Raising an Atheist: Why It's Something to Consider for Your Child

By Lori Godin, published Jul 06, 2007
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It is a hurdle to try and raise an atheist child in a world of monotheistic and faith based religions. Children are of curious nature, and understand more than we realize and certainly have the ability to understand complex thoughts, of religion and the like. Children raised in an atheist environment have been proven to be more intelligent, focused, and independent. General consensuses of studies have proven that people of higher intelligence tend to have a higher IQ than those who are religious.

There is something skewed in teaching children to depend on a higher power, to pray for something to occur instead of doing everything in their power to make it happen. An atheist child may be not only smarter, but more socially aware.

The divorce rate is lower in atheistic families, only 21% - compared to the national average of 49%. This could be due to the fact that atheists are more reliant on a relationship with their partner than a relationship with "the divine".

Forcing a belief upon a child in a divine entity is abuse because the child is vulnerable to the belief of its parents, the people that it looks to learn values and morals - the person or people that the child is trying to please the most. The child's mind is programmable and will believe what you tell it to. The child should not be exposed to labels, and will thereby be healthier as it grows.

There should be more of a focus on raising an ethical child rather than a religious child. To raise a child in an atheist environment is to raise the child without the influences that religion may cause, and even harm in the child's life. If you choose to raise a child in a atheist environment you should take the following into account.

There should be a focus on problem solving in a rational matter. Religion has little to do with rational thinking. Teach your child to focus on the quantitative, rather than the qualitative, the existence more than the things that do not. Raise a morally aware, independent of religion child who is able to think and you will guarantee success!

 
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Wikipedia: "State atheism has been implemented in communist countries, such as the former Soviet Union,[1] China, North Korea, and Communist Mongolia. In these nations, the governments viewed atheism as an intrinsic part of communist ideology. Consequences of state atheism in these countries include active (and, sometimes, violent) opposition to religion, and persecution of religious institutions, leaders and believers. The Soviet Union had a long history of state atheism,[2] in which social success largely required individuals to proclaim atheism and stay away from churches; this attitude was especially militant under Stalin.[3][4][5] The Soviet Union imposed atheism over wide areas of its influence, including places like central Asia.[6] The only country to officially ban religion was Albania under Enver Hoxha.Poland under communist rule promoted state atheism and suppressed religion.[7]"------- It seems that the idea of atheist education is not a new idea.

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Posted on 04/30/2008 at 8:04:11 AM

 
You know, people complain a lot about how bad our educational system is in this country. Why is it this way? It is simple. We have too many school boards run by evangelicals trying to rid their districts of anything which might call into question their world view. As a result, our children grow up unable to think critically or use simple logical processes to navigate through a sea of conflicting belief systems. I guarantee you that a child that grows up in the *real* world and taught to think for themselves will be much better equipped when confronted with a novel situation or information than one that subscribes to a rich fantasy life of invisible beings watching their every move.

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Posted on 04/10/2008 at 1:04:36 AM

 
Hope, you ask how love is possible without god. You know, other cultures who do not believe in your Christian god have the ability to love. Even in native villages who have NO gods know how to love. It is part and parcel of our biology (NOT god). As for right and wrong, that is innate. I know, without a doubt, that I shouldn't hurt people or take what doesn't belong to me. I don't need god to know that. I truly feel sorry for religious people... at least those, like you, who need a supernatural being in order to be moral. Without god, I think of others MORE than most Christians. While you are busy condemning the masses, I understand them and help them. And finally, unlike CHristians, who DEMAND that others believe as they do, I'm free to let people believe as they wish... AS LONG AS they don't try to force their beliefs on me. SO believe in your god... have fun with that. But allow me the same right without condemnation.

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Posted on 04/08/2008 at 12:04:12 PM

 
Maureen, you ask what if we're wrong, insinuating that if you're right, no one loses but if we're wrong, we'll burn. Thanks for that understanding and kind thought. I wish you no ill thoughts for living your life at the foot of an imaginary being... too bad you can't do the same.

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Posted on 04/08/2008 at 12:04:25 PM

 
I knew I'd see it and there it is, comment #4... not all those who call themselves "Christian" live by the tenants of the belief... i.e., "not a true Christian." Lori, I believe everything you say is the complete and unadulterated truth. Non-believers are more focused on the here and how, on the consequences of their actions with regard to others, not the divine. A reliance on god to help "center that relationship to account for justice, mercy, and the unconditional love" is bogus... why not rely on yourselves? The relationship is with you and your spouse, period. I also raise my son without a belief in anything supernatural. Luckily, he is intelligent enough to know the entire story is just that... a story, fantasy, fairy tale. I don't HAVE to tell him that because he can tell all on his own. :-) Just ignore the rest and raise your child as you see fit.

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Posted on 04/08/2008 at 12:04:58 PM

 
Very nice article indeed. It is really important that parents have the freedom to teach their children their values. This is a right that religious and non-regious people have. That people don't agree with you is normal, but they can't take your rights away. If that would be the case than America is just as bad as any islamic country ruled by a theocrazy.

