Ok, I know shes a teeny tiny bit too young to even know what I'm on about, but have been thinking about religion education for a few days. In our house, I am Buddhist, and Shel is... well... I don't *think* she believes in nothing (if that makes sense), but she doesn't consider herself as believing in any organised religion, nor does she consider herself spiritual. I would probably say she's agnostic, she won't believe in something she can't sense herself. She has referenced spirits, ghosts, and reincarnation, so its not as though she doesn't believe in *something*.
Anyway, we have two totally different views on religion and spirituality and beliefs. We've never had any problems with that, I respect that she has her beliefs and she respects that I have mine, we don't try and push anything on each other, and thats that.
I believe that there isn't one true religion, that people have different needs when it comes to spirituality and different religions work for different people. When it comes to teaching religion to DD my thoughts have always been to respectfully teach her about all religions, and allow her to make her own choice when she is a bit older and understands. Shel doesn't really have any opinions on religion education, I think she is happy to hand that over to me. I know she gets worried that any religious education she would get that isn't Buddhist is going to start on the whole lesbian is a sin thing, so thats her biggest worry, but I guess thats a different topic to what I'm asking now.
I do worry about my ability to teach her about religions that I haven't had any personal experience of. I want her to be respectful and tolerant to all, so I want her to understand what different people believe, thats very important to me. But when it comes to teaching about Islam and what Muslim people believe in, for example, I'm not sure I'll be able to do that properly.
Do you think it would be better, when we start to talk about religions with DD, to maybe talk to people who actually practice the religion we talk about? Like visit churches and temples and mosques etc? How have other people taught their children about religions different to your own?
Well my DD is only 2.5, so i'm hardly the oracle on this one, BUT we have a bible, a copy of the koran and a copy of the torah in the house. This is mainly by chance (because i like reading such things and even though i am not a believer in any major religion i don't believe any of them are without truth either). They are about. DD loves the bible because it's white (a christening edition) with silver gilt pages, and likes to flip through it, but isn't interested in the words being read (it's a King James - i refuse to read the Good News or and other kids version on the grounds that the more watered down it is the farther from the truth it gets - i'd read it in Hebrew if i could). She's fascinated by the koran because mama reads it back to front (it has hebrew one side and english the other but it reads right to left) but again, not to excited to be read to.
I plan in leaving these things about, and letting her see other religious or religion-related items i have (a prayer wheel, a rosary, the stars my relatives wore in Germany in the ghettos) and answering her questions as they come up. If i don't know an answer i will wiki or google it and we will find out together.
I can see if one believed only one major religion was true, one would teach kids that first, because that is the faith you would be hoping to raise them into, but i think they're all true, so i don't mind letting her see all kinds of religions and how they work so she can feel her own way forwards, spiritually. I feel very lucky in having IRL friends of many religions. I know taoists, hindu's (including some hare krishna's), Muslims (sunni and shia), Christians (catholics, baptists, mormons, evangelists, wee free's and CofE's), jews (orthodox and reform) and a few wiccans, so i feel like there will be SOMEONE she can talk to whatever route she's looking at. And yes, i would absolutely take her off to see their places of worship where possible (some religions don't allow the uninitiated into places of worship) and let her explore the ideas herself.
I'm a Christian and raising DS as such, but we're open about other religions. I like finding out what others believe and why and hope that DS will grow up as accepting and interested - while I don't push my faith on anyone else, I let them know what I believe and will discuss why respectfully, I will also leap at the chance to find out why others believe what they do.
Teach your DD how to ask questions respectfully and that will be a huge head-start. If she asks "why does that man wear that on his head?" or "why is that woman in that dress?" and you don't know then admit it and see if your daughter will ask the other person nicely - "excuse me, would you mind telling me why you're doing that please?" I'd be happy to answer that and, IMO, anyone who follows the teachings of their faith should be - I think every faith requires us to admit to it and talk about it and I can't think of any faith that tells us to be rude to the honest enquiries of small children (or adults, but some people are ruder to adults than children).
my soul sister's 2 nieces are very much little witches, but they're taught about different religions. They've been taken to church before, because they asked (OMG there is a funny story about that one), they have been to pagan events where they've met Druids, wiccans and people of differing pagan paths.
Personally if/when I have ruggies I'm going to introduce them to people of different religions to give them information on their particular religion. Heck they will have an enough of a mix with me (Pagan, Witch, Sorcerer, Jew, anglican & catholic).
It is never too young to teach them the basics of all religions - which in my opinion is compassion and love.
Religion education for children
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