Godless mom strikes a chord with parents

Hello ATS,
I did not write this story but I wanted to get everyones opinion on it. This woman wrote an essay about her not believing in god. She also goes on to say (Read Quote Below)

Mitchell posted the essay detailing her seven reasons for raising her children without God on CNN iReport because she felt there wasn’t anyone else speaking for women or moms like her. As she sees it, children should learn to do the right things because they will feel better about themselves, not because God is watching. She asks questions like: If there was a good, all-knowing, all-powerful God, why would he allow murders, child abuse and torture?

A quote from her essay.

When my son was around 3 years old, he used to ask me a lot of questions about heaven. Where is it? How do people walk without a body? How will I find you? You know the questions that kids ask.

The Essay

The Full Essay Writtren Out.

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Peace; Sugarcookie1

Im going to give this thread a shameless bump

What has it got to do with other parent how she raises HER child.

TBH I Don't think I can lie to my kid when he/she asks questions like that, saying there is a heaven and and hell to me is just lying to your kid to shut them up. Bad Parenting. Unless your are a God worshipper of course.

reply to post by definity


If you read the first block of sugarcookie1's text. She is asking what others here think about the woman's essay.
Its got nothing to do with how other parents raise their kids.

Personally, I agree fully with 99% of what her essay says.
I have ALWAYS been completely honest with my kids from day 1, no matter the subject. Santa, death, life, beliefs, drugs, whatever.

Its my opinion that its my job to let them decide on what to and what not to believe.

When they ask about something, I tend to start with: Well, I believe..... And end with elaborating about what others may believe and I encourage them to look more into the topic if they want to learn more.

I think the best way to raise a child regarding religion is to simply state what the general pop beliefs of the day are, also a bit of a history lesson on ancient cultures and their beliefs, etc.

If the child asks you what your beliefs are..well, if your a honest person, you will simply state that you don't know...you may like to believe in some things, but ultimately outside of what we know physically, there is nothing that confirms or denies any religion, past, present, and probably future...so, its a personal choice really.

Sometimes its good to simply believe there may be something bigger than all this overall, but keep yourself in check and focus on trying to make this life good enough for yourself and others that you don't have to rely too much on things after.

I generally agree with the statements made in the essay. Although I think her arguements are a bit all over the place.

I find this line in the first paragraph a little odd:

For over a year, I lied to him and made up stories that I didn’t believe about heaven. Like most parents, I love my child so much that I didn’t want him to be scared.

No one knows what happens when you dies. Since nothing that has ever been recorded in scientific history indicates that anything does happen, it is more logical to assume that there is nothing, than it is to assume that there is something. But the bottom line is, you don't know and you can't know. If you told your child that all they are gonna be once they die is wormfood, you'd be lying too.

I lied to him and made up stories that I didn’t believe about heaven

Really wanna get this point through. It does not matter if you believe something is true or not, when ever you say that something if true, which you simply have no way of knowing. You are lying.

When asked a question one doesn't know the answer for, the only correct thing to do is to admit ignorance.

reply to post by ShadowLink


ShadowLink
I have no children but Ive often wondered what id say to my kids if questioned but i have to go along with what this lady has to say I'm just not a firm believer in god ..

My parents sent me to Sunday school i asked them one time why they bothered to send me and my answer was every good parent did that when you were young so you would get a firm understanding of god well i grew up and still don't have a firm understanding..peace,sugarcookie1

reply to post by SaturnFX


SaturnFX
Thanks for posting..I believe the way you would go around this is the best idea ..The i don't know idea would be what i would say only because i just dint know if there really is a God...
But id do my best to show them what other people think and what our ancients thought and let them make up there own mind as they get older i know i sure wouldn't make up a lie to just make them feel better if I'm a bad parent for not saying anything then so be it peace,sugarcookie1

reply to post by sugarcookie1


Thanks for the article it was a good read. Agree with the author alot. Sent my kids to a non religious school and when asked the questions, told them I don't know but can tell you what I think, and also tell them they get to choose and change whatever they want.

Originally posted by ShadowLink
reply to post by definity

 

Its my opinion that its my job to let them decide on what to and what not to believe.

My Dad is a Roman Catholic. He has many views I don't agree with and we often debate things like gay marriage, life after death, god...etc. I am yet to change his views on anything as he is yet to change mine (a bit like posting on ATS really) but one thing I can say for sure is, we can only have these debates cause he brought me up to make my own mind up about things.

People have to come to their beliefs organically, otherwise it's not really a belief, it's brainwashing...like programming a computer.

sugarcookie,
thanks for this OP!! s/f

I agree with the essay, although I'm not "Godless" --

I don't know. I still prefer to believe an afterlife is possible - or real - with or without a "Godhead" watching and doing all those crappy-parent things....

My kids were raised without a particular "religious belief system" - but always encouraged to explore for themselves. My daughter joined a youth group of some sort of Christian thing in high school....she went to their camp, to their meetings, and learned what it was about. THEN SHE DUMPED IT as silly and not worth her time.

My son went his own direction, as well.

Thanks again, excellent OP.

reply to post by sugarcookie1


Explanation: S&F!

I take a couple of serious issues with this parent!

1] God does exist and they ARE MALEVOLENT!

That IS the logical conclusion and it has been debated a lot.

People don't want to understand the meaning of these Godlike states of being ... omnipresence = all things ... therefor if evil is seen to exist God must also be that evil ... hence must be malevolent!

