[GenMarshall]

i dont know where you heard that but judasim does accept converts

Its just a hard process to convert into Judaism. Perhaps our Jewish Posters can shed some light on this conversion to Judaism .

 

[Thequeenisgay]

yes its a hard process it takes a few years where you learn all the laws of being a jew. jews unlike Christians are supposed to discourge people to convert. you can still be a good person without being a jew and the life of an orthodox jew is not so easy lots and lots of laws hehe if you have more questions there is an ask questions about judasim thread sumwhere

 

[Eukaryote]

That's their choice. I'd let them live their lives their way. BUT I would intervine if my kid became a Scientologist.

 

[GenMarshall]

That's their choice. I'd let them live their lives their way. BUT I would intervine if my kid became a Scientologist.

Youre not alone, I will intervine if my kid does want to become a Scientologist or become involved in a dangerous cult.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

Agreed, 100%. I would never try to force my beliefs on a child. They have their rights, they can follow what they want, as long as it's safe.

What if your child embraces fascism ?

 

[Azash]

As long as they won't pester me about it, it's fine.

What if your child embraces fascism ?

I guess you missed the part with "if it's safe".

I would still pray for my child to return back to the Church.

 

[RameNoodle]

As long as its not Scientology...
But actually, I am religious, and I might be a little worried if my kid decided to be Atheist. If he could stand his own in a fundamental argument with me, then I guess it would be ok. As long as he is seeking happiness and fulfillment in his life, with God or not, I guess I have to be happy.

 

[Norseman2]

How would you react if your offspring announced they had chosen to be Religious?

Assume the lifestyle they have chosen is no just 'soft', but the full ideological deal.

Um, that depends. If we're talking Dominionist/Reconstructionist (Christian who wants Biblical law, such as killing homosexuals and disobedient children, and people who work on Sunday), I would want them out of my house ASAP. If they're under 18, then I would do whatever I could to at the very least get them converted to a softer form of Christianity. If we're talking Christian Fundamentalist, then I would check to make sure they at least know the basics of evolution. If they understand it and still disagree with it, then fine. If they don't understand it, I would try to correct that. Other forms of Christianity are usually ok.

If we're talking Scientology, that's another deal entirely. They're just as bad as Dominionists, except they actually follow through with their nutty beliefs. I don't want a kid involved in that or anything like that. The same applies to any group which holds such a blatant disregard for human life. Westboro Baptist style Fundyism and Islamic Fundamentalism are good examples.

 

[The Last Conformist]

I'd be disappointed, but unless they were joining something like Scientology, I'd not try and do anything about it.

 

[Ecclesiastes]

(1) Religious Posters:
How would you react if your offspring announced they had chosen to be Atheist?

Why, saddened and disraught of course. Its as if you are witnessing them dying rite there.

 

[Atlas14]

Im Deist, and wouldn't really care if my children became atheist, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, (preferably not pagan or scientologist), Jewish, Muslim, or Agnostic. I take the standpoint that nobody really knows for sure no matter which religion or non-religion they belong to, so we're all in the same boat.

 

[civ2]

Atlas14
Welcome aboard.
Unfortunatelly some people continue boring holes under their seats and say it's THEIR seat...

 

[Atlas14]

Atlas14
Welcome aboard.
Unfortunatelly some people continue boring holes under their seats and say it's THEIR seat...

Exactly, thats always amazed me how people can be so sure, and apparently so convincing when we are all faced with essentially the same information. I always asked my parents if they could take me to church and asked why we never went to church, but looking back I'm kinda glad that I haven't been exposed to church life, and have taken a stand for myself. That is what I hope my children do for themselves as well, but if they want to go to church, I will gladly take them, unlike my parents who used the excuse of we're always so busy as a family (which we were, but we could have found some time for church) and that if I wanted to go with one of my friends they would allow me to do that. I don't have any hard feelings with my parents over not taking me to church, but instead I am more appreciative of differing perspectives through not being "indoctrinated" with one single religion or non-religion.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

I would do exactly as my father did when one brother turned atheist and several others became Catholic. To wit, I would respect their right to make their own decisions. I would not criticize what they believe, but I would pray that they returned to my religion. If they didn't, I would still love them just as much. My family is able to have religious discussions for exactly this reason; although I do hope my family returns to Mormonism, I understand that there are lots of other important things in life, and we have our free will after all.

@Chazumi: Good thinking. Utah is no place to be a Mormon. I don't think I could handle it there; I need to be surrounded by non-Mormons or I would take my religion for granted.