Atheists: Please give me advice on a current situation between myself and my ex wife?

She is a Catholic and I am a former Catholic, now an atheist. Both of my children are being raised as Catholics, but I don't like my ex telling our kids they are going to hell if they are bad. To me this is child abuse. I inform my children of my beliefs and encourage them to question everything about religion during Catechism. I want them to decide for themselves instead of being brainwashed by their mother. What else can I do to help my kids see from other perspectives outside of the Catholic Church?Atheists: Please give me advice on a current situation between myself and my ex wife?
My Dad does similar things to my poor kids. You just have to sit them aside and reason with them. One of the best comparisons that works with kids is the comparison to Santa or any other mythical creature or place. If you can help them understand that religion is simply the second cousin of tall tales, they won't be as easily scared by your well meaning ex wife.Atheists: Please give me advice on a current situation between myself and my ex wife?
If your wife is giving them strong brainwashing views on catholicism, then give them strong brainwashing views on atheism. If your kids are smart, they'll see the line in between and benefit from the values of each. Then again, you could risk permanently scarring your kids into thinking religion is all crazy.


I'm not in a religion myself, I was raised into one but I gradually didn't really care for it. My parents didn't force religion on me too much, they let us do our own thing, I guess I came out okay but nevertheless, if you do as your wife is doing except atheist style; it should cancel out the negative affects. Allowing your kids to see things for themselves, after all, isn't that what you wanted to do in the first place?
I think it's wrong for her to tell them that they are going to hell..


it's not brain washing, but yea you do want them to figure out things for themselfs instead of having it forced





but they are still young it seems.. they are not going to question to much rite now.. just tell her to ease up on the hell talk..





talk to your ex





if you give your children advise.. don't go telling them that God does not exist.. just let them know both sides.. so when they get older they can deside which path they want to follow
dont force the issue. kids look to thier parents to know everything so if it comes up in conversation just tell them you dont believe in catholosism. They will understand when they are ready that there is more than one way for them to think.I dont think its too much of a big deal about the ';Hell'; problem kids get told all sorts of bullcrap growing up from TV will turn your eyes square to smoking a joint will make you jump if a building while trying to fly. Im sure your children wll question religion when they are old enough. I think its up to you to rasie inquizative children rather than atheist children.


I believed in jesus growing up and to be honest i cant even remember when my opinion changed it just did and i never even noticed
You need to talk things over with your wife about it; if you two can't come to an agreement, then go to marriage counseling. Remember, if you two can't patch things over and wind up getting divorced, nobody loses as much as the kids -- who both of you will still love.
Maybe you should expose them to some other religions when they hit their teen years.





It may give them some perspective on the matter to know there is more than one way to look at God.





I wouldn't do it when they under the age 12. You may risk confusing and undermining mom before then.





The idea of whole communities believing in something other than their own faith can be a very powerful message. It was what lead me on my journey of atheism.
That's tough. My wife and I are atheists and we home school our kids so they won't be dullard worker drones.





I would hate to face a situation where my kids face falling into delusion because of a delusional mother.





I guess you'll have to stoop to simply getting your kids to like you more than their mother!
Thank you! Please don't let her ruin their lives. If they want to believe then fine let them but don't force them. If you really don't want them to be catholique just tell them what priest really do to little kids.
By example, my children are grown now and not religious. My ex is a Catholic and the children were raised to be thoughtful. I never spoke out against their mother's religion, but lived as I believe.
Educate them, with enough information and the ability to think for themselves they will figure it out. Kids tend not to believe this stuff.
Educate them.





Show them through example that evidence is how we determine what is true. Reality is on your side, just make sure they're exposed to it.
buy a couple religious books or take 'field trips' to other churches and inform them of the options and remind them you will love them no matter what they believe.... they will favor the parent teaching over the one preaching.....
basicaly you teach them all you can about all posiblites, and about psychology
It sounds as if you know what you're talking about. Perhaps you should enlighten them yourself?
try to get full custody over your children
buy them lots of books, the rest will fall in place.
I don't agree that you should use fear and emotional blackmail as tools to rear your children. Besides, there will come a time where even if they believe, the prospect of Hell is so distant and intangible that it means absolutely nothing. The way to create decent human beings is through education, expectation, and real world consequences. Your ex can say that hell will be a consequence, but if they don't suffer any other consequences for their poor choices in this world, they won't be successful in this world.





Usually, divorce decrees outline the faith the children are raised in. If you were both still church-going Catholics at the time of your divorce, it's a tacit agreement they will be Catholic by default. The best you can do now is perhaps undermine the process by acknowledging that even if they believe in hell, though you don't, it's a long way off. Whatever they did that would make mom say they're headed there needs to be addressed in this lifetime, and then mete out your own punishment. And please, for the sake of all that isd good and holy :::snerk::: don't ease off out of guilt for being a broken family. You'll do more harm than good.
Given your ex-wife's strategy, showing them that there are other ways that people live their lives may be the only thing you need to do. Once they see that and their mom starts preaching hellfire, that'll only drive them away from her religion.





Nevertheless, it may be worthwhile to shake things up. Stories from mythology are popular anyways. What's appropriate really depends on the age and maturity of the children, but I've seen versions of the Gilgamesh epic and the Odyssey that were aimed at children. You can move from mythology into still-practiced world religions later.





Also, do the activities that parents normally do anyways: visits museums, visits to the library, etc. If you have an interest in what's around you, could also educate yourself on how your local landscape came to exist through geological changes, along with the different types of plants that indicate stages of serial succession...and then take the kids on a nature walk, talking about where the hills and rivers came from over the years.
I say, you are doing the right thing asking your children to question everything instead of blindly following everyone.


However, they can do this themselves when they enter into their teens. Right now you have to teach them what is good %26amp; wrong. For a better understanding you have to teach them about all the religions without any prejudice.











I was born a Muslim but then I started criticising everything, I believed in God because I don't believe humans were created by chance. Everything %26amp; everyone (except for God) had to be created.





I really liked science. I researched what Islam had to say about science. And Praise be to Allah, I believe in Him as there are many things The Qur'an says about science. One of them is because the Qur'an talks about Big Bang Theory almost a MILLENIUM %26amp; a HALF before;(ie 1,400 years ago; around 600A.D), what we only came to know around 1950 A.D.





Qur'an


Ch.021.Vs. 030 Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?





For more (concise) info on Islam %26amp; Science:


Part 1:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcfjHNPCO鈥?/a>





Part2:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwGwdV9cW鈥?/a>





the 2 videos take around 11 minutes in total. IT IS TOTALLY WORTH IT.