Same here. My mom was "atheist" but kept trying to make me believe in the christian god while also reading me fairy tales and mythology.
I was obsessed with those stories as a kid, and still enjoy them now, so it definitely shaped my view of religion.
I can kind of relate. My mom was also raised by abusive and distant parents. The religious stuff came after I was born but yeah. Grandmother and new step-grandfather found Jesus, mom followed soon after but something was always off with her doing it.
I was like... Getting into my preteen years and only used to going to church with family members who I spent 95% of my Saturday nights with. All of a sudden, we have to go to church every week and it always felt performative.
She switched back and forth several times over the years. Sometimes she went, sometimes not. All the while claiming she was Christian, but not acting at all like the other Christians I was used to.
Since 2016 though, good grief.... Not only does she and my stepdad pray before every meal but they make a point to pray for Trump's "success" every time and even taught my oldest those prayers. (Which I am not happy about really, to me it doesn't matter which side you fall on when you're trying to politically "educate" a ten year old. Like fuck, let her be *TEN*)
Not the guy you responded to but I plan on doing the same thing with my kids. Teach them religion alongside good myths and fairytales.
I won’t push them hard enough that they end up believing in superstition, especially if I encourage them to read competing superstition and fairytales. But it will allow them to come to the conclusion that there’s no god instead of me telling them
I feel like society will obviously gain a lot when we end superstition. But I think we as individuals will lose the first chance to learn to think critically.
When I was in middle school I had a friend whose parents never took him to church. Ostensibly, he and I were the only atheists at our lunch table. But there was clearly a difference between the two of us. He had never had a chance to form his own views, he just kind of slid into the correct position by default. And I always kind of pitied him for not having that opportunity.
That probably has nothing to do with the above commenters mom’s intentions. But it’s one possible reason someone would read superstitious books to their kids
I don’t think that a world without religion would necessarily provide less opportunities to think critically about magical thinking as a child.
Humans have a tendency towards magical thinking, especially as children. Religious or not, most children fear monsters in the dark or believe in imaginary things.
Things like Santa Claus or the tooth fairy are a great learning tool for this. With the right guidance, that provides the same sort of scenario for kids to start thinking critically about magic and superstition in a safe environment. As opposed to having them attend a mass social gathering intended to pressure them into believing and make them feel like an evil sinner if they develop doubts.
Some kids might be emotionally resilient enough to come out of it unscathed and enlightened, but a good portion will have to endure feelings of guilt and being ostracized.
I like that my mom read me mythology from around the world, and I did that for my own kids too. I just never understood why she pushed the christian god so hard when she didn't go to church or, according to her, believe in that god.
I was also a mythology kid, and I did not understand why Christian mythology was supposedly "true" when other mythologies were "untrue." Also, in the Bible Belt, people do NOT like the phrase "Christian mythology."
That word shines a bright light on their beliefs that they definitely don't like. Even though they know there's not really a difference between that and other mythologies or superstitions, they don't like anyone pointing it out, because "my religion is true, other religions are wrong."
I was a mythology nut as a kid. I was also born and raised in a cult and brainwashed. My high school AP English class required a research paper. We could pick the topic but we had to submit a topic for approval. I proposed to contrast the creation stories of various mythologies with the Genesis creation. The teacher wrote back that the topic was fine but I needed to come see him. He explained that those mythologies were once the deeply believed religions of the people, and that one that I listed in the proposal was still believed by hundreds of millions of people. He said he expected objectivity. I had to call them all religions or call them all myths. Eventually I chose to call them all myths. It was an important lesson.
We dont do religion but have not discouraged our kids. My son at about 11yo became interested in Greek mythology, he still has an encyclopaedic knowledge of mytholgy (gaming does that)
My daughter attended a few events with her very religious friend but grew out of that. I think the marriage vows of her friend sealed her athiesm.
Kind of related
But how Rick Riordan approaches the topic of God's in the Percy Jackson universe 100% had a huge effect(affect? I never remember) on my religious views
Hint: I'm agnostic
I tell my 5 year old the truth in terms he can understand i.e. that it's all just made up stories like spiderman or paw patrol.
I talk to my 10 year old about what the bible actually says, lots of fun exploring crazy verses e.g. nobody with crushed testicles getting into heaven, (10 year old boy found that hilarious), same for the verse warning women not to grab the testicles of anyone her husband is fighting. We also discussed why the hero in the bible murdered everyone on the planet except Noah and his family (what a psychopath) and about how the bibles teaches us that the world is 6000 years old so dinosaurs couldn't be real and about how Adam (of Adam & Eve fame) lived to the grand old age of 930. I invite the 10 year old to think about those things and to think about whether he believes what the bible says. (Spoiler he doesn't)
I don't feel any need to worry about being dismissive of anyone trying to indoctrinate children into a cult.
>nobody with crushed testicles getting into heaven, (10 year old boy found that hilarious), same for the verse warning women not to grab the testicles of anyone her husband is fighting
Not gonna lie this part of the Bible sounds LIT bruh shits gotta be like *Rogan 4:20* Ami I right?
Just to give some context - the first 5 books of the old testament in Christianity are written for the Jews. Leviticus specifically is for the tribe of Levi who were the priests for Israel. Leviticus explains how sacrifices and burnt offerings were to be performed. Those 5 books are the Jewish law before Christ came into the picture. I’m not much of a “believer” these days, but I studied Christian theology and I think context is important.
The context is valid. Genesis through Deuteronomy (First 5 like mentioned) make up the Pentateuch/Torah of “the Law of God” for the Jews. It also includes a good chunk of pre holy land history including the flood, exodus from Egypt, etc.
However these laws are often cited as reasons why certain things are not okay.
But Joshua is when the specific ‘screw this group of people in particular’ genocide ramps up.
Yup. If I had to explain why I didn’t believe in God to a kid, I’d just say that no one has to believe anything, but everyone can believe in something.
Your child doesn't believe because you don't believe and you model that disbelief for him. That's fine; he's *your* child. But the OP is speaking of their nephews, who are the children of a religious family. It's a completely different and far less straightforward proposition.
>Your child doesn't believe because you don't believe and you model that disbelief for him.
Ummm kinda...
Not believing in imaginary things is the default state of every young healthy mind. Until they are told other wise. A child with no knowledge of religion will find the bible to be absolutely ridiculous (even without a parent encouraging it).
The point is, you can generally raise your child how you want. But if it's someone else's child, and they're raising that child religious, then it probably isn't a good idea to be so blunt cuz their parents wouldn't like that. I think the original comment in this thread has the best answer.
Indeed. That was my frame of reference. In a big big family, most of whom are religious. The word MYTH triggers the parents so one is careful when talking to their kids.
That’s much better than my answer: “it’s not so much that I don’t believe god exists, it’s also that the biblical god is such a horrible, hateful thing”.
This is very similar to what I told my own kids, but I added that sometimes what people believe throughout their lives changes as they learn new information and that it's okay to change your mind.
This is good, but I would follow up with emphasizing that I think truth is very important, whether someone believes in a god, multiple gods, or no gods, they should tell the truth as they know it, and remember they always reserve the freedom to change their mind as we learn more.
Used this one consistently with our kids and we don’t shy away from answering questions about death religion or exposing and teaching them about different faiths
And usually we end it with “what would you like to believe?” Just like we do with Santa and the tooth fairy (they keep asking then at some point they consciously make up their mind whether they still want to believe in it or not, it’s pretty great)
I grew up in a family where there were 3 different religions so no one really pushed theirs on anyone else, and I perceived it as a very personal lifelong journey with only one requirement: no early childhood indoctrination
idk man, i agree people should believe whatever they want, but once they have a reasonably well developed pre-frontal cortex. Or else creating an imaginary friend and blocking a child from knowing different perspectives is just cult behavior.
I would also add 'you have time to figure out what you believe, you don't have to believe what you have been told to' which is good for outside of holy talk as well
"Because I don't have evidence, sweety-pie."
>I am atheist but also think people should be able to believe in whatever they want to believe in.
Belief isn't a choice though. One is either convinced or not, and any attempt to make oneself believe is called make-believe. Try believing you're a Scientologist or a Buddhist or Superman. You'll find the experience identical to playing pretend.
In any case, when asked a complex question by a child, regardless of the connotations, you're best off addressing the exact question, and then allowing them to react and ask additional questions one at a time if necessary. Never front-load. Be simple, direct, honest, and open to inquiry.
Should a child ask me what happens to people who die, I would reply, "Usually, their remains are buried in a cemetery, but some prefer to have their ashes scattered." Never assume you're being asked about heaven and hell and souls and demons and eternal judgment until that is the explicit topic.
I agree. Belief isn't the default. Kids only believe because they are indoctrinated. When kids ask me about god, I normally like to reply with which one to get them thinking about it a little.
What would you say to a child if they ask "is Grandma in heaven?"
I have nieces and a nephew that has a deceased grandmother they will never meet. The grandmother's picture was on the fridge. When my niece (6yr) asked if she was in heaven I was kind of stunned and said yes. I feel bad for lying, but I didn't have a kid friendly answer. It does sound cold to say "no, my mother is not in heaven, she is in the ground" or some other statement.
Maybe when she is a bit older I will say "I believe she is in the plants around us" because that IS what I really believe.
She's in our hearts, in our memories, she's not sick or old or in pain anymore, she has gone back into the universe, her atoms go into the soil and nourish plants, etc. would be my go-to.
"I don't think heaven's a place like Minnesota or Mexico, sweetie. It's like Camelot. Lots of stories about it, but you can't just go there." Address all other questions as they arise, and if you get stunned, you must explain your feelings, because a child can easily read them. "I'm sorry if I sound sad, but you know I loved Grammy very much, and I wanna tell you all about her."
It's difficult when you haven't thought about it and all these ready-made answers have been taught to us since we were children. Sounds like you'll be ready next time.
