Whats so funny about it?
http://creation.com/noahs-ark-questions-and-answers

Heres articles such as "How did all the animals fit on Noah’ s Ark? "

Its so sad that I see so many people who were raised catholic and turned away, its a pattern. Catholicism is mostly man made religion thats why, they believe in evolution "Today, the Church's unofficial position is an example of theistic evolution, also known as evolutionary creation" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholi..._and_evolution
When its not even compatible with the bible.

So I could see why you wouldnt have confidence in it when they dont either

I asked how you were going to deal with the issue of your children and religion in their school. Perhaps it's not an issue where you live but where I am (UK) there was till very recently a legal requirement for schools to have a Daily Act of Worship that had to be predominantly Christin in nature.

They have prayers and hymns in assembly, they go to the local church for Easter, Christmas and Harvest festival ceremonies, and this is in our local non-faith primary school which this week is holding a 'Christingle' ceremony the sole purpose of which is to forge closer links between schools and local churches.

I wondered how you'd deal with something like that if it happened?

I would never send my children to a school that requires prayer.

After learning about a charter schools' model last year, I actually aspire to start my own charter school system at some point.

It's this a level? Wow I can't believe I actually read the article lol.
What a load of BS, wtf so they believe in dinosaur too now? I thought god planted those. Wow I'm amazed at human level of blindness. Ill stop here.
Creationist for the lolz

I'm raising my child without any religion whatsoever. Me and my wife have an ongoing discussion about it. She's 4 months old, so we still have time to work things out. I'm also not willing to lie to her about Santa Claus and the easter bunny and all that nonsense. I might bend on Santa, but no way with God.

I think I'm going to tell her straight up "When you go to school, people will say things and tell you things that aren't true. When you come home every night, we can talk about it."

IMO there is a huge difference between playing along with the Santa 'lie' because it's fun for the kids and we accept that as they get older they will work out for themselves that it's not true, and telling them about god whether it's to say 'there aren't any' or 'there definitely is'. I think the comparison itself is erroneous and have no idea why it comes up so frequently.

I tell my own kids that different people have different beliefs, I never even use the word 'true'. I would certainly never tell them that there are no gods, I can't possibly know that and not only would it be behaving identically to the religions (which is exactly what I'm trying to counter) but it wouldn't be creating in them the open minded and critical mindset that I'd like to see. I try to educate them so that they can decide for themselves when they're older and in the meantime I protect them from having a religion urged on them as young vulnerable children.

I use my legal right to withdraw my children from the assemblies, church visits and the RE lessons since I believe that there is an inexcusable bias in play, and seek to protect them from an institutional desire to urge a particular religion on my children.

To counter the bias I educate them about all the religions, and the secular alternatives and do my best to avoid any direct influence.

Oh, I agree I'll tell them the same thing, that different people believe in different things. I'll just make sure they know that it's nonsense.

Ok Then what's the difference between you and the religions?

To believe in things based on evidence and facts? I'll grant you that it can't be 100% proven that there is no God, but I'm only a step away from that.

Religions think that they have evidence and fact on their side too, so aren't you just really saying to your kids 'believe my belief over theirs'? Which is what they say too.

I don't know how you are making an argument here. It's all dependent on what particular person you are talking about when it comes to what they believe as far as religion goes. Some believe in literal, some don't. But as far as science and religion having equal footing on what they believe as "fact", this is no type of argument.

If you believe a man was born of a virgin birth to a woman, then I think something is wrong with you.

My issue with religions isn't whether or not they're right, but that they act as if they are and urge that belief on children with certainty. I think this is a form of child abuse, a breach of trust, and I don't want to be guilty of the same so I don't tell my children that the religions are wrong, I simply point out that people have different beliefs.

So, from my perspective, an atheist telling their children that there are no gods is as bad as religions telling children that there are. What I feel that we should do instead, is present children with all the available information and allow them to make their own choices when they are intellectually capable of doing so.

Interesting, is there a word you'd use to describe someone who really believed that?

