As an Atheist, what do you tell your little kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is an interesting perspective and I’ll definitely do some research, thank you PP! Luckily, I’ve only played this card once when my son was 2 and we had to put down our old dog. He asked where she was and I panicked and said heaven. He doesn’t remember the dog at all and there hasn’t been any other death (close to us) so I think I lucked out. When it happens to my parents (who I’m sure will have a Catholic funeral because it’s what they want) or in-laws, I’ll be better prepared.

"The dog was finished living so the vet took her body away after it stopped working. The dog's heart stopped, so blood stopped pumping, ..." etc. Heaven means nothing.

Excellent

Yep. I also acknowledge what happens to bodies after people die can seem creepy or gross or strange. My oldest is pretty weirded out by the idea of cremation, which I get. I’m pretty weirded out by the idea of burial.

Is your child weirded out by the idea of vets disposing of the bodies of dead pets?

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of people in India and China who don't believe in the western God. Those kids there seem to get on ok without it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of people in India and China who don't believe in the western God. Those kids there seem to get on ok without it.

You know that Hindus have gods right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of people in India and China who don't believe in the western God. Those kids there seem to get on ok without it.

You know that Hindus have gods right.

but they are different gods, not our God who is in Christian and maybe Jewish Heaven.

[Anonymous]

Atheists think about other people too much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Atheists think about other people too much.

Religious people don't think about atheists much at all except in the context of going to hell. Then they try to save them from such an awful fate, by imploring them to get right with their personal deity, who, if Christian, has a lot of love to offer them, unless you don't believe in him, then he sends you to hell for eternity to burn and burn. Just for not believing in him

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Atheists think about other people too much.

Fixed that for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Atheists think about other people too much.

Fixed that for you.

Religious people don't think enough. Fixed that for you.

Just look at the latest, popular post, about evangelical Christians ruining a family. Then read the posts from supposed reasonable Christians who believe in a different , kinder version of the same diety. It's nuts. Meanwhile, people are suffering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Atheists think about other people too much.

Fixed that for you.

Religious people don't think enough. Fixed that for you.

Just look at the latest, popular post, about evangelical Christians ruining a family. Then read the posts from supposed reasonable Christians who believe in a different , kinder version of the same diety. It's nuts. Meanwhile, people are suffering.

What are you talking about? The support for the mom on that post has been strong. Only one mainstream Christian has responded and she was also very supportive of the mom and horrified by the DIL's behavior, even citing Christian texts to refute DIL's crazy beliefs. Proof that Christians are not monolithic and that many of them do think deeply about their texts and the ways that they can be interpreted to support members of their community (in that case, LGBTQ) rather than judge and harm them.

Why do we judge Christians by the extremist crazies in their midst and not by the people running soup kitchens?

[Anonymous]

My kids were 2 and 4 when my grandma died. They had a lot of questions.

We talked about what would happen to her physical body. She had been old and very sick for a long time and doctors helped her for as long as they could until her body didn't work anymore. We talked about how they would put her in a box and bury her in a hole in the ground. Then we went to the funeral and saw her (open casket funerals are creepy, btw) and for some reason she was buried with her glasses on and my kids wanted to know why she needed her glasses when she was dead. It's ok to say "I don't know" at any point about death and that was one of the times I said it. We watched them lower her coffin into the ground and talked about how her body would turn into dirt and help trees and plants grow (we compost at home, so they sort of understood that).

We also talked a lot about "where" she was spiritually/emotionally. We talked about how it's ok to be sad and to miss her and when we miss her, we can cry or talk about her or look at pictures, and that even though she's dead, we will always have the memory of her.