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I am not a parent myself, but this is something I have been thinking about recently: As a parent, would you allow your child to convert to another religion from the one (or lack of one) you raised them in? When I say "child", I mean as in under 18, because ones they're in college, all bets are off.
I stumbled upon this youtube video on a white American who is a Hindu scholar, and converted at age fourteen! Don't get me wrong, I think it's cool...but how many parents are that open minded?
I mean, can a kid really make that informed a decision?...or maybe that is not a fair question, considering that many adults can not make that informed a decision either.
I myself, along with other my age, converted to Wicca when I was a teenager...but did not tell my father. I just kept it to myself and later, when I was nineteen, became a Gnostic Christian. My family was/is not very religious, so it was not that big a deal either way, but still, I would never had said that until I was out of the house.
I knew one fellow in Highschool who converted from Christianity to Islam when he was fifteen...thing is, he had some muslim members of the extended family any way, so it was not a big deal really....not like one of the more famous minors in America who converted to Islam:
How would you react if your kids said that they didn't want a tattoo, didn't want to have sex or do drugs...but instead, wanted to become, I don't know (just for the sake or argument) a Zen Buddhist and go to a monastery highschool graduation before going to college?
Something tells me a great many (notice I said "a great many" and not all, I am not generalizing) parents would be just as shocked, if not more so, to hear a kid say that as they would if the kids said they were gay or had gotten a tattoo behind their parents back.
No I would not my boys are and were raised catholic and I hope that they will raise their children catholic as well . My religion gives me comfort and peace in times of trouble as well as times of stress . I find great comfort in my religious beliefs and will always hope that my children do as well.
Yes, I would. If she were a teenager and had spent a great deal of time considering her beliefs.
(And really - there is no "allowing", one way or the other. We can't control a mind, only the appearance of behavior. What you mean is will we welcome the choice, brainwash or force concealment?)
Interesting thought. I don't know how I would feel if they truly wanted to convert to something radically different that what we practice in my home.
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Don't get me wrong, I think it's cool...but how many parents are that open minded?
You say it is "cool" and "open minded" - would you use the same verbiage if the child in doubt wanted to convert TO Christianity rather than AWAY from it?
I am not religious but have a deep respect for other peoples religious beliefs. I'm very open with my children when they ask questions about other peoples beliefs (which does come up when one is at school) and explain to them as well as I can what they are asking so my kids understand that everyone has their own beliefs which is great.
I'm open to allowing my kids to check anything out if they ever ask. I'd be the first to bring them to wherever they wanted to go if they decided they wanted to check out a service at a church, temple, or mosque. I believe faith is a deeply personal thing, and you can not stop another human being from making their own personal faith choices. While I may not personally agree with what they believe in if they go this route, I would never stop them or belittle their choice, UNLESS they were getting into something that was geared towards hurting or dehumanzing other people. If they got into something like that though, there would be hell to pay (no pun intended).
No I would not my boys are and were raised catholic and I hope that they will raise their children catholic as well . My religion gives me comfort and peace in times of trouble as well as times of stress . I find great comfort in my religious beliefs and will always hope that my children do as well.
So, in other words, you are allowed comfort and peace in times of trouble but if your children do not find that same satisfaction in Catholicism, they are not allowed any peace. Did I read that correctly?
I think it is natural for kids to explore and ask questions. I would let my child look into and research other religions, when they turn 18, it is there choice.
We are Catholic, and our neighbors are Jewish. My son, 6 at the time, was asking why our neighbors didn't celebrate Christmas. I explained to him the difference, that the Jewish religion does not believe that Jesus is the son of God. My son looks at me and says "Well, let's just go across the street and tell them". We couldn't stop laughing.
Our neighbor's got such a kick out of it, they loved it as well! Parents need to teach children to celebrate their differences and learn about other cultures, it is what makes life and people so interesting.
So, in other words, you are allowed comfort and peace in times of trouble but if your children do not find that same satisfaction in Catholicism, they are not allowed any peace. Did I read that correctly?
Wow - I did not read that at all! I thought she said that "she hoped" they would find comfort in the religion that she also found comfort in. That's a far cry from "they are not allowed any peace"
I would guess that MOST parents who are religious (regardless of their specific religion) would have that same hope.
Last edited by maciesmom; 06-14-2009 at 06:06 PM..
Reason: additional thought
Wow - I did not read that at all! I thought she said that "she hoped" they would find comfort in the religion that she also found comfort in. That's a far cry from "they are not allowed any peace"
I would guess that MOST parents who are religious (regardless of their specific religion) would have that same hope.
I guess we read "No I will not" in completely different ways. To me, it means no, she will not.
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Don't get me wrong, I think it's cool...but how many parents are that open minded? 
