A concern for many new parents may end up being what religion they are going to raise their children, if they’re going to raise their children in religion at all. With so many varying beliefs in today’s modern culture, it can be a confusing and perhaps even intimidating question of what church should my child go to? Which congregation should they attend? This is especially difficult to answer if you and your spouse have differing religions. You, as adults, can see the differences in your belief systems but a young child cannot yet. So what are some things to consider when deciding to bring your child to Sunday worship?
To begin, it may not be as intimidating as you may think. According to a Pew Research Center study, one-in-five adults from the United States were raised with a mixed religious background. If you and your spouse have differing religions and are able to love and care for each other regardless of that, then your child can too. Though it does become important to teach your child about both religions, so that they can understand quickly why one parent’s rituals and beliefs may differ from their other parents. Whether they go to Sunday worship at a community church or attend a bar mitzvah, most principal religions and beliefs systems tend to teach very values, when you really look into it. That is the message of love and caring for the people around you. If both of the parents exemplify this belief, than the confusion your child may feel at two different religions will quickly dissipate.
When it comes down to it, the most important lessons to teach your child are to be caring, kind and generous to others. This can be done with many different religions, or even none at all. Non denominational churches are on the rise in America nowadays, with an estimated 4% or around 12,200,000 people worshiping at an independent, non denominational church in 2012. This is up drastically by about 50% when compared to 2008’s estimate of eight million. Religion is constantly changing in today’s modern age. And it’s important for children to see both sides of their parent’s beliefs systems, presented not as a competition of which is better, but as a learning experience to grow. In the end, it’s not as intimidating as it may seem.
