Atheist parents...how do explain religion or atheism to your kids?

You can politely but firmly assert to your mother-in-law that it is up to you and your husband to guide your child on issues of religion.

It is not good that she takes him to church if you don't agree with it. Put your foot down. Your mother-in-law is not your son's parent.

Then in some way perhaps it would be an idea to raise your son to have an open mind and when he is old enough he can make his own mind up.

My mother believed in God and my father didn't and they were both frank about it and said we had to make up our own minds.

Tricky business because if a beloved pet or someone close dies then explaining they have gone to Heaven is an easy way for a child to cope with it. But if you really don't want to give a child what you may believe is a 'false crutch' of belief then I am sure there are other kind and gentle ways to explain mortality.

Excellent question, though, and kudos for asking it.

Perhaps when asked about God you can just say you are not sure and that some people believe there is a God and some don't.

LOL at crisis Catholic. Your mother is definitely doing it to get a rise out of you and I really see no good reason for her to be using a 4 year old as a pawn in her petty scheme. I would have a sit down with her and your husband and let her know that you do not appreciate what she is doing and if she insists on using your son in this manner that she will no longer be taking him alone on outings (or just don't let your son go off alone with her). I have a feeling that she is never this religious unless your son is with her. I think you should teach your son about all the world's religions when he is old enough and teach him to respect others beliefs. I don't feel that that is a lesson he will learn from your mother in law. I am not against her religion (I was raised Catholic and later converted too), I am against anyone using a child for their own little vendetta. You could also tell your mother in law that if she feels like raising a child, she's free to have another one of her own!

er, personally I don't see how every church is the house of jesus, as a home is a place where a person lives and exists, not just is worshiped at.

If your son has a belief then I would say you should let him have it when it comes to religious beliefs just make sure that his grandmother isn't forcing her religion on him as that can make children bitter when they grow up.

You could try delicately explaining your family's beliefs to your son (as in you and your husband's beliefs) and how they differ from grandmother's.

If the grandmother believes, truly believes, in her religion she could be doing what she thinks is best for the boy, what with the whole 'saving' his 'eternal soul' from the fires of hell or that sort of thing so bringing it up with her might be very... dangerous. It would depend on her personality.

Personally I know if I tried to tell my mother that her grandchildren would go to church and have beliefs she'd likely throw things at my head and scream, curse and swear. But that's my mother for ya.

My kid was on a Catholic school and we can't support the brainwash. One day he brings a drawing of Jesus dying on the cross with blood all around, this was the end of the Catholic education. Believe me we are happy with the non religious school. Looking at the suffering and the religious fights on this world is sufficient to not believe in a god. My kids understand this concepts.

I'd suggest you take back your role as your child's parent, before your mother-in-law does the job for you.

He's getting a one-sided education, and no parent should ever stand for that. Do you want a leader, or a follower? No matter which you'd rather have your child turn out to be, keep in mind that even a follower needs a critical mind to decide what cause is worthy of following.

When your son says "That's baby Jesus' house." respond.. "Some people believe that others don't."

Start teaching him now that different people have different beliefs he will understand..

When my children were younger we talked about how everyone has a different favorite color.. Just because one person favorite color is blue doesn't mean that has to be everyone favorite color.. It put the idea that everyone is of a different oppinion and belief about things in a context they understood and could relate to..

Once you introduce the idea that everyone has different opinions and beliefs you can introduce different things different people belief about differently... Favorite foods, favorite t.v. characters, on through beliefs in religion...

At 4 just concentrate on teaching him everyone likes, thinks, feels and believes differently.. It's one of the things that makes us each individual and fabulous..

assume for a 2d atheism is a faith (it incredibly is, set aside for a 2d how ridiculous it incredibly is. Atheism refers to no longer believing in god; it dose no longer advise something approximately no count if somebody is religious or no longer). Now, if atheism is a faith, it incredibly is achievable that the atheist does not renowned or have self belief this. as a effect, an atheist ought to nevertheless safeguard hostility in the direction of faith, collectively as on a similar time being religious. evaluate that theists already think of atheists are blinded and deluded fools denying the glaring actuality of God's existence. Is it incredibly a lot of a stretch for them to maintain that the atheist is themselves caught in a information superhighway of contradictory and puzzled ideals, incredibly than they, the theist, being answerable for the contradiction? I placed up that it is not, and that, from a theist's perspective, it makes suitable experience for an atheist to be adhering to a faith, no longer observe of it or refuse to renowned it, and on a similar time be adverse to faith. apart from, it incredibly is even achievable that atheists are adverse in the direction of their very own faith. evaluate that theists additionally think of atheists are sour and unhappy - needless to say, then, they might experience hostility in the direction of their very own ideals. Given those motives - that an atheist would be adverse against themselves, and as a effect being adverse in the direction of faith and being religious your self isn't impossible, and that it incredibly is achievable atheists are puzzled or deluded, are religious, do no longer are conscious of it, and proceed to oppose faith, the two statements approximately atheism are reconcilable interior the ideas of the theist.

Hard question. Me...I was honest with my child as best I knew how. When he was little, I was a Christian, so I taught him the Bible. As he grew older and questioned Christianity, I leveled with him my own doubts. He was a strong person and came to his atheism on his own...before I even did. Honesty is always best. Being honest with my son gave him the strength to form his own beliefs.

atheist

I am just honest with my kids about different religions and that people believe different things. I tell them that I believe this, but it is their choice to believe what they want. Basically they understand that no one knows what happens to us after this life and that we are here to do the best we can with our lives.

Tell the kid that Jesus was just a philosopher who was executed 2000 years ago, if he existed at all.