As an atheist, I believe that religion is toxic to the minds of children. So obviously I am opposed to any person or institution that teaches kids to be religious.
And the natural, reasonable response to that from religious people is:
“Well, does that mean you can’t teach your kids to be atheists? Because I think that is harmful to kid’s minds. Shouldn’t parents teach their kids what they believe is true?”
And the more I think about it, the more I think that I won’t teach them atheism. I’ll just teach them how to think and let them figure it out for themselves.
Now, I don’t have kids, and probably won’t for a while. But it fits with the best ways to do a lot of other things as well:
- I won’t teach my kids that 303 x 9 = 2727, I’ll teach them how to multiply
- I won’t teach them what the book Animal Farm is about, I’ll teach them how to read
- I won’t teach themhow to spell “entrepreneur,” I’ll teach them how to check the dictionary
- I won’t teach them where Guam is (I don’t even know), I’ll teach them how to read a map
- I won’t give them food their whole lives, I’ll teach them how to provide for themselves
I think you get the idea, it’s the whole “teach a man to fish” mentality.
Before I ever need to discuss such topics as God(or the lack thereof) with my kids, I’ll teach them some basic critical thinking skills.
I’ll teach them the laws of logic.
I’ll teach them the basic scientific method.
I’ll teach them to avoid fallacies.
Once I’m sure they have a good grasp on these things, I might tell them something about the story of the Bible. And then I’ll tell them that many people believe it. And then I’ll ask this very simple question:
“What do you think about that?”
And I’ll ask them some more questions, and explain more about what it says. And just let them come to their own conclusions.
But you know what? I’m thinking I’ll treat the laws of gravity the same way. And I’ll also tell them something about Islam, and Judaism, and Buddhism, and the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
If they ask a question of me, I’ll probably tell them my opinion. But that’s not the important thing.
The important thing is when I ask them what they think. And even if I agree, I ask them how they arrived at that opinion. Because the goal isn’t really to teach them any specific facts or opinions. The goal is to teach them how to think.
If my conclusions are right, the kids will get to them, and if they aren’t, then my kids will teach me something.
If you feel the need to push an idea on your child, I would strongly urge you to look at it again. Check your premises. If you need to push it, you don’t think they’ll get there any other way. You don’t really believe.
Does anyone out there disagree?