Pete... about 'teaching your children your faith'....

When children are very young, they are very suggestive. They believe almost anything.. until they learn about stories & fibs & outright lies. They accept, then reject, Santa Claus, the tooth fairy...etc, as they learn that some stories are just for children to 'enhance' a holiday.
But at the same time they are learning Santa Claus, they are often hearing about Jesus and/or other 'serious' figures. This usually continues, with varying degrees of pressure according to their family & church, until real choice about religion is not easy to make.... it is too ingrained to easily doubt - and of course that is the point in most cases. Seriously religious parents do not want the children to have any doubts, and if by some odd chance, the kids do have doubts, it can lead to very hard feelings and crisis.

Is there any fair & practical way around this? I doubt it.... some children grow disillusioned with religion for various reasons: liberal education, bad experiences (like abuse), or just simply thinking for themselves- as happened with me. I was a Methodist, but it was not *firmly driven into me*. Religion was not a part of daily life, and no one threatened me one way or another.

If I could choose, this is how it would be for everyone. "Here's what various people believe... most of our family & friends believe 'X'... others believe 'Y' 'Z' or nothing. YOU must decide if you 'like' the idea of church and the afterlife... etc."

   There would STILL be religions & churches, I'd still respect their beliefs.. if they kept them out of schools & politics...etc.

The issues is... when people **seriously believe**, they tend to feel obligated to get others to believe the same way, "go, and become fishers of men" and 'fair' gives way to schemes and pressures & often, outright lies.

I DO understand why many believers do believe... and for some, they emotionally & psychologically NEED that.... no matter what form it may take.... and the issues of whether it's all true or not gets lost- because 'truth' and 'proof' in religion simply are not easily dealt with.

That, in the smallest nutshell I can reduce it to, is what all these posts are really about. Some need/want to defend various religious stances, others react and say hold on.. "It ain't necessarily so.." (like in the song).
I have tried for several years now to explain & categorize the logic, language, history, science and cultural norms that are involved, but if my attempts get too close to a nerve, you..(and a few others).. seek various ways to dodge what I'm saying by challenging the very basis of my reasoning!..and in doing so, you break the very rules fair debate & analysis are based on... (and of course, you will deny THIS)... and so it goes.

There are no winners in this, and yet all forge ahead. I will be VERY busy the next 10 days and will not try to keep up. I have no idea how I'll feel when I glance at another couple of hundreds posts.... frustrated, I'd guess.

Take care: :>)