Why won't parents teach religion and morals themselves ?

There is a lot of debate to wither or not religion should be taught in schools. But the one thing I seem to never hear is the idea of parents getting off there butts and teaching this kind of subject at home. There are so many different take on Christianity and how do we know if the school will teach the one any given parent wants there child to learn ? My wife is a Catholic and I know there are some people out there who don't agree with the Catholic version of Christianity. As for my self I was once a Mormon now I rank among the faithless and sure there a good size of the people who want religion in the classroom don't want the Mormon version in there.

My point is this.

As a parent I don't believe that it is the role of the public education system to teach my children about faith or morality. That jobs belongs to me, the parent of my two wonderful kids.

You see this is my situation to the problem. Instead of going to the bar and hang out with your buds. Or having a girls night out. Spend time with your family.

Stop blaming video games and the lack of religion in schools for when you kids turn in to bad people. Take responsibility.

And don't tell me you don't have the time. This is our children I'm talking about. You make the time. My Mother was a single parent with two kids and worked long hours and she made the time.

And I don't say this as some overly righteous stuck up jerk. I say this as person who has made a lot and I do mean a lot of mistakes, but I understand that has a parent, my era of being irresponsible and blaming others for my mistakes is over.

I hope I made my point clear and I look forward to some of you think.

I think you are making a broad generalization. There are plenty o f parents out there that teach there kids about religion and morals. Actually all parents teach there kids about morals unless they are neglegent. I think the problem comes when you get these fanatical parents that want there school to be a religous one, and dont understand that school is a place where everyone is welcomed regardless of religous/moral beliefs, and its not the schools place to teach them that. I bliev these types of parents need to send their kids to Religous based private schools if that is the way that they feel.

Originally posted by DarkMile77
There is a lot of debate to wither or not religion should be taught in schools.

Not that I know of.

As far as I can tell, no public school entertains religion being taught in it.
I know of no debate. None.

Catholic schools and other private religious schools teach religion in their schools as is their right. But public schools? There is no debate that I am aware of.

For starters, religion should never be taught in school unless it is a religous school. Never. No discussion about it. I don't want my tax dollars wasted on a class that teaches my kids about judaism, christianity, islam, buddhism etc. I'm all for learning tolerance of others but that extends beyond faith. I don't want my kids sitting thru a class about their religion when they can be learning about history, geography, math, literature etc. Let the parochial schools teach about the bible, the koran etc.


Sadly, morals and faith are taught at home, often by parents who are ill equipped to teach a rat to be rat. What the world needs is parents teaching their kids tolerance, acceptance and peace. Instead, we get parents driving their teenage daughters to meet a rival for a fight, we get mothers selling their daughters for drug money, we get fathers instilling the hatred of others in their sons, fathers teaching their kids to shoot guns rather than shoot baskets etc.

there should be an entrance exam for people looking to raise children. a licensing of some sort. Every single day I read about some stain of a human being who has damaged some child mentally or physically and it makes me ill.

Well in my personally opinion you should'nt try to enforce your religious
views on your children, if they want to learn about it, or another religion,
than the parents should teach them about it if they know about it, or take
the time to take them (and I don't mean drop them of, I mean actually
attend it with them) to a class or something about it.

The problem with morality is that it really does'nt exist, it's no more than
an individualistic socially dynamic artificial concept, usually created and
pushed by religions.
Now of course I'm not saying you should let your kids think killing or
raping or things like that are OK, but things like teaching that
homosexuality is immoral, or anyone who does'nt believe like you is
beneath you/them are more what I mean should'nt be taught.

What if everyone were a homosexual, Iori, then what?

Originally posted by uberarcanist
What if everyone were a homosexual, Iori, then what?

Than we would not have an overpopulation crisis.

Just cause someone is gay does'nt mean they would'nt want to have kids.

First, there is no overpopulation crisis.

Elrich's "The Population Bomb" is the preeminent book among those who believe that overpopulation exists. Elrich's theories have been completely destroyed by Julian Lincoln Simon.

And here's how.

"Critics have compared Ehrlich to Thomas Malthus for his multiple predictions of famine and economic catastrophe. The leading critic of Ehrlich was Julian Lincoln Simon, a libertarian theorist and the author of the book The Ultimate Resource, a book which argues a larger population is a benefit, not a cost. To test their two contrasting views on resources, in 1980, Ehrlich and Simon entered into a wager over how the price of metals would move during the 1980s. Ehrlich predicted that the price would increase as metals became more scarce in the Earth's crust, while Simon insisted the price of metals had fallen throughout human history and would continue to do so. Ehrlich lost the bet. Indeed such was the decline in the price of the five metals Ehrlich selected, Simon would have won even without taking inflation into account."

en.wikipedia.org...

And what does Mr. Simon say about the future of the human race?

