Submitted by Hambydammit on February 22, 2008 - 1:57pm.
First, I'm going to ask your forgiveness in advance, because what I'm going to say will probably piss you off. I'm asking forgiveness in advance because I truly want to help, and I don't want you to think I'm just busting your balls.
Having properly lubed, here goes. This is exactly why it pisses me off that people go off half cocked having kids before they've figured out the really, really important questions that could literally make or break their marriage! More than a few marriages have ended because one spouse was more religious than the other. This is the kind of thing that can lead to years of bitterness and resentfulness.
How much of a win is it for you if the kids don't go to church, and your wife is bitter and resentful about you forcing your will on her? How much of a win is it for your wife if she goes to church with the kids, and you contradict everything the church says?
I'm not saying it's a no-win situation, but by popping out the kids before asking the questions, you've made it a lot harder than it could have been.
Look, it's probably not going to be a pretty situation, regardless of how you slice it, but the first thing you need to do is go on a factual offensive, before the question comes up. Religious indoctrination happens young, and theism is dangerous to young minds. There are hundreds of pages of resources here that explain this fact in great scientific detail. I'd suggest that you become very familiar with them, and make sure that your wife understands very clearly just how much potential harm she can do to her children by sending them to church before they've learned how to think critically.
The second thing you can do is prepare your children now. Start mentioning god in the same sentence as Santa and The Tooth Fairy. Better yet, tell your children NOW that Santa and The Tooth Fairy are fairy tales, kind of like a game, and that they get to pretend that Santa is bringing them presents. Don't give your children the impression that some silly ideas are true now, and then expect them to figure out that god is not.
Start right now teaching your children how to think. Give them simple logical problems to work out. If X isn't so, then Y cannot be so. If X is true, then Y must be true. Do it daily.
Remember, well over 90% of people who adhere to a religion in the U.S. adhere to the religion they were raised in. It may be a tough fight with your wife, and it may end poorly, but you brought two young minds into the world, and you're responsible for making sure they're prepared. If you know that religion is wrong, you are responsible for your own inaction if you decide to let them go and they become Christians.
Never Mind, trust to chance -- keep a sharp look out -- There is many a happy slave.
--Charles Darwin, on whether or not he ought to marry.
First, I'm going to ask
First, I'm going to ask your forgiveness in advance, because what I'm going to say will probably piss you off. I'm asking forgiveness in advance because I truly want to help, and I don't want you to think I'm just busting your balls.
Having properly lubed, here goes. This is exactly why it pisses me off that people go off half cocked having kids before they've figured out the really, really important questions that could literally make or break their marriage! More than a few marriages have ended because one spouse was more religious than the other. This is the kind of thing that can lead to years of bitterness and resentfulness.
How much of a win is it for you if the kids don't go to church, and your wife is bitter and resentful about you forcing your will on her? How much of a win is it for your wife if she goes to church with the kids, and you contradict everything the church says?
I'm not saying it's a no-win situation, but by popping out the kids before asking the questions, you've made it a lot harder than it could have been.
Look, it's probably not going to be a pretty situation, regardless of how you slice it, but the first thing you need to do is go on a factual offensive, before the question comes up. Religious indoctrination happens young, and theism is dangerous to young minds. There are hundreds of pages of resources here that explain this fact in great scientific detail. I'd suggest that you become very familiar with them, and make sure that your wife understands very clearly just how much potential harm she can do to her children by sending them to church before they've learned how to think critically.
The second thing you can do is prepare your children now. Start mentioning god in the same sentence as Santa and The Tooth Fairy. Better yet, tell your children NOW that Santa and The Tooth Fairy are fairy tales, kind of like a game, and that they get to pretend that Santa is bringing them presents. Don't give your children the impression that some silly ideas are true now, and then expect them to figure out that god is not.
Start right now teaching your children how to think. Give them simple logical problems to work out. If X isn't so, then Y cannot be so. If X is true, then Y must be true. Do it daily.
Remember, well over 90% of people who adhere to a religion in the U.S. adhere to the religion they were raised in. It may be a tough fight with your wife, and it may end poorly, but you brought two young minds into the world, and you're responsible for making sure they're prepared. If you know that religion is wrong, you are responsible for your own inaction if you decide to let them go and they become Christians.
Never Mind, trust to chance -- keep a sharp look out -- There is many a happy slave.
--Charles Darwin, on whether or not he ought to marry.