SOCIAL GROUP: Atheists, agnostics, free-thinkers, non-believers

[Guest inoubliable]

I realize this could be taken a few ways, so let me be clear.

 

I know that there are members here who would fit into this group and could use a place to discuss secular home schooling, cool science finds, challenges to living as a non-believer, etc. I am NOT interested in a social group for religion bashing. I'd like to have a place where non-believers can ask questions and hold discussions and where people who have questions about how we live without a religious belief system can ask them and get thoughtful and honest answers.

 

I'll start.

 

If any of you come from a religious background, have you run into family members who are still members of that church insisting that you teach your children about the faith of your childhood? For example, I was raised in the RCC from birth. I knew early on that I was atheist, but was still required to attend the local Catholic school and Mass every Sunday until I was in high school. Now, as parent to three boys, my parents have made some noises about teaching the kids even more about the RCC than we've covered as part of a general study of world religions and tolerance.

[Guest inoubliable]

That's sort of where we're at - offering the kids to know more if they want to, but they're not interested. My parents have backed off a little, but the Skyping at Christmastime meant a lot of asking about birthday cakes and asking where the angel was on our tree. DS12 pointed out that Christmas trees were a pagan tradition and that he thought our tree was nice without a topper and suddenly the questions stopped. We'll see if it picks up at Easter time.

[HomeschoolMamaOfTwo]

I think it would be great to have a place for this sort of thing. Sometimes it is really hard to find secular materials, it would be good to have somewhere to share.

 

As far as your question... I was raised Lutheran and my mom is pretty devastated about the fact that we don't agree and don't raise our kids the same way. DH's mom took it about the same way. They are upset, and my mom tries to give us stuff to give to the kids, but I think we agreed for it not to be brought up with them. So, it went pretty well I guess compared to some of the stories I have heard. I do feel bad sometimes though because it makes her so sad. She doesn't bring it up or anything, but I know it does. So, they aren't insistent, but they do wish we would "come to our senses".

[Guest inoubliable]

I think it would be great to have a place for this sort of thing. Sometimes it is really hard to find secular materials, it would be good to have somewhere to share.

 

As far as your question... I was raised Lutheran and my mom is pretty devastated about the fact that we don't agree and don't raise our kids the same way. DH's mom took it about the same way. They are upset, and my mom tries to give us stuff to give to the kids, but I think we agreed for it not to be brought up with them. So, it went pretty well I guess compared to some of the stories I have heard. I do feel bad sometimes though because it makes her so sad. She doesn't bring it up or anything, but I know it does. So, they aren't insistent, but they do wish we would "come to our senses".

 

I had a hard time finding secular materials at first. I'll say that for math and science, CK12.org is nice for putting together your own texts and workbooks and Mr. Q for elementary is really nice. I tried going with vintage texts for language arts, but found that I really needed to skip too much for it to be worth it. http://www.classicalhouseoflearning.com (a WTMer's site!), if you haven't found it yet, is fantastic as a literature program. This is the second year we've used it and my kids love it. If anyone else has some good resources, please feel free to share (or shamelessly promote your own program :laugh: ).

[HomeschoolMamaOfTwo]

We've actually been using Moving Beyond the Page and like it for the most part. We do some other supplementing with Math Mammoth, Spelling Workout, and our own stuff. I like MBtP though because the kids LOVE doing it, really love it. The others are just areas I feel that it lacks in and then some other things that we study because they are interested in it.

[Guest inoubliable]

I hadn't heard of MBtP. Very interesting - thanks for sharing! We also use MM here.

[JeneralMom]

Well, my parents were both raised Catholic, to the point where my Dad was an altar boy but he never believed and is an atheist. My mom re-found religion after she and my dad divorced in 2003 but it OT "eye for an eye" kind of religion so I refuse to listen to her. We were raised atheist, as are my nieces. My DH was raised by a devout Catholic mom and a Presbyterian dad. They divided the kids - DH's mother "claimed" the first boy and first girl for Catholicism and DH's dad got the second boy and second girl for Protestantism. When DH came along 10 years later he was made to do both. He doesn't believe in organized religion but does have a faith component to his personality. When DS9 was born we decided to placate the Catholic (and extremely vocal) members of his family and do a "dedication" ceremony which was supposed to be secularish but assured them that he would be introduced to religions. My father and brother/famil refused to come. The ceremony itself got really weird and was not at all what we wanted so we have not done it again. The kids are being raised as atheists but with a love of learning all world religions as interesting historical and cultural phenomenons (this is how I treat it).

