If you believe, when do you start to introduce? - Page 2

[Kidzaplenty]

Our relationship with our God is a very personal relationship. He is as necessary to our lives as air and food. We teach our children about Him from the moment of birth. But it is about the relationship, the Living God, that is in our lives, not just some dry book learning or phylisophical education of facts.

We should come to God with the faith of a child, and that is why if you wait until a child is of "cognitive age" to "understand" it deeply, they will miss the faith foundation that should be laid during their "faith age".

Children are like sponges. They absord everything, even if they do not really understand it to its fullest.

So, we lay the foundation for their faith and relationship with God from the moment the breathe our air. I sing to them of His wondrous deeds as they suckle. We pray for them as they are scared or hurt. We pray with them as they learn to communicate to God in the simplest terms at a very early age.

I am not seperate from my relationship with my God. He and I are unseperable. So this is what I desire my children to understand and grow up knowing.

[wombatclay]

Heyla everyone! This is a great topic for discussion, and so far everyone is staying inside the lines (so to speak ) but I do want to remind everyone that according to the Spirituality Forum Guidelines:

The Spirituality board is a forum of support, respectful requests of information, and sharing of faith and practice. To uphold this purpose the board will not host discussions of debate or criticism. Disagreements about spiritual issues should be set aside out of respect for the diversity and varying interpretations and beliefs that we hold as a community.

While we will not restrict discussions to persons of the faith being discussed we will be active in discouraging an individual from posting for the purpose of disagreement, with no interest in practicing the faith or belief in discussion, or to prove a faith or a belief to be wrong, misguided, or not based on fact.

Discussions of the biological, psychological, or developmental foundation of spiritual beliefs may be better suited to the Religious Studies forum. So far I think everyone here is being respectful and gentle with each other, but if anyone would like to "dig deeper" into some of the questions raised in this thread please consider moving to the Religious Studies forum!

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And on the main topic ... our family is pagan and we attend the local Unitarian Universalist church (so "formal instruction" follows the UU religious education pattern). We say a blessing before meals and a thanksgiving after, we sing a special song each evening as part of our bedtime routine, and we often share stories (at bedtime or during the day) that touch on our beliefs. I guess DH and I aren't really focusing on introducing religion as such, but more just expressing our beliefs as the situation arises (like we would with any topic/subject).

Although it is more focused on pagan families, you may want to see if your library has a copy of Celebrating the Great Mother by Cait Johnson. It's technically an "any family interested in nature/earth" spirituality (though she is a pagan author and the book really is "pagan" to me) and it has seasonal ideas and activities for children of all ages that help families blend spirituality into daily life. You may find some ideas that you could adapt to your own spirituality/family interests.

[mammal_mama]

Originally Posted by Kidzaplenty

I am not seperate from my relationship with my God. He and I are unseperable. So this is what I desire my children to understand and grow up knowing.

Yes! And when we live in this way, it's impossible for our children, or anyone close to us, not to see and know that we're living in communion with Him.

This is a great discussion, and I second the idea to move it to Religious Studies.

[Aleo]

Originally Posted by mclisa

now.

My kids are introduced before they even know what is going on. They go to church as newborns. Then we begin reading simplified books too. My kids also start Sunday school once they are 3.

:

[Bekka]

religious development of children

I guess my kids are "weird" because especially my oldest dd has been understanding word play, metaphors, similes, allegories, etc. for a couple of years. She has a deep understanding of God and asks deeply insightful questions all.the.time. She turned 10 in Sept. I noticed her "developmental change" around 7 1/2 or 8. It was really quite noticeable.

I really think kids are capable of very deep relationships with the spiritual/divine, and I mean very little ones, like 4 or 5 years old. And I don't agree with everything Piaget has to say anyway, but that's a different thread.

[lilyka]

Originally Posted by cappuccinosmom

No, they don't "comprehend" it in an adult way. Do adults even have the capacity to comprehend and all-knowing, all powerful, all loving, perfect God?

yeah that

We start from birth. Our faith is not a part of our lives. it is our life and it flows ion and out of everything. Its a part of them from day one.