"We have in our hands now—actually in our libraries—the technology to feed, clothe, and supply energy to an ever-growing population for the next 7 billion years. Most amazing is that most of this specific body of knowledge was developed within just the past two centuries or so, though it rests, of course, on basic knowledge that had accumulated for millennia. Indeed, the last necessary additions to this body of technology—nuclear fission and space travel—occurred decades ago."

en.wikipedia.org...

He's not alone in his belief that overpopulation is not an issue, consider that most estimate the Earth's "carrying capacity" to be between 15-20 billion, whereas Earth's population will probably plateau out at roughly 9 billion by 2300.

fubini.swarthmore.edu...
www.eroei.com...

...And there's always the stars to expand to!

OK, about "gays wanting to have children". Well, tell me, in what species with sexual reproduction does natural selection operate through homosexuality? No species, that's what species. How would such a species be expected to evolve?

Originally posted by uberarcanist
OK, about "gays wanting to have children". Well, tell me, in what species with sexual reproduction does natural selection operate through homosexuality? No species, that's what species. How would such a species be expected to evolve?

Well, actually there is a species of, actually I'm not sure what they are,
but they live in the ocean, anyways there are no females, there are only
males, however the males are capable of producing offspring, which one
ends up being the 'mother' depends on which one can get it in first.

Alos, there are lizard species that males do not exist int, and the
reproduce asexually, and while this is technically not homosexual
reproduction, it is'nt uncommon for one lizard to hump another.


Homosexuality is present, in varying forms in most mmmals, and even
in a few species outside the mammalian branch of species, this behaviour
ranges from relationships to full blown copulation.


In my opinion, there is no such thing as homosexuality or heterosexuality,
everyone is bisexual, just to varying degrees.

I mean take me for example, I generally do not find women attractive,
and never find a naked woman stimulating, but that does not mean I
would never have relations with a woman.

Indeed, I never said homosexuality was unnatural, but murder is also natural, but this does not mean that it is behavior that is to be encouraged. I don't think homosexuality and murder are on the same plane but I'm just trying to illustrate a point.

What's more of the point is that the way natural selection works in species with classical sexual reproduction (of which homo sapiens is one) is that a member of one gender selects a member of another gender for mating purposes based off traits which are attractive because they help the species to survive in the long run.

I am sorry about making broad generalizations. It is one of my worst habits.

I just get so tired of people blaming everyone and everything( such as Grand Theft Auto games, lack of religion in schools, and Marilyn Manson ) for why there kids wont listen to them and act like unholy terrors. And instead what they need to be doing is taking a hard look in the mirror and realizing the have a responsibility to there children.

And I really get tired of parents putting there own selfish needs in front of there kids.

Now the comment made by Crakeur about having a licence to have a kid was probably a joke. But could you imagine the nightmare that could be ? The right to have child boiled down to some standardize test ? A test or a permit can not measure love. And in my personal belief that is the key to being a good parent. Love.

OMG my inner hippie just came out, I thought I shot that jerk in the head years ago.

Originally posted by DarkMile77
Now the comment made by Crakeur about having a licence to have a kid was probably a joke. But could you imagine the nightmare that could be ? The right to have child boiled down to some standardize test ? A test or a permit can not measure love. And in my personal belief that is the key to being a good parent. Love.

It was a joke but, sadly, it wouldn't be such a bad idea. Many parents who watch as the other parent (or step parent or boyfriend or girlfriend) beats their child to death or to the brink of death, love their children and yet, they allow it to happen. Many parents have children they cannot care for nor do they seem to care.

When a mother tries to prostitute her 9 year old daughter out for drugs, there's no love involved.

when a man beats his child into a coma while the mother does nothing, there's no love involved.

They may say they love their children but they don't. If they did they wouldn't allow harm to come to their kids. I have two small kids and I can say, without hesitation, that I would sacrifice my own life it meant no harm would come to my kids.

Originally posted by iori_komei

Originally posted by uberarcanist
What if everyone were a homosexual, Iori, then what?

Than we would not have an overpopulation crisis.
Just cause someone is gay does'nt mean they would'nt want to have kids.

If everyone were gay then NO ONE would be having kids. No one. There wouldn't even be any for gay people to adopt.

There definately wouldn't be an overpopulation crisis because there would be NO population.

Originally posted by iori_komei
everyone is bisexual, just to varying degrees.

Well .. you are welcome to that opinion. But my degree of bisexuality is ZERO.

Originally posted by uberarcanist
there is no overpopulation crisis.

The population isn't distributed evenly or correctly.
Technology isn't used properly.

[edit on 4/8/2007 by FlyersFan]

Originally posted by DarkMile77
[.....]

My point is this.

As a parent I don't believe that it is the role of the public education system to teach my children about faith or morality. That jobs belongs to me, the parent of my two wonderful kids.