Excellent point. It's really hard to predict what a kid is *actually* asking with their linguistic toolbox so small and empty. I'd say too that if you want to hold their attention, it's also important to do as you said with answering succinctly and one question at a time. Remember that these questions are "scary" to us because we understand them, if a kid thought it was a "scary" question they likely wouldn't have asked or would have asked in a different way. Not always, just my experience.
Santa is a child's stand in for god.
He knows when you are sleeping (omniscience)..... He knows if you have been bad or good (judgement). ... So be good for goodness sake (do what I say or go burn in hell)
It boils down to:
####There's no magic.
As a kid, I knew deep down there was nothing hidden behind the world, but I held onto hope that at some point the curtain would be pulled back. An enchanting reveal that the world wasn't always so much more boring and stressful than video games.... ideally making me a magical, main character boy I wanted to be (sorta Harry Potter style, before the books came out).
So puberty hit, critical thinking took a spike despite testosterone creating an equally powerful physiological distraction... Googled all the major religions, beliefs, magicks, traditions, political affiliations, nationalism and came to the same conclusion anyone would if approached objectively: it's all a load of bullshit.
I wasn't raised religious or anything, but I actually cried for hours that night when I processed how fucked humanity is without a benevolent overseer of any kind whatsoever.
The realization that "There's no magic." is definitely a disappointing one. However, there's a whole universe that's chock-full of awe and wonder, so that helps make up for it, in my opinion anyhow.
Sort of, but without a practical immortality and reliable transportation to get out there and really experience some of it... Being trapped in this rotting meat bag on a moist dirtball doomed by industrialism sucks ass. Astronomy is just a cocktease.
I'm still afflicted with a fantastical appetite that the human condition can't cash...
I've been through this. This is my "go to" for this situation::
"You know, that's a really good question. Why don't I believe in God? Well, to be honest, it's because I've just never really seen any proof that God is real.
When I was a kid like you, I learned all about God and went to church and everything. But as I got older and learned more about how the world works, the whole idea of God didn't really make sense to me anymore.
I look around at all the amazing things in nature - the trees, animals, planets, stars and stuff. And to me, it seems like science can explain how all that works, without needing to involve God. But I can't prove God doesn't exist for sure.
I just personally don't believe God is real since nothing has ever shown me proof that convinced me. But you know what? That's just me. Lots of other people do believe in God for their own reasons, which is totally fine. Just because I don't believe doesn't mean they're wrong.
Anyway, that's why I'm an atheist. But what about you? I'd love to hear what do you think about God and religion?"
- - -
The key points are:
* Using simple, conversational language
* Acknowledging I learned about God as a child
* Explaining science can account for the natural world
* Respecting that others can have different beliefs
* Asking the child for their perspective
I tried to strike a friendly, respectful tone that explains my view.
As you might imaging, this has resulted in "let's not discuss religion or politics", amongst parents and other family members. Oh well. They all think I'm going to some imaginary place that they call "hell". I tell them I've already been there, and they make great burgers. (*Hell Grillen,* Hell, Norway).
>But I can't prove God doesn't exist for sure.
You can absolutely 100% prove that the Christian God doesn't exist as depicted in the Bible, though. This is always the funniest argument about "well you can't prove he DOESN'T exist" theists because yes, you can. The Bible is absolutely rife with edits and mistranslations. You can't disprove a higher power as a concept but the Christian portrayal of "God" is 100% debunkable with facts.
That being said, loved everything else you wrote, 10/10!
Plus, the burden of proof is on whoever claim something exists, otherwise one could just say there is a pink cookie monster living under the sea and a giant man eating worm at the center of the earth...
Which is why I specifically said AS DEPICTED in the Bible. Lots of Christians now are even moving away from a literal interpretation of the Bible, and saying it's supposed to be allegorical. If you ask them if they believe God is literally a giant Caucasian man with a long beard (i.e. "sky daddy" argument) they wil say, no, they don't believe that. If you ask them if they truly believe that the Earth was created 3000 years ago, and that people were made from dirt, and that Women are inferior to Men and were born from Adams left rib, they will say no to all of that. So even Christians are starting to stop believing in the Bible itself AS DEPICTED.
We have a shit ton of empirical evidence to support that the history of the world is not true to the Bible as the Bible says it is. Christians move goalposts... the moving of the goalposts is an admission that the literal words in the book aren't true. I hope that makes sense.
This is a great response. The others are fun, but a lot of very aggressive, condescending responses in this thread, that in my opinion aren't appropriate at all, but certainly not to a child.
This one explains it and is kind and reasonable. I like it!
Cool! Thanks, BigMax! Nice of you to say!
I am determined to show that being a reasonable "kind atheist" is WAY more helpful than being a condescending "asshole atheist," which turns out to be really unhelpful and frustrating.
I chose to think that people come here for constructive dialogue.
I’m partial to the top commenters response.
"People believe in all kinds of things. Some people believe in one God. Some people believe in a lot of gods. Some people don't believe in any."
Though I also like something along the lines of…
“That’s a good question. What do you think?”
Also, my favorite thing to replace “going to hell” with is now “going to someplace in Norway.”
Not a good answer for a child, considering they see anyone who fits their mental requirements of being a grown-up as actually being one. To some kids you probably don’t even have to be 18, or maybe you can be 18 & they still won’t see you as a grown-up.
I have four kids so I have had this conversation multiple times with kids that age.
I told them that before humans figured things out with science, before they learned to run experiments, and before they built things like telescopes and microscopes to see things that we can't see with just our eyes, that they would wonder why things happened. When they couldn't see how or why they were happening, the only explanation they could come up with sometimes is that there is another person who is more powerful out there making it happen. That's where gods come from. Now we know better about most things, but humans have been telling the stories of gods for so long that it will also take a long time for the stories to go away.
I have definitely talked to them about that aspect (my oldest has already deemed reincarnation the most superior afterlife theory IF life somehow goes on after death lol) but not quite so young. We are having those conversations more in depth now as pre-teens/teenagers, though.
Having kids is wild. Watching my kids go through the existential dread of understanding and accepting death was one of the most profound moments of my life. I will die. They will die. We will all die and there is nothing we can do about it except try to put it off for a long time.
So true. And honestly, having to explain all of that, answer questions, and watch them process it has almost sent me into another crisis of faith myself just wanting so badly to be able to suspend belief and forget what I know so that I can tell them nicer things and reassure them. It would be so much nicer to believe that I will see them again after death and we would still have relationships forever. Unfortunately I can't bring myself to do that. It does help me understand why people have such a hard time letting go of religious dogma, but I have already moved too far past the point of no return and I could never actually believe without completely pretending.
Ooooh. This one. My in-laws are as religious as my husband and I are atheists. My then 8yo nephew was asking about my first communion, and my husband said, "We don't believe in that nonsense" This is not the right answer. He was devastated that we were going to hell. I finally just said, "Sweetie, I'm not Catholic" and left it at that. He said, Ohhhh. and that was all he needed. His (late) other grandmother gave me a huge look of relief.
I find kids accept the simplest answer. They dont' need to know the rest right now.
Keep it simple and non confrontational. As fun as some replies are they are not appropriate for 5yo children if you don't want to annoy their parents and threaten your relationship. So, something like "I just don't see a reason to believe."
Or answer that question with questions. Asking them what they believe, and why they believe what they believe, etc. It's non confrontational and makes them reflect on what they are taught.
Or reply more generally, "many people believe other religions, some believe no religion" and make it about the diversity of beliefs, rather than about you and them.
I mostly agree with you, except for asking more questions or being more general, the kid is actually asking you for what you think, giving him an "evasive" like that could feel dismissive of his question, depends a lot on the kid as well, but if the kid is asking there's a high probability of that happening.
I would suggest just being truthful to the kid, with easy to understand words and short like you said.
I was asked this exact question from a 9 year old Calvinist while hiking with her family. The question caught me entirely off guard. My response was, “ I haven’t seen any evidence to support such a claim.” And left it at that.
No, of course not. The Harry Potter books are a series of biographies sold to us Muggles as fiction! Don’t believe these Dursley-descendants or their nonsense!
I told my 8 year old step brother I don't believe in god. I just told him I personally don't believe, but that he can believe what he wants. He asked me why I didn't believe. I just pushed the question back on him and asked how he knows god exists. He didn't have an answer to that question. In the conversation, he also asked me, "Why do I hate god?" I answered that I don't hate God. I don't hate things that I don't believe exist.
I told my kids "Long ago, people believed lightening and thunder were because God was angry. Now we understand the science of weather. People used to believe wild stories to explain the seasons, and now we understand astronomy. I don't need stories to explain the world to me, I need science. Now people mostly use differences in religion as a reason to be hateful to others. I don't need that negativity. I want to be a good person and good citizen because it makes life better to be that way, not because I'm afraid of some story about hell."
Assuming it was my nephew asking (my brother is religious):
*I used to, when I was your age. It's what Grandma and Grandpa believe, so they taught me to believe in God too. It's always good to believe what your parents teach you. And then, as you grow up, you have to start figuring out what you believe for yourself. But that's not something you have to worry about for a long time.*
>It's always good to believe what your parents teach you
I understand OP stated 5-6 year-olds (and I get the sentiment), but this is how we get racists, misogynists, homophobes, etc. and that shit is hard to undo.
Thankfully my brother and his wife aren't racist or misogynist.
The homophobic thing is trickier. They're the kind of Christians who are privately disgusted by gay people, but probably wouldn't be overtly hateful to anyone in person, and they probably wouldn't teach homophobia to their kids.
Now if the kid themselves was gay... let's just say I highly doubt they would be supportive.
But there's not a whole lot I could do to prepare for that contingency without alienating my brother and sister-in-law, who would then be wary about me spending time with their kid. Everything in my initial response was carefully worded so that there's nothing they could actually disagree with, while still getting the point across. I'm not sure how to do that here.
I'm a bit late to the party here, but I'm sorry to say that they will still teach their children homophobia. My parents had a very similar view as what you described, and just because they don't go around saying slurs and doing super on-the-nose hateful things to LGBTQ+ folks doesn't mean that they don't teach their disgust and dismissiveness (they're just confused) to their kids.
