When Guiding Becomes Dictating
Keeping Kids Curious
If you want a child to become an atheist, raise that child in the church of your choosing and let them learn nothing else about the world. Once the child is given the choice, they will leave and never look back. At least, this was my experience.
My mother found religion later in life; so, when I was born, she had become very devout. We went to church every Sunday and Wednesday. We went to a Christian school until we were homeschooled (with a Christian curriculum, of course). We even had a Christian dictionary. There was not a place to learn about anything else but a Christian worldview.
When I reached 7th grade, my mom finally decided to end homeschooling. I can’t remember the exact reason, but I was so excited. I would get to be around lots of other people from lots of different backgrounds. Until that point, my life had been entirely surrounded by white, Christian people. This would be one of the first times in my life I would get to be around people from other cultures and beliefs. It was insanely exciting for a precocious kid who only had her siblings and small church of people to hang out with. I was practically vibrating with excitement the first time I rode the bus.
The first big culture shock was learning about evolution. I remember hearing this term, but never quite…
