Mythology And You

[The Theist]

I was on an atheist forum some time ago and one of the regulars, an atheist, revealed a very personal experience in his life which involved the stillbirth of his child and his own difficulty with his wife having told their young child that her stillborn sibling had gone to heaven. He asked theists and atheists what they thought.

On a predominately atheist forum I was the only one that expressed advice to him which suggested that he raise some objection and inform his young daughter of an opposing viewpoint. Most of the atheists were of the opinion that it was a natural and harmless way of preventing any unnecessary pain and loss of innocence to the surviving child as well as the atheist mother.

A discussion followed where I explained that the Bible didn't teach that all good people go to heaven and that the child should be, as I mentioned, exposed to other perspectives in order to make an informed decision. I also questioned the importance of other myths of a predominately Christian nature having been adopted by apostate Christianity from pagan sources. Easter and Christmas. All of the atheists on the forum also agreed that these were harmless cultural practices for the enjoyment of families with young children.

When I was growing up as an atheist my family celebrated Christmas and to a lesser extent Easter and stuff like the tooth fairy and birthdays but always with the knowledge that these things were harmless fun. I never believed in Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy even at a very early age.

At the age of 16, over a decade before I would become a believer, I stopped celebrating birthdays and Christmas. It was an incredible relief. I've never looked back. The Jehovah's Witnesses did the same fairly early on in their history.

When I first started to study the Bible I decided to attend the meeting of the local Jehovah's Witnesses who I thought were as close to the truth as religion can get and was pleasantly surprised when they discussed, with children present, some very young, a portion of the Bible that was of an extremely disturbing nature. The multiple rape, murder and dismemberment of a woman. I thought that it was right that children shouldn't be deceived and sheltered from the truth.

Do you agree? What part does mythology play in your lives? Do you say good luck? Celebrate Christmas and Easter with your family? Teach your children that myths are true?

[Angry Citizen]

I celebrate Christmas, but only as a secular holiday. I have no intention of teaching my children Santa Claus or religion. I firmly believe in honesty, and knowingly lying to them just corrupts their worldview and plants the seed of distrust in later life.

Just out of curiosity, are you a Jehovah's Witness? I've never actually met one.

[Maryjane]

An atheist mother explaining to their child a deceased sibling went to heaven and all the atheists responding agreed that was OK? I'd like to read that thread.

As an atheist mother raising three atheists, having to explain the death of a parent to the youngest (six) as well as belonging to Mothers Beyond Belief and Grief Beyond Belief, I'm highly skeptical. Heaven is a route I would never have considered. The older siblings and I explained death with an anatomy book. It's natural for the body to cease to function when health is compromised. No god, no satan, no ghosts, no prayers because there's a boogieman under the bed coming to take you away if you're not good necessary.

We did the Santa/Easter Bunny. Rational thinking kicks in at a pretty early age and none were scarred for life.

[The Theist]

I celebrate Christmas, but only as a secular holiday. I have no intention of teaching my children Santa Claus or religion. I firmly believe in honesty, and knowingly lying to them just corrupts their worldview and plants the seed of distrust in later life.

Just out of curiosity, are you a Jehovah's Witness? I've never actually met one.

I completely agree with your statement above. No, I'm not a Jehovah's Witness, but my beliefs are almost identical to theirs. If you take the pagan influence out of your understanding of the Bible it comes out the same.

[The Theist]

An atheist mother explaining to their child a deceased sibling went to heaven and all the atheists responding agreed that was OK? I'd like to read that thread.

Here it is.

As an atheist mother raising three atheists, having to explain the death of a parent to the youngest (six) as well as belonging to Mothers Beyond Belief and Grief Beyond Belief, I'm highly skeptical. Heaven is a route I would never have considered. The older siblings and I explained death with an anatomy book. It's natural for the body to cease to function when health is compromised. No god, no satan, no ghosts, no prayers because there's a boogieman under the bed coming to take you away if you're not good necessary.

If I recall the wife was, what do you guys call it? A weak atheist? She was, I believe, a uh . . . [laughs] weak theist when the two had met. I probably know the answer to this question but I will ask anyway. Would you ever consider informing your children of the opposite theistic perspective in a positive way, like, for example: "Some people believe God created us and there is the possibility of resurrection after death."

We did the Santa/Easter Bunny. Rational thinking kicks in at a pretty early age and none were scarred for life.