[chiguirre]

 

If any of you come from a religious background, have you run into family members who are still members of that church insisting that you teach your children about the faith of your childhood? For example, I was raised in the RCC from birth. I knew early on that I was atheist, but was still required to attend the local Catholic school and Mass every Sunday until I was in high school. Now, as parent to three boys, my parents have made some noises about teaching the kids even more about the RCC than we've covered as part of a general study of world religions and tolerance.

 

 

Both dh and I are atheists (I'll cop to it publicly, he won't) but we've had the kids baptized and done CCE and First Communion with Geezle and Trinqueta. T's already a confirmed atheist, but G still likes the idea of God. Our parents aren't concerned about their salvation, just the social occasion. There are very few people in either of our families who are religious, but Catholic traditions are an integral part of both of our families. It's worked out well for us to continue to be nominal Catholics, especially hsing in the Bible belt. It's like a form of camouflage.

[Joshin]

If any of you come from a religious background, have you run into family members who are still members of that church insisting that you teach your children about the faith of your childhood? For example, I was raised in the RCC from birth. I knew early on that I was atheist, but was still required to attend the local Catholic school and Mass every Sunday until I was in high school. Now, as parent to three boys, my parents have made some noises about teaching the kids even more about the RCC than we've covered as part of a general study of world religions and tolerance.

 

 

My background isn't religious at all, but DH was raised by a pagan mother and his fundamentalist Christian grandparents. He is now an Atheist/Buddhist like me. His grandmother was very excited when we started HSing, but then quickly bummed when he had to tell her no to a bunch of Christian curriculum she wanted to buy us. We live cross country, so it isn't a big thing most of the time. My eldest son identifies as an Agnostic/Buddhist but is sensitive to all beliefs, while my youngest is very anti-religion. We have to coach him before talking to g-grandma so he doesn't say things to upset her (which I sometimes think he does on purpose). I honestly have no experience with any of this from my background, so I'm bad and make DH deal with it most of the time.

[Izzy]

I haven't even read the posts yet and don't have time to respond. I just wanted to say thank you for starting this. :D :D

[Guest inoubliable]

 

Both dh and I are atheists (I'll cop to it publicly, he won't) but we've had the kids baptized and done CCE and First Communion with Geezle and Trinqueta. T's already a confirmed atheist, but G still likes the idea of God. Our parents aren't concerned about their salvation, just the social occasion. There are very few people in either of our families who are religious, but Catholic traditions are an integral part of both of our families. It's worked out well for us to continue to be nominal Catholics, especially hsing in the Bible belt. It's like a form of camouflage.

 

DH and I had our first two children baptized at the same time several years ago. My parents had begged us to for a long time because *their* friends had been asking about it. It was uncomfortable, definitely. None of my children have been interested in learning more about Catholicism from a spiritual or cultural aspect, any more than any other religion, so it was a little easier fending off my parent's begging to get our youngest baptized.

[Izzy]

My dad grew up Catholic but I'm pretty sure he's Athiest. My mom found God when I was 12 and we were raised Baptist. I haven't told her my views have changed because it would crush her. My brother is an Athiest so she already thinks my dad and brother are going to hell - I don't want to hurt her further. So no, we don't have any opposition to our homeschooling choices.

 

I have found it very hard to find secular materials. We are using SL now and just plan on taking out the missionary stories. My dream curriculum is a secular SL. We don't do science yet. I just pulled the boys from PS and I'm having a hard time finding a science curriculum. I'm not too worried about my 1st grader but my 7th grader loves science.

[Guest inoubliable]

My dad grew up Catholic but I'm pretty sure he's Athiest. My mom found God when I was 12 and we were raised Baptist. I haven't told her my views have changed because it would crush her. My brother is an Athiest so she already thinks my dad and brother are going to hell - I don't want to hurt her further. So no, we don't have any opposition to our homeschooling choices.

 

I have found it very hard to find secular materials. We are using SL now and just plan on taking out the missionary stories. My dream curriculum is a secular SL. We don't do science yet. I just pulled the boys from PS and I'm having a hard time finding a science curriculum. I'm not too worried about my 1st grader but my 7th grader loves science.

