Did/would you send your kids to church and/or Sunday school?

[Saint Nick]

I'm young, and don't have any kids, but was raised in a Christian household. We went to Church every Sunday and I had to go to Sunday school every week up until I was in 8th grade. I am not a religious person, but still maintain what I believe are good values.

Do you think that it would be important to send kids to church or Sunday school so that they have a stronger opportunity to learn these values? Or do you think values are more taught by the parents and maybe a learning institution?

 

[gimmewhitecastles]

Do you want to risk having your kids molested?

/thread

 

[Gibson486]

Rule 1

any thread that even mentions religion will end ugly with idiots bickering with each other.

 

[skace]

I went to CCD, not sure I'd send my kids if/when I have any.

 

[Tristicus]

Do you want to risk having your kids molested?

/thread

Rule 1

any thread that even mentions religion will end ugly with idiots bickering with each other.

Point taken.



It is important to instill good values in your children. A lot of these can be found in church. It is up to you if you go that route.

 

[Gooberlx2]

I'm not religious so no.

I also think a person's morality is much more going to be influenced by family and friends versus any sort of institution or classroom. Actual experiences will also influence morality, imo. Scout troops (or clubs, or any activity), for example, that have the kids cleaning up the environment, participating in a food drive, working a soup kitchen, animal shelter, helping old people, etc... could have pretty profound impact. If Sunday schools do that, then I can see some value in it if one prefers the religious route.

 

[TwiceOver]

I didn't. I don't see a reason to send my kid(s).

 

[Blackjack200]

I don't really understand what the OP is asking. If I was religious, I probably would go to church with my kids and send them to SS. I'm not, so I won't when I have them. What values are you talking about?

 

[HydroSqueegee]

well lets see... i was born and raised Methodist. Went until i was 10 or so. I dont agree with most organized religions or what they preach. However, the church does have some good messages and morals if you sift through all the worshiping.

My 2 sons (2 and 5) go to church every sunday with their grandma. She helps run the daycare there. They go to sunday school and childrens church. They have a good time there. They also go to that same church for daycare/preschool 3 days a week. They do all the churchy related things you would expect from a religious organization, but they have fun. Its a good experience for the kids. they learn and make new friends.

the only thing that bugs me is my 5 year old occasionally asks why did god do this and why god created that kind of things. But i just explain an answer to him without destroying what hes learned about god and move on. When he gets older, he'll start learning other things from public school.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

I had to go to an after school school once a week when I was sub 10. I didn't learn any values, but I did learn to have a general lack of distrust of religion because of what even when I was that young appeared to be bullshit to me at the time.

That you need religion to have morals or ethics is probably the biggest piece of crap to have been invented. If you want your future kids to have morals or ethics teach them to him. If you want him to have religion then take him to chruch or whatever is appropriate. If you really need something ancient to fall back on to convey to your kids the idea of ethics I'd suggest picking some choice greek/roman philosophers rather than a religion whose main book talks about how the gays shall be slain, women are basicly property, you should stone adulterers, among other things. Granted, there's good things to pull from there too, but do you really want that to be "the divine end all source" of ethics for your kids.

I have some step kids; Neither my wife nor I make them go to chruch although one of them chooses to mostly with the motive to make friends though.

 

[MJinZ]

I'm young, and don't have any kids, but was raised in a Christian household. We went to Church every Sunday and I had to go to Sunday school every week up until I was in 8th grade. I am not a religious person, but still maintain what I believe are good values.

Do you think that it would be important to send kids to church or Sunday school so that they have a stronger opportunity to learn these values? Or do you think values are more taught by the parents and maybe a learning institution?

I'm young, don't have any kids, and was raised in a non-religious household.

I did not memorize my values, I learned them, explored, analyzed them, and evaluated them to come to the current steady state.

If you want to brainwash your kids and put the fear of God into them, Church is perfect.

If you want your kids to think for themselves and find truth in values backed by compassion, rather than dogma, rhetoric, hypocrisy, molestation, genocide, molesting boys, and molesting boys, then I would not recommend it.

Humans also do not need to be specifically taught morality. Humans are inherently valuable because we all have it to naturally.

 

[Homerboy]

Man I am catching SERIOUS gief within my family right now for this. Specifically from my VERY Catholic mother. I, and all my brothers and sisters were raised Catholic (Church every Sunday, 12 years of parochial schooling etc etc).

My kids are (soon to be) 7 and 9. Both have been baptized, but Sunday mass is a rarity for us and neither are going to parochial school and neither are doing Sunday school, and neither are in-line to receive 1st Communion.

Personally I have no problem with people embracing religion and living through it. All the power to them. However I just feel that religion should be a choice, not something forced upon you. If, when they are older and want to get to know Catholicism better, receive Communion etc etc then they can and I will TOTALLY support them in that endevor. At 8yrs old though, I don't feel they actually understand what Communion is. What it stands for etc etc... so why should they go through it.

