Teaching About The Christain Religon

[anonymouse]

My five year old was doing some drawing the other day and drew a picture of a stickman on a cross and said he'd seen this picture and wanted to know what it was.

I explained that it was Jesus, a man who died a long time ago and that he is important to a lot of western people as the Buddha is to Thai people.

My wife is a Thai Buddhist and myself am agnostic though I went to a church of England school, I pretty much stopped believing in the bible stories at the same time as I stopped believing in Santa.

Saying all that I though the bible stories were pretty good tales and probably influenced my moral path to an extent, I also hold that a knowledge of the Christain religion is useful to know in a historical and cultural perspective.

I'm wondering how I should go about teaching him about Jesus and the bible, should I buy a book on bible stories and treat them the same as fairy stories or should I let him make his own mind up about them?

Are there any parents who have experienced the same thing or have any thoughts on this?

[londonthai]

if he is interested further he will ask you again.

your answer was sufficient for him and there is no point exposing him to religious ideas, moral paths are rather passed by showing your own example than books. As an adult he can make his own decisions.

[torrenova]

Just make sure he knows all religion is mumbo jumbo made up to control people and that if his mother is heavily into Buddhism, it is because her family knew no better than to believe such fairy tales. Teach him about many religions as fictional tales believed by many without investigation. Once he is a little older, he will likely question religion but not fear it or be deceived by it.

[PeaceBlondie]

Teach him that some hateful people hate religion of all types so badly that they fill internet forums with vicious insults against innocent people who find that a faith can be useful and loving.

[tonititan]

I think it's perfectly acceptable to teach him a little about the Christian faith just so he can have more worldly knowledge for later in life. You can explain it as "some people believe _____, and others believe _______." You don't have to say that one belief is right and one is wrong. Like you said, it may be good for him to have some cultural knowledge in case he ends up in a predominantly Christian country. If you want him to grow up and go back to England for university, he of course doesn't need to be a Christian, but it would at least help if he knew a little so he's not so intimidated by the culture. And, he'll know that he can believe whatever he wants and not to let religious fanatics try to change him or tell him that he's wrong. Personally, I want my children to grow up knowing that it's a big world out there, that there are many different kinds of beliefs, that one religion/belief isn't "better" than the others, and that being a good person is the most important thing.

[slapout]

Children pick up what they initially hear/learn about religion from the parents (where they live in the same household) as well as the way they react to various situations, other people, etc. I found that the kids when they reach 10 to 12 years of age, are exposed to various religions at school (international school) do show a interest and may want to go to church etc with friends just out of curiosity. I can equate to the op as we have a similar situation in our home. The kids have attended Buddhist functions since they were 4 or 5 and expressed a interest in Christian church attendance and have gone to church on a moderately regular basis for 4 to 5 years. I have encouraged them to learn what they can about the various religions and make up their own minds as to what they feel comfortable with. The wife has no problem with the arrangement, even though the kids (teenagers) point out the fallacy of some of the local superstitions, etc. The only hard rule we have is that religion and politics can be discussed but do not try to convert others in this house.

[Mosha]

The religion you believe in is pure chance. It all depends on where you were born, so teach children about what everyone on the planet believes/or not for balance, and then let the kids decide. Our RI teacher at Grammar Schoool taught us to not take the bible at face value. I decided it was fairy stories, I also learned later he was a lay preacher. Even after I stopped believing I still sang in the church choir, we got paid for singing 12s 6d/week which was 3 times the spend I got off dad.

[zzaa09]

Teach him that some hateful people hate religion of all types so badly that they fill internet forums with vicious insults against innocent people who find that a faith can be useful and loving.

This sounds akin to political indoctrination, less spiritual.

[anonymouse]

Thanks for all the replies to my original post.

I normally buy a stack of books for him when I'm in the UK and will probably add a Childrens book of the Life of Jesus or some such and just treat it as another book.

As I mentioned in my original post I have no religious leanings but the Christian religion has influenced western History and Culture for over a thousand years and if he is to learn about my culture and history I think will need to know about its origins.

I'm not interested in this topic becoming a for and against religion rant

[senshusband]

In our home, my wife and I have an understanding. You do your thing, I'll do mine. She is Buddist and I am uncatagorized. I was raised in a Christian home and attended a Christian church. Then when I was in my mid-teens I started to wonder about and question "things". I have since learned that there is much more information out there than they were giving me in church and have became very interested in religions. I do have my beliefs in which I try to live by, but do not push or encourage others in them. If questioned, I talk about what I believe and why I believe it. It is a little awkward when I am at my home in the States, because I am not a Christian and around here that is as bad as it gets. I have actually lost friends because of my beliefs, but I feel blessed in that I have actually put thought into and not fell into "what everyone else was doing." I strongly encourage that for everyone, especially parents. My wife and I are not parents, yet, but that is one thing that we talked about before we were married. We will TEACH our children all that we can, as that is what parents do. There is no greater teacher in life than a parent. With that being said, note that there is a difference between teaching and directing them. Anonymouse, I wish you and your wife the best as you become THE teachers. I also wish your son the best as he learns what life has and is.

[ballzafire]

Teach him that some hateful people hate religion of all types so badly that they fill internet forums with vicious insults against innocent people who find that a faith can be useful and loving.

The precepts are often valid and useful to live by (Christianity and Buddhism are two notable examples and are VERY similar, BTW...), but, unfortunately, the details are often made up. And for a reason.

For example, there is a growing amount of evidence that the whole Jesus story is a fabrication, "stolen" from the mythologies of earlier times (namely ancient Egyptian, Buddhist and Hindu belief systems), and used by the early church as a means of control. Just look at the Catholic Church today. What is it mainly about? Is it "saving your soul"? Nope. They pretend to care about your soul but what they're REALLY after is WEALTH ACCUMULATION and POWER, that's what. It took me many years to finally conclude that.

There's LOTS more I could talk about regarding this subject but, suffice it to say, I recommend studying the basic precepts of Christianity and Buddhism and to try to live by them. But subscribing specifically to either one of these is not necessary and would only limit your potential for growth. They would, instead, put you under a controlling "yoke" of sorts, requiring you to obey "the rules of the road" for that particular religion. That's not salvation. That's mind-control. Slavery, almost...

[geovalin]

Same here: Buddhist environment, Nothing myself but the kid (called Mary, btw) decided SHE WAS Christian when she was 7 - 8. She's now nearly 10.

She learned about the different religions at school and confirmed she was Christian.

We go some times to church to follow mass in Thai (St John, Bangkok).

My question: where is it possible to have nice catechism in Thai in Bangkok?

What is the word in Thai for catechism (in case I want to ask at the church)?