 

It's interesting how many times I run into people who say "I know someone who is <enter religion here> but I'm pretty sure they're really atheist". I find it most often the further south we live. Anywho, I thought for a long time that my father was because he'd been raised Southern Baptist but was never active in his church. I was completely surprised when he decided to join my mother in the Catholic church. FWIW, I am the only openly atheist person in my family and DH is the only openly open atheist in his. We're pretty sure there are no closeted atheists in either family.

 

My middle grader is enjoying this series from Joy Hakim for science: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_5_10?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=joy+hakim+science&sprefix=joy+hakim+%2Caps%2C213

[Guest inoubliable]

There are some good, comprehensive secular resource lists on another forum, but it's probably bad manners to link there from here ?

 

Hmm. I wouldn't think it'd be bad to link the list here. I see stuff linked here all the time... You could also PM a Mod and ask.

[Izzy]

I've heard of the Joy Hakim US history but not science. Thanks!

 

I say I'm pretty sure he's Athiest but I think more Agnostic. He grew up going to a Catholic school and openly rejects both Catholicism and Christianity. He has said there could be a God but doesn't believe in the God of the bible. I'd love to talk to him about it now that my views are different. I think it would be a great conversation. He's never really had a chance to voice his thoughts on the matter. I never realized how that felt from the other side until recently.

 

 

 

It's interesting how many times I run into people who say "I know someone who is <enter religion here> but I'm pretty sure they're really atheist". I find it most often the further south we live. Anywho, I thought for a long time that my father was because he'd been raised Southern Baptist but was never active in his church. I was completely surprised when he decided to join my mother in the Catholic church. FWIW, I am the only openly atheist person in my family and DH is the only openly open atheist in his. We're pretty sure there are no closeted atheists in either family.

 

My middle grader is enjoying this series from Joy Hakim for science: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_5_10?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=joy+hakim+science&sprefix=joy+hakim+%2Caps%2C213

[Guest inoubliable]

I think it would be a great conversation. He's never really had a chance to voice his thoughts on the matter. I never realized how that felt from the other side until recently.

 

It can certainly be isolating. Ask me how I know. Interestingly, the only person that I felt comfortable discussing religion with and who took me seriously was my incredibly devout Roman Catholic grandmother. She kept my secret for years, even. I think that has a lot to do with why DH and I are very open with our kids when they have questions about other religions. There hasn't been any interest in years, but we never pooh-poohed any idea they wanted to explore or know more about.

[HomeschoolMamaOfTwo]

We just recently revealed our feelings to our families and it did not go well at all. They were crushed of course because they think we are going to hell. So, if you don't have a need to spill the beans, it might be better to avoid. Though it did feel nice to finally have it out in the open.

[4kidlets4me]

My DH and I weren't raised with religion so we have no one in our families bothering us. We do have certain friends however who are "concerned" for us.

[Guest inoubliable]

My DH and I weren't raised with religion so we have no one in our families bothering us. We do have certain friends however who are "concerned" for us.

 

Where we live, we frequently get asked (by people that are meeting us for the first time) what church we go to. We've taken to telling them that we haven't found a good Secular Humanist group yet. And we get knowing nods and stories about how long it took for them to find their perfect fit. It goes over much better than telling people that we don't go to church, or that we're atheist.

[catz]

Both DH and I were raised RC and neither of our families has any problem with us! However, we do attend a UU church (we'd be probably categorized as humanist agnostics). So perhaps the fact that we attend a church appeases them somewhat. Even though it's a pretend, non-Christian church by many standards. It's a very nice progressive community with great kids programming.

 

Both our families actually lean liberal despite their RC backgrounds.

 

Anyway, just passing through here! Hope for more good discussions here. :)

[Guest inoubliable]

Both DH and I were raised RC and neither of our families has any problem with us! However, we do attend a UU church (we'd be probably categorized as humanist agnostics). So perhaps the fact that we attend a church appeases them somewhat. Even though it's a pretend, non-Christian church by many standards. It's a very nice progressive community with great kids programming.

 

Both our families actually lean liberal despite their RC backgrounds.

 

Anyway, just passing through here! Hope for more good discussions here. :)

 

 

Good to see you pop in, Wooly! :)

[4kidlets4me]

 

Where we live, we frequently get asked (by people that are meeting us for the first time) what church we go to. We've taken to telling them that we haven't found a good Secular Humanist group yet. And we get knowing nods and stories about how long it took for them to find their perfect fit. It goes over much better than telling people that we don't go to church, or that we're atheist.

