Numbers don't lie: Godless families raise better children

I think it's just a trendy thing that has become more popular lately -- like wearing WWJD bracelets and the like. Also, it's a way of kids personalizing things and showing what's important to them in much the same way that a person's tattoos, or car-window decals, or the pictures/posters they choose to put up tells you something about who they are.

There is also much more emphasis these days on the teaching of this stuff to young people. My church, for example, has a children's choir, a little-kids' Sunday school class and program (for really little kids, ages 2-6), an elementary-school kids' ministry pastor, a middle-school kids' pastor, a high school kids' pastor and a college-level pastor, in addition to the church's general lead pastor, the associate pastor, the senior-adults' pastor and a care pastor who visits and ministers to the sick and dying. There is also a large, active middle-school youth group and separate high school and college youth groups that meet regularly and engage in age-appropriate activities of interest to people of those ages.

Thus, the exposure of young people to religious studies and spiritual growth can be much greater, much sooner, much more varied, and much more consistent and meaningful than the old-style go-to-church-once-a-week or rote learning of the Bible.

Kids can live their faith today just as much as any adults can.

 

I think, generally, people who grew up religious and turn away start to turn back once they settle down, get married, have kids, etc.

So people who weren't religious in college or after refind their faith in their late 20s early 30s.

That is certainly true for me.

I, for one, have been glad to see Whitman work out his catholic guilt early midlife crisis.

 

Yep. It's perfectly acceptable to crack on Catholics. But no on soup-takers.

 

Have to realize most people were born in a religion.

It hit me pretty bad while in college and I can tell you that I cant complain about going to church at that moment, again, religion for the most part teaches good values, a peacefull state of mind, us humans are the ones doing crazy things in the name of it.

 

I believe in God. I don't believe in organized religion.

 

That second paragraph fits me as well. It's not like you can grow up in this country and not learn a little about Christianity even if that is not your faith. I also took a few courses focused on the history of religion in college. I've participated in a few Christian weddings, including serving as best man at a Catholic one.

I know more than enough regarding "what everybody is talking about," thank you very much.

 

I get where you are going with this. The certainty that the born again folks have about their faith can be a little off putting. In many cases it denies any curiosity about their religion and infects a type of smugness that colors how they interact with non evangelicals.

My wife was brought up in a Evangelical church and some of her relatives are quite over the top in every day conversation. My Mother in law's Facebook feed has at least a dozen inspirational quotes or pictures per day so everyone has blocked her. My wife's uncle is a pastor but you would never know it unless you asked however his daughter can't go 2 minutes without mentioning her faith.

My wife and I were looking for a church but I kept on eliminating ones that said that they "believe that the bible is the inerrant word of god". To be perfectly honest I really don't care but I do not want my kids being told that their non believing Daddy will be going to Hell.

In the mean time we go to the odd Christmas and Easter service and I keep my mouth shut about the rigor of the church's beliefs.

 

That's fair.

I'm in no way offended. I was just curious.

 

Same here, my grandpa thinks his religion is better, my mom thinks her religion is better... I dont think thats cool, thats no the purpose of religion at all...

 

That's true; the purpose is to protect the powerful from the majority.

 

That's the purpose of politics.

 

Communists banned religion.

I guess they did that to liberate the majority.