Forum Discussion: Religious Gifts for Atheists' Children

Religious believers sometimes give religious gifts and some believers tend to give religious gifts more than any other kind. This can lead to atheists receiving religious gifts, including gifts intended for atheists' children. Some Christians may mean well and simply never stop to consider how inappropriate that can be. Some are so caught up in their own religious world that they can't recognize how the gift of a Bible may be insulting to a non-Christian family. Some may even be trying to encourage the children to become Christian, believing that kids can't grow up to be moral, decent citizens without Christianity. How should atheists respond to such behavior? How can they protect their children from unwanted evangelization in the guise of a Christmas gift?

A forum member writes:

I am an athiest by choice and a scientist by training. I have young kids who i wish to raise knowing something about all religions and able to make up their own minds someday. However, I feel they are currently too young to be exposed to the crusaders at this age.

My mom and several of my aunts are very religious. Today I received a gift package from one aunt which was meant as gifts for my children. Of course I knew it would consist of religious propaganda materials from her and it did. She is a very nice person, religious zealotry not withstanding, and I know she means well, but I feel that NO ONE should be trying to slip my young children the same koolaid they tried to slip me and most every other kid out there when we were growing up. What does the all knowing internet think i should do?

There were lots of good suggestions and ideas from forum members, but I want to highlight this one in particular (maybe because it describes something I've often promoted myself):

A neighbour gave my daughter a little book of The Little Lost Lamb, and I was able to read it to my daughter just as I did the books I got her on Greek and Roman myths, Aesop's Fables, Gilgamesh, and a book of Children's bible stories.

My attitude was that they were all stories, but I did let her know that some people though that the bible stories were real, so we needed to be kind to them, and let them figure things out on their own. Just like when she figured out about Santa on her own.

I also made commentaries on the stories, like wondering out loud why, in the story of Cain and Abel, why God would like one brother's offering more than the other. And stressing the destruction of the Noah's Ark story, instead of the peaceful animals going two-by-two.

I like the idea of telling your aunt that you would put them away until you thought your child was ready.

As a side note, my daughter went to Sunday school with a friend one time, and the two of them taught the preschoolers the story of the little lost lamb. My daughter knew the story better than her friend, who had gone to Sunday school all her life.

And she knew many many Greek myths, too.

Atheist parents should protect their kids from unwanted evangelization, but they shouldn't try to protect their kids from knowledge about religion. Not only will that not help, but it may make the kids more susceptible to proselytization later on. Knowledge is power, so the more kids know about religion, the more power they will have over religious ideas they encounter.

One of the best things atheist parents can so is probably to teach about religions equally rather than privilege any one religion as "true" or contemporary religions as "more reasonable." Kids will get the message that one is as credible as another, which means that believing one is "true" while all others are "false" becomes untenable.

How would you deal with this kind of situation? Have you ever encountered this sort of problem before? Add your thoughts to the comments here or join the ongoing discussion in the forum.