Do atheists indocrinate their children into their belief system?

Is there any athiest here who has participated in a religious festival or event with a thiest as a child?

 

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I've attended Catholic mass during the day of the Ascension St. Mary. It's the day when St.Mary went to heaven.
It's a huge festival in the catholic world, people go to pilgrimages on foot to far away basilisks, etc.
I attended that at the age of 6, before becoming a Christian for a few years.

There were priests and worshipers everywhere. What do you want to know?

 

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Sounds interesting, but I was hoping for an experience at an older age.

I'm still collecting information on exposure to theism in athiests, that is all.

What do you remember of it?

 

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Me.

 

my family was not religious and I was practically atheist (ie completely disinterested in any issues of religion) until my early twenties, although I have one set of relatives who are jehovah's witness.

When I was nine years old my cousin (8 yrs old) gave me a sticker on the provision that I attend a "meeting" (jehovah's witness). First of all I thought it was something like a BBQ ("meating") but later I came to understand that it was some sort of gathering. Anyway, being curious, I took up the offer (and the sticker) and went along. All I can remember was that the speaker spoke a bit too long, the seats were a bit hard and that it was a bit strange that the speaker called my uncle "brother" when he answered a question. After it was over I was thinking "and thats it?"

For some reason I was expecting food.

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Aside from 3 weddings/funerals that was the only time I took a step inside a place of worship (doing taekwondo classes in a uniting church hall doesn't really count)
I was also in boy scouts for a few years, but I don't remember picking up any sort of religious vibe there at all.

 

I remember huge crowds of people, film crews, deep respect that many payed to the inner chamber of the basilisk. It's a holy place because that's a place where someone had seen St.Mary in the sky, so they built that huge, white basilisk there. That place has been blessed and visited by the late pope and recognized by Vatican as holy.

Since I didn't share their belief (although had been christened a Catholic*), I had no special feeling, just curiosity of a child observing the rituals taking place. The most interesting was when boys and girls at the age of 14 were taken upto some higher level in Catholic ranks. They were all in white robes and very beautiful. It was quite interesting, but nothing more than a theater play for me. I got a blessed medallion with the image of St.Mary holding baby Jesus and a rose that I still have around here somewhere. Ah, found it. Quite worn out. Was given by a priest to me.

I attended the feast meal with the highest hierarchy of clergy and politicians, at the table became friends with a girl of one politician (that later became and now again is prime minister) and then skipped of with her to play by the cars and bodyguards.

*It was at the thaw of soviet union and everyone was christening their children because nobody had been allowed to do that openly in 50 years. It was an important expression of freedom to a lot of people, including my parents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppIPwtpCBLo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=aglona&search_type=

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To answer the topic question: yes. Now let me explain why. I used to have atheist friends when I was in Holland. And everytime I would ask them about religion or go to their house and see them talk about religion, they would always talk in an extremely degrading way, with sick and macabre jokes. That is not how you teach someone respect, that is how you indoctrinate them to hate religion.

I also believe that the new Atheist right is just as dangerous as any of the Religious right. The atheist fundamentalists say the same things the religious fundamentalists say. They are on the same end of the spectrum, on opposing sides, denouncing each other and painting the other as worthless scum and advocating death for the other side.

 

You were not their child and they didn't try to "indoctrinate" you.

 

That wasnt the question in the thread title right? It was what they do with their own children?

 

Oh, they were laughing about religion with their children?! Funny!

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No, when the children asked them about religion, mine including, they told them sick and macabre stories and everything had an extremely negative and degrading tone

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Well, weren't those stories true? What were they about?
Many religious books have very macabre events and actions in them, and atrocities have been committed in the name of many religions.

 

Most werent

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had to keep telling em they werent. But the ones that were true were thrown out there to sound just as dumb as saying that evolution says that a rock can give birth to a plane.

 

What were the stories ?

 

Arsalan:

You've given me an idea. I'm going to visit some athiests at home and ask their children about religion.

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Care to share a few of them, just the general idea so we know what you're talking about?
I'm asking out of curiosity, not of disrespect.

 

Isn't that a bit rude ? lol

 

I want to see how their "secular" parents react.

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:m:

 

I hope only with the permission from their parents, Sam!

 

I'll be nice. I'll introduce myself as a Muslim and ask them if they know what that means

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