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If your adult child were to want to convert...

Lintu

Active Member
What would you do? Would you be accepting? Would you respect your child's wishes? How would you handle conflicting holidays?
 

EnhancedSpirit

High Priestess
I would be happy that my child chose to believe whatever faith fits them. I would also be happy to learn what ever they have to teach me.

If a practicing Jewish woman marries a practicing Catholic man, the child born of them will never be all Jewish or all Catholic, but will be a beautiful blend of the two, something new, with different perspectives on spirituality.
 

Scott1

Well-Known Member
Lintu said:
What would you do? Would you be accepting? Would you respect your child's wishes? How would you handle conflicting holidays?
It depends on what they were converting to....
 

robtex

Veteran Member
Lintu said:
What would you do? Would you be accepting? Would you respect your child's wishes? How would you handle conflicting holidays?
So are you saying you are getting friction from your Christian parents. I thought I remember you saying your mother being uncomfortable with it.

How strong is your reasons for wanting to convert and can you qualify it to them in a way they will understand.

As far as qualifying ones answer to a parent assuming the parent could be objective, which is a hit-or-miss kinda deal with many religions things to look at would be

1) amount of time considering conversion
2) latitude of beliefs within system
3) group one was interacting with religiously..meaning are they safe ..or extreme.
4) earthy demands of religious group of members.

I would be less apt to be confortable with the conversion if I thought there was harm in being with the group through confontational activity, hated built into the practice of the belief system towards others bases on belief, strong demands that overshawdowed the majority or really large blocks of time weekly and monthy.

If you are positioning your belief switch to your parents realize the more quantifable it is the smoother your shift will be with the unknown variable being how accomodating their beliefs are. The question thrown out in a blanket-style format that you presented makes it hard to measure. The measurement is the neccessary ingredient to bridge any gaps.
 

standing_on_one_foot

Well-Known Member
If they were joining a cult or getting really enthusiastic about human sacrifice or something, yeah, I'd have issues...besides that, their choice, not mine. I'd like them to be Jewish, yeah, and I'll be perfectly honest here, it might trouble me a little, but I'd be supportive. Certainly wouldn't try to stop them or disown them or anything.
 

Druidus

Keeper of the Grove
If they were joining a cult
Cult is relative. Remember, in general, people think like this:

A religion is what you call your beliefs. A sect is something close to your beliefs, but not your standards. A cult is something you don't believe in at all.
 

Lintu

Active Member
I'm not getting any friction from my parents...mostly because I haven't told them yet. Just wondering what other people had to say :)
 

standing_on_one_foot

Well-Known Member
Druidus said:
Cult is relative. Remember, in general, people think like this:

A religion is what you call your beliefs. A sect is something close to your beliefs, but not your standards. A cult is something you don't believe in at all.
Fair enough. Can I still be opposed to human sacrifice, though? I do feel it's a reasonable demand.
 

andyjamal

servant
I think I would be happy just to know that my child has made a conscious decision to follow a set of moral/spiritual teachings that would draw him/her closer to God, regardless of who revealed those teachings (assuming my child would choose a religion whose teachings were moral/spiritual in nature, which I have found to be true of most religions).
 

Druidus

Keeper of the Grove
Fair enough. Can I still be opposed to human sacrifice, though? I do feel it's a reasonable demand.
I agree with you on that one, though I am also opposed to the sacrifice of any living organism.
 

Neo-Logic

Reality Checker
Lintu said:
What would you do? Would you be accepting? Would you respect your child's wishes? How would you handle conflicting holidays?
Well if I was a parent with a teenager or adult child who wants to convert, I would allow him or her to do so. I have first hand experience with this situation, from the side of the teenager/adult child that wants to convert that is.

I was Buddhist until I lost my faith a couple years back (not that I really had much faith in it anyways). I even gave my faith a second chance by attending a Buddhist school for youth last summer for a week only to come back with more questions than answers. While my family is not very fervent themselves, they do however believe in the ocasionally visiting of the temple, attending Buddhist events, and religious holidays - all of which involving praying of some sort. During these, I would be expected to pray and or recite and while I did so a while back, even as I was no longer a believer, I'm becoming less and less flexible. I haven't exactly made my views clear that i'm no longer a believer of the Buddhist faith (or any other for that matter) so now i'm stuck in this weird cycle.

While this thread is about a different thing in general, I could be your living example =P. Any suggestions would be helpful. ;)
 

michel

Administrator Emeritus
Staff member
I'd accept his choice and try to support him, as I would in any other situation, even if I wasn't particularly in favour of the change. It would be his life - hiss choice.:)
 

Unedited

Active Member
I'd probably be most concerned about the morals and values tied to the religion. I want to make sure he/she had done significant research into the religion and had good reasons wanting to a part of it. I mean, I'd be upset if my kid told me he/she wanted to become Wicca so he/she could turn his/her eyes a different color. I'd be most worried if it was a religion that seemed to simply be out for his/her money.

But through all my concerns, I'd try to be very supporting. I think if he/she was okay with it, celebrating the holidays of his/her new religion together would be a great way to show my support and learn more about the religion and his/her views on it at the same time.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
I converted to a religion my parents would be strongly against if they knew. So I really cant say I would be against any kids I might have converting to a different religion. Just as long as they dont try to convert me, or ask for money to give to it. Or sacrificing living things. Or if its some cult that involves kool-aid. But for the most part Im in a position where I really cant say no.
 

Scuba Pete

Le plongeur avec attitude...
My daughter became Wiccan when she was merely 15.

Big whoop.

Now she refers to those as her "pagan days". :D She now sees and admits that much of her conversion was to try to get a rise out of her mother and me. Well, my wife was aghast, but I stood firm in my belief that EACH of us has to decide. I could no more foist Christianity on my daughter than my faith would save her.

Although she does not actively pursue Wicca, she has not decided to embrace any other path either. I will continue to love my "Sniggle/Snortz" as long as I have breath.
 

almifkhar

Active Member
i will say the same thing to this as i did on another thread. i don't care what my kids do so long as it is legal and that they hold them selves with honesty and honor.
 
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