 

This is usually the first question I get when meeting new people especially homeschoolers. When I say we don't go to church I've had people just walk away and start a conversation with someone else. My kids have a hard time making friends because of it. I've come to the conclusion I probably don't want to be friends with people like that anyway!

[jar7709]

It was high school confirmation class (presbyterian) that made me realize I was some kind of non-believer. I had to keep attending church until I left the house, and didn't have a label for myself for a long time, but having kids made me realize I am pretty firmly athiest. DH is more comfortable being identified as agnostic. I have an unstated don't-ask-don't-tell policy in place with my mom, we just don't discuss it. I think she knows, but she doesn't WANT to know, iykwim. She's made noises about teaching the kids about Jesus, and we've gone to church with her as a gift to her a couple times (which did not go well, apparently she had picked times for us to come that were sermons intended to convert), but on the whole she does not give me a hard time, which I respect, I think she does not want to push us away. From her point of view, if she believes her very loved daughter and grandchildren are not going to heaven, I can understand why she tries to convince us every now and again.

 

Anyway, we also use entirely secular materials including MBtP, BA, MM, and just a lot of books. We are very book-y people. I do teach the kids about various myths and religions. I can not recommend "What Do You Believe?" highly enough. It is so rare to find a comparative religions book for kids where athiesm/agnosticsm/humanism are all presented as valid philosophies alongside all the mainstream religions.

[Guest inoubliable]

 

This is usually the first question I get when meeting new people especially homeschoolers. When I say we don't go to church I've had people just walk away and start a conversation with someone else. My kids have a hard time making friends because of it. I've come to the conclusion I probably don't want to be friends with people like that anyway!

 

Yep!

[PinkInTheBlue]

I, also, really appreciate you starting this thread. It's a good way to remind myself I'm not so alone. :)

 

My husband was raised Independent Baptist with a preacher father. My husband also played piano professionally for Southern Gospel quartets for several years. My family didn't start going to church until high school and that was a Southern Baptist church. I married very young to a preacher from a preacher's family.

 

My husband's parents have both passed away but before his mother passed away a year ago I think she probably knew he was at least something very far, far from what his Independent Baptist daddy ever preached. :) Matter fact, she had a television, wore pants and didn't go to church herself. :) His sister is probably pretty close to where he is but his aunt would be completely devastated. He doesn't do more than very occasionally email with either of them, though.

 

My family (Mother, Daddy, his wife, brother and family, etc) would be DEVASTATED to find out exactly how far away our thinking is now. I mean I'd rather tell them I had serious cancer than deal with telling them. It's not even a form or avoiding confrontation. It's that there would be "much weeping and gnashing of teeth" if I were to. You understand? :) My husband pretty heavily vocal about his complete disgust with organized religion on Facebook and they all read that and I'm certain it really stresses them. I assume they probably think I don't agree.

 

I don't even know how to describe where I am though. My husband is comfortable in his complete atheism. I only know what I completely no longer believe but I can't pinpoint what I do believe.

 

I 100% do not believe the Bible is a book from God. Far from it. No matter what happens when I'm 85 and considering life, I just can't fathom I could ever again believe in that. I 100% do not believe in any organize religion I've seen. I'm from the South, so that list is pretty limited. I'm curious if I could handle a UU or Unity church just for the socializing. Not really any such thing in my neck of the woods.

 

I don't believe in any religion at all but I find it hard to come to the final statement of "I don't believe in God". I find absolutely no proof for an existence at all; none, but that "last step" is really hard for me to say. :) I don't believe; I just don't want to say it. ;)

 

My ramblings. Thank you for letting me put it all out here like this. :) I never really get to other than tons of great, honest conversations with my husband.

[Maela]

Yay for this thread! I am a pantheist, and Dh is atheist. We belong to a UU church that we love. My five year old has labeled herself as a "pantheist-atheist". :-).

 

DH and I have been "out" as non-Christians for about a decade. I think our friends and family (who are all Christian) have accepted it. They probably worry about our children and discuss it behind our backs, but they're mostly respectful face-to-face.

 

Someone mentioned Classical House of Learning. We just started using that for literature to go along with our SotW for history, and I'm loving it!

[Hypatia.]

I'm happy to see this group! I was raised in a secular household and consider myself an atheist and a secular pagan, DH identifies more as an agnostic. We are discussing religions with the kids as we come across them either in lessons or in everyday life. My immediate family has similar views so no problems about it there, we don't interact with DH's side of the family often enough for it to come up.