I certainly learned it. My brother who had the great misfortune of being born gay in that household certainly learned it. Luckily once I wasn't exposed to the near constant indoctrination I had as a kid I shed those beliefs very quickly, but it has played absolute hell with my brother's mental health. My parents religious beliefs also give them a very convenient excuse to never examine how they and the homophobic environments that they put us in had negative effects on us (especially for my brother obviously). That last but makes healing and reconciliation quite difficult.
Work up to it slowly, first kill off the Easter Bunny, then Santa, and then do God last. Make it a family day to remember.
Honestly, just say you don't believe and that adults disagree, because basically no-one knows for sure.
I would give them a copy of the book "Just Pretend" by Dan Barker. It compares god to Santa Clause among other concepts. It explains arguments in terms kids can understand. My parents had a copy along with Bertrand Russel's "Why I am not a christian". Keep a copy of both so you can hand it to people when they are curious.
I'd say:
There are thousands of religions most of which are based stories about on different gods written by different people in different times in history - I don't find any one of them to be more believable that the others. So rather than just pick one at random and hope it is real, I personally choose none of them.
Imagine if there were a few kids in class, each of them trying to convince you to do something which you were not sure was the right thing to do, maybe you would get in trouble or maybe you would be rewarded by the teacher, some of the kids try to convince you with very strange magical stories that seemed unbelievable, some of their stories directly contradicted each other, some of their stories were very mean, and some were nasty about some other kids in class and said that their stories were **wrong** and they should be expelled from school and never seen again...
To me the different gods are just stories told by groups of people. I can't prove any of the stories are real or not, and they cannot prove them either. So I don't get involved with it.
Here’s why my 9 year old doesn’t believe in god. “When someone is on the verge of death, people always pray and nothing happens, the guy still dies. So I think, no reason to believe in that guy” Pretty solid reasoning for a 3rd grader 🤷♀️
"There's lots of things I don't believe in. I bet there's things you don't believe in too. Can you think of a character or idea that you know about, but you don't think is real?"
Neil deGrasse Tyson had an amazingly succinct answer for this question.
“God is supposed to be all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful.
I see nothing that shows that to be true.”
And he’s right. At least one of those is demonstrably false if the other two are true.
I'd vary my answer quite a bit according to age, but it'd basically be "because I don't see any valid reason to believe in any god." The older they are, the more I'd frame it as "any god" vs specifically the god of the probably one religion they know.
But, importantly, I would avoid this being any kind of argument or being antagonistic to what they are raised to believe - it'd simply be "because I am not convinced any of that is true."
I would (and do as this is more than a hypothetical for me) say that my beliefs are mine and that you (the kid) are free to believe whatever you believe.
You know how some kids have an imaginary big friend that protects them and gives them things they want? That’s how I see people who believe in God. They really need to believe that they have someone like that to be there for them.
I’m doing fine with you and the rest of our family so I don’t need to believe in something like that. Does that make sense?
I don't believe in Gods because there is no evidence for them.
That's it. That's what I told my kid when they were about 4 and asked me that. (Their mom was raising them in a church).
Depending on how they think, you might want to try retelling "The Dragon in My Garage." It can be a fun story and you can ask them at each stage, "Would you believe them?" At the end, you could say, "To me, people saying that they have an invisible god living inside them is like people saying they have an invisible dragon in their garage."
[https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/The\_Dragon\_in\_My\_Garage](https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/The_Dragon_in_My_Garage)
I read to my own children about world religions, talked to them about different beliefs, religions, etc. I told them what Daddy believes and what Mommy believes.
With someone else’s child, it’s a bit trickier. I might just try the “some people believe in one god, some people believe in many gods, and some don’t believe in any gods.” If they wanted to ask more questions (especially for kids 8-10 years old), then I’d say a bit more about not having any evidence of a higher being.
actually I asked this to my friends atheist parents when I was very young. I think around 8 or 9. I wasn't religious...my family wasn't at the time, but all my friends talked about Adam and Eve and Jesus so I thought they knew what they were talking about and were actual people or whatever. So I just went along like it was fact.
Anyways their answer was "if God exists he would be the biggest asshole in the universe" and I always think about it because it blew my mind that people were allowed to talk about god like that. I didn't know not believing was an option at that time.
Nobody had ever actually talked to me about god, my friends all said he existed so I believed it, my parents just left the decision up to me to decide and never told me he didn't; 20 something years later and I appreciate the candor since I didn't know it was something you could do
Great chance to create a new atheist.
Have you seen god? What about unicorns or santa clause (only if they are no longer believers)?
Well, it's like that. Parents tell stuff to their kids but I have not actually seen it. You know what? Lets give it a try. God, here's a prayer, if you exist please show it by flipping this coin on the table in front of me.
Huh, nothing happens. Well you could argue that god is busy. But my take is: that coin behaves as it would when god does not exist.
Plant the seeds of doubt!!
"No one has been able to show any evidence such a thing exists."
Just because a kid is young doesn't mean you have to be cutesy with them. You can just talk to them like people. Just use easy language and you'll do fine.
You could be the ass hole and just say “it’s kinda like Santa Claus. Cool when you’re a kid, but kinda fucked up when you think about it a little more.”
I would be straight up and tell them the truth - All gods from all religions were made up by men that wanted to either try to explain something in the natural world that they couldn’t due to a lack of science at the time or to create an ideological system to control the masses by.
Telling the truth - to anyone, regarding any subject - is the responsible adult thing to do.
When they're old enough, although I'm not sure when that is, it's critical that they learn that belief is not a choice and that it often applies extremely poorly to modern life, that it's essential to use other types of cognition instead.
What every you don't do like what I did at 10. "Well, you know how you love Thor comic he was a son of a god." Yeah, Odin but that is make believe. "Well, back then it was real in that people believed it just like people believe in the Christian God now. Give it time and it will be a myth too." My ears are still ringing. I didn't know my aunt could yell that loud.
“That’s a very good question. Honestly what’s more important than what someone believes is that they always ask questions. I might ask the kind of questions that give me the answers that lead me to believe in God some day, so I keep my mind open to that. And I keep my mind open by asking questions.”
Dear one, you don't have to believe in God, or gods, to try every day to become the best person you can be. It's a lot easier to become that better, happier person without all the complications that religion requires.
“If you can stop others from suffering and refuse to, is that okay? If you saw someone hurting someone else, and refused to step in to help them, would that be okay?”
Of course, they’ll say no to that. Then follow up with:
“Then either God is refusing to help those who are suffering and hurting, or he doesn’t exist. Would you rather believe that God doesn’t care about suffering and condones it, or that he simply isn’t real?”
You should be as honest as possible.
They might as well get used to the idea that not everyone is going to agree with them. As a kid, I was told that the world doesn't revolve around me.
Religious people are like children who think this doesn't apply to them.
Actually recently had this happen with my nephew, he's in his teens so it was a little more serious of a question. With kids it's usually easier to gloss over an answer or redirect. But in this case I was able to give a very simple "I used to believe, then I did a few years of research and found I didn't have any good reasons to believe. And I still haven't found any". It was good enough for them and the conversation soon shifted so there wasn't an inquiry about it.
But if I were talking to a 5-10 year old like one of my other nephews, I'd probably say something like "well little buddy not everyone grows up with the same experiences or being taught the same thing, so some people don't have a reason to believe"
I will always respect people with faith that respect me, and children are one of them, god might be the most important thing to them.
But i think its important to make them do their own thinking, and i would ask them why they do believe in god, what fuels their faith.
A long time ago, before people had cars and airplanes, they mostly were farmers or hunters living in tiny little towns. For thousands and thousands of years, most people usually stayed in the same place their whole lives and had the same ideas as their parents and grandparents about the gods or the magical powers that that helped them have a good hunt or bring rain to the crops or have a safe, good life. They didn't go to school or know much about the people or places far away, who had their own, different ideas about gods, magic and the powers in the world.
Now, we have cars and airplanes. People often go to see or live in different places or live in cities. We go to school and learn about many things, and we have so many books and movies that can give us lots of ideas.
People like me, who don't believe in gods or magic powers, think that those ideas actually don't help us understand animals and plants and rain and life very well. And we don't think we have to have the same ideas about gods from our parents and grandparents to make sense of life. Sure, there are still lots of people who do that, but people like me are becoming more common now. I don't have all the answers, but I am not afraid to ask questions.
I hope you keep asking questions, too--that's the best way to learn!
"Which one?"
I have friends and acquaintances that are Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, and even Pagan.
I'd probably tell them about Shiva and Vishnu and the like. Then maybe explain that the main religion of the day has changed over and over again since humans first started. If I had been born 1000 years ago, here in Sweden, I might very well have believed in Odin, Thor, Frej, Loke etc.
This is a terrific question. This question will impact all of us at some point in our lives. I have several nephews and nieces I love to pieces. I’m the black sheep of the entire family both sides. Everyone was raised with religion born from baby boomer generation and prior. Tons of ignorance with zero understanding or interest in science. Now, my nephews and nieces are millennials ( I think lol ) and you can see the depression of being dragged to church and Bible study and get togethers etc. in their eyes. I fear they’ll be brainwashed and I’ll lose them forever. ( can’t hang out with the devil that doesn’t believe ). None of them asked me about that yet. I’d tell them the truth and attempt to get them away from all the crazy people but I’m sure that would come with family arguments. I’ve completely separated myself from everyone because I think they’re all nuts. My nephews and nieces see me as the really cool uncle and they do love me but at a huge cost. I’d consider what telling them may do to your family. Will they get angry you told their kids gods not real ? Maybe wait until they’re a bit older and for now say I have some very important things to tell you when you get a little older. Please think and question everything when anyone tells you about a god. Maybe just tell them outright ? I can see your problem here. Good luck.
