How to Teach a Kid Religion If You Don't Practice It?

The Unitarian Universalist church is accepting of people from all religious backgrounds and teaches world religions to children. I recommend looking into this. My stepson attended as a young teen and went through their "coming of age" ceremony at 15.

I also recommend the books "Parenting Beyond Belief" and "Raising Freethinkers".

I would start by checking into Sunday School programs - You don't have to go to the church service itself - but a LOT of churches have Sunday School programs for Toddlers up to Teens. Ask friends who go to church about their programs...or her friends parents! Just a thought. I am not sure how old your daughter is...but here we have the Upward Sports programs that ALL different churches do - basketball, soccer, football, cheerleading, etc. It's mainly fun with a little religion and prayer. My girls have done it and LOVE it!

Why not find a nearby Sunday school? And it doesn't have to be CCD at a Catholic church. I know I'll get flack for this but many raised Catholic (myself included) are just so generally unaware for most of their lives about other Christian churches out there!

I would start off first by saying those who think it's only the Catholic Church who may "hide molesters" you are HIGHLY mistaken.... they just get more attention for doing such things.... ALL religions have their predators....Pagans included.. That said.... you could send your kids to Catechism... That is what many people do...

Best of luck

Start with what you know.... if Catholicism is what you know, then take her to Mass and talk her through the service. Get a children's Bible and read to her from it. Get books out of the library for children on the topic.

If you are looking to make her accepting of various religions, then look at it as a huge research project. Pick one religion a month and do some reading and exploring. If you want for her to have a sense of her Christian roots, then maybe find a Unitarian or Methodist Church where the services and sermons tend to be more general and take her to a few services.

Try taking her to a UU church. One of the things they teach is that all religions have something useful to offer, AND that it's okay not to believe in any of them or to believe in parts of more than one of them.

Since she is already attending church with mom start there.
Talk with the mom first before introducing other religions to her. She is her child not yours to begin with and mom might not appreciate you getting into it. Religion is very person. What you want her to be doesn't matter, her mom and dad need to agree on this type of thing first. This is not meant as a slight to you because you aren't her mom, I have a step mom and I do know how it works best. Start stepping on mom's toes and bad things happen.
A simple bible story book I don't think would hurt but actually trying to teach her things that don't involve her mom's religion aren't the best idea.
My daughter has a Bible Stories for Mothers and Daughters. It's all the stories of women in the bible . It's very good,

They do have childrens bible stories and that would be a good place to start. I don't see where you said how old she is but I think I would just teach her the catholic/christian religion and let her search out other religions when she is older. I think trying to teach her different faiths before she's 18 or so may just confuse her even more. Since she already goes with her mom and grandparents (your step dtr, right?), she is getting a good base to go on. Hope you find something that helps. Good luck.

You won't teach your kids religion if you don't practice it. Period. Your actions speak louder than your words.

If you want your kids to learn and practice religion, find one that rings true to you and pratice it. Then you can teach your kids.

What you do and are speaks so loudly that your kids cannot hear your words.

I would second those Moms who suggested you check out your local Unitarian Universalist church. They are very accepting of all/no religious beliefs. They also have a great RE (religious education) program that teaches children about many different paths.

The two books recommended by Sue are also excellent resources!

Like you, I was raised Catholic, but don't buy it. Just because I don't buy into religion, doesn't mean I don't want the opportunity there if my kids are interested. I have every Catholic bible story under the sun, and my kids have their own bibles. I sent them to a private Lutheran preK (where they still go to vacation bible school every summer), and they go to Baptist church every other Sunday with their dad. It's there for them, and if they're interested, I'll support it, I just don't chose it for myself.

there is literally no earthly way any one person can learn all they need to know about all religions to make a really good educated choice...that's what i came up with. there is SO MUCH to learn. i was raised in the church and strayed when i started thinking for myself...now i am raising my son and i think to myself, "there is NO WAY i can teach him." the best i can do is take him to sunday school every week, and back it up with my own personal thoughts and feelings about religion, spirituality, god, etc. and i don't disagree with EVERYthing our (lutheran) church teaches....i just think it's awfully ignorant to assume that they are the only ones who got it "right"...that's the part i hate about organized religion...the exclusionist view of it. good luck.

Have you ever checked out an Episcopalian church/churches? I wonder if that would be a good fit for you and your family?

Here's what I do:
I expose my kids to lots of different faiths. My mom takes them with her to her place of worship, my friends to theirs, and me to mine. I want them to relate to God in the way that feels deeply right for them.

To me, religion can be a way to better our relationship and understanding of God. I have seen God expressed in many faiths, by many communities, in many countries. I think the experience of God is similar no matter the difference in practice and expression. That's my understanding of a loving God.

How I teach my children about God, apart from exposing them to lots of different faiths (so they may discern their own way), is to be a person of faith. I want them to have a mother who is dedicated to love, equality, compassion, to internal value, and to truth. I want them to see me have a beautiful, loving, strong relationship with God, and to work from that place.

I hope you find your right way, no matter how that works!

Hi--
I would start by learning more yourself. My husband and I are in a similar position. I was raised Jewish and him protestant, but both of us are now spiritual, not religious. We both studied religions extensively and found that at their core the teachings are pretty universal. We choose to focus on the common moral and value teachings that you find in most religions. The Church of religious science (the one off of Alameda and Garrison in Denver) follows this philosophy--although we don't attend there. The more you know the more you can work it into every day discussions. We are trying to make sure that our sons know bible stories because in our society they are so pervasive that it is good for them to have an understanding of them. And it is important to know them simply from a literary perspective. We also let our sons talk about whether or not the stories and beliefs make sense to them. We want them to form their own opinions.
Oh, you could also go to the library and see what they recommend--they are always a wealth of information on good books for children.
J.