Atheist Mommies, Part II

[DiaperDiva]

Our other thread was getting long, and buried, so I thought it might be easier to start a new one.

We talked earlier about exposing your atheist child to religion. I found this interesting piece today:

On Parenting and Atheist Child by Madelyn O'Hair (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Rhodes/3548/parenting.htm)

[DiaperDiva]

Just thought I would share som informative and supportive sites that I found today:

American Atheists (http://www.atheists.org)


AA Youth and Family Site (http://www.atheists.org/family/home.html)

Find an American Atheists Group (http://www.atheists.org/state.html)

Coming Out (http://www.atheists.org/comingout/)


The Bone Pit - FULL of fascinating thoughts (http://www.atheists.org/bone.pit/index.html)

[LavenderMae]

Thanks for the links!! I read some of the first link so far it is very good!

[Leatherette]

I used to go to a site called Atheistparents.org. It might interest some of you.

Leatherette

[DiaperDiva]

I really like mothering thanks though.

[mirthfulmum]

Wow! I'm so glad I found you all. I'm new to the boards and was absolutely thrilled to see that someone has taken up the issue of being an atheist parent. I am from the standpoint that being an atheist is not to be without a spiritual/philosophical life. Quite the contrary. I feel that atheism is a philosophy that calls on people to really search deep within themselves to find the answers to life’s big questions. What could be more empowering than the realization that we are responsible for our own destiny and that we are responsible for the fate of humanity. There is no higher power to turn to. We are it!
I have gotten some flack from some family members about not baptizing my son. And my mother is concerned that her grandson will have no strong spiritual, and therefore moral, compus. I’ve explained to her several time our family’s beliefs but I don’t think she gets it yet. Have any of you gotten any flack from your families because you decided to raise your children atheist?

It’s so great to find like minded moms to turn to for support and advice.

[DiaperDiva]

Your mother is right about not being moral. Morals are judged by society, and most often set by their churches. Since I don't hold any affiliation with, church or God, society indeed would, and I would agree, to be immoral. I am however ethical.

Glad you found us!

[Marlena]

I have always found the notion that one cannot have a set of morals and behave ethically if one does not derive those morals and ethics from a religion to be perplexing at best and ludicrous at worst. As you know, you surely live your life more or less according to a set of ethics. You (and others) will provide your child with the ethical compass he needs. You might ask your mother if she thinks you, personally, have no ethical compass, so to speak. If she says yes, but then protests that you have it because you were raised in a faith (even though you no longer believe it), you can tell her that you seem to be doing just fine, ethically, in your atheist state, and imagine your son will do just as well, too.

[Sustainer]

I am both moral and ethical. I don't think morality or ethics have anything to do with religion. Morality consists of honoring the rights of others. Ethics consists of subjective determinations of what are the most positive courses of action. Religion consists of gibberish.

My mother has no problem with me raising my daughter as an atheist, because my mother is an atheist also! (As was her father before her)

[JJ's mama]

hey y'all~~

i agree.
both my dh and i are non-believers of god. little bit in the closet, though.. it's so 'in' to be so spiritual with god and all.

i have so much to say but don't know where it start and stop.

[Sustainer]

HAPPY EQUINOX, EVERYBODY!

We colored our Equinox eggs with beet juice, spinach juice, and water from boiled onion skins, birch leaves, and moss. We filled the Equinox basket with organic chocolate. We used a natural wooden basket (like the kind used for nice gift baskets or fruit baskets). Instead of using crepe paper, we decorated it with real flowers, and instead of using that fake, plastic grass, we filled the bottom of the basket with edible flowers. Elisabeth had a great Equinox egg hunt this morning. Happy Equinox!

[mother_sunshine]

-

[mother_sunshine]

-

[arachne]

Hi everybody! I'm new here - mum to an almost-15-month-old and an atheist. It's been tough for me to go from being a working woman to being a SAHM - even more so when all of the playgroups in my neighborhood seem to be affiliated w/churches. So I'm really happy I've found this board!

I think it's possible to be both moral and ethical without a religious framework at all. It's not easy w/o the specter of an invisible friend looking over your shoulder at all times, but it's certainly possible. Now as far as teaching that to somebody else - well, I guess I'm about to find out just how easy that is!

Thanks for the links- is any of the material good for toddlers?

Nice to meet everybody - talk to you soon.