The program is run as a coop…meaning the families take turns running the activities/topics. This way they can present topics which are real in their lives. At least one parent is often with their child. Our family would not drag ourselves up in morning on Sunday so that our kids can be indoctrinated.

I totally understand the doubts about an Atheist Sunday School…we call ourselves the Humanist Family Program…but regardless of what we call ourselves, we are just a group of families who want:

1. a safe environment for our families to grow
2. other families we can really connect with, relate to and talk to

In general our family wants to raise our kids to feel empowered to make a difference in their world, guided by a sense of what _they_ can see is ‘right or wrong.’ We want them to posses the tools to do this and the environment to try out these ‘tools.’

Though we can discuss and do many of these things (as we do) just within our family, I think the experience is deepened when other families are involved. It’s amazing what perspectives I will have missed that others will have caught on. I also hope that it will help as they get older to see peers and other adults which value open and constructive discussions.

I learn so much from the other kids and parents. So that’s why it’s called a Family Program. It’s just as much for the parents as it is for the kids.

Should I Really Use My Real Name? said,

November 26, 2007 at 12:33 pm

Jewish (unless by heritage)

So Jews have exclusive rights to their faith being a part of their heritage? I’d be interested to see your reasoning for that!

I don’t think they have exclusive rights. Their is Islamic Humanism too. Also people don’t believe me, but Christianity does have a culture. Look in the various churches- Anglicans have a culture, Catholics, although their service is much like Anglicans and vise versa, they do too. There are high churches and low churches. Many Protestant chruches are low churches. I’d say the Mega Churches are low church, because they don’t have the robes, candles and what not, BUT they do have the fanfair, which could classify them as high church.

Even so there is a certain culture there that is unique to that religious heritage and the non-religious or other religions don’t have. It’s a lot easier to put one’s finger on it with the extreme high and extreme low churches though. Step into an Anglican/Episcopal (used interchangable on) high church just once and be very observant to EVERYTHING, including the Prayer book (The book of Common Prayer). Then go to a Catholic high church. They are the same, yet you can put your finger on a slight difference, unless the Anglican is done in high English and the Catholic in Latin of course. After all of that, go to a church of God or other Evangelical Fundamentalist Church.

They are different, but once you walk into a synagogue or mosque you will see a vast difference- even in the U.S. The Catholic has a Latin origin, Anglican has a English origin, and the Evangelical… I don’t know, but it is a culture shock IMHO.

The point is, most people of these various sects (esp Catholic and Episcopalians- English/British) also cling to their heritage as much as Jews and Islamics cling to theirs. I honesty think those that say there is no culture in Christianity have not explored it enough to make a definitive conclusion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanistic_Judaism

technically, i’m probably into ‘Futbolist Humanism’ or something like that.

http://www.ethicalsociety.org/program.php?id=34&PHPSESSID=545dd32d31c0c035080d6b238f2cffc6

So Jews have exclusive rights to their faith being a part of their heritage? I’d be interested to see your reasoning for that

I thought it was pretty clear Kate was talking about their ethnic identity rather than their religious identity.

An interesting thing about an Atheist Sunday School is why would you have one? Are the parents needing to be at a weekly Atheist meeting (do Atheist’s have weekly meetings?) or is this just a form of sending your kids off to be brainwashed for no apparent reason…

I grew up with an atheist father and a spiritual mother. I was always a little jealous of Sunday school. It just sounded like a fun, social thing to do. My parents let me go to church and Sunday school with friends. It never really stuck for me, but I liked some of the activities and the songs. I think having a place to go on Sunday for kids of atheists is more about the social aspect and just not feeling lonely. I probably would have loved it as a kid. Then I could have told my friends I went to Sunday school, too.

Community is good. One of the things church provides so well is community. I love that kind of thing. I’m sure there are religious people who never go to church at all, and there are atheists who don’t need a Sunday meeting. But you know, some of us like to be with other people and chit chat and hang out.

As far as brainwashing….well, is it brainwashing to teach critical thinking? I would hope that even kids who eventually decide to become religious would truly benefit from critical thinking.

My parents did let us decide our own beliefs and were just honest about theirs. I don’t actually recall this part of my upbringing ever, ever being a problem. I thought it was the sanest thing to do, and I still do. Kids are remarkably open to logic, actually. If you’re straight up with them, they dig it. I did.

Yes, but less than you thought.

huh?

Jewish (unless by heritage)

So Jews have exclusive rights to their faith being a part of their heritage? I’d be interested to see your reasoning for that!

Here’s what Dawkins actually says:

What I think may be abuse is labeling children with religious labels like Catholic child and Muslim child. I find it very odd that in our civilization we’re quite happy to speak of a Catholic child that is 4 years old or a Muslim of child that is 4, when these children are much too young to know what they think about the cosmos, life and morality. We wouldn’t dream of speaking of a Keynesian child or a Marxist child. And yet, for some reason we make a privileged exception of religion. And, by the way, I think it would also be abuse to talk about an atheist child.

Mike C.:

Yes, exactly as I thought.

Yes, but less than you thought.