You see this is my situation to the problem. Instead of going to the bar and hang out with your buds. Or having a girls night out. Spend time with your family.

Stop blaming video games and the lack of religion in schools for when you kids turn in to bad people. Take responsibility.

And don't tell me you don't have the time. This is our children I'm talking about. You make the time. My Mother was a single parent with two kids and worked long hours and she made the time.

And I don't say this as some overly righteous stuck up jerk. I say this as person who has made a lot and I do mean a lot of mistakes, but I understand that has a parent, my era of being irresponsible and blaming others for my mistakes is over.

I hope I made my point clear and I look forward to some of you think.

good & well,
you've made your journey

the thing is.....others will make their journey, in their own way
at their own pace, and there's no guarantee that they will come to
a self realization of responsibility as you have.

there's some people that want to teach (or is that force) their views
of religious thought, morality. on their children,
but find themselves inadequate to the task , that may be one reason for cults that thrive like those Branch Davidians in Waco TX

civil engagement & social courtesy should be emphasized for kids
and then after they reach moral majority, i think its 18 yrs in most states,
then the young Adults can enjoy the freedom of immersing themselves in a religion or a spirituality...think of it as a drivers license for the soul

Originally posted by FlyersFan
If everyone were gay then NO ONE would be having kids. No one. There wouldn't even be any for gay people to adopt.

There definately wouldn't be an overpopulation crisis because there would be NO population.

so, if everyone were gay, we couldn't take a gay man's sperm and fetilize a gay woman's eggs?

I know three straight married couples who could not conceive naturally but, thanks to modern science, have 5 kids between the three couples. Sexual preference doesn't dictate whether or not an egg can be fertilized.

There could be so many answers as to why parents dont teach their kids morals and the likes anymore..

Alot of parents work constantly, today most two parent families are both having to work full time jobs just to get by, back when I was a child just my father worked.

Parents, especially the younger parents, HAVE no morals.. This trend of late where kids are having kids is just nuts. I'm 29 and I just had my first 11 weeks ago. Now some kids as young as 15 and 16 are having children its ridiculous, they are ignorant themselves. What can they teach a child?

And again, with alot of these parents who are kids themselves dont have the patience of know how to raise a child so they place their child infront of the electric baby sitter (The TV or game console) and let it do their job while they run off and grow up to be a pain the rear.

Also with the younger generation parents (15,16,17) you see them having 3 and 4 kids, why? Because they have learned that if they do the nice tax payers of the country (america atleast) will give them money via the government so they dont have to go out and learn responsibilities, morals and values and WORK and have a JOB. I mean why do that when their little pay cheques will do it for them.

Currently in my home country of Australia from what I hear the government is giving away a "baby bonus". A sum of $5000 to new parents who have kids, I dont know much about it so I cant comment really.

But these are just my opinions, I could be very wrong. I mean as I said when I was growing up my mother raised myself and my siblings while Dad worked and we were raised with morals and values, respect and manners, some things that kids today are lacking.

Originally posted by St Udio

civil engagement & social courtesy should be emphasized for kids
and then after they reach moral majority, i think its 18 yrs in most states,
then the young Adults can enjoy the freedom of immersing themselves in a religion or a spirituality...

here's some follow up reasoning for the line of thought about not
subjecting young kids or adolescents to religious/morality behavior models.

from a ABC news article
abcnews.go.com...

its about Temple University Research on teens' brain biology

Adolesence...is a time when two parts of the brain compete against each other - the socioemotional and cognitive networks - and the former wins

Neurological researchers have found that the brain doesn't fully mature until after age 18.

A study by the National Institutes of Health found that parts of the brain that inhibits risky behavior doesn't fully develop until age 25

it might be a dis-service & confusing to youngsters to be water-boarded
into the rules & regulations of a religious oriented lifestyle...
the young instead should become versed & aware of proper conduct,
deportment, cordial social interaction, respecting others, etiquette, and civility.....without the veil of supernatural presences/ abstract entities or concepts ruling their public life in a private manner...

all that stuff should be allowed and available when one becomes a young Adult person ...
not the child or adolescent with brain functions that more often than not
override good judgement and a parent's rules[& obviously church restrictions on behavior], in the natural development process of ones brain development


my view is keep religion out until mature enough to wrangle with it, 18 years minimum

for every Joan of Arc exceptionalities, there have been/are 100s of
lost souls, or even martyrs willing to strap on bomber-vests

Originally posted by FlyersFan

Originally posted by DarkMile77
There is a lot of debate to wither or not religion should be taught in schools.

Not that I know of.

As far as I can tell, no public school entertains religion being taught in it.
I know of no debate. None.

kansas is teaching religion in school under the guise of "intelligent design"

Catholic schools and other private religious schools teach religion in their schools as is their right. But public schools? There is no debate that I am aware of.

well, apparently you're unaware of the debate over whether or not to teach intelligent design in public schools