Verified answer

Teach your child honestly what you know to be the truth. I was raised atheist and it was a good childhood. You can save your child a serious phase of spiritual angst by starting her right.

I see so many people struggling with religion. You can save your child that pain.

Besides, how can your teach your child something you know to be false? Children are perceptive enough to see through that. And you would hate yourself for it. Stick to what you know is the truth.

Maybe it's time your re-addressed your beliefs. A baby is a time of great change when we as adults now start to truly examine the great questions "What is the meaning of life" "Why are we here on earth" "How do I raise a great human being"

You don't say how you studied religion when you were 15. Was it with textbooks, teachers, the Bible, a pastor/minister? Or were you trying to do this alone? Although a relationship with God is a personal thing, it does help to have someone you can talk to - someone who believes.

If you were trying to decide whether to be a doctor or a mechanic, would you grab a medical book or a car manual, study those and decide which career felt "right?" I hope not or I wouldn't want you cutting me open or working on my car! Medical school with books, classes, teachers, training would help you become a doctor. Studying manuals, working under the supervision or another mechanic, testing cars and getting under the hood with help/advice is what would make you a great mechanic.

The same thinking could be applied to religion. Don't try to go this alone. Whether you use Pampers or Luvs diapers is not a big question - you can be wrong and still have your child turn out fine. What beliefs guide you as a parents and help you shape your child's world view, values, moral character and spiritual life do make a difference on how your child turns out.

Good luck - you are wise to even ask this question! It shows you are already thinking about your child's future!

I was raised a christian as well and still attend church every once in a while. I plan on teaching my children about all religions. Growing up I felt ignorant b/c I only knew the beliefs of the church I attend with my parents. Now that I am an adult I read & learn about all different types of christian churches as well as muslim, jewish, etc. Spiritual beliefs are different for everyone and I want my child to find his/her own path in life, so I will take him/her to whatever church she/he would like to go.

I am primarily Christian, but my child will be exposed and learn about all different religions. I really hate the 'Im right, your wrong' attitude some parts of Christianity takes. When I was a teenager I had friends of several different faiths, such as one was Hindu, several Catholics (I was raised Baptist), Jews, Wiccan, and a couple others. My mom found me looking up these other religions, and I got in major big time trouble. I wasnt allowed to look up other religions. I dont believe in that.

Some people say that raising children in religion is forcing it, that they wont teach their kids because they dont want to force it. Well, isnt not telling your child forcing non belief?

I want my child to make their own decision, so they will be exposed to all the different religions I can think of to expose them to. I want them to see that there are other religions, and that the basic principle for all of them are the same... good v evil. I want my child to grow up respectful of different beliefs, not condeming them.

Being a Christian myself, I believe that if you are feeling worried about this, God might be telling you something. However, I do understand if this is not what you believe. You probably should not teach your child Christianity if you don't believe it. If you want to let your child be influenced by Christianity you can ask your dad to be the teacher. Good luck and congrats on the new baby!

The first idea that comes to mind is to let your dad have a large influence in your child's upbringing. Right? You think you turned out okay.

**********************EDIT****************************

I've seen lots of cases such as yours (I think). Here is what always is happening:

As a young child, the idea of a caring, loving God was very appealing. Especially when the parents are not around and there is a scary situation.

Things change as we grow into adolescence. We begin to seek our independence from our parents. We push and they push back. We begin to see God as "in loco parentis" (in place of parents). Parents may encourage this. We begin to rebel against the idea of a God who constantly watches us and judges us.

We look around and see "problems" with our religion. It doesn't matter what problem. It can be evolution or the problem of evil or the fact that there are other religions. It is just an excuse so it doesn't matter what doubt the problem has raised.

Most of the time, the "kids" come back to their church after they have kids of their own. Having a child has a profound effect on us. We begin again to want to see a larger picture, a plan that includes my child. I want to see my daughter (my own daughter) as a child of God. Your story is my story except I'm a long way ahead of you (in years at least).

your child will have some very awkward questions about your beliefs if you do not explain them properly.

you need to think about what it meant to you as a child to be christian. it provided you with solace on occasion, gave you something in common with your parents, and integrated you into a community.

if you think you can give your child these things without a religious framework, then you should do that. raising a child to follow a set of beliefs that you don't really hold just makes you a hypocrite.

my sister isn't religious at all, and neither is her husband, but their son is taught christianity at school, and believes a lot of it. however, when he asks his mother questions about it, she gives her view, but explains that not everybody has the same ideas about the world, and tells him that he must believe what he feels is right.

our parents did the same with us (they were raised catholic(mum)/protestant(dad) - both severely lapsed!). they raised us without religon when we were little, and then when we were a bit older and had encountered more philosophies of the world, we used to debate some of the issues involved.

at school, i remember as a teenager being a bit jealous of the religious girls at my school (a lot of whom were jewish but some christian too) because at the age of about 15 they were encouraged to join youth groups and become part of their religious community. this sense of belonging was something that i sometimes felt was absent in my life as a result of me not having any particular religion. however, i joined a youth organisation that had an emphasis on inclusivity and respect for the views and opinions of others. from this, i was able to gain a sense of belonging and community without religion.

your child will be exposed to a variety of different opinions, moral codes and behavioural norms throughout its life. you should teach it to assess each one and try and incorporate the good parts into his/her daily life, and try and avoid the narrowness and smallmindedness that can arise from adhering strictly to one set of views. beyond that, you should let your child choose their own values and religious beliefs just as you have yourself.

Teach your child from the heart. If Christianity is not what you believe in anymore and you are personally fulfilled with what you do believe in then teach what you believe.

Investigate wicca, Unitarianism, non-denominational church and then decide.