Would a Christian raise a child in Islam, or vice-versa?

At least legend has it that Gandhi told a father who had killed people of another faith during the bloody partition of India that he could atone by adopting an orphan from another faith and raise him in that faith.
That must be very difficult.
However the symbolism touches something, at least inside me.
That must be the ultimate act of tolerance.

I have no idea...all i will say is that its wrong to brainwash innocent minds into believing what you believe

Originally posted by halfoldman
At least legend has it that Gandhi told a father who had killed people of another faith during the bloody partition of India that he could atone by adopting an orphan from another faith and raise him in that faith.
That must be very difficult.
However the symbolism touches something, at least inside me.
That must be the ultimate act of tolerance.

That touches me too. I actually just recently watched "Ghandi" (award season movie marathon go figure). And that scene really got me. It's also a great act of love.

And the question arises: can one raise up a child in a faith one does not know?
Is it even possible?
So maybe the crux is that one challenges one's own beliefs.

It would, to me, depend on the age of the child. I you have a young child, do they really understand, and hold the beliefs of any religion to be true? I, as a Christian, would never force the religion of my choice on anyone, especially a child, however I would introduce them to it. If I adopted a kid, and they were muslim, I would let them be that. Being a child doesn't mean that you have to do or think what someone tells you (concerning certain things obviously).

reply to post by halfoldman


I think a muslim would raise a christian in their faith but maybe not the other way around considering the very negative view of Islam that the average westerner has.

The Qur'an seems to declare that belief in God and the last day and doing good works is sufficient for salvation, even if that person be Jewish, Christian or Sabian

en.wikipedia.org...

So according to Islam then apparently you can still be saved if your christian. So I would guess that maybe the Muslim parent wouldn't feel such a strong urge to convert them for their own good, but rather make sure that they just do good works regardless of faith. But of course this would certainly not be the case for all of them.

reply to post by polarwarrior

Technically I agree.
Islam views itself as the inheritor of all the Abrahamic faith and prophets. I recall that even Christian and Jewish wives who marry a Muslim man can keep their faith.
The proviso is that they do not try and spread their faith to Muslims, which would be hard for Christians, because it is commanded to spread the Word.
But I suppose raising a child does not mean one cannot share one's beliefs with a child. It is a fine line.
Children are a more difficult issue, and the father would have more rights than the mother (in all the major faiths).
One even sees this in Britain, where a child is either Anglican or Catholic in mixed marriages depending on the parental gender combination.

Gandhi referred to a Muslim raising a Hindu child and vice-versa, and that is more complex, I would imagine.