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-47

How do Atheists raise their kids (programming.dev)

submitted 2 days ago by cactus_head@programming.dev to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

43 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Coming from a world where the word itself is not even widely know, the idea of being raised as child without any explanations about the world or comforts to be held, scares me. I always heard on the internet of people leaving their religion as teenagers when they were raised by their parents religiously. Lots of people fall into existentialism, which makes sense to me

But what of a child. I am a very anxious person(as i have come to accept). Being told that there is nothing after death or that no one really knows, would have send me spiraling. That said, logically, people have done it(even if i can't picture it) so i am also wondering how people/parents grappled with this and struggles they faced, what solutions they come up with

Also, on the opposite of the spectrum, what happens when your child converts(?) to a religion. Yes its there choice and all, but i cant imagine there being no resentment or conflicted feeling

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[–] MagicShel@lemmy.zip 13 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

without any explanations about the world or comforts to be held

Says who? There are plenty of explanations. Gravity. Chemistry. Biology. Physics. There are tons of explanations of things.

Being told that there is nothing after death or that no one really knows, would have send me spiraling.

I don’t find the prospect of an afterlife comforting. We are supposed to end. That's what gives our brief time scope and meaning. I'm 51. Already I can only remember highlights of my childhood. What would even exist of me after 300 years? 1000? 1 million? I only have a short time to leave this world a better place than I found, which makes that time and those efforts precious. If I lasted a billion years why bother? None of any of this matters in the context of infinite time.

i cant imagine there being no resentment or conflicted feeling

Why? I mean I might feel like I'd let my kids down if they needed a religion, but I wouldn't resent it. I don't own them. They have and will make choices I don't agree with. That's why I wanted children. They are my continuation after death. The lessons I teach them about life and how to approach it and how to be good people are the thing that will outlive me. And through their relationships my influence on this world endures long after my name is forgotten. But they will be their own people and I wouldn't want it any other way.