I'll teach my children the truth. I'll simply tell them that religion has always been to the peasants true; to the philosophers false; and to the kings as useful. I'll explain how religion belongs to our prehistory and is our first and worst attempt at understanding the origins of the universe and our species. I'll tell them how religion came from a period when natural events would have appeared wholly mysterious and terrifying. Religion is from a time when we didn't know-we had no way to know-that the Earth was a sphere, or that micro-organisms existed and had dominion over us. I'll reinforce that we now have a much better explanation and understanding about our situation in this rather odd solar system.

Agnostic means skepticism towards the idea of god.

To JackyBoy: And precisly what is that explanation???

That was my point. Thanks. -_-

No it doesn't. It means not holding a certainty about things unknowable. It's as much skepticism towards atheism as it is towards the divine.

Well, being skeptic can be held as being uncertain, and being uncertain towards the idea of god also means being uncertain about god not existing, so it amounts to that, yes.

But that implies that you're ambivalent on the whole thing! ;_;

I'm not ambivalent about it. I just don't think there's much to be passionate about! Atheists are really good at being passionate about nothing. =/

Well, it doesn't mean that the person will necessarily try to force his beliefs onto you. It's fanatacism that's the real danger. Talking about your beliefs isn't a bad thing, doing everything possible to make sure you come to take it as the truth, no matter what the cost, is what is dangerous.

Couldn't agree with you more on that one. I wanted to say that, but I thought it may be misconstrued as something it's not.

And yea, all that stuff about fanaticism. Agree.

But in a way, I think teaching your kids about a religion as though it's a fact or how things "should be perceived as" is, well, kind of fanatic.

Well, I agree with your position, and I have adopted it myself quite a long time ago. I am still interested in hearing about different religions though, as I feel it to be quite educating in most instances, as religious beliefs, when taken apart from the institutions that promote them, can sometimes propose models in terms of morals that can be interesting. It also helps to understand people from all walks of life to know what it is that they believe in.

Willingly and voluntarily educating yourself about other religions is not "pushing an agenda" at all. I think it's important to be educated about other religions and beliefs. It also lends a greater understanding of the human mind to those who wish to know why people do things and where we stand as a species.

I don't think anyone here would ever imply that education - regardless of subject matter - is a bad thing.

It's funny about some of those zealots, though. You know how they can get. (This includes atheists)

@Remy: It just sounded like you were giving the definition a tilt to it. The term seems very flexible to me. You could attend church, pray regularly, and not believe for a moment in the torments of hellfire. That would give you some agnostic value. As would rejecting major religions' teachings by and large, but curious to other aspects of mysticism like spirits, out of body experiences, or deja vu. It's just that you don't put absolute stock in anything that involves forces unseen.

Back on topic, the parent would have to discern the maturity level of the child to handle discussion on the matter. I don't think it would be wrong to tactfully avoid or give non detailed answers to the ins and outs of belief with a six year old just as you might when they ask where babies come from or how Santa makes it to everyone's house in a single night. Don't lead them to a conclusion when they're young, but don't give them no guidance whatsoever.

Sorry about the ambiguity.

About the children thing, it is true that certain things can be hard to grasp before a certain age, but I'm not so sure that I'd be able to give any other answer than 'I honestly don't know' to the question of god. As to the place babies come from, I don't think telling them is necessarily the end of the world.

So, how does Santa go around the world in one night???

Here's a more interesting debate: do you tell your kids about Santa Claus? I've had this debate with so many people so many times. (I would)

That, I honestly don't know. I can't recall having much love for the guy, but I know for a fact that my girlfriend's opinion on it is that we should definitely do it. Then again, I think we should eliminate christmas altogether, so I might be held as having an extreme view on the subject... So I probably would do it, if only for her.

Why eliminate Christmas altogether??

Because I feel it has taken a turn for the worst in our society, and that it is a perfect example of needless consumtion. I'm not talking about the vacation aspect of it, simply the part about going out to buy stuff for people while trying to figure out what they want/need, when most of us have pretty much all we need and go buy for ourselves what we want. I'm not suggesting that all of you are rich. I am not rich either. It's just that, in my view, if you want to give something to someone because you feel they would appreciate the said thing or simply because you feel like being nice, by all means do so, and I do that all the time. Buying stuff for someone just because on that specific day you HAVE to give them something or it won't go over well socially I care less for.

While I agree with your ideas about consumerism and needless consumption, I'd hope you'd also find a sense of giving to those in need and generosity in the season.

At the risk of sounding like a sentimental asshole, presents don't make Christmas - the spirit does it for me. Winter, being kind and generous to your neighbor, so on and so forth - this is what I find valuable.

I agree with being a giving person. I just don't understand why people couldn't just be more considerate year round instead.

You do bring up a good point though, about celebrating the act of giving and all...

No, no, I agree with you. But most people need a special circumstance to feel generous and giving, it seems. (That statement has nothing to do with religion) If Christmas fulfills that basic need, even once a year, I'm happy teaching my kid about it.

Festivus, baby.

Devo, sadly, I do too. I don't save at Christmas. I buy/make presents for people, but I am also unusually generous with my money. I eat out at a restaurant? I leave a 40% tip. I buy a coffee? Leave extra cash. Someone needs help with something, even if they're a stranger? I try to help. Doesn't always have to be cash! =D

The way I was raised, this was vise-versa :( I got so screwed.