Teen Muslim convert defies atheist family

[Nakosis]

Jenny, usually well-spoken and to the point, let's her explanation peter out into an unusual silence. "How should I explain this. Our lives are superficial, society is very capitalist. We are the MTV generation without the music, you know, it's not about the music anymore it's about sex and nudity. It's superficial...."
Teen Muslim convert defies atheist family

I wonder how many children of atheist families will feel there is something missing in there lives?

Children who are raised with a robust and well-developed spiritual life are happier, more optimistic, more thriving, more flexible, and better equipped to deal with life’s ordinary (and even extraordinary) traumas than those who are not.
Why Kids Need Spirituality

I'm the first to say we are free to create our own purpose, I spent a large part of my life seeking spiritual truths, but will this satisfy a teen looking for answers?

I encouraged the questioning of truth claims with my kids. I ended up with an atheist, a Buddhist and I new age spiritualist. It's hard to promote atheism, there's nothing to promote.

16 human desires as curiosity, acceptance, family, honour, idealism, independence, order, physical activity, power, romance, saving, social contact, eating, status, tranquillity and vengeance. Professor Reiss said: "It doesn't matter whether God exists or not as religious belief is aimed at fulfilling our basic human desires.
Why humans believe in God: He fulfils need for vengeance, power and 14 other human needs

16 human desires. What answers does atheism have for children?

 

[viole]

Jenny, usually well-spoken and to the point, let's her explanation peter out into an unusual silence. "How should I explain this. Our lives are superficial, society is very capitalist. We are the MTV generation without the music, you know, it's not about the music anymore it's about sex and nudity. It's superficial...."
Teen Muslim convert defies atheist family

I wonder how many children of atheist families will feel there is something missing in there lives?

In my case, I was the Christian while my kids were the atheists. They did not seem to care about my feelings. But that was some time ago, and now I am metaphysically synchronized with them. Clever boys....

So, we have to provide some spiritual fill to all those kids looking for something higher than social networks, MTV or what they parents mean for them.

Well, let's fill their lives then.

May I propose Joe, the supernatural invisible turtle that created the universe? He is cool and he also loves children that have a Facebook account. He loves Madonna, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Helene Fischer and He is very spiritual, believe me. He's nothing like the competition so stuck up against sins, rock and roll, or against anything that kids like today.

I interviewed Him, and He tells me that He inhabits the spiritual world and that is how He could create the Physical Universe. He said that it was not easy, but it was refreshing to see something physical after an eternity of spirituality than none of His friends could grasp.

His wife also asked Him more often: when do you do something concrete in your life? This spiritual stuff is not taking us anywhere since the last 1000000000000000000000+ billion years.

And so He decided to create the material Universe.

Joe has answers to every spiritual question or problem you might have, He promises to give meaning to all those youth that seem to miss something on the spiritual side.

Children who are raised with a robust and well-developed spiritual life are happier, more optimistic, more thriving, more flexible, and better equipped to deal with life’s ordinary (and even extraordinary) traumas than those who are not.
Why Kids Need Spirituality

I'm the first to say we are free to create our own purpose, I spent a large part of my life seeking spiritual truths, but will this satisfy a teen looking for answers?

Who can say? Probably that would depend on the teen. But Joe seems to provide the best solution to this.

I encouraged the questioning of truth claims with my kids. I ended up with an atheist, a Buddhist and I new age spiritualist. It's hard to promote atheism, there's nothing to promote.

True. Consider Joe, again. It is easy to promote and kids will love Him. Long term, your kids will thank you to have provided the right answers to all their questions.

Atheists think Joe is a joke, obviously... like any other creator of the universe that share the same evidence. But that is because they are empty, cynical, cold and sorry souls that cannot provide any comfort to the spiritual needs of .... whomever needs spiritual help. Whatever that means.

16 human desires as curiosity, acceptance, family, honour, idealism, independence, order, physical activity, power, romance, saving, social contact, eating, status, tranquillity and vengeance. Professor Reiss said: "It doesn't matter whether God exists or not as religious belief is aimed at fulfilling our basic human desires.
Why humans believe in God: He fulfils need for vengeance, power and 14 other human needs

16 human desires. What answers does atheism have for children?

None. But we can also make some up, if required. We also love children.

Ciao

- viole

 

[Sunstone]

I don't know about atheists, but there would certainly be a lot more agnostic children if more parents raised their kids with significantly high standards for intellectual honesty along with some critical thinking skills.

