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Religion

In reply to the discussion: Keeping the faith at home [View all]

MineralMan

(151,370 posts)
2. Odd. Our relationships to other living things are
Tue Aug 28, 2012, 04:11 PM
Aug 2012

based on scientific knowledge, not spiritualism. It's genetics, not djinns. Non-religious parents can simply teach the science of such things to their children and produce the very same respect for such things as any spiritual explanation. My sense of wonder at the complexity of the natural world is not exceeded by any religious belief. It's just differently based.

I would have been disappointed in my parents had they taught me that some deity spoke all those things into existence, once I passed the age of 8 or 9 and had read about how it actually happened.

Parents should teach what they actually believe and know to be true to their children. Fairy tales, whether they involved giants and fairies or seas parting and people coming back to life, are useless in giving children anything of real value.

When I first asked where babies came from, my parents got me a pair of guinea pigs. Those critters demonstrated the process on several occasions. Even better, the local pet store was happy to give me $1 per guinea pig when they were weaned.


Aside: Guinea pigs are ideal for teaching children about reproduction in mammals. The entire process doesn't take all that long, and guinea pigs are born fully furred and with eyes open, looking like miniature adults. The female seems to have no discomfort giving birth, and they only nurse for about three weeks. They're also quite willing to mate frequently and don't seem to mind if children watch.

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