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topic of discussion.
I do not mind other people exposing my child to their ideas about religion, as long as I can be involved in the learning process and help guide them in this. It's a delicate balance, I suppose, and I've learned some lessons about that recently.
I have a very eclectic, shall we say, view of religion and of beliefs of personal spirituality, and I've never told my 3 kids, "This is how it is--this is how I want you to believe..." I was exposed to all kinds of beliefs when I was growing up. But, I realize I've been kind of 'lazy' when it comes to teaching my kids about religion. I do let them visit other churches with their friends, but we do not attend church. Seems we do great in basic education--but the religious stuff, well, I've got to get a handle on how I can address this:
My teenager right now is in an Honors English class with a teacher who draws a lot of comparisons between classic literature and the Bible (--I don't get the impression the teacher's a religious fanatic or anything--it's pretty basic stuff and seems objective, mostly historical things and various points like symbolism, etc.). My daughter asked me to get a "Bible for Dummies" book for her because she felt she was the only one in class that didn't 'get it'. We had a long discussion about this, and I realized that perhaps in me not sending my daughter to church and/or Sunday school, that she was missing out. She assures me she does not want to go, nor does she regret not having gone to Sunday school, but she is now of an age where we both are realizing how important it is for her to know some basics about Christianity, Jesus, and other religions.
My son, who is only 4 1/2, on the other hand, was going to a Methodist daycare---one that my oldest daughter went to for years and years, btw. I knew that they had prayer before meals, and talked about 'God' a little, sang some religious songs, etc., but I never knew the extent of it until recently (maybe they've become more religious?). He and I got into a discussion about 'God' the other day, and he was so insistent on his version that his teacher at pre-school had taught him, that he did not even want to hear my view point. Now I realize he is only 4, but this really bothered me. He was so defensive about my questioning and small criticisms of the view he had been taught. (This was a simple thing about whether God is a man, and whether he/she lives in the clouds/heaven, etc. My viewpoint with my kids has always been more of a holistic and eclectic thing about Mother Nature, Earth, various beliefs in God, how we don't know for sure what 'God' is or whether there is a god even, etc.)
So, the point I'm making here is that with my kids, if I entrust them to someone else to learn about religion, which is such a subjective concept IMHO, then will it lessen my impact on their learning?
(BTW, we pulled my son out of the daycare, not for any of the reasons noted here, but because it cost too darn much and now he's a stay-at-home kid. I really felt that whatever they were teaching him about 'God' would be a starting point for continued discussion as he grows, so I was never concerned enough to pull him out for that reason. It was just a little red flag that gave me pause for concern for the future and made me realize we have more work to do in educating our kids.)
I will be making a more concerted effort with my kids to teach them about religion, not to brainwash them into thinking a particular way, but to teach them the basics of various beliefs and types of religions, and to help them to be inquiring and discerning, so that they can make their own choices as they grow. I used to think this kind of thing wouldn't have an impact on me. I was wrong.
I agree that the public schools have no business teaching theology/ID/Creationism. The Methodist daycare I sent my kids to was my choice, but I would not want that kind of thing happening throughout their public education. And you make a good point about 'why a devout Christian would want a public school teacher teaching their children theology...' Their kids could be the ones coming home and arguing with them that, "My teacher said it was this way, not your way...your beliefs are wrong..." What a can of worms!
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