 

[Sunstone]

J

16 human desires as curiosity, acceptance, family, honour, idealism, independence, order, physical activity, power, romance, saving, social contact, eating, status, tranquillity and vengeance. Professor Reiss said: "It doesn't matter whether God exists or not as religious belief is aimed at fulfilling our basic human desires.
Why humans believe in God: He fulfils need for vengeance, power and 14 other human needs

16 human desires. What answers does atheism have for children?

I hope it does not need to be pointed out here that there is nothing in atheism which would preclude someone from raising their kids with those values -- or just about any other values. Please tell me that does not need to be pointed out. Please!

 

[Sunstone]

I wonder how many children of atheist families will feel there is something missing in there lives?

Do you think Bill Gates' three children feel there's something missing in their lives?

 

[Nakosis]

In my case, I was the Christian while my kids were the atheists. They did not seem to care about my feelings. But that was some time ago, and now I am metaphysically synchronized with them.

So, we have to provide some spiritual fill to all those kids looking for something higher than social networks or what they parents mean for them.

Well, let's fill their lives then. May I propose Joe, the supernatural invisible turtle that created the universe? He is cool and he also love children that have a Facebook account. He loves Madonna and He is very spiritual, believe me.

I interviewed Him, and He tells me that He inhabits the spiritual world and that is how He could create the Physical Universe. He said that it was not easy, but it was refreshing to see something physical after an eternity of spiritual stuff than none of His friends could grasp.

His wife also asked Him more often: when do you so something concrete in your life? And so He decided to create the material Universe.

He has answers to every spiritual question or problem you might have, He promises to give meaning to all those youth that seem to miss something on the spiritual side.



Who can say? Probably that would depend on the teen. But Joe seems to provide the best solution to this.



True. Consider Joe, again. It is easy to promote and kids will love Him. Long term, your kids will thank you to have provided the right answers to all their questions.

Atheists think Joe is a joke, obviously... like any other creator of the universe that share the same evidence. But that is because they are empty, cynical, cold and sorry souls that cannot provide any comfort to the spiritual needs of .... whomever need spiritual help, whatever that means.



None. But we can also make some up, if required. We also love children.

Ciao

- viole

Young children are very impressionable. I ran out of books to read to my grandkids so make up a story about people who danced on the moon and a little boy who built a rocket to go visit and dance with them.

After the story, the youngest one insisted on going outside to look at the moon to see the folks dancing there. I suppose we use use non-religious fictional stories to teach moral ideas to children all of the time. A lot of the animated shows they watch try to teach a moral message.

 

[Nakosis]

Do you think Bill Gates' three children feel there's something missing in their lives?

I don't read minds but he thought it was a good idea to raise them catholic.

Bill Gates takes family to church; says the 'moral systems of religion' are important

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Young children are very impressionable. I ran out of books to read to my grandkids so make up a story about people who danced on the moon and a little boy who built a rocket to go visit and dance with them.

After the story, the youngest one insisted on going outside to look at the moon to see the folks dancing there. I suppose we use use non-religious fictional stories to teach moral ideas to children all of the time. A lot of the animated shows they watch try to teach a moral message.

Aww, that's cute.

 

[Satans_Serrated_Edge]

Jenny, usually well-spoken and to the point, let's her explanation peter out into an unusual silence. "How should I explain this. Our lives are superficial, society is very capitalist. We are the MTV generation without the music, you know, it's not about the music anymore it's about sex and nudity. It's superficial...."
Teen Muslim convert defies atheist family

I wonder how many children of atheist families will feel there is something missing in there lives?

Children who are raised with a robust and well-developed spiritual life are happier, more optimistic, more thriving, more flexible, and better equipped to deal with life’s ordinary (and even extraordinary) traumas than those who are not.
Why Kids Need Spirituality

I'm the first to say we are free to create our own purpose, I spent a large part of my life seeking spiritual truths, but will this satisfy a teen looking for answers?

I encouraged the questioning of truth claims with my kids. I ended up with an atheist, a Buddhist and I new age spiritualist. It's hard to promote atheism, there's nothing to promote.

16 human desires as curiosity, acceptance, family, honour, idealism, independence, order, physical activity, power, romance, saving, social contact, eating, status, tranquillity and vengeance. Professor Reiss said: "It doesn't matter whether God exists or not as religious belief is aimed at fulfilling our basic human desires.
Why humans believe in God: He fulfils need for vengeance, power and 14 other human needs

16 human desires. What answers does atheism have for children?

