Death Warmed Over
I’ve been battling a head cold for the last few days. I think I’m at the high point of it today. All I’ve wanted to do is crawl back into bed, but I’m not sure if that’s the cold talking or the medicine. It’s probably a combination of both.
I’m going to visit Joe at the end of this week before his deployment. I’m, hopefully, going to get to meet his parents. And, despite his reassurances, I’m still apprehensive about that. Now I know how he felt.
Dad loved him. I don’t know if I mentioned that or not. And, from what I could tell, Joe enjoyed himself. I am surprised I didn’t get more questions from him though… like the praying around the table bit. Which is something that I don’t completely understand. We never prayed around the table. And I don’t think any of my family realize that I’m atheist. I didn’t say anything, not even Amen. And I don’t think anyone noticed.
What I hope is that Joe realizes that when it comes to religion, I’m quite nearly an outcast in my family. There was something my mother said to me that I only now realize the truth behind it: some people believe when it’s convenient for them. With my grandparents growing old, I’m wondering if they’re trying to make up for all the times they didn’t do the praying bit. It’s these kind of times that I find myself looking at a two-faced coin.
Right before we went, he was concerned about how we would raise our children. He was concerned about bringing them to his parents home and then getting frowned upon because God wasn’t a main staple in their education. I think he knows now that we would be faced with that same issue if we went to visit my dad and his side of the family.
Any future child that I might raise, be it with Joe or any other person, I want them to be opened minded. I want them to ask questions. I want them to investigate something before passing judgement on a thought or ideal simply because someone else says it’s good or bad. I want them to be able to make their own connections, come to their own conclusions based on what knowledge they might have. I want them to have a choice.
This is how I was raised.
Can you tell this has been roaming around in my head for a while?
Good post. I like your viewpoint on religion and family.
I am not atheistic, but I am agnostic. I never really saw religion as that important in my daily life, even though I was raised with it, mostly because I saw it as another waste of the precious little free time one gets.
January 23rd, 2007 at 9:43 amI agree completely with you on raising children to be open minded. I think helping them to see all the options is one of the best things you can do for them.
Hope you feel better soon. :)
January 24th, 2007 at 9:34 amYou know, I’ve battled with that question myself. Jacob and I have thought about it numerous times when we talk about kids.
I think we landed on discussing all the religions with our kids and then raising them with a base of morals rather than religious beliefs. They can pick religion on their own. By teaching them everything we can and know, they can learn to be open minded and by allowing them to choose their own beliefs, they can learn to belief what they want for their own reasons rather than mine or his.
January 24th, 2007 at 7:08 pmIgnore those grammatical errors.
January 24th, 2007 at 7:09 pmGood point, Faythe. I always though of books like the bible as more of guide books of morals.
January 25th, 2007 at 10:07 pmI’m so glad I got such a positive response on this. With most people, I get continuous questions about what if this happens or this or this or this. How do you do this or this or this?
January 31st, 2007 at 4:05 pm“How do you do this or this or this?”
Rhetorical question, I am guessing?
February 5th, 2007 at 12:01 pmHighly rhetorical Karnov ;)
February 6th, 2007 at 10:54 am