by Linda Gurley

Created on: December 10, 2009   Last Updated: December 11, 2009

  There is no question that parents have power to end hereditary religion.  We teach other children many lessons and the most important gift we can give a child is the freedom to choose what religion will work best for them. Parenting is about teaching children the vital things they need to know to make their lives filled with happiness and joy.  Their faith is a very important part of that equation which should not be ignored. 

We have to have honest talks with our children and allow them to question things and give them the openness with us for them to feel that its ok for them to explore and find their way. I once heard a preacher tell a story on this very subject about  children  staying in the same church because their mother or grandma went to that church.  He spoke about a woman who always cut the ends off the roast  because she saw her mother do it.  She had never questioned why her mother was cutting the ends off the roast  she just did it because that is what she had always seen her mother do.  Finally one day she asked her mother why she cut the end pieces of the roast and her mother simply replied  it wouldn't fit the dish I was using. 

It is very true that alot of children are simply indoctrinated into the faith of their parents and most will not question it because if it's good enough for mom and dad its good enough for me. But for parents who choose to actively help their children make the choice for themselves hereditary religion can be changed . Simply by giving  them an open dialog for such a discussion to take place.The children will begin  to feel that they  can talk about it without offending their parents. This is how my parents raised me I was allowed to make the choice for myself and to ask questions .  My parents encouraged me to learn about different  religions and we had open discusssions about the belief systems of different religion  and what it meant to me. Both of my parents were involved in the church allowed me to  be apart of the church but still  gave me the chance to learn all I could  about the different faiths.

I am a parent myself and I am raising my child  the way I was brought up.  I explain to her what I believe and  she is very aware of other faiths .  She has chosen for now to participate in the faith I am in and I fully intend to keep an open dialog about other religions.  I have taught my daughter that faith is very unique to the believer and she has to go where her heart leads her. I feel as parents it's about empowering our children to make good decisions that they will be happy down the road with. So with that foundation I know she will  be true to herself and chose a religion based on what feels right to her spirit. I really think  that is all anyone can ask of any of us is to follow our own path to the best of our ability.  Trying to find our way in the world is difficult for us as adults but with guidance of parents children can  make a much easier transition into learning more deeply about who they are  and how their religion will define them also.

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