Indeed, there is a sucker born every minute.

 

[Nakosis]

I hope it does not need to be pointed out here that there is nothing in atheism which would preclude someone from raising their kids with those values -- or just about any other values. Please tell me that does not need to be pointed out. Please!

Exactly, any other values. Kind of arbitrary to the parent. Kind of scary right? Being not perfect, most of my advice came in the form of trying to avoid the mistakes I made.

Kids looking for the "correct" answer. Where might they look if they don't get them from the parents?

 

[Sunstone]

I don't read minds but he thought it was a good idea to raise them catholic.

Bill Gates takes family to church; says the 'moral systems of religion' are important

I stand corrected. Thanks for the information!

 

[Nakosis]

Indeed, there is a sucker born every minute.

Yes, and you don't want your kids to be a sucker...

So teach them to doubt everything everyone? Safer? Probably. Happier? IDK.

 

[Sunstone]

Exactly, any other values. Kind of arbitrary to the parent. Kind of scary right?

Do you seriously think that choosing to teach kids, say, biblical values is not ultimately an arbitrary choice?

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

Jenny, usually well-spoken and to the point, let's her explanation peter out into an unusual silence. "How should I explain this. Our lives are superficial, society is very capitalist. We are the MTV generation without the music, you know, it's not about the music anymore it's about sex and nudity. It's superficial...."
Teen Muslim convert defies atheist family

I wonder how many children of atheist families will feel there is something missing in there lives?

Children who are raised with a robust and well-developed spiritual life are happier, more optimistic, more thriving, more flexible, and better equipped to deal with life’s ordinary (and even extraordinary) traumas than those who are not.
Why Kids Need Spirituality

I'm the first to say we are free to create our own purpose, I spent a large part of my life seeking spiritual truths, but will this satisfy a teen looking for answers?

I encouraged the questioning of truth claims with my kids. I ended up with an atheist, a Buddhist and I new age spiritualist. It's hard to promote atheism, there's nothing to promote.

16 human desires as curiosity, acceptance, family, honour, idealism, independence, order, physical activity, power, romance, saving, social contact, eating, status, tranquillity and vengeance. Professor Reiss said: "It doesn't matter whether God exists or not as religious belief is aimed at fulfilling our basic human desires.
Why humans believe in God: He fulfils need for vengeance, power and 14 other human needs

16 human desires. What answers does atheism have for children?

Teens search for deeper meaning while dissatisfied with society. It's kind of their thing.

 

[David T]

Jenny, usually well-spoken and to the point, let's her explanation peter out into an unusual silence. "How should I explain this. Our lives are superficial, society is very capitalist. We are the MTV generation without the music, you know, it's not about the music anymore it's about sex and nudity. It's superficial...."
Teen Muslim convert defies atheist family

I wonder how many children of atheist families will feel there is something missing in there lives?

Children who are raised with a robust and well-developed spiritual life are happier, more optimistic, more thriving, more flexible, and better equipped to deal with life’s ordinary (and even extraordinary) traumas than those who are not.
Why Kids Need Spirituality

I'm the first to say we are free to create our own purpose, I spent a large part of my life seeking spiritual truths, but will this satisfy a teen looking for answers?

I encouraged the questioning of truth claims with my kids. I ended up with an atheist, a Buddhist and I new age spiritualist. It's hard to promote atheism, there's nothing to promote.

16 human desires as curiosity, acceptance, family, honour, idealism, independence, order, physical activity, power, romance, saving, social contact, eating, status, tranquillity and vengeance. Professor Reiss said: "It doesn't matter whether God exists or not as religious belief is aimed at fulfilling our basic human desires.
Why humans believe in God: He fulfils need for vengeance, power and 14 other human needs

16 human desires. What answers does atheism have for children?

Conversion therapy - Wikipedia
This is why atheists need to set up conversion therapy centers for their children just in case. And btw she is really rejecting nonsense. Yes religion can be total nonsense not always is nonsense. Culture on the other hand......

 

[viole]

Young children are very impressionable. I ran out of books to read to my grandkids so make up a story about people who danced on the moon and a little boy who built a rocket to go visit and dance with them.

After the story, the youngest one insisted on going outside to look at the moon to see the folks dancing there. I suppose we use use non-religious fictional stories to teach moral ideas to children all of the time. A lot of the animated shows they watch try to teach a moral message.

