SkeptiComic a twelve-year-old skeptic’s view of life.
As an atheist raising a child, I find it difficult knowing exactly which way to go at times. All the religions have used a vast amount of energy carving paths for their little automatons to travel. One can’t read the paper or walk through the mall without someone handing you loads of Christian child raising advice.
Atheists and skeptics have less guidance in part because there are far fewer of us. With fewer people, around there are fewer books written, fewer advice columns and simply less energy put into the big question “How to raise an atheist child?” But also atheists by nature aren’t all that into authority. We aren’t used to organizing ourselves into groups every Sunday to listen to someone stand up and badger us on how to live and raise our families. We tend toward freethinking and free-spirited behavior. Obviously, it’s harder to raise your child by thinking your own way and not following some pre-made guidebook. It cuts the amount of thought dramatically raising your child as a Christian. Your road is carved, and few forks branch off. It’s just easier. In the fundamentalist camps, the paths you follow to teach your children have been gouged so fiercely, they are canyons of ignorance, so deep that little light falls on the dim trail below, a trail filled with stunted minds singing “Jesus loves me.” It’s sure is easier but sadder too. Such wasted potential.
Raising a child as an atheist is a different experience altogether. We travel along such untrodden paths that it feels more like an open plain rather than a road. It’s more satisfying and beautiful. The breeze is wonderful and the view magnificent, but damned if it doesn’t feel like we’re lost at times. Are we going in the right direction or are we going in circles? Who knows?
It’s a new world we trod, both lovely and scary. No one has blazed much of a trail so we make do. It’s rewarding. And if we’re lost? Eh! We’ll get there eventually.
In this light I’d like to introduce a new sporadic feature. My twelve-year-old son, a skeptic in training, has been drawing humorous cards for birthdays anniversaries and whatnot for years. Knowing it’d help him work through some problematic ideas on his own, I asked him if he wanted to take a stab at a simple skeptically based comic. He agreed and here we are. In the upper right corner of this page is the link for SkeptiComic. This is his contribution to the fight against superstition. No deadlines. No schedule. Just pure sporadic twelve-year-old boy randomness. Those of you with sons will understand. Those without? Well, Here’s a taste.
That’s actually kinda cute.
I am enjoying reading your commentaries, so I was disappointed in your use of the term ‘atheist child’. You have fallen into the same hole as that occupied by the Moslems, Christians etc who like to characterise their offspring as ‘Moslem (or whatever)children’. This translates as ‘youngsters who are being brain washed into thinking the same as their parents’ – and I’m afraid that you seem to be doing the same. The aim is not to produce children who will grow up to be atheists, but to teach them how to evaluate evidence, to look for answers, and to be sceptical of the answers they find. I assume that such an upbringing will result at least 99% of the time in grown up atheists – but that cannot be the objective. If after such an upbringing the child decides to subscribe to some strange fundamentalist church in the USA, that has to be accepted as their free choice and decision.
Jim Brant, Daventry, UK
Brother, I don’t think using the term “atheist child” is a problem at all. We’re at war: Delusion vs. Reality. You’re just telling your child that Santa isn’t really alive today, the Tooth Fairy may not leave money under your pillow, the entire world probably didn’t flood during Noah’s life time, and people weren’t created from mud but from monkeys. I’m certain you’ll accept you’re child for who he turns out to be, but you also want to prepare him for the world while he’s under your care. -antiwasp
antiwasp – I disagree. It is important IMO to challenge the idea that children can be ‘christian children’, or ‘moslem children’, or indeed ‘atheist children’ because not to do so implicitly condones the continuation of child indoctrination into a particular belief system. Dawkins explains it better than I do!
Oh, and by the way people weren’t ‘created’ from either mud or monkeys, though we do share a common ancestor with the latter.
Jim Brant
Jim Brant:
Thanks for commenting.
I understand what you are saying and agree to a point. I’ve read the same writings. I wrestled with this topic for a long time, uncertain of how to instill open mindedness. I read my son bible stories as a child. we have had several small comparative religion talks and classes. He used to think he was a Unitarian. But after much thought I finally gave up the other end and just started on pure atheism/skepticism.