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Posted on 04/05/2008 at 12:04:22 AM

 
Haha - got cut off. Continuing my thought: I have never told my children that "God does not exist". I just haven't told them that he does. Why must you go about trying to convince everyone that your religion is right, and should be taught to children? If the atheist parents are bugging you, I can't imagine the intolerance you must feel for the Hindu, Muslim, or Jewish parents. Not to mention all the historical parents that taught their children to believe in Zeus, Amun-Ra, Gaia --- you know, all the gods people believed in before anybody heard of Jesus.... And note to John, there is no fundamental belief to atheism. Atheism is the lack of a belief. The only fundamental assumption is the acceptance of an objective reality. This is less than the Christian "assumes". You assume an objective reality plus an ill-defined, indemonstrable "supernatural" realm (ghosts, souls, holy spirits, etc.). If unwarranted assumptions are bad, don't you think this counts? Maureen feels bad for

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Posted on 04/04/2008 at 2:04:09 PM

 
Hey Lori - great article. I am currently raising my children without religion and without faith. They're doing great. I fundamentally agree with your article, specifically that it is better to raise an "ethical" child, and to teach them how to think, rather than just trying to teach them what to think and what to belief. A note to the Christians below: atheist parents aren't raising their children to be atheists, they just aren't raising them to be religious. Hope, for example, asks "Why to even try to convince other people that God does not exist?". Doesn't it occur to you, Hope, that absent being taught that any gods exist children don't naturally believe it? They aren't born with an inherent belief that any gods are real. They believe this because their parents told them it is true --- but neither their parents, nor anybody else for that matter, can possibly know this. Why lie to children? Pretend to know what you cannot know? I have never told my children that "God does

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Posted on 04/04/2008 at 2:04:32 PM

 
Again? Oy. "How is Love possible without God?" Love is two things: a biochemical reaction and a subjective impression based on emotional response. It's not supernatural. It's a combination of biology, psychology, and philosophy. And that doesn't cheapen it at all, in fact it makes it more precious. "How is the concept of right and wrong possible without God?" Don't you mean good and evil? Because good and evil are theistic axioms and right/wrong are ethical/moral axoims. Morality predates monothesim (like the Ten Commandments) by tens of thousands of years. "you should not be worried about other people believing in something that does not exist" There aren't any atheist suicide bombers flying planes into buildings. There aren't any atheists claiming a jihad against me or my government. There aren't any atheists bombing abortion clinics because they disagree with abortion due to some obscure and misinterpreted religious texts that are over a thousand years old. The religious are not all

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Posted on 04/04/2008 at 9:04:16 AM

 
"If you believe that God does not exist, you should not be worried about other people believing in something that does not exist." - Because religious people can sometimes (rarely, but once is too much) commit hate crimes against those who don't share their beliefs. They will sometimes (very rarely, but once is too much) allow their children to die without medical care because they believe prayer will heal them. They will often create political or economic sanctions against those who don't share their beliefs. In some communities people who so much as go to the "wrong" church can be shuffled out of a job over the fact. I never did care what other people believe until they cared about what I don't believe and decided to assault me over the fact.

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Posted on 04/04/2008 at 9:04:24 AM

 
See hope? That is my exact point in my other statement to you. YOU CANT SEE ANY OTHER WAY! Why obey the law? It makes sense. Speed limits are made to keep resource consumption down and lessen accidents. Both are good things. I dont shoot people because I know I will get a response. I may get killed. I live once, want to enjoy and live it to the fullest extent. It doesnt take a atheist to know that people have feelings and enjoy being treated well, for the most part. Or maybe it may... It'd be a neat thing to compare a set of MRI scans of the brain from a theist to atheist. During a unconscious time...lets say dreaming. Brain activity is probably about the same. If you would find that surprising... My point---we are no different than you.

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Posted on 04/03/2008 at 7:04:29 PM

 
You talk about Love. How is Love possible without God? How is the concept of right and wrong possible without God? Shouldn't everybody be thinking only about themselves, if this life is all they got? Then, why to work, respect the law, or even love each other? Why to even try to convince other people that God does not exist? If you believe that God does not exist, you should not be worried about other people believing in something that does not exist. If you love, you are preaching God, because He said that He is love.

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Posted on 04/01/2008 at 5:04:04 PM

 
Children should be old enough to make informed decisions before they are exposed to religion. For all you religious folks, do you really think it's OK for people to believe just because they were taught to as young children or do you believe it would be better for a child to come to believe through reason and actual faith rather than childhood indoctrination?

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Posted on 03/08/2008 at 12:03:40 PM

 
I have read the comments below and I'm intrigued as to how most of these people believe you are being evil or hateful by teaching your child to believe in themselves instead of God. Why can't a child without religion be as moral and ethical as a child with religion? I am an Atheist and believe in morality and ethics, reason and logic. I grew up in a Southern Baptist society where I was constantly pressured to make decisions which bend to those wills, instead of my own. It took me a long time to figure out that my morals were different from their's and that I didn't "fit in" with God. When I have a child, I intend on taking him/her to several different churches of several different faiths. I will teach them facts and scientific truths, but it will be my child's responsibility to "believe" in what he/she wants. There is nothing more sacred than freedom of thought.

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Posted on 01/23/2008 at 12:01:31 PM

 
Lori, good for you. Fully supportive of your ideas and your article, as if I had kids I would bring them up as atheist too. And to Maureen, what if YOU are wrong in your beliefs? Yet you are raising your child as a Christian. I now live in a Buddhist country (Thailand) and can never get over the rampant Christianity that's crammed down your throat in the US. Lived there for 20 years and the hatred of so-called Christians was one of the things that made me leave.

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Posted on 12/05/2007 at 11:12:00 PM

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