People don't want to acknowledge that at all! They want God to be what they want them to be ..not what God really is!

She is living in a fantasy land by not going to the LOGICAL Nth degree!

Such actions imply neglect of the highest order! :shk:

2] She brought mortal kids into a world that isnt perfect and those kids will suffer and die because she had sex!

She is a murderer by default! DISGUSTING!

Personal Disclosure: Maybe she struck a chord with parents because she is a epic failure as a human being ... just like they all are!

Because birds of a feather tend to stick together!

Well I'm a different category. Either way, she is influencing her children with her beliefs, and either way, her belief isnt what will be reality once she crosses over.

Because this is just a simulated reality, and have had nothing but lifelong proof. Wish for song birds, next morning they're there, yearn for sun, it comes, depressed and crying, and suddenly contact with Guides and Family who uplift you until your crying with relief and happiness, telling you to be gentle with yourself and others and use humor, not strict discipline with the kids when they act up, relax, and at that very moment the sun cuts through mile thick cloud that has been raining on us for days, to light up the entire valley. Not to mention my own memories, and miles of things that could be said. I don't lack faith, but I don't believe in any religious house or deck of cards, though some of the things in Christianity and Buddhism and some of the teachings in the Vedas and around the world.

My problem is how to do you give your children faith and spirituality in a world like this, when I can't personally take them to church and dont like the corrput PTB and even often satanic leaders of the churches, and what not, and I do pay attention to the rings and the cars and the liscence plates.

So I put pictures up of Christ Yeshua, and tell them about their spirits, and get them to pray and meditate, and already my youngest when he had a head bang, and dizziness, and was asking for prayers, it got better with them.

I teach them to reach higher than the religions, to see through that, yet the message of Christ whether he was real or not is the right one.

My second oldest started attending youth himself and prays, he's 13 and he was giving quiet thanks for his meals yesterday. This is in a house where I don't take them to Church.

But they're older brother had an nde as well, and they're not being raised without God or as atheists, either, they're being raised to believe earth is a test, and we're supposed to grow our love and uncover our talents, to help others, and that we're supposed to not fight, not take but give instead, strive to be the peace maker.

I've had the experience of my second youngest angry and upset, taking off one evening, and no one could find him, so I laid down and meditated and held him in my heart in a heart chakra meditation, seeking to feel as he did, remembering his smiles and what made him happy, and then within a couple minutes, he was home, hugging me and climbed into bed with me to sleep that night.

Daily miracles and working at teaching kids spirituality without religion and PTB traps, is my challenge,and trying to get kids to experience, seek to connect and know the reality, themselves, not tell them. That they can keep their own journals and take notes on life.

Any way you do this, you imparting your own views, by the way, so is she.

reply to post by sugarcookie1


The essay shows that despite her godlessness, the woman has yet to shed the religious fever she wishes to see her child do without. She probably talks more about god to her child than the religious do.

It's amazing to me how one can repudiate religion while still keeping one foot in the 'What is god' debate. It's called fanaticism; and no group has its shortage of fanatics.

reply to post by sugarcookie1
I thought that the essay shows that the woman that wrote it is confused as to her own beliefs, therefore doesn't really know what to tell her child. She writes like she may consider herself an Atheist, but something in the way she wrote says to me that she is hurt and unsure.

As far as what to tell your kids if you have some, that's an individual choice kind of thing. I told my kids that different folks have different beliefs and proceeded to tell them a few details each about many different religious beliefs as well as non-belief so that as they grew they could assess for themselves what they chose to believe. I didn't take them to church until they asked to go see what it was all about, though I never hid my own religious beliefs from them.

Originally posted by sugarcookie1

Mitchell posted the essay detailing her seven reasons for raising her children without God on CNN iReport because she felt there wasn’t anyone else speaking for women or moms like her. As she sees it, children should learn to do the right things because they will feel better about themselves, not because God is watching. She asks questions like: If there was a good, all-knowing, all-powerful God, why would he allow murders, child abuse and torture?

As a mother and an observer, as I understand it, I don't need anyone to speak for myself.
As I see it, adults in society do not necessarily "do the right things" because of their need to "feel better about themselves", infact I'd go sofar as to say, that ultimately children are going to "dance with the devil" in hopes of feeling "better about themselves". This to me, is not newsworthy, the "No God" hype is tripe.

It's not even just atheists that have to put up with it. It's one of the reasons I refuse to speak religion at all with people that I do not know first. Once I know, that they are not annoying people like that, no matter what religion they are, then I might discuss it. At least places like here, I don't have to deal with borderline stalking and harassment from people like that

She feels the same way that millions of other people in this world feel.

People hate God so much today that they are stooping so low as to ensure that from the beginning their children grow up with the same mentality that they have. The innocent children are looked upon by our Lord with a special tenderness, and those who actually seek to turn their children away from God and His Word will have to answer for the damage they have caused.

Peter 3:3(KJV)
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

Matthew 18:5-6(KJV)
5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matthew 18:10(KJV)
10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 18:14(KJV)
14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

reply to post by jeramie


Of course, only people that share your religion should be able to pass their personal beliefs onto their children.

Dr. Suess 21:17
I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like them Sam I am.

reply to post by ZeussusZ


ZeussusZ
I liked the read myself thought it was very interesting i think what she is doing is right but thats just my opinion thats why i posted this Essy..peace,sugarcookie1