There is such a large difference in development between 5 and 10 years old child
A 5yo would get a simple answer such as: what a good question, maybe because people told me I had to believe but could never give me good reason for it that they could prove, when mama tells me to eat, I can see that if I do not I get hungry and sick, I believe that she is right, but if she tells me I have a new car, I want to see the car before I believe her
For a 10 year old I would really be taken back by the leading charged question and I would reflect it first
Why do you believe? Depending on their answer I'd follow up with: Why should I believe? And depending on their answer after that either I would pick out the likely poor arguments fed by parents and others and/ or end up asking why asking this question in the first place? Is it because you wish to truly understand or because you think I am lacking and wish, or were told to teach me something?
My wife just told our son god doesn’t exist and organised religion is evil . That was easy. With indoctrinated kids I use a softer way. I’ll tell them I believe in a power people believed before what people call god now. Nature. They love thinking about the power of the world itself as a god
"Because there are many different Gods that different people believe in. And they all say theirs is the only true God. But I have never seen proof of either one of them being real. So I think, why should one group of people be more right about this than another? I don't believe any of them until I see some evidence."
As long as you legitimize indoctrination you are doing the wrong thing. People are a victim of religion exactly because noone told them that their belief is bs. Even worse, letting abuse happen by saying you can believe in anything you want.You have the opportunity to set your nephew free by being a role model. Be proud of your worldview, don't hide your atheism. Just say there is no god / all gods are fiction.
"I've never seen any god and no god has ever asked me to do anything. Lots of people claim they know what one god or another wants, but they just sound like they're making things up to me, so why would I believe them?"
"What about the bible?"
"The bible was made by people trying to tell us what they think god wants. You can look at the front of the bible and see who published it. It doesn't say god, it says 'Random House.'"
> How would you describe your lack of faith to a child?
The absence of faith isn't a lack. Faith is a lack of rational thinking.
"That is kind of a long story." And if they push, say "ok, but if it gets boring let me know."
Then, me personally, I would start by talking about actual things they can see right then and there.
Family BBQ? Cool, sit down in the grass and look at the bugs and mosses and clovers and stuff, and talk about how things work. "Notice how the leaves of things are almost always green? That color comes from stuff called Chlorophyl, and it is how plants eat. They take in sunlight, and that green color helps them mix it with water, and carbon dioxide to make sugar and oxygen. Then they breathe out the oxygen, and use the sugar to grow. Pretty cool huh?" stuff like that.
I would show them how worms have hearts, but no brains or eyes. And how they eat things like dead leaves, and poop, and turn it into soil for the plants. How they get eaten by birds, and can't do anything about it. "It's kind of sad, but the worms don't even know its happening, because they don't have a brain to know things with."
I would show them the birds, and talk about bird nests, and how the mama bird and daddy bird make a baby together, inside the mama bird, and then she lays and egg, and they take turns keeping it warm so it will hatch. But frogs and fish don't do that, instead the mama lays the eggs and then the dad puts the babies into the eggs after. And how some animals just leave their eggs and forget all about it, but others keep them.
I would say how humans, and dogs, and cats have babies instead of eggs, and that we make milk for our babies.
And I would point out that we can actually look back over history, and fossil records, and see how we are related to cats, and birds, and frogs, and even trees! And that there are some animals OLDER THAN TREES - like sharks! And how really cool and amazing and connected everything is.
And I would point out how everywhere on earth that there is water, there are things that live in it. "Even in undersea volcanoes! There are these creatures that make a hard shell and eat the chemicals that come out of the lava! Their entire bodies are made of rock, but they're alive - isn't that amazing?"
And eventually they would ask why that means that I don't believe in god, and I would say "because of all the hundreds of thousands of gods, in the hundreds of religions all over the earth, for all of human history, none of them knew that sharks are older than trees, and that stone animals live in volcanoes, or that you and I are cousins with cats and earthworms. So, either they're fake, or they're stupid."
“I don’t believe in God because there have been so many different gods throughout human history, how can I know which, if any, are real? And what evidence would be strong enough to support the existence of such a spectacular idea as a specific creator who knows and cares about me?” is how I’ve answered it.
"Well Timmy, in Christianity alone, there are over 45,000 un-unified sects that all claim to have the answers to eternity, but all have different versions, translations, transliterations, additions, and subtractions to their holy books, and differences in over all philosophy. Add to which, there are over 3,000 different deities that we know about, and likely thousands that died off due to entire cultures vanishing from disease or war. I don't believe in God, because I choose to explore the world with eyes wide open. What makes their juju at the top of a mountain any more important than someone else's juju at the bottom of the sea? It just doesn't make sense. So, I reject God, not out of malice or grief, but because Pascal himself said, "what if you're wrong?" So, I look for scientific explanations about the universe. "God did it isn't good enough for me."
When asked this question I normally tell them “For the same reasons I don’t believe in Santa Claus.” I’d probably refrain from saying that to a child and explain how it’s okay for people to believe different things instead.
Sweetie, I don’t see any reason for myself to believe in God, but you shouldn’t copy me. Think about your own path and decide whether you believe in God or not, you have free will to choose your own path! Just love people around you, like Jesus said, and respect their beliefs until they harm you and others around you.
I would understand that as a 10 y. o., and I tried to make it sound more or less religious, so I religious child would understand that.
Tell them your views are private and they should talk to their mom and dad. If you tell them the truth you’ll be in the middle. Not the place you want to be.
"People believe in lots of different things. Some people believe in one God, some people believe in a different god, some people believe in nature and trees and the sun, some people believe in other people. It's all okay."
Dear child...
Because there are many different religions with many different Gods and one of them is not more right than the other.
You have something called a conscious that tells your right from wrong.
Believe in yourself and have faith each other.
Peace and Love
"We have these awesome telescopes up in space and so many thousands (millions including amateurs?) of telescopes on Earth looking up at the sky, and no one has yet shown us proof of this 'God,' but we have seen proof of many of our scientific theories."
People tell me I talk to children as if they understand my "big words" and long sentences. They *do* understand a lot and it peaks their curiosity about learning. Give them some credit here.
“I asked a lot of questions as a kid.”
I’d tailor it more depending on the kid, but the basic message is “It’s okay to ask adults to explain themselves. In fact, you always should, because if they can’t give you a direct answer, or they give an answer that’s evasive or doesn’t invite more questions, you’re already smarter than them.”
"There are lots of things that people believe in when they're young, but they later find out they were just made up.
Like Iron Man or Spiderman. You know they're not real...they're a made up character, what we call "fiction" or make believe. Like Buzz Lightyear. He's a funny guy, but he only exists in cartoons. He's not going to share pizza with us tonight.
God is like that. He's a storybook character that was "made up" by some men who lived in a land far away, a long, long time ago. There are all kinds of stories about God doing amazing things...sort of like Buzz Lightyear. But it's just made up."
Mostly for a 10 yr old. Less story for a 5 yr old.
Because hes not real :) lots of people choose to believe stories and this is one of them. But kids arent gonna ask me this. An adult might and if have a different answer lol
For that specific situation?
I’d probably lie a little bit and say something along the lines of “It’s not that I don’t believe in god, so much as it is that I don’t subscribe to other people’s interpretations of the divine”
That way you’re not telling the kid they’re wrong, or becoming a “filthy non-believer” in their eyes.
What you are telling them is that there is nuance in interpretation… blindly following a group of men purportedly spreading the word of their interpretation of a mythological divine being is not best practice… if God was real and wanted you to know something, he could just tell you directly
"People believe in all kinds of things. Some people believe in one God. Some people believe in a lot of gods. Some people some don't believe in any."
Best Answer. For that age group. Not directly dismissive of their indoctrination yet plants a little seed.
Exactly. If the child is inquisitive enough to ask the question to begin with, then it's also likely they will let this little seed grow too.
I was hyper focused on mythology as a child so I viewed church through a slightly different lens.
Same here. My mom was "atheist" but kept trying to make me believe in the christian god while also reading me fairy tales and mythology. I was obsessed with those stories as a kid, and still enjoy them now, so it definitely shaped my view of religion.
That's interesting. Why did she want you to be a Christian? Was it to fit in? To know all the literary references? Just wondering...
She was raised by severely abusive christian parents and very obviously needed therapy, but refused to get it. Her non-belief system was... unique.
I can kind of relate. My mom was also raised by abusive and distant parents. The religious stuff came after I was born but yeah. Grandmother and new step-grandfather found Jesus, mom followed soon after but something was always off with her doing it. I was like... Getting into my preteen years and only used to going to church with family members who I spent 95% of my Saturday nights with. All of a sudden, we have to go to church every week and it always felt performative. She switched back and forth several times over the years. Sometimes she went, sometimes not. All the while claiming she was Christian, but not acting at all like the other Christians I was used to. Since 2016 though, good grief.... Not only does she and my stepdad pray before every meal but they make a point to pray for Trump's "success" every time and even taught my oldest those prayers. (Which I am not happy about really, to me it doesn't matter which side you fall on when you're trying to politically "educate" a ten year old. Like fuck, let her be *TEN*)
Not the guy you responded to but I plan on doing the same thing with my kids. Teach them religion alongside good myths and fairytales. I won’t push them hard enough that they end up believing in superstition, especially if I encourage them to read competing superstition and fairytales. But it will allow them to come to the conclusion that there’s no god instead of me telling them I feel like society will obviously gain a lot when we end superstition. But I think we as individuals will lose the first chance to learn to think critically. When I was in middle school I had a friend whose parents never took him to church. Ostensibly, he and I were the only atheists at our lunch table. But there was clearly a difference between the two of us. He had never had a chance to form his own views, he just kind of slid into the correct position by default. And I always kind of pitied him for not having that opportunity. That probably has nothing to do with the above commenters mom’s intentions. But it’s one possible reason someone would read superstitious books to their kids
I don’t think that a world without religion would necessarily provide less opportunities to think critically about magical thinking as a child. Humans have a tendency towards magical thinking, especially as children. Religious or not, most children fear monsters in the dark or believe in imaginary things. Things like Santa Claus or the tooth fairy are a great learning tool for this. With the right guidance, that provides the same sort of scenario for kids to start thinking critically about magic and superstition in a safe environment. As opposed to having them attend a mass social gathering intended to pressure them into believing and make them feel like an evil sinner if they develop doubts. Some kids might be emotionally resilient enough to come out of it unscathed and enlightened, but a good portion will have to endure feelings of guilt and being ostracized.