Could be, but that is not excuse to lie to them. Much better to say "we don't know" than to make up silly things. There is a lot of magic in the physics of the world, and I am positive that it could be made interesting to every kid on earth, without any metaphysical nonsense in it. Especially the unresolved problems....they are most interesting, aren't they?

My parents lied to me with simple and silly answers, and because of that I believed that Jesus nonsense for most of my life. I had to wait for my kids, to show me the light of critical inquiry, which is embarrassing.

Ciao

- viole

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Jenny, usually well-spoken and to the point, let's her explanation peter out into an unusual silence. "How should I explain this. Our lives are superficial, society is very capitalist. We are the MTV generation without the music, you know, it's not about the music anymore it's about sex and nudity. It's superficial...."
Teen Muslim convert defies atheist family

I wonder how many children of atheist families will feel there is something missing in there lives?

I wonder how many children will feel there is something missing in their lives?

I encouraged the questioning of truth claims with my kids. I ended up with an atheist, a Buddhist and I new age spiritualist. It's hard to promote atheism, there's nothing to promote.

I don't think my girls would know what 'atheism' is, really. One has some interest in Christianity, so I'm busily telling her stories from Norse mythology. The other has no interest in religion at all, and finds it weird, so I'm trying to explain what others believe (Abrahamaic mostly, but our trip to Thailand was informative for her in a broader sense).

16 human desires as curiosity, acceptance, family, honour, idealism, independence, order, physical activity, power, romance, saving, social contact, eating, status, tranquillity and vengeance. Professor Reiss said: "It doesn't matter whether God exists or not as religious belief is aimed at fulfilling our basic human desires.
Why humans believe in God: He fulfils need for vengeance, power and 14 other human needs

16 human desires. What answers does atheism have for children?

I think the lack of messaging around masturbation being a sin, around homosexuals being sinful...they are important LACK of messages.
My kids found the recent vote on marriage equality in Australia completely bizarre. Why were we voting to decide if some people had the same rights as everyone else?

I wonder what Jenny would think, and why?
She's a kid, so she's obviously best to seek, and think. But I hope she is not merely being reactionary. There is nothing remotely 'atheistic' about MTV.

 

[Nakosis]

Do you seriously think that choosing to teach kids, say, biblical values is not ultimately an arbitrary choice?

Probably not if you believe it yourself. Probably feel more like it's a duty, obligation.

 

[Satans_Serrated_Edge]

Yes, and you don't want your kids to be a sucker...

So teach them to doubt everything everyone? Safer? Probably. Happier? IDK.

I don't have kids, thankfully. If I did, they would be free to take in the world however they liked;even if that meant adopting a set of weird superstitions.

 

[Nakosis]

Could be, but that is not excuse to lie to them. Much better to say "we don't know" than to make up silly things. There is a lot of magic in the physics of the world, and I am positive that it could be made interesting to every kid on earth, without any metaphysical nonsense in it. Especially the unresolved problems....they are most interesting, aren't they?

My parents lied to me with simple and silly answers, and because of that I believed that Jesus nonsense for most of my life. I had to wait for my kids, to show me the light of critical inquiry, which is embarrassing.

Ciao

- viole

Are/aren't fictional stories a lie? I wonder if this is partly the reason for some religious stories. Fictional stories told to provide moral guidance which ended up being believed as the truth.

My 4yo grandson likes to create stories. Takes his toys and acts them out. Often with me playing the part of the bad guy. All this requires some suspension of disbelief. I assume he knows his stories are fiction, even though he may not understand the word fiction itself. Suspension of disbelief seems something humans are wired for.

Humanity’s greatest invention is religion, which does not mean necessarily mean belief in gods. Rather, religion is any system of norms and values that is founded on a belief in superhuman laws. Some religions, such as Islam, Christianity and Hinduism, believe that these superhuman laws were created by the gods. Other religions, such as Buddhism, Communism and Nazism believed that these superhuman laws are natural laws. Thus Buddhists believe in the natural laws of karma, Nazis argued that their ideology reflected the laws of natural selection, and Communists believe that they follow the natural laws of economics.
What Makes Humans Different? Fiction and Cooperation | Arts & Culture | Smithsonian

Creativity, imagination, storytelling for instruction, entertainment, these are usually seen as beneficial abilities. Fiction is an often used tool of teaching.