Well, no, I don't think it scars them in any obvious way, perhaps it even teaches them a difficult lesson. How adults lie so they can't trust anyone and most everything they are taught is bullshit to keep them cute dumbed down innocents for as long as possible.

Only joking, don't get pissed at me again.

Do you think it is important to shield them from uncomfortable truths? For example, would you have been uncomfortable with children hearing the Bible story I mentioned in my other post?

[Peter]

Here it is.

I don't have a problem sheltering the psyche of children with myth until they're sufficiently grown up to deal with reality.
Unfortunately, and you know what's coming, some children never grow up!

[Jack]

Would you ever consider informing your children of the opposite theistic perspective in a positive way, like, for example: "Some people believe God created us and there is the possibility of resurrection after death."

That's not the opposite theistic perspective, or should I say, that's not the only opposite theistic perspective. To give the child an honest chance to decide for themselves a parent would have to teach every religious perspective ever invented. What would justify singling out Christianity's mythology as if it were unique from all the other myths or special in some way?

[The Theist]

That's not the opposite theistic perspective, or should I say, that's not the only opposite theistic perspective. To give the child an honest chance to decide for themselves a parent would have to teach every religious perspective ever invented. What would justify singling out Christianity's mythology as if it were unique from all the other myths or special in some way?

Good point. I was thinking theist / atheist, but yeah, I would think it important to educate them on as much as possible. Not necessarily every one but at least that there are different ones and let them decide from there if they wish to pursue it. Over time all of the major world religions at least.

[Cephus]

As an atheist mother raising three atheists, having to explain the death of a parent to the youngest (six) as well as belonging to Mothers Beyond Belief and Grief Beyond Belief, I'm highly skeptical. Heaven is a route I would never have considered. The older siblings and I explained death with an anatomy book. It's natural for the body to cease to function when health is compromised. No god, no satan, no ghosts, no prayers because there's a boogieman under the bed coming to take you away if you're not good necessary.

My kids have had to deal with the death of pets, certainly, and the death of grandparents and great-grandparents. At no time have they ever been told that anyone has gone to heaven. They understand the concept of death and have from a very young age. Death is inevitable. They understand that. It hasn't made them afraid of it, in fact, understanding what death is has made them value life much more than it might have if they had been taught we're all going to a "better place" when we die.

We did the Santa/Easter Bunny. Rational thinking kicks in at a pretty early age and none were scarred for life.

My kids believed in Santa and the Easter Bunny, mostly because it wasn't something that they could escape in school. It was fun, but they figured it out for themselves, pretty early on, that it was just make believe. They still got the same number of presents no matter what name was on the tag and today, if you say anything about Santa or the Easter Bunny, they laugh. We're well beyond the age for any of that, they just want presents for Christmas and candy for Easter. That's really all they cared about to begin with.

[Cephus]

Good point. I was thinking theist / atheist, but yeah, I would think it important to educate them on as much as possible. Not necessarily every one but at least that there are different ones and let them decide from there if they wish to pursue it. Over time all of the major world religions at least.

The best lesson you can teach your children has nothing to do with religion. It's how to think critically and rationally, how to evaluate evidence and what they should consider when making *ANY* decision. Religion teaches people a double standard. Be rational and critical for all those other things, but throw it out the window when it comes to religion.

We don't need double standards. One standard works just fine.

[The Theist]

The best lesson you can teach your children has nothing to do with religion. It's how to think critically and rationally, how to evaluate evidence and what they should consider when making *ANY* decision. Religion teaches people a double standard. Be rational and critical for all those other things, but throw it out the window when it comes to religion.

We don't need double standards. One standard works just fine.

It depends upon what you mean by religion. I'm rational and critical, and the Bible encourages that even to its readers of itself. I think atheists tend to think because there are some things in the Bible that we can't understand or are on another level, a spiritual level, then they can't be considered as realistic or possible or rational, and therefore are not being thought of in a critical manner.

There are things that we don't understand.

[Jack]

I think atheists tend to think because there are some things in the Bible that we can't understand or are on another level, a spiritual level, then they can't be considered as realistic or possible or rational, and therefore are not being thought of in a critical manner.

There are things that we don't understand.

If you don't understand then what justifies your disagreement with atheists? They could be right about it and you just don't understand.