Ugh I got mother issues.

 

[moshquerade]

I'm young, and don't have any kids, but was raised in a Christian household. We went to Church every Sunday and I had to go to Sunday school every week up until I was in 8th grade. I am not a religious person, but still maintain what I believe are good values.

Do you think that it would be important to send kids to church or Sunday school so that they have a stronger opportunity to learn these values? Or do you think values are more taught by the parents and maybe a learning institution?

You think you'll get good advice here? Follow your own heart on this one.

 

[HydroSqueegee]

for some people religion is part of who they are. And if that person is a parent and you dont live up to how you were raised, they get pretty miffed.

 

[Bryophyte]

My kids (10 & 14) don't go to church or sunday school. We are atheist.

I was raised Catholic and went to mass most Sundays and CCD a few sessions.

I don't see any reason why morality would be better taught in a church setting than at home.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

did some of the catholic stuff growing up. at no point did i ever feel like my morals were a byproduct of this. i would not send my child to church or sunday school, or have any plans for a religious upbringing of any sort. my wife may disagree, but i will leave that stuff up to her. exposure to religion is not a bad thing, with the proper approach it can be educational.

 

[OCGuy]

Never, until they are old enough to make the decision themselves.

Forcing religion on the very young is child abuse.

 

[vjeltz]

This is a situation I am struggling with as well. I was sent through Catholic School more as an alternative to the poor public schools in my area then a religious choice. My mother was mildly religious and my father was agnostic. The primary thing I learned through 12 years of indoctrination was to distrust all organized religions.

Fast forward to today. I have in-laws pushing Sunday school, a wife who was brought up fully on the catholic faith and although never goes to church or prays feels an obligation to send our kids to CCD (Sunday School).

So now I am between a rock and a hard place. Internally I feel that I am doing a disservice to my children to allow this type of indoctrination at such an early age. Especially into a faith we do not actively practice. While other family members are aghast at the idea that would would even consider not sending our children to CCD.

Oh religion will you ever stop making my life more stressful?

 

[MJinZ]

did some of the catholic stuff growing up. at no point did i ever feel like my morals were a byproduct of this. i would not send my child to church or sunday school, or have any plans for a religious upbringing of any sort. my wife may disagree, but i will leave that stuff up to her. exposure to religion is not a bad thing, with the proper approach it can be educational.

People don't realize that naturally as humans, with or without modern society, we are born with natural morals. We do not hurt others needlessly, we share and while we are selfish primarily, we also give ourselves and our efforts to others.

 

[MJinZ]

This is a situation I am struggling with as well. I was sent through Catholic School more as an alternative to the poor public schools in my area then a religious choice. My mother was mildly religious and my father was agnostic. The primary thing I learned through 12 years of indoctrination was to distrust all organized religions.

Fast forward to today. I have in-laws pushing Sunday school, a wife who was brought up fully on the catholic faith and although never goes to church or prays feels an obligation to send our kids to CCD (Sunday School).

So now I am between a rock and a hard place. Internally I feel that I am doing a disservice to my children to allow this type of indoctrination at such an early age. Especially into a faith we do not actively practice. While other family members are aghast at the idea that would would even consider not sending our children to CCD.

Oh religion will you ever stop making my life more stressful?

Why don't you use church scandals and abuse as an excuse?

 

[AstroManLuca]

Not unless they want to go. I'm going to do my best to avoid painting religion in an overly positive or negative light when I have kids, but they're never going to church if they don't want to. I have moral values too and I never once went to church or Sunday school.

 

[Legendary]

You know thousands of people that learned ethics, morality, and values without using CCD, Church, or anything else. As parents, filling in the gaps is your responsibility, not some by-the-numbers religious schooling.

 

[jersiq]

I'm young, don't have any kids, and was raised in a non-religious household.

I did not memorize my values, I learned them, explored, analyzed them, and evaluated them to come to the current steady state.

If you want to brainwash your kids and put the fear of God into them, Church is perfect.

If you want your kids to think for themselves and find truth in values backed by compassion, rather than dogma, rhetoric, hypocrisy, molestation, genocide, molesting boys, and molesting boys, then I would not recommend it.

Humans also do not need to be specifically taught morality. Humans are inherently valuable because we all have it to naturally.

Holy slippery slope Batman!!!

 

[Ns1]

You know thousands of people that learned ethics, morality, and values without using CCD, Church, or anything else. As parents, filling in the gaps is your responsibility, not some by-the-numbers religious schooling.

this

 

[D1gger]

Like the OP I was sent to sunday school every sunday morning until the 8th grade (and have the attendance medals to prove it). Although I agree with the ethics and morality that was taught, I never did buy into the mythical story of the great man in the sky.

Now that I have kids, we chose to teach the morality at home and leave the decision on religion up to the kids when they are old enough to make an informed choice.