I’m secular- what can I offer my kids instead of church?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give church a try?

Why would she do that if she's secular?

OP, I agree with UU. It's also great you're doing mindfulness things with them.

Maybe this feeling she is having/ her child is having is calling her to give it a try. We all change, evolve. Be open to new experiences.

Yes, but she said church isn't for her, so suggesting it isn't helpful.

Wow, PP, you sure are defensive about that. What are you so afraid of about church?

Yes, OP, why not give it a try? God does work in mysterious ways.

Gee, god does work in mysterious ways... but I never figured out where there was any good in pediatric cancer- or any other major source of population level devastation and suffering for that matter. Any why oh why would god go through the trouble of telling someone to go to church but not curing some innocent child with hundreds of people praying for her? Hum, must just be his mysterious ways...

This has been discussed in other threads ad nauseum, plus it is so condescending. Do you really think that religious believers have not considered why suffering exists? Do you really believe that other people are that stupid, that they literally do not think about this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the answer is then: if you're secular, there is no valid "secular church" alternative. You gave that up when you gave up church.

+1. A church is a community of people with similar beliefs and values. If you don't have any beliefs, you have to find a community of people with your values. Maybe some sort of volunteer organization?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Unitarian Church? Seriously, I just drove by one near where I live and the sign outside said this is what we believe: the it said "Love is love," Black Lives Matter;" something about immigration, gender equality -- I was driving too fast to catch them all, but none of the statements were "religious."

I agree about looking into a Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregation. Here are their 7 Principles:

1st Principle: The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
2nd Principle: Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
3rd Principle: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
4th Principle: A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
5th Principle: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
6th Principle: The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
7th Principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

I know the Catholic Church has it's issues, and some may argue that there's some major hypocracy in some areas, but this is basically catholic social teaching

Which is probably why a lot of lapsed Catholics can be found in any UU congregation -

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give church a try?

Why would she do that if she's secular?

OP, I agree with UU. It's also great you're doing mindfulness things with them.

Maybe this feeling she is having/ her child is having is calling her to give it a try. We all change, evolve. Be open to new experiences.

Yes, but she said church isn't for her, so suggesting it isn't helpful.

Wow, PP, you sure are defensive about that. What are you so afraid of about church?

Yes, OP, why not give it a try? God does work in mysterious ways.

Gee, god does work in mysterious ways... but I never figured out where there was any good in pediatric cancer- or any other major source of population level devastation and suffering for that matter. Any why oh why would god go through the trouble of telling someone to go to church but not curing some innocent child with hundreds of people praying for her? Hum, must just be his mysterious ways...

This has been discussed in other threads ad nauseum, plus it is so condescending. Do you really think that religious believers have not considered why suffering exists? Do you really believe that other people are that stupid, that they literally do not think about this?

Its also condescending to tell an atheist/ secular person to try church because “God works in mysterious ways”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give church a try?

Why would she do that if she's secular?

OP, I agree with UU. It's also great you're doing mindfulness things with them.

Maybe this feeling she is having/ her child is having is calling her to give it a try. We all change, evolve. Be open to new experiences.

Yes, but she said church isn't for her, so suggesting it isn't helpful.

Wow, PP, you sure are defensive about that. What are you so afraid of about church?

Yes, OP, why not give it a try? God does work in mysterious ways.

Gee, god does work in mysterious ways... but I never figured out where there was any good in pediatric cancer- or any other major source of population level devastation and suffering for that matter. Any why oh why would god go through the trouble of telling someone to go to church but not curing some innocent child with hundreds of people praying for her? Hum, must just be his mysterious ways...

This has been discussed in other threads ad nauseum, plus it is so condescending. Do you really think that religious believers have not considered why suffering exists? Do you really believe that other people are that stupid, that they literally do not think about this?

Its also condescending to tell an atheist/ secular person to try church because “God works in mysterious ways”

First, learn what condescending means. If someone wants everything church offers, it's not THAT unreasonable to say "hey, why don't you go to church then?" Second, if those "religious people" had ill intent, do two wrongs make a right? Third, don't make other people's threads all about your personal issues/problems. It's tacky.

[Anonymous]

Are you an atheist or agnostic, pp?

[Anonymous]

Why not take her to church then? My child wants to be on a basketball team and while I loathe the sport and know nothing about the rules, I go to the games anyway and clap for her. It’s not about me. Ask your DC what she thinks about church and suggest attending some services. You might find the social link you search for in one of the communities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unitarian Universalism.

This. You’ll fit right in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not take her to church then? My child wants to be on a basketball team and while I loathe the sport and know nothing about the rules, I go to the games anyway and clap for her. It’s not about me. Ask your DC what she thinks about church and suggest attending some services. You might find the social link you search for in one of the communities.

+1. OP seems insecure and narcissistic. If your daughter wants to explore a real church with real prayer, let her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unitarian Universalism.

This. You’ll fit right in.

As an agnostic I found the UU church to be too much. At the one I attended they had Pagan circle, Buddhist Sangha, Liberal Christian night, etc. It was like a hodge podge of religions.

[Anonymous]

I was raised UU. I definitely recommend checking it out.

[Anonymous]

We send our kids to a religious school even though we're atheists. They're getting exposed to religion (the school teaches about different religions) and can decide for themselves if it's something they're interested in.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for UU. I felt like you a few months ago. Raised Jewish and knew I didn’t want to go to a temple, but still seeking more for my kids. The UU church has been a (pun intended) godsend. It’s an amazing community and we’re all welcomed there - atheist husband, agnostic me, and two kids simply looking for friends. Never in my life did I think I’d be a Sunday church-goer but we’ve all been going since the new year and really, really like it.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for UU here. I also took my son because he wanted to join a church, I think he was feeling pressure. We love it and we're now regulars, and sometimes I even go without him. I've never seen a prayer there, just sermons and meditation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another vote for UU. I felt like you a few months ago. Raised Jewish and knew I didn’t want to go to a temple, but still seeking more for my kids. The UU church has been a (pun intended) godsend. It’s an amazing community and we’re all welcomed there - atheist husband, agnostic me, and two kids simply looking for friends. Never in my life did I think I’d be a Sunday church-goer but we’ve all been going since the new year and really, really like it.

So it’s not any kind of faith church but rather just a community meeting?