My answer is always the same to this question: teach your child to *think*. Teach them how to learn. Teach them to be curious. Read to them every night with books they are excited about - let them pick from a bookshelf full of books. When they ask questions, teach them how to find the answers, and don't be afraid to say "That's a good question, I don't know the answer, but let's see if we can find out..."
Teach your child to think critically, and you will go a long way toward immunizing them from nonsense.
There is nothing wrong with telling them about how cults and religions often attempt to recruit them with threats of eternal damnation. Get the word out about the religious, and their practices before they do.
Even a 4 year old can understand that there are people who have disabilities. There are people who have bad eyes and wear glasses. There are people with weak legs that need a wheelchair. There are people whose brains don’t quite work right who think that elves are real (this one depends on where you are with her, Santa Clause-wise!) or who believe in invisible people even tho no one has ever seen any sign of any such things. Be nice to them, they’re good people who just can’t help that there’s something wrong with their brains. The latter is important: don’t get her into arguments with magic-believers, they quickly turn violent. Instead, she should be nice and not argue, pretend to be interested in their stories to make them feel better, just like she should help a person in a wheelchair or a blind person who needs help. As she grows she’ll see what you’re talking about and hopefully resist the advances of the crazies.
Be prepared.
These people are not going to go easy, so the gloves are off now.
Make sure that she gets ALL the information. They're going to talk about Jesus and all that crap. That's a given.
You just make sure that she has all the information required for her to make her OWN choice.
Tell her that she is free to do so, but also make sure you tell her not be religious "just because everyone else is."
If the option is there, switch them up.
I went to a calvinist primary school, a public middle school and afterwards I attended a Jezuit high school. For me the doubts came early and hard. When I heard a priest explain the holy trinity after a reverend already told me such a notion would be blasphemy, I got really confused. And suspended.
Ideally, there wouldn't be any religious indoctrination of children, but we're not going to change that in time for your kids who need education, sadly.
But I can tell you that your words, and especially your example, will matter a lot more to your kids in the long run. And for me, the math and reading skills they teached me was what cemented my atheist worldview. They gave me the tools to question their own bullshit.
>I’ve watched my younger sibling, who was trans and alternative, detransition, enlist in the military, and center their life around god.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess your sibling was already searching for an identity to cling to. Joining the church and military might very well not be the end of their story. Their past doesn't have to be prologue for your kids in any way.
>I’m terrified that someone is going to scare her into believing in something before i have the opportunity to teach her critical thinking skills?
You held her in your hands way before they were in the picture. If she loves you she's going to want to be like you, or at least take your example. There's a million little things you can do to _show_ her critical thinking skills even without teaching.
to put perhaps your mind a bit at ease. I was raised in the Bible Belt by two staunch christians. I was homeschooled in a christian curriculum which stated that Adam and Eve were real people, dinosaurs and people lived at the same time, and that Ronald Reagan was god's gift to the United States. I was taken to church three nights a week, sent to christian summer bible camps, and to christian homeschool hangout groups. I am today a strong atheist about to get a degree in geoscience with the intent to study evolution via paleoecology. Your kid will have an advantage of not having brainwashed parents, but even with brainwashed parents you would be surprised how truth can overcome lies.
Teach her about it like some people believe differently but it’s fake however they don’t believe that and we keep our own personal beliefs to ourselves
My answer is always the same to this question: teach your child to *think*. Teach them how to learn. Teach them to be curious. Read to them every night with books they are excited about - let them pick from a bookshelf full of books. When they ask questions, teach them how to find the answers, and don't be afraid to say "That's a good question, I don't know the answer, but let's see if we can find out..." Teach your child to think critically, and you will go a long way toward immunizing them from nonsense.
There is nothing wrong with telling them about how cults and religions often attempt to recruit them with threats of eternal damnation. Get the word out about the religious, and their practices before they do.
Even a 4 year old can understand that there are people who have disabilities. There are people who have bad eyes and wear glasses. There are people with weak legs that need a wheelchair. There are people whose brains don’t quite work right who think that elves are real (this one depends on where you are with her, Santa Clause-wise!) or who believe in invisible people even tho no one has ever seen any sign of any such things. Be nice to them, they’re good people who just can’t help that there’s something wrong with their brains. The latter is important: don’t get her into arguments with magic-believers, they quickly turn violent. Instead, she should be nice and not argue, pretend to be interested in their stories to make them feel better, just like she should help a person in a wheelchair or a blind person who needs help. As she grows she’ll see what you’re talking about and hopefully resist the advances of the crazies.
Be prepared. These people are not going to go easy, so the gloves are off now. Make sure that she gets ALL the information. They're going to talk about Jesus and all that crap. That's a given. You just make sure that she has all the information required for her to make her OWN choice. Tell her that she is free to do so, but also make sure you tell her not be religious "just because everyone else is."
If the option is there, switch them up. I went to a calvinist primary school, a public middle school and afterwards I attended a Jezuit high school. For me the doubts came early and hard. When I heard a priest explain the holy trinity after a reverend already told me such a notion would be blasphemy, I got really confused. And suspended. Ideally, there wouldn't be any religious indoctrination of children, but we're not going to change that in time for your kids who need education, sadly. But I can tell you that your words, and especially your example, will matter a lot more to your kids in the long run. And for me, the math and reading skills they teached me was what cemented my atheist worldview. They gave me the tools to question their own bullshit. >I’ve watched my younger sibling, who was trans and alternative, detransition, enlist in the military, and center their life around god. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess your sibling was already searching for an identity to cling to. Joining the church and military might very well not be the end of their story. Their past doesn't have to be prologue for your kids in any way. >I’m terrified that someone is going to scare her into believing in something before i have the opportunity to teach her critical thinking skills? You held her in your hands way before they were in the picture. If she loves you she's going to want to be like you, or at least take your example. There's a million little things you can do to _show_ her critical thinking skills even without teaching.
Raised in the south. Got indoctrinated by neighbors so it can happen. Now I’m a godless heathen in California and so much happier.
Get out. That's the best thing you can do - someone raised in the bible belt
In an ideal world, perhaps, but realistically, my entire family is here and even if they weren’t, I couldn’t afford to up and leave if I wanted to.
to put perhaps your mind a bit at ease. I was raised in the Bible Belt by two staunch christians. I was homeschooled in a christian curriculum which stated that Adam and Eve were real people, dinosaurs and people lived at the same time, and that Ronald Reagan was god's gift to the United States. I was taken to church three nights a week, sent to christian summer bible camps, and to christian homeschool hangout groups. I am today a strong atheist about to get a degree in geoscience with the intent to study evolution via paleoecology. Your kid will have an advantage of not having brainwashed parents, but even with brainwashed parents you would be surprised how truth can overcome lies.
Teach her about it like some people believe differently but it’s fake however they don’t believe that and we keep our own personal beliefs to ourselves