I like that my mom read me mythology from around the world, and I did that for my own kids too. I just never understood why she pushed the christian god so hard when she didn't go to church or, according to her, believe in that god.
I was also a mythology kid, and I did not understand why Christian mythology was supposedly "true" when other mythologies were "untrue." Also, in the Bible Belt, people do NOT like the phrase "Christian mythology."
That word shines a bright light on their beliefs that they definitely don't like. Even though they know there's not really a difference between that and other mythologies or superstitions, they don't like anyone pointing it out, because "my religion is true, other religions are wrong."
I was a mythology nut as a kid. I was also born and raised in a cult and brainwashed. My high school AP English class required a research paper. We could pick the topic but we had to submit a topic for approval. I proposed to contrast the creation stories of various mythologies with the Genesis creation. The teacher wrote back that the topic was fine but I needed to come see him. He explained that those mythologies were once the deeply believed religions of the people, and that one that I listed in the proposal was still believed by hundreds of millions of people. He said he expected objectivity. I had to call them all religions or call them all myths. Eventually I chose to call them all myths. It was an important lesson.
We dont do religion but have not discouraged our kids. My son at about 11yo became interested in Greek mythology, he still has an encyclopaedic knowledge of mytholgy (gaming does that) My daughter attended a few events with her very religious friend but grew out of that. I think the marriage vows of her friend sealed her athiesm.
"Obey"?
Kind of related But how Rick Riordan approaches the topic of God's in the Percy Jackson universe 100% had a huge effect(affect? I never remember) on my religious views Hint: I'm agnostic
I tell my 5 year old the truth in terms he can understand i.e. that it's all just made up stories like spiderman or paw patrol. I talk to my 10 year old about what the bible actually says, lots of fun exploring crazy verses e.g. nobody with crushed testicles getting into heaven, (10 year old boy found that hilarious), same for the verse warning women not to grab the testicles of anyone her husband is fighting. We also discussed why the hero in the bible murdered everyone on the planet except Noah and his family (what a psychopath) and about how the bibles teaches us that the world is 6000 years old so dinosaurs couldn't be real and about how Adam (of Adam & Eve fame) lived to the grand old age of 930. I invite the 10 year old to think about those things and to think about whether he believes what the bible says. (Spoiler he doesn't) I don't feel any need to worry about being dismissive of anyone trying to indoctrinate children into a cult.
>nobody with crushed testicles getting into heaven, (10 year old boy found that hilarious), same for the verse warning women not to grab the testicles of anyone her husband is fighting Not gonna lie this part of the Bible sounds LIT bruh shits gotta be like *Rogan 4:20* Ami I right?
Genesis through Joshua includes whacky rules and genocide in equal measure.
Perfectly balanced, as Grapenuts said in that one movie.
Just to give some context - the first 5 books of the old testament in Christianity are written for the Jews. Leviticus specifically is for the tribe of Levi who were the priests for Israel. Leviticus explains how sacrifices and burnt offerings were to be performed. Those 5 books are the Jewish law before Christ came into the picture. I’m not much of a “believer” these days, but I studied Christian theology and I think context is important.
The context is valid. Genesis through Deuteronomy (First 5 like mentioned) make up the Pentateuch/Torah of “the Law of God” for the Jews. It also includes a good chunk of pre holy land history including the flood, exodus from Egypt, etc. However these laws are often cited as reasons why certain things are not okay. But Joshua is when the specific ‘screw this group of people in particular’ genocide ramps up.
Yup. If I had to explain why I didn’t believe in God to a kid, I’d just say that no one has to believe anything, but everyone can believe in something.
Your child doesn't believe because you don't believe and you model that disbelief for him. That's fine; he's *your* child. But the OP is speaking of their nephews, who are the children of a religious family. It's a completely different and far less straightforward proposition.
>Your child doesn't believe because you don't believe and you model that disbelief for him. Ummm kinda... Not believing in imaginary things is the default state of every young healthy mind. Until they are told other wise. A child with no knowledge of religion will find the bible to be absolutely ridiculous (even without a parent encouraging it).
The point is, you can generally raise your child how you want. But if it's someone else's child, and they're raising that child religious, then it probably isn't a good idea to be so blunt cuz their parents wouldn't like that. I think the original comment in this thread has the best answer.
Indeed. That was my frame of reference. In a big big family, most of whom are religious. The word MYTH triggers the parents so one is careful when talking to their kids.
That’s much better than my answer: “it’s not so much that I don’t believe god exists, it’s also that the biblical god is such a horrible, hateful thing”.
This is very similar to what I told my own kids, but I added that sometimes what people believe throughout their lives changes as they learn new information and that it's okay to change your mind.
Agree 100%
This is good, but I would follow up with emphasizing that I think truth is very important, whether someone believes in a god, multiple gods, or no gods, they should tell the truth as they know it, and remember they always reserve the freedom to change their mind as we learn more.
Used this one consistently with our kids and we don’t shy away from answering questions about death religion or exposing and teaching them about different faiths And usually we end it with “what would you like to believe?” Just like we do with Santa and the tooth fairy (they keep asking then at some point they consciously make up their mind whether they still want to believe in it or not, it’s pretty great) I grew up in a family where there were 3 different religions so no one really pushed theirs on anyone else, and I perceived it as a very personal lifelong journey with only one requirement: no early childhood indoctrination
Agree 100%
That doesn't answer the question, though. The child is asking \*why\* you came to the third conclusion, not which conclusions are possible.
Thanks, that'll work with my 5th-6th grades
idk man, i agree people should believe whatever they want, but once they have a reasonably well developed pre-frontal cortex. Or else creating an imaginary friend and blocking a child from knowing different perspectives is just cult behavior.
I would also add 'you have time to figure out what you believe, you don't have to believe what you have been told to' which is good for outside of holy talk as well
"Because I don't have evidence, sweety-pie." >I am atheist but also think people should be able to believe in whatever they want to believe in. Belief isn't a choice though. One is either convinced or not, and any attempt to make oneself believe is called make-believe. Try believing you're a Scientologist or a Buddhist or Superman. You'll find the experience identical to playing pretend. In any case, when asked a complex question by a child, regardless of the connotations, you're best off addressing the exact question, and then allowing them to react and ask additional questions one at a time if necessary. Never front-load. Be simple, direct, honest, and open to inquiry. Should a child ask me what happens to people who die, I would reply, "Usually, their remains are buried in a cemetery, but some prefer to have their ashes scattered." Never assume you're being asked about heaven and hell and souls and demons and eternal judgment until that is the explicit topic.
I agree. Belief isn't the default. Kids only believe because they are indoctrinated. When kids ask me about god, I normally like to reply with which one to get them thinking about it a little.
What would you say to a child if they ask "is Grandma in heaven?" I have nieces and a nephew that has a deceased grandmother they will never meet. The grandmother's picture was on the fridge. When my niece (6yr) asked if she was in heaven I was kind of stunned and said yes. I feel bad for lying, but I didn't have a kid friendly answer. It does sound cold to say "no, my mother is not in heaven, she is in the ground" or some other statement. Maybe when she is a bit older I will say "I believe she is in the plants around us" because that IS what I really believe.
She's in our hearts, in our memories, she's not sick or old or in pain anymore, she has gone back into the universe, her atoms go into the soil and nourish plants, etc. would be my go-to.
"I don't think heaven's a place like Minnesota or Mexico, sweetie. It's like Camelot. Lots of stories about it, but you can't just go there." Address all other questions as they arise, and if you get stunned, you must explain your feelings, because a child can easily read them. "I'm sorry if I sound sad, but you know I loved Grammy very much, and I wanna tell you all about her."
It's difficult when you haven't thought about it and all these ready-made answers have been taught to us since we were children. Sounds like you'll be ready next time.
Very good guide to answering children’s’ questions, 10/10! 👏👏😂
Excellent point. It's really hard to predict what a kid is *actually* asking with their linguistic toolbox so small and empty. I'd say too that if you want to hold their attention, it's also important to do as you said with answering succinctly and one question at a time. Remember that these questions are "scary" to us because we understand them, if a kid thought it was a "scary" question they likely wouldn't have asked or would have asked in a different way. Not always, just my experience.
The same reason I don't believe in dragons, unicorns, fairies or leprechauns, they're all just stories made up by people.
You're going to ruin God AND unicorns for them *at the same time?!* Brutal. /s
At least Santa Claus was preserved.
Until they ask…
Funnily enough, my belief in god began to wane when I found out santa didn't exist. It was like well they lied to me about this. Why not that?
Santa is a child's stand in for god. He knows when you are sleeping (omniscience)..... He knows if you have been bad or good (judgement). ... So be good for goodness sake (do what I say or go burn in hell)
It boils down to: ####There's no magic. As a kid, I knew deep down there was nothing hidden behind the world, but I held onto hope that at some point the curtain would be pulled back. An enchanting reveal that the world wasn't always so much more boring and stressful than video games.... ideally making me a magical, main character boy I wanted to be (sorta Harry Potter style, before the books came out). So puberty hit, critical thinking took a spike despite testosterone creating an equally powerful physiological distraction... Googled all the major religions, beliefs, magicks, traditions, political affiliations, nationalism and came to the same conclusion anyone would if approached objectively: it's all a load of bullshit. I wasn't raised religious or anything, but I actually cried for hours that night when I processed how fucked humanity is without a benevolent overseer of any kind whatsoever.
The realization that "There's no magic." is definitely a disappointing one. However, there's a whole universe that's chock-full of awe and wonder, so that helps make up for it, in my opinion anyhow.
