Summary
Title: Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion
Author: edited by Dale McGowan
Publisher: AMACOM/American Management Association
ISBN: 0814474268
Pro:
• Presents information and ideas simply not found elsewhere
• Provides ideas and suggestions, not final or absolute answers
Con:
• Bigotry may prevent many outlets from carrying this important book
Description:
• Collection of essays about parenting in the absence of religion, church, or theism of any kind
• Offers advice, ideas, and help to parents struggling with the role of religion in their lives
• Helps humanist and secular parents find their own path to raising happy, healthy, productive children
Book Review
With at least seven million irreligious parents in America trying to raise their children without religion, there is obviously a large potential market — so why haven't more authors attempted to write for them? Dale McGowan has edited what may be the first comprehensive book on secular, irreligious parenting: Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion. Contributors include Penn Jillette, Dan Barker, Richard Dawkins, Julia Sweeney, and many more from the fields of psychology, philosophy, and education.
Like any good humanistic, freethinking work it provides no definitive answers. This isn't a "how to" book with instructions on how to raise a secular child without religion, and it certainly doesn't provide instructions on how to change diapers. Christians may be able to argue that there is a specific path to be followed in order to raise children as Christians, but humanists must find their own path and make decisions appropriate to their own individual situation.
This is a book from multiple authors offering many perspectives on all the issues which secular parents will inevitably encounter: should they discuss religion with their children? Should they encourage or discourage belief in Santa Claus? How should they handle religious holidays? How can they instill good values and morals in their children? How can an irreligious family explain and cope with death? None of the authors tell the reader what to do; instead, the authors explore various facets of these problems in order to explain what parents will be facing and help them make their own decisions
Many religious theists may find such a prospect frightening: how can you raise a child without clear answers, a definite order to life, and an unambiguous hierarchy? Indeed, wanting to raise children without religion might be perceived as desperately sinful. Irreligious humanists, in contrast, may find such freedom daunting, but not necessarily frightening. In many cases it is precisely the freedom to make decisions and live an independent life which attracted them to an irreligious, humanistic, and freethinking life in the first place.
It remains to be seen whether this book will get the attention it so badly deserves. McGowan spent two years just finding a mainstream publisher for this work. Now that it exists, though, problems continue. Several parenting magazines have reportedly refused to review it out of fear of offending religious readers — yes, it's "offensive" to let parents know that it's possible to raise kids without religion and, even worse, that there are resources out there to help. Some retailers are refusing to stock the book and offer the excuse that there isn't a market for it. With at least seven million irreligious parents out there, it seems clear that bigotry and prejudice are the real reasons here.
As has been the case is so many other situations, it would appear that it's the mere presence of atheists, skeptics, humanists, freethinkers, and nonbelievers that's threatening or offensive. By living, living well, and living without religion, we challenge a host of assumptions which religious theists would rather just take for granted. Our presence demonstrates that religion and theism aren't necessary for raising children — reviews of this book would reveal that parents' assumptions about the need and role of religion are all wrong. We can't have that, can we?
Editor's web site: Parenting Beyond Belief
