Ever found yourself lying to kids about Heaven?

[Jake1]

When you talk about the deaths of significant others, saying that they went to heaven is not a lie.

 

This is much different than what you proceeded to propose. If you tell kids Heaven is real, you're promoting a belief for which there is very little evidence. Presenting different viewpoints, however, and giving an honest explanation of the evidence for those viewpoints, is not dishonest.

[Stetson]

This is much different than what you proceeded to propose. If you tell kids Heaven is real, you're promoting a belief for which there is very little evidence. Presenting different viewpoints, however, and giving an honest explanation of the evidence for those viewpoints, is not dishonest.

What I was trying to convey is that telling a child 'heaven is a lie' will give them nothing in terms of an explanation. Children are very suceptible to authoritative figures, especially their parents. What I'm stressing is to do exactly as your latter statement said. Present how different cultures and societies view these issues. As well honest explanations is synonymous with "tell them the truth", just so long as the emotional/mental capacity is appropriate with the explanation.

 

As a note, that quote is horrifically out of context as I never said anything that portrayed heaven as real. I did later state: to see it as a "different way of viewing death."

[Didymus]

+1 for Stetson here.

 

There's a difference between "we don't know what happens after death" and "because I can't prove that heaven exists, it must be a vicious malicious lie."

 

You -know- Santa doesn't exist because people have to pretend to be him and the authors of the books about him admit the works to be purely fictional. The flat out rejection of any hope after death based on a rejection of anything describable as a higher power is just as ignorant as a blind faith in a particular higher power.

 

Express your belief and your reasons for it, but be open to the idea that not everyone shares your belief.

[Tom1205]

I totally understand your concern.

 

 

I have this very religious family friend, and she has a 12 year old daughter. I read on the daughter's facebook status saying how she

 

"wants to prepare well for the end time because the end time is near" and that she is not sure what she will do if "someone puts a gun to

 

mother's head and asks her (the daughter) to renounce Christ".

 

 

 

What worries me here is that because of her upbringing and family values, which were forced upon her (I don't want to offend people

 

here, so I refrain from the word "brainwash"), the daughter may actually consider giving up her mother's life in this scenario. This is

 

really disturbing because who knows what else she might do in the name of religion when she grows up later on.

 

 

Therefore, I truly believe that instilling kids with religious beliefs at a too early age is actually detrimental to them. It blinds them from

 

thinking rationally.

[Radical Edward]

I'd say No ,the goldfish is not in heaven unless it accepted Jesus Christ. If it didn't It, it will be in hell, burning, forever. Best to traumatize kids early on about how horrible Christianity is.

Edited February 19, 2014 by Radical Edward