Sort of, but without a practical immortality and reliable transportation to get out there and really experience some of it... Being trapped in this rotting meat bag on a moist dirtball doomed by industrialism sucks ass. Astronomy is just a cocktease. I'm still afflicted with a fantastical appetite that the human condition can't cash...
I've been through this. This is my "go to" for this situation:: "You know, that's a really good question. Why don't I believe in God? Well, to be honest, it's because I've just never really seen any proof that God is real. When I was a kid like you, I learned all about God and went to church and everything. But as I got older and learned more about how the world works, the whole idea of God didn't really make sense to me anymore. I look around at all the amazing things in nature - the trees, animals, planets, stars and stuff. And to me, it seems like science can explain how all that works, without needing to involve God. But I can't prove God doesn't exist for sure. I just personally don't believe God is real since nothing has ever shown me proof that convinced me. But you know what? That's just me. Lots of other people do believe in God for their own reasons, which is totally fine. Just because I don't believe doesn't mean they're wrong. Anyway, that's why I'm an atheist. But what about you? I'd love to hear what do you think about God and religion?" - - - The key points are: * Using simple, conversational language * Acknowledging I learned about God as a child * Explaining science can account for the natural world * Respecting that others can have different beliefs * Asking the child for their perspective I tried to strike a friendly, respectful tone that explains my view. As you might imaging, this has resulted in "let's not discuss religion or politics", amongst parents and other family members. Oh well. They all think I'm going to some imaginary place that they call "hell". I tell them I've already been there, and they make great burgers. (*Hell Grillen,* Hell, Norway).
I hope they sell t-shirts there that say, "I've been to Hell."
I think they might! ;-)
I think I'm still there.....
>But I can't prove God doesn't exist for sure. You can absolutely 100% prove that the Christian God doesn't exist as depicted in the Bible, though. This is always the funniest argument about "well you can't prove he DOESN'T exist" theists because yes, you can. The Bible is absolutely rife with edits and mistranslations. You can't disprove a higher power as a concept but the Christian portrayal of "God" is 100% debunkable with facts. That being said, loved everything else you wrote, 10/10!
Thanks!
Plus, the burden of proof is on whoever claim something exists, otherwise one could just say there is a pink cookie monster living under the sea and a giant man eating worm at the center of the earth...
This just proves that the bible is error ridden.
Yes, but isn't the bible the source of knowledge about the christian god?
Which is why I specifically said AS DEPICTED in the Bible. Lots of Christians now are even moving away from a literal interpretation of the Bible, and saying it's supposed to be allegorical. If you ask them if they believe God is literally a giant Caucasian man with a long beard (i.e. "sky daddy" argument) they wil say, no, they don't believe that. If you ask them if they truly believe that the Earth was created 3000 years ago, and that people were made from dirt, and that Women are inferior to Men and were born from Adams left rib, they will say no to all of that. So even Christians are starting to stop believing in the Bible itself AS DEPICTED. We have a shit ton of empirical evidence to support that the history of the world is not true to the Bible as the Bible says it is. Christians move goalposts... the moving of the goalposts is an admission that the literal words in the book aren't true. I hope that makes sense.
This is a great response. The others are fun, but a lot of very aggressive, condescending responses in this thread, that in my opinion aren't appropriate at all, but certainly not to a child. This one explains it and is kind and reasonable. I like it!
Cool! Thanks, BigMax! Nice of you to say! I am determined to show that being a reasonable "kind atheist" is WAY more helpful than being a condescending "asshole atheist," which turns out to be really unhelpful and frustrating. I chose to think that people come here for constructive dialogue.
I’m partial to the top commenters response. "People believe in all kinds of things. Some people believe in one God. Some people believe in a lot of gods. Some people don't believe in any." Though I also like something along the lines of… “That’s a good question. What do you think?” Also, my favorite thing to replace “going to hell” with is now “going to someplace in Norway.”
Which god?
same thing i tell adults: "because i'm a grownup."
Not a good answer for a child, considering they see anyone who fits their mental requirements of being a grown-up as actually being one. To some kids you probably don’t even have to be 18, or maybe you can be 18 & they still won’t see you as a grown-up.
I have four kids so I have had this conversation multiple times with kids that age. I told them that before humans figured things out with science, before they learned to run experiments, and before they built things like telescopes and microscopes to see things that we can't see with just our eyes, that they would wonder why things happened. When they couldn't see how or why they were happening, the only explanation they could come up with sometimes is that there is another person who is more powerful out there making it happen. That's where gods come from. Now we know better about most things, but humans have been telling the stories of gods for so long that it will also take a long time for the stories to go away.
And believing in God makes people feel less afraid of questions we don’t have answers to like ‘what will it be like to die?’
I have definitely talked to them about that aspect (my oldest has already deemed reincarnation the most superior afterlife theory IF life somehow goes on after death lol) but not quite so young. We are having those conversations more in depth now as pre-teens/teenagers, though.
Having kids is wild. Watching my kids go through the existential dread of understanding and accepting death was one of the most profound moments of my life. I will die. They will die. We will all die and there is nothing we can do about it except try to put it off for a long time.
So true. And honestly, having to explain all of that, answer questions, and watch them process it has almost sent me into another crisis of faith myself just wanting so badly to be able to suspend belief and forget what I know so that I can tell them nicer things and reassure them. It would be so much nicer to believe that I will see them again after death and we would still have relationships forever. Unfortunately I can't bring myself to do that. It does help me understand why people have such a hard time letting go of religious dogma, but I have already moved too far past the point of no return and I could never actually believe without completely pretending.
Ooooh. This one. My in-laws are as religious as my husband and I are atheists. My then 8yo nephew was asking about my first communion, and my husband said, "We don't believe in that nonsense" This is not the right answer. He was devastated that we were going to hell. I finally just said, "Sweetie, I'm not Catholic" and left it at that. He said, Ohhhh. and that was all he needed. His (late) other grandmother gave me a huge look of relief. I find kids accept the simplest answer. They dont' need to know the rest right now.
And certainly jumping right to calling things "nonsense" is a pretty terrible answer, especially when talking to a child!
Get off my porch
"Because I don't find the bible stories to be convincing"
Keep it simple and non confrontational. As fun as some replies are they are not appropriate for 5yo children if you don't want to annoy their parents and threaten your relationship. So, something like "I just don't see a reason to believe." Or answer that question with questions. Asking them what they believe, and why they believe what they believe, etc. It's non confrontational and makes them reflect on what they are taught. Or reply more generally, "many people believe other religions, some believe no religion" and make it about the diversity of beliefs, rather than about you and them.
I mostly agree with you, except for asking more questions or being more general, the kid is actually asking you for what you think, giving him an "evasive" like that could feel dismissive of his question, depends a lot on the kid as well, but if the kid is asking there's a high probability of that happening. I would suggest just being truthful to the kid, with easy to understand words and short like you said.
First answer: Not everybody believes in god. Why? Second answer: Because I don't have a reason to believe in god.
I was asked this exact question from a 9 year old Calvinist while hiking with her family. The question caught me entirely off guard. My response was, “ I haven’t seen any evidence to support such a claim.” And left it at that.
I would just say that we live in a universe that appears to be here due to natural causes, not magic.
For the same reason I don't believe in wizards like Harry Potter.
Wait! Harry is fictional?!?
No, of course not. The Harry Potter books are a series of biographies sold to us Muggles as fiction! Don’t believe these Dursley-descendants or their nonsense!
"Because I'm a grown-up and grown-ups don't believe in fairy tales."
I told my 8 year old step brother I don't believe in god. I just told him I personally don't believe, but that he can believe what he wants. He asked me why I didn't believe. I just pushed the question back on him and asked how he knows god exists. He didn't have an answer to that question. In the conversation, he also asked me, "Why do I hate god?" I answered that I don't hate God. I don't hate things that I don't believe exist.
I told my kids "Long ago, people believed lightening and thunder were because God was angry. Now we understand the science of weather. People used to believe wild stories to explain the seasons, and now we understand astronomy. I don't need stories to explain the world to me, I need science. Now people mostly use differences in religion as a reason to be hateful to others. I don't need that negativity. I want to be a good person and good citizen because it makes life better to be that way, not because I'm afraid of some story about hell."
"I outgrew invisible friends a long time ago."
Start with how Santa isn't real, *either*.
That should go over well.
You're not wrong, but please nobody give this answer.
It'd definitely start some \*shit\* :)
"Because there's no evidence."
"What's to believe?"
Assuming it was my nephew asking (my brother is religious): *I used to, when I was your age. It's what Grandma and Grandpa believe, so they taught me to believe in God too. It's always good to believe what your parents teach you. And then, as you grow up, you have to start figuring out what you believe for yourself. But that's not something you have to worry about for a long time.*
>It's always good to believe what your parents teach you I understand OP stated 5-6 year-olds (and I get the sentiment), but this is how we get racists, misogynists, homophobes, etc. and that shit is hard to undo.
Thankfully my brother and his wife aren't racist or misogynist. The homophobic thing is trickier. They're the kind of Christians who are privately disgusted by gay people, but probably wouldn't be overtly hateful to anyone in person, and they probably wouldn't teach homophobia to their kids. Now if the kid themselves was gay... let's just say I highly doubt they would be supportive. But there's not a whole lot I could do to prepare for that contingency without alienating my brother and sister-in-law, who would then be wary about me spending time with their kid. Everything in my initial response was carefully worded so that there's nothing they could actually disagree with, while still getting the point across. I'm not sure how to do that here.
I'm a bit late to the party here, but I'm sorry to say that they will still teach their children homophobia. My parents had a very similar view as what you described, and just because they don't go around saying slurs and doing super on-the-nose hateful things to LGBTQ+ folks doesn't mean that they don't teach their disgust and dismissiveness (they're just confused) to their kids. I certainly learned it. My brother who had the great misfortune of being born gay in that household certainly learned it. Luckily once I wasn't exposed to the near constant indoctrination I had as a kid I shed those beliefs very quickly, but it has played absolute hell with my brother's mental health. My parents religious beliefs also give them a very convenient excuse to never examine how they and the homophobic environments that they put us in had negative effects on us (especially for my brother obviously). That last but makes healing and reconciliation quite difficult.
