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It is all very well and admirable to be open to everyone and anyone's faith, to let people make their own choicesa, to leave things open... to let your children make their own choices as to the religion or faith they will follow. I'll admit to almost always being skeptical of such claims because a lot of them invariably end up with some form of 'as long as it's not christianity/satanism/a negative path/black magic/whatever' but hey... it's an admirable goal.
What I don't get is people who... ok example time.
I'm a single mother(or I'm married with a very religiously supportive husband or whatever). I have a daughter. I am a pagan who styles themself eclectic/wiccan leaning but I do not hesitate to present myself as an elder or leader.
So I.. send my kid to Catholic school and am way cool with her actively practicing catholicism AND the fact that she knows absofuckinglutely NOTHING about my religion? W.T.F. No really all that comes to mind when I consider that is the acronym. WTF.
I mean yes there are valid reasons to send your kid to Catholic school when you/they are not a Catholic. I frankly find it weird but hey.. everyone's entitled to an opinion and to do what they like. Yes there is a lot to be said to letting your kid find their own religion, allowing them to chose something other then your religion... but come on. Not even teaching them a single THING of or about your religion? Pushing them into another religion(which doesn't really work with your religion)?
Maybe I'm a crazy bitch but if I follow a religion, feel that it's a good valid religion(neccesary for me to follow iut in some form) then why wouldn't I want to teach my children about it? Why shove them into another religion? ( I am ignoring situations with multiple faith parents who disagree on religious instruction, but even then for the kid to be practicing Catholocism and not know a single solitary thing about whatever flavour of paganism the mother follows? That is pretty darn bogus.)
I don't get it. There is a difference between discretion and completely bypassing your daughter when it comes to religious teachings. And above all of this is the fact that the mother gets pissed when the kid doesn't understand her religion? What was she supposed to draw it by osmosis from the atmosphere?
Frankly these tend to be the same folks who complain about how we need to accept and hug and cuddle all new pagans because we need their numbers to swell our ranks. Well maybe if we taught the next generation what the hell we were doing, not force them into it but not keep them completely in the dark, this wouldn't be a problem(assuming it is a problem at all which it is not.) I mean comeon - every kid online who wants to be a pagan must be welcomed into the fold and helped at every aspect.. but it's almoist like these people don't want THEIR kids to be pagans, or they don't trust their religion enough to be right that they want their kids in a nice 'safe' established religion.
That, frankly, is a load of bullshit.
January 22 2006, 23:18:07 UTC 6 years ago
January 22 2006, 23:55:43 UTC 6 years ago
January 23 2006, 03:37:44 UTC 6 years ago
January 23 2006, 06:33:49 UTC 6 years ago
My fiance and I aren't planning on spawning any rugrats (another topic), but we have discussed hypothetical situations where there are kids. My stance is that if he felt strongly enough about raising the kids in his faith (Catholic), then he better take responsibility for their religious education because I'd want my kids to have one. If he didn't feel up to taking that on, then I'd do it and I'd raise the kiddies as little Canaanite polytheists. I'd see no reason not to raise them in one of our religions and adequately educate them about both.
January 24 2006, 15:09:05 UTC 6 years ago
The only time I've seen/heard of Pagan parents hiding their beliefs from their children is online.
I wonder if perhaps it has something to do with the opennness and comfort level of the parent. It's easy to be online and say "I'm a Pagan, lookie me, witchy witch witch!" But to do it offline takes a bit of courage to make that transition from the quasi-fantasy of the online world to hard reality. When it's all online, the words can be denied. But to join a group, coven or grove -- then there are real people out there who can point to you and say "yup, he/she's a Pagan." Then the denying is all but over.
I ramble. I need breakfast. My point -- I cant help but feel that Pagan parents who are afraid to teach their children about their beliefs are not comfortable in their own beliefs, and aren't ready to be "out", so to speak, in reality. Online and in their own head is safe. Speaking the words out loud is risky.
Those who are comfortable in their own beliefs and practices dont seem to have any problems whatsoever with teaching their children. And the children, seeing that Mom/Dad aren't ashamed of their beliefs, also grow up feeling proud to be Pagan. Until, of course, they rebel at age 17 and run away to a Fundamentalist Baptist group home to become a pastor and convert all the heathens. But I guess that's just the way of the world.
BTW, I added you as a friend so I can read your entries through my friends list instead of constantly going back to my browser's bookmarks. :)
January 24 2006, 18:01:59 UTC 6 years ago
What bothers me more are the people who raise their kids Christian so that their parents/inlaws/neighbors/whoever won't find out that the mother is a Witch ... oh yeah, THATS a good idea ... let's teach our kids from an early age that mommy is wrong and must hide what she does. *rolls eyes*
--Phae