You can take this further and apply it to some pretty bad beliefs. I understand what you're saying, but I would never say they are equal in their degree of being "right". You can't prove they are wrong, but you definitely can't prove they are right. They don't get the benefit of the doubt in this instance. They have the burden of proof. Show me a miracle and I'll convert. Until then, there's no reason for me to waste my time.

If someone believed in the tooth fairy, santa claus, etc, you'd say they were nuts. I look at the deeply religious as nuts. When Michelle Bachman says she did things in her life because "God told her to", then you can only look at her as a little batty.

I don't believe in many gods across this world and throughout history. I just go a step further and cut them all out instead of stopping at 1.

I understand your viewpoint but don't you agree that it's subjective? The religious see miracles, they see proof, they believe their case made. There are philosophical arguments to support that gods must exist and others that arguing that for some reason they choose not to reveal themselves. One I've heard argues that it would remove the need for faith, which is the very basis of the belief system in question.

I don't think that anyone can be certain either way. That means that I can't tell my children that it's all 'nonsense' or in any way deliberately influence them towards believing that.

Believe me, this pisses me off greatly.

I've been discussing recently whether or not the religious are deluded if it were established beyond doubt that there are no gods. Would their behaviour then be classed as delusional? The answer is no, it wouldn't.

I'm guessing that the same would apply to 'nuts' and 'batty' although I completely get where you're coming from.

Does this apply to all gods? Say your kid asks you if Zeus or the Mayan bee god Ah-Muzen-Cab are real will you say, well idk they might be.

Yes of course. What I tend to say, because they have actually asked me questions like that, is 'I don't know, what do you think?'.

It might sound ridiculous now but 2000 years ago it wouldn't have, and in another 2000 years people might say the same about Jesus. These things are simply accidents of time and perspective.

Thats ****ed up you dont know Zeus and the bee god are not real. But hopefully when your kids want to sacrifice virgins to them you will take some kind of stand.

Perhaps what you're not seeing is that to me the Christian god is as likely to be real as is Zeus, or Ganesh or any of the thousands of gods humanity has worshiped. If I can't deny one without being guilty of the same kind of certainty that the religions have, then I can't deny the others either, no matter how much you may feel that Zeus is less real than Allah for example, simply because it's an anachronistic religion.

If thousands of people still worshiped Zeus, would you feel the same?

I feel Zeus and the bee God are not real beings who bring lighting or honey and have no issue saying so regardless of the number of followers.

I also think you dont think they are real. I think you disbelieve strongly in them and should be honest with your kids instead of giving them a maybe.

I haven't given you all the information. I explain why some people are telling my kids that there is a god by saying that people believe different things and I don't distinguish between any of the gods in that approach. Zeus, God, Ganesh, Ba'al, they're all the same to me.

When they ask me what I believe I tell them that I don't believe in any gods.

Given a child's inability to understand what you're really conveying epistemologically when you say "Zeus might exist", are you also going to tell them that "Bugs Bunny might exist"? Isn't this needlessly confusing for them?

Erroneous!

Santa = God
God = Santa

Your wrong!!! Santa = Satan!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mii9jjszgp0

Yeah thats messed up too. Zeus is less likely then an undescriptive deist god. But at lest i can understand when some hold this view.

How certain is the belief Zeus is not a god? If its very i dont really see much difference between you and a theist who teaches belief in their God. Most also will admit we could be brains in a vat. Your certainty in disbelief is probably very similar to many theists belief.


And earlier you said.

"I don't think that anyone can be certain either way. That means that I can't tell my children that it's all 'nonsense' or in any way deliberately influence them towards believing that.

Believe me, this pisses me off greatly."

For one just by saying you disbelieve in Zeus (or any god/Gods) you are influencing them towards that belief. Just like a theist who says to their kid they believe in God.

For another i think you think Zeus and bee gods are nonsense. Am i wrong? If they were to ask you directly if Zeus is nonsense how would you answer them?