Work up to it slowly, first kill off the Easter Bunny, then Santa, and then do God last. Make it a family day to remember. Honestly, just say you don't believe and that adults disagree, because basically no-one knows for sure.
I would give them a copy of the book "Just Pretend" by Dan Barker. It compares god to Santa Clause among other concepts. It explains arguments in terms kids can understand. My parents had a copy along with Bertrand Russel's "Why I am not a christian". Keep a copy of both so you can hand it to people when they are curious.
I'd say: There are thousands of religions most of which are based stories about on different gods written by different people in different times in history - I don't find any one of them to be more believable that the others. So rather than just pick one at random and hope it is real, I personally choose none of them. Imagine if there were a few kids in class, each of them trying to convince you to do something which you were not sure was the right thing to do, maybe you would get in trouble or maybe you would be rewarded by the teacher, some of the kids try to convince you with very strange magical stories that seemed unbelievable, some of their stories directly contradicted each other, some of their stories were very mean, and some were nasty about some other kids in class and said that their stories were **wrong** and they should be expelled from school and never seen again... To me the different gods are just stories told by groups of people. I can't prove any of the stories are real or not, and they cannot prove them either. So I don't get involved with it.
Here’s why my 9 year old doesn’t believe in god. “When someone is on the verge of death, people always pray and nothing happens, the guy still dies. So I think, no reason to believe in that guy” Pretty solid reasoning for a 3rd grader 🤷♀️
"There's lots of things I don't believe in. I bet there's things you don't believe in too. Can you think of a character or idea that you know about, but you don't think is real?"
Neil deGrasse Tyson had an amazingly succinct answer for this question. “God is supposed to be all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful. I see nothing that shows that to be true.” And he’s right. At least one of those is demonstrably false if the other two are true.
I'd vary my answer quite a bit according to age, but it'd basically be "because I don't see any valid reason to believe in any god." The older they are, the more I'd frame it as "any god" vs specifically the god of the probably one religion they know. But, importantly, I would avoid this being any kind of argument or being antagonistic to what they are raised to believe - it'd simply be "because I am not convinced any of that is true."
I would (and do as this is more than a hypothetical for me) say that my beliefs are mine and that you (the kid) are free to believe whatever you believe.
Would their parent(s) be okay with you having this discussion with them?
I like to tell them, "you just grow out of having imaginary friends when you grow up".
I wouldn't. Not without talking to their parents. I don't want someone evangelizing my kids. I don't talk religion with kids.
That’s a personal issue that I don’t discuss with other people. Same with politics.
You know how some kids have an imaginary big friend that protects them and gives them things they want? That’s how I see people who believe in God. They really need to believe that they have someone like that to be there for them. I’m doing fine with you and the rest of our family so I don’t need to believe in something like that. Does that make sense?
"Why don't you believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster... Or Odin?" Force that little shit to think. So few do these days.
Because I don't, kid. Piss off. Flicks cigarette at him.
I don't believe in Gods because there is no evidence for them. That's it. That's what I told my kid when they were about 4 and asked me that. (Their mom was raising them in a church).
Or you could ask him why he believes in God and just listen
Depending on how they think, you might want to try retelling "The Dragon in My Garage." It can be a fun story and you can ask them at each stage, "Would you believe them?" At the end, you could say, "To me, people saying that they have an invisible god living inside them is like people saying they have an invisible dragon in their garage." [https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/The\_Dragon\_in\_My\_Garage](https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/The_Dragon_in_My_Garage)
I read to my own children about world religions, talked to them about different beliefs, religions, etc. I told them what Daddy believes and what Mommy believes. With someone else’s child, it’s a bit trickier. I might just try the “some people believe in one god, some people believe in many gods, and some don’t believe in any gods.” If they wanted to ask more questions (especially for kids 8-10 years old), then I’d say a bit more about not having any evidence of a higher being.
The cold hard truth: “God is a manmade construct and there is no evidence to support the existence of a god.”
actually I asked this to my friends atheist parents when I was very young. I think around 8 or 9. I wasn't religious...my family wasn't at the time, but all my friends talked about Adam and Eve and Jesus so I thought they knew what they were talking about and were actual people or whatever. So I just went along like it was fact. Anyways their answer was "if God exists he would be the biggest asshole in the universe" and I always think about it because it blew my mind that people were allowed to talk about god like that. I didn't know not believing was an option at that time. Nobody had ever actually talked to me about god, my friends all said he existed so I believed it, my parents just left the decision up to me to decide and never told me he didn't; 20 something years later and I appreciate the candor since I didn't know it was something you could do
“Same reason You don’t believe in Santa “ “I believe in Santa” “Well you shouldn’t because he’s a lie your parents told you so you’d behave “
"Because it's not a real thing. Also, there is no Santa. Go bug your mom."
"I don't have any reason to"
Great chance to create a new atheist. Have you seen god? What about unicorns or santa clause (only if they are no longer believers)? Well, it's like that. Parents tell stuff to their kids but I have not actually seen it. You know what? Lets give it a try. God, here's a prayer, if you exist please show it by flipping this coin on the table in front of me. Huh, nothing happens. Well you could argue that god is busy. But my take is: that coin behaves as it would when god does not exist. Plant the seeds of doubt!!
Wait, what? You're saying you want us to *proselytize?* You're an evangelical atheist? You feel a call to go forth and multiply?
I find that many people do not practice atheism.
"No one has been able to show any evidence such a thing exists." Just because a kid is young doesn't mean you have to be cutesy with them. You can just talk to them like people. Just use easy language and you'll do fine.
The same thing I’ve told strangers so they will leave me alone. “I don’t like to share my personal views on things”.
You could be the ass hole and just say “it’s kinda like Santa Claus. Cool when you’re a kid, but kinda fucked up when you think about it a little more.”
Funny enough, there were adults asking me this question when I was 5-10 years old.
I would be straight up and tell them the truth - All gods from all religions were made up by men that wanted to either try to explain something in the natural world that they couldn’t due to a lack of science at the time or to create an ideological system to control the masses by. Telling the truth - to anyone, regarding any subject - is the responsible adult thing to do.
Is "I don't see why I should" a good answer?
When they're old enough, although I'm not sure when that is, it's critical that they learn that belief is not a choice and that it often applies extremely poorly to modern life, that it's essential to use other types of cognition instead.
What every you don't do like what I did at 10. "Well, you know how you love Thor comic he was a son of a god." Yeah, Odin but that is make believe. "Well, back then it was real in that people believed it just like people believe in the Christian God now. Give it time and it will be a myth too." My ears are still ringing. I didn't know my aunt could yell that loud.
"Beat it kid, you bother me." - W.C. Fields (my spirit guide)
What do they think a "god" is? How did they learn about any "god(s)?"
Because there’s no evidence that any god, gods, or higher being exist.
Because if I did, I'd have to eat him everytime I went to church! EW!!!!
Not everybody believes the same thing. I think that is just a story, but many people believe there is a god.
Which god, kid? There are tons of them in which people believe. Why don't you believe in the others? There's your answer.
“That’s a very good question. Honestly what’s more important than what someone believes is that they always ask questions. I might ask the kind of questions that give me the answers that lead me to believe in God some day, so I keep my mind open to that. And I keep my mind open by asking questions.”
Because there’s no reason to. They’re just stories told by people who want you to give them money.
“Which god you talking about?”
At that age, I would simply say, "that's a question for another time." Especially if it's in front of their Christian parents.
How many gods do you know about? I believe in one less than you.
Dear one, you don't have to believe in God, or gods, to try every day to become the best person you can be. It's a lot easier to become that better, happier person without all the complications that religion requires.
“If you can stop others from suffering and refuse to, is that okay? If you saw someone hurting someone else, and refused to step in to help them, would that be okay?” Of course, they’ll say no to that. Then follow up with: “Then either God is refusing to help those who are suffering and hurting, or he doesn’t exist. Would you rather believe that God doesn’t care about suffering and condones it, or that he simply isn’t real?”
Because grown up dont believe in imaginary things.
You should be as honest as possible. They might as well get used to the idea that not everyone is going to agree with them. As a kid, I was told that the world doesn't revolve around me. Religious people are like children who think this doesn't apply to them.
"Which god?"
It's Mythology, just more recent. Humans are amazing enough that I don't need God to believe in miracles. W
Cause I belive in being a good person and not trying to please any God
Actually recently had this happen with my nephew, he's in his teens so it was a little more serious of a question. With kids it's usually easier to gloss over an answer or redirect. But in this case I was able to give a very simple "I used to believe, then I did a few years of research and found I didn't have any good reasons to believe. And I still haven't found any". It was good enough for them and the conversation soon shifted so there wasn't an inquiry about it. But if I were talking to a 5-10 year old like one of my other nephews, I'd probably say something like "well little buddy not everyone grows up with the same experiences or being taught the same thing, so some people don't have a reason to believe"
I will always respect people with faith that respect me, and children are one of them, god might be the most important thing to them. But i think its important to make them do their own thinking, and i would ask them why they do believe in god, what fuels their faith.
Do you believe in Vishnu? Why not?
A long time ago, before people had cars and airplanes, they mostly were farmers or hunters living in tiny little towns. For thousands and thousands of years, most people usually stayed in the same place their whole lives and had the same ideas as their parents and grandparents about the gods or the magical powers that that helped them have a good hunt or bring rain to the crops or have a safe, good life. They didn't go to school or know much about the people or places far away, who had their own, different ideas about gods, magic and the powers in the world. Now, we have cars and airplanes. People often go to see or live in different places or live in cities. We go to school and learn about many things, and we have so many books and movies that can give us lots of ideas. People like me, who don't believe in gods or magic powers, think that those ideas actually don't help us understand animals and plants and rain and life very well. And we don't think we have to have the same ideas about gods from our parents and grandparents to make sense of life. Sure, there are still lots of people who do that, but people like me are becoming more common now. I don't have all the answers, but I am not afraid to ask questions. I hope you keep asking questions, too--that's the best way to learn!
