Same, Catholic (with agnostic spouse). Words like "God is watching" are used in a literary or poetic sense, but it isn't meant literally, like an actual body up in the clouds with a telescope or crystal ball. That's an immature understanding of what God is, and while it is an easy way for little kids to think about it, we are expected to mature in our understanding, even if we never fully understand -- some would argue we are incapable of doing so. Those unable to grasp higher concepts of philosophy or theology, which is a lot of people, maybe most, need the literary and poetic as a guide to understanding, which may never really come. That's ok. Having guideposts that can be understood is meaningful for one's personal search for how to live and how to comprehend the divine. I remember in my Catholic college Freshman theology class, a theology professor, after the first papers, gave a lecture "for those who never learned a thing or paid attention to theology past Confirmation." It was amusing. In second grade, we learned about the attributes of God (self-existing; love itself; omnipresent; separate and distinct from the created universe, etc.), and generally that is when your mind should be awakening to the difference between God in art and literature (manifested in form and words), and God in philosophy and theology (attempting to comprehend the reality of existence and the divine, pushing the limits of the known, unknown, and contemplating the possibility of unknowable and divine). Humans will always be limited by linguistics in trying to discuss that which is beyond our own experience. |
The funny thing is that there are actual other branches of Christianity that DO NOT believe that faith is what gets you to heaven. But only YOUR version is right correct ? |
DP: I think PP's point, and it is a valid one IMHO, is that if you are telling your children anything at all about religion, good/bad/indifferent, you should try to be correct in what you tell them. But if you don't actually know anything about it (as "Bronze aged bull," suggests), you should refrain. I would not presume to try to teach my kids about any number of topics, as I'd certainly get a lot wrong, though I might try to answer their questions starting with "I don't know much about that, but let's see what we might learn together." |
PP didn't say that, and clearly acknowledged that the comments are not universal (see, "most"). |
Which of the over 45,000 sects are you talking about ? How do you know YOURS is the only right one lol? |
+1 |
The sad part is there are so many people that have been psychologically and emotionally damaged by religion that there are now many organizations not only studying religious trauma but trying to help people heal from it. Many people have committee suicide from different forms of religious abuse so those people sadly cannot be part of any database for therapists |
+1 Well stated |
But it IS Bronze Age bull. Clearly. At a minimum you teach them to be skeptical and only believe things for which there is sufficient evidence. And your Bronze Age bull does not qualify. |
Really?? I didn't believe some of that stuff when I was a Christian. So you respect the beliefs of other religious people? how about atheists? hopefully you respect their beliefs too. It's a free country after all. We don't have to have any religion in the US. |
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Do you know the Catholic Churches participation in inhibiting stem cell research?..because of religious beliefs.
Their position on not allowing condoms in AIDS torn countries because of their religious beliefs ? Human harm is being done because of religion in areas most people don’t even comprehend |
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I’m the PP. wanted to add this :
By the way, for anyone who continues to ask rhe question about why atheists push back against religious beliefs - this is why . Our lack of belief hurts no one . Your belief hurts many |
None of the atheists I know have done what you suggest. They just don't tell their children that they should believe in an invisible man in the sky or that their particular version of the man in the sky is correct. |
+1 And this is very clear to my kids who can see this for themselves with the Republican ChRiSTiaN nationalists taking power. |
| I usually don't answer specifically to my kids just that "maybe" someone else's religion is true. I stay neutral on the subject. |