It came down to this. After a vast amount of time spent on this question, I finally decided that I can only teach open mindedness from my point of view and the play the Devil’s advocate on the opposing side to make sure he’s really thinking about it. Children aren’t just blank slates that will either be written on or in that absence will write their own view. Their view is going to be influenced by everything around them, this is the nature of humanity. Everything you say and do and watch and read adds to this “education” of your child. He or she will move in one direction or another regardless of whether you choose at all. And it may not be the best direction.
I felt that I must, after I admit, some waffling to pick the direction I thought was best and head down it. There is little need to reinvent the wheel for every child. We need to stand on the shoulders of the giants that have preceded us and we need to put our children on on our own shoulders as we perch loftily above the plain of ignorance. This is how our civilization makes progress, I think it would be a poor idea to let children wander around picking and choosing which Easter Bunny to believe in in every single case. Follow your example using evolution. You’d have to layout every theory of evolution ever made. Go through a vast number of creation myths, cover darwinian and lamarkian theories, and then cover every new age philosophy available and then let them pick for themselves. And then have them choose for themselves? I think not!
We indoctrinate our children. The only way a parent cannot is to not be there. The best you can do is to give them an open mind in dealing with differences and willingness to accept others for theirs. But I will not allow my son to pick up ideas like young earth creationism or the healing power of crystals without a fight. The dangerous ideas for children are not just drugs, alcohol and sex. There are fallacies of reason that have to be addressed.
In the end, I’m not sure that this difference of opinion isn’t a matter of semantics, of definition. I believe someone who looks at the world with a skeptical eye, evaluating everything on evidence is a skeptic. As you have said, that skepticism will mostly lead to atheism.
It is true that I am training my child to be an atheist/skeptic but I think you can only truly teach your own beliefs. Is it possible for a Christian to teach children to be Moslem? Moslems to be Buddhists? No it’s not. And I don’t think it’s possible to teach them to be hover on the edge of all beliefs either. Children are wide open and that chasm will be filled with something. I’d prefer to fill it with ethically based science and history and skepticism.
You see I’m surrounded by Evangelicals. Fellow home schoolers, parents, siblings and neighbors. I believe a child’s education must head in some direction with regards to religion. As a parent you can’t just circle to topic until he or she decides on their own. This is not possible.
KKBundy – OK, we differ a bit. But for the avoidance of doubt, let me say that of course children have to be taught scientific facts (like evolution). That doesn’t necessarily conflict with many religious positions. But then I don’t have to put up with being surrounded by dogmatic fundamentalists (though two of them called at my door yesterday to display their usual ignorance of the evidence for evolution). Given your situation, I suppose I might agree with you entirely!
Me, too. I like this community.
Just let it be. If your child decides to go the god route be supportive. If you really want to preempt go to a UU church. They accept atheists btw which I find immensely amusing.
I even have a life long connection to my local UU chapel, The Religious Society of Bell Street. When I was a small fry some 40 years ago it was a pre-k day care. My mom had me enrolled there.
Now I occasionally deign to roll out of bed on Sunday to make a 10AM ‘service’. But there every Tuesday night for the Providence Equality Action Committee, I have to be since I have the key and alarm code.
But I’m still a rabid atheist.
I started reading your blog because of a link somewhere. I think it was from a commenter on pharyngula. The link led to the middle of your coverage of Moses. I soon discovered the ‘start at the beginning’ button, and I’m hooked. Two or three hours a day, reading every single comment. I love it. Great job Bundy. The kid too.
It is a lot like a little community. For those who like the community feel, and being friends with your fellow members, you should try http://www.heathen-hangout.com/
The Heathen Hangout is for atheists only. Intelligent theists are welcomed at the sister board http://heathen-hub.com/
I’ve read the bible too. Nothing of what you’ve covered so far has been new to me, but the coverage you give it is fresh and new and thought-provoking. It should be hardbound when it’s finished, and should be standard fare in Sunday School.
I can’t make a useful criticism of your work. You are doing a great job. I would like, however, from time to time, give you a tip on how to make the writing a little better for that hardbound edition.
Look up the definitions for ‘fewer’ and ‘less’.
Keep it up. You are building a great product, and the gang of commenters are becoming a little like family.
Yes they are like family. I feel quite close to several, Daz and Amy among others. This has been a great experience for me and I am so happy I started this journey. I thank you for your support, Amos. It means a lot.
As to fewer and less. Thank you for that. I still need to improve my writing style a great deal.