by Leah
Little Bit's dad and I are both aware that Little Bit may feel undue pressure to take on our religious views because, well, where we go, she goes--and we're pastors. And while one of her aunties is an atheist and we chose her godparents to offer some very different takes on Christianity (one is a Presbyterian minister; one is deeply involved in L'Arche; one is a UCC minister-in-training and puts substantial store in the spirit & ancestral world of African spirituality), she's still going to be primarily influenced by us--her parents.
Does anyone else feel a certain ambivalence about what, or how, to teach their children about God? I think it's at least in part because this is a Big Deal--parents, after all, indelibly shape their children's lives and shaping your child's faith life is a much more weighty prospect than shaping how they'll like their eggs cooked or their shoes tied. But for me (and maybe for other religious progressives?), there's also an element of "Who am I to tell someone else what to believe?" I suppose it's one of the pitfalls of being a relativist, able to perceive and validate the "why"s behind a lot of different people's experiences. So in general, although I feel really strongly about my beliefs being right for me, I won't preach at you to see things the way I do.[1]
Little Bit's dad and I are both aware that Little Bit may feel undue pressure to take on our religious views because, well, where we go, she goes--and we're pastors. And while one of her aunties is an atheist and we chose her godparents to offer some very different takes on Christianity (one is a Presbyterian minister; one is deeply involved in L'Arche; one is a UCC minister-in-training and puts substantial store in the spirit & ancestral world of African spirituality), she's still going to be primarily influenced by us--her parents.
Does anyone else feel a certain ambivalence about what, or how, to teach their children about God? I think it's at least in part because this is a Big Deal--parents, after all, indelibly shape their children's lives and shaping your child's faith life is a much more weighty prospect than shaping how they'll like their eggs cooked or their shoes tied. But for me (and maybe for other religious progressives?), there's also an element of "Who am I to tell someone else what to believe?" I suppose it's one of the pitfalls of being a relativist, able to perceive and validate the "why"s behind a lot of different people's experiences. So in general, although I feel really strongly about my beliefs being right for me, I won't preach at you to see things the way I do.[1]