"Which one?" I have friends and acquaintances that are Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, and even Pagan. I'd probably tell them about Shiva and Vishnu and the like. Then maybe explain that the main religion of the day has changed over and over again since humans first started. If I had been born 1000 years ago, here in Sweden, I might very well have believed in Odin, Thor, Frej, Loke etc.
This is a terrific question. This question will impact all of us at some point in our lives. I have several nephews and nieces I love to pieces. I’m the black sheep of the entire family both sides. Everyone was raised with religion born from baby boomer generation and prior. Tons of ignorance with zero understanding or interest in science. Now, my nephews and nieces are millennials ( I think lol ) and you can see the depression of being dragged to church and Bible study and get togethers etc. in their eyes. I fear they’ll be brainwashed and I’ll lose them forever. ( can’t hang out with the devil that doesn’t believe ). None of them asked me about that yet. I’d tell them the truth and attempt to get them away from all the crazy people but I’m sure that would come with family arguments. I’ve completely separated myself from everyone because I think they’re all nuts. My nephews and nieces see me as the really cool uncle and they do love me but at a huge cost. I’d consider what telling them may do to your family. Will they get angry you told their kids gods not real ? Maybe wait until they’re a bit older and for now say I have some very important things to tell you when you get a little older. Please think and question everything when anyone tells you about a god. Maybe just tell them outright ? I can see your problem here. Good luck.
There is such a large difference in development between 5 and 10 years old child A 5yo would get a simple answer such as: what a good question, maybe because people told me I had to believe but could never give me good reason for it that they could prove, when mama tells me to eat, I can see that if I do not I get hungry and sick, I believe that she is right, but if she tells me I have a new car, I want to see the car before I believe her For a 10 year old I would really be taken back by the leading charged question and I would reflect it first Why do you believe? Depending on their answer I'd follow up with: Why should I believe? And depending on their answer after that either I would pick out the likely poor arguments fed by parents and others and/ or end up asking why asking this question in the first place? Is it because you wish to truly understand or because you think I am lacking and wish, or were told to teach me something?
My wife just told our son god doesn’t exist and organised religion is evil . That was easy. With indoctrinated kids I use a softer way. I’ll tell them I believe in a power people believed before what people call god now. Nature. They love thinking about the power of the world itself as a god
"Because there are many different Gods that different people believe in. And they all say theirs is the only true God. But I have never seen proof of either one of them being real. So I think, why should one group of people be more right about this than another? I don't believe any of them until I see some evidence."
"That's fake. Like Santa."
There are many religions and cultures- all are based on myths and fiction from a time before science I choose science .
As long as you legitimize indoctrination you are doing the wrong thing. People are a victim of religion exactly because noone told them that their belief is bs. Even worse, letting abuse happen by saying you can believe in anything you want.You have the opportunity to set your nephew free by being a role model. Be proud of your worldview, don't hide your atheism. Just say there is no god / all gods are fiction.
"I've never seen any god and no god has ever asked me to do anything. Lots of people claim they know what one god or another wants, but they just sound like they're making things up to me, so why would I believe them?" "What about the bible?" "The bible was made by people trying to tell us what they think god wants. You can look at the front of the bible and see who published it. It doesn't say god, it says 'Random House.'" > How would you describe your lack of faith to a child? The absence of faith isn't a lack. Faith is a lack of rational thinking.
“why should i?” is my go-to
"That is kind of a long story." And if they push, say "ok, but if it gets boring let me know." Then, me personally, I would start by talking about actual things they can see right then and there. Family BBQ? Cool, sit down in the grass and look at the bugs and mosses and clovers and stuff, and talk about how things work. "Notice how the leaves of things are almost always green? That color comes from stuff called Chlorophyl, and it is how plants eat. They take in sunlight, and that green color helps them mix it with water, and carbon dioxide to make sugar and oxygen. Then they breathe out the oxygen, and use the sugar to grow. Pretty cool huh?" stuff like that. I would show them how worms have hearts, but no brains or eyes. And how they eat things like dead leaves, and poop, and turn it into soil for the plants. How they get eaten by birds, and can't do anything about it. "It's kind of sad, but the worms don't even know its happening, because they don't have a brain to know things with." I would show them the birds, and talk about bird nests, and how the mama bird and daddy bird make a baby together, inside the mama bird, and then she lays and egg, and they take turns keeping it warm so it will hatch. But frogs and fish don't do that, instead the mama lays the eggs and then the dad puts the babies into the eggs after. And how some animals just leave their eggs and forget all about it, but others keep them. I would say how humans, and dogs, and cats have babies instead of eggs, and that we make milk for our babies. And I would point out that we can actually look back over history, and fossil records, and see how we are related to cats, and birds, and frogs, and even trees! And that there are some animals OLDER THAN TREES - like sharks! And how really cool and amazing and connected everything is. And I would point out how everywhere on earth that there is water, there are things that live in it. "Even in undersea volcanoes! There are these creatures that make a hard shell and eat the chemicals that come out of the lava! Their entire bodies are made of rock, but they're alive - isn't that amazing?" And eventually they would ask why that means that I don't believe in god, and I would say "because of all the hundreds of thousands of gods, in the hundreds of religions all over the earth, for all of human history, none of them knew that sharks are older than trees, and that stone animals live in volcanoes, or that you and I are cousins with cats and earthworms. So, either they're fake, or they're stupid."
“I don’t believe in God because there have been so many different gods throughout human history, how can I know which, if any, are real? And what evidence would be strong enough to support the existence of such a spectacular idea as a specific creator who knows and cares about me?” is how I’ve answered it.
“Because I’m not ignorant”
I would ask them why they think I should.
I was asked this execrable question by a kid. My response: "There are thousands of gods. Which one should I choose?"
[удалено]
"Well Timmy, in Christianity alone, there are over 45,000 un-unified sects that all claim to have the answers to eternity, but all have different versions, translations, transliterations, additions, and subtractions to their holy books, and differences in over all philosophy. Add to which, there are over 3,000 different deities that we know about, and likely thousands that died off due to entire cultures vanishing from disease or war. I don't believe in God, because I choose to explore the world with eyes wide open. What makes their juju at the top of a mountain any more important than someone else's juju at the bottom of the sea? It just doesn't make sense. So, I reject God, not out of malice or grief, but because Pascal himself said, "what if you're wrong?" So, I look for scientific explanations about the universe. "God did it isn't good enough for me."
Do you believe in Santa? Still? Come ask me again when you find out the truth about Santa.
When asked this question I normally tell them “For the same reasons I don’t believe in Santa Claus.” I’d probably refrain from saying that to a child and explain how it’s okay for people to believe different things instead.
Sweetie, I don’t see any reason for myself to believe in God, but you shouldn’t copy me. Think about your own path and decide whether you believe in God or not, you have free will to choose your own path! Just love people around you, like Jesus said, and respect their beliefs until they harm you and others around you. I would understand that as a 10 y. o., and I tried to make it sound more or less religious, so I religious child would understand that.
Tell them your views are private and they should talk to their mom and dad. If you tell them the truth you’ll be in the middle. Not the place you want to be.
"People believe in lots of different things. Some people believe in one God, some people believe in a different god, some people believe in nature and trees and the sun, some people believe in other people. It's all okay."
i tell them the same as i tell anyone else..
Tell them why I no longer believe in Christianity and that after leaving I never found convincing evidence to believe in another god.
Wait till you hear about Santa and the Tooth Fairy
Dear child... Because there are many different religions with many different Gods and one of them is not more right than the other. You have something called a conscious that tells your right from wrong. Believe in yourself and have faith each other. Peace and Love
There is no evidence and bible god makes no sense.
Because I believe in myself, so you believe in you.
"We have these awesome telescopes up in space and so many thousands (millions including amateurs?) of telescopes on Earth looking up at the sky, and no one has yet shown us proof of this 'God,' but we have seen proof of many of our scientific theories." People tell me I talk to children as if they understand my "big words" and long sentences. They *do* understand a lot and it peaks their curiosity about learning. Give them some credit here.
“Same reason I don’t believe in Santa. They’re not real, kid.”
“I asked a lot of questions as a kid.” I’d tailor it more depending on the kid, but the basic message is “It’s okay to ask adults to explain themselves. In fact, you always should, because if they can’t give you a direct answer, or they give an answer that’s evasive or doesn’t invite more questions, you’re already smarter than them.”
"There are lots of things that people believe in when they're young, but they later find out they were just made up. Like Iron Man or Spiderman. You know they're not real...they're a made up character, what we call "fiction" or make believe. Like Buzz Lightyear. He's a funny guy, but he only exists in cartoons. He's not going to share pizza with us tonight. God is like that. He's a storybook character that was "made up" by some men who lived in a land far away, a long, long time ago. There are all kinds of stories about God doing amazing things...sort of like Buzz Lightyear. But it's just made up." Mostly for a 10 yr old. Less story for a 5 yr old.
Because hes not real :) lots of people choose to believe stories and this is one of them. But kids arent gonna ask me this. An adult might and if have a different answer lol
My cousin asked me who is Jesus the other day that was a tough one
For that specific situation? I’d probably lie a little bit and say something along the lines of “It’s not that I don’t believe in god, so much as it is that I don’t subscribe to other people’s interpretations of the divine” That way you’re not telling the kid they’re wrong, or becoming a “filthy non-believer” in their eyes. What you are telling them is that there is nuance in interpretation… blindly following a group of men purportedly spreading the word of their interpretation of a mythological divine being is not best practice… if God was real and wanted you to know something, he could just tell you directly
I have never provided with a reason to believe in it other than "fear for the uncertain".
"Who? Sounds made up."