[deannajo]

Hi! Nice thread...I'm pretty much an out and proud atheist, although I haven't made an official statement to announce it or anything. My parents know, my friends know, etc. I don't hide it. My dad is an atheist, although closeted to me until relatively recently. My mom is pretty religious, in her own way (no church). I was raised visiting churches...like mom sent us to go with the neighbors type of thing. I spent summers with my grandparents, so went regularly 2-3 months out of the year, and attended vacation bible school. Fun times. I always questioned. Always. My sister got baptized when we were middle school age, but I refused, even though at the time I couldn't voice why - I think I was waiting for God to speak to me. For me to FEEL religion. I never did. In college, I went on my own spiritual quest (via humanities and philosophy courses) and came out of it all as agnostic, which later evolved into atheism. My husband won't talk about his beliefs at all, but from what the kids and I have gotten out of him suggests agnosticism.

 

We've struggled some with groups and finding our community, but have mostly been pretty lucky to find secular pockets. We recently moved to the Portland OR area, and oddly enough, no one has asked me about my church at all since we moved here! Its weird. I think we'll fit in here nicely!

 

I just purchased Sonlight, and plan to do it as secularly as possible, but out of the box, and two days into our first week, I'm somewhat discouraged. Like Izzy said above, I wish there was something that was just like it, but secular. With where I am right now, I just want/need something just ready to go, that I can't get caught up in the planning and preparing stage of things, because so often I don't go beyond that..but trying to figure out what to skip, what to replace (and with what) makes Sonlight seem like maybe it isn't for me..but I'm giving it the ole college try before I make that determination. I looked at Moving Beyond the Page, but I don't think its exactly what I want - it just looks too workbooky and projecty for my family (if someone wants to correct me, that would be awesome!) - my kids just do not respond to that type of instruction... Prior to Sonlight, we've stuck to completely secular items as much as possible....but we've also been super hodge-podgey and relaxed...I'm trying to find more structure, as my oldest will be highschool age next year, and I'm in panic mode thinking I only have four more years and there's so much more she needs to know first! :scared:

[Laura Corin]

I think it would be great to have a place for this sort of thing. Sometimes it is really hard to find secular materials, it would be good to have somewhere to share.

 

 

 

In my usual role as GP champion, just mentioning Galore Park books. Religion is mentioned but only (apart from in the RE curriculum, which is itself usable by atheists) in a cultural context.

 

Laura

[LaxMom]

 

I don't believe in any religion at all but I find it hard to come to the final statement of "I don't believe in God". I find absolutely no proof for an existence at all; none, but that "last step" is really hard for me to say. :) I don't believe; I just don't want to say it. ;)

 

Jessica, this is very much where I am, as well. I'm an "evidence based" kind of girl, and no evidence is not the same as evidence against, so I am most comfortable with a "don't know, doesn't affect my daily life" sort of agnosticism, with Buddhist philosophical leanings.

 

Last year (or was it the year before?) I felt called to return to the Church. That call just seemed to solidify why I walked away in the first place.

 

For secular curricula, I actually haven't found it so difficult to find. We use MEP math, VIE for grammar, WWE for writing, SOTW and History of US as history spines. Science is experiment based, but we used Harcourt/Prentice Hall Science Explorer for Biology. Their OASIS ordering system is sort of a nightmare to navigate, since it's geared toward school districts with a regional rep, but I contacted them and they set up an account for me as a homeschooler with no trouble.

 

Latin and Logic are my sticky wickets. I may need to order GP Latin, but if anyone has any ideas for Logic for the younger years... (We have been using Traditional Logic - not secular at all - and Gensler's Introduction to Logic with the almost 12 year old.)

[Laura Corin]

 

Latin and Logic are my sticky wickets. I may need to order GP Latin, but if anyone has any ideas for Logic for the younger years... (We have been using Traditional Logic - not secular at all - and Gensler's Introduction to Logic with the almost 12 year old.)

 

We used the Logic Countdown, Logic Liftoff and Orbiting with Logic series, but you may have gone beyond that already.

 

At about that age, we took an excursion into philosophy with Philosophy for Kids, by White, which we both enjoyed enormously.

 

Laura

[LaxMom]

 

 

We used the Logic Countdown, Logic Liftoff and Orbiting with Logic series, but you may have gone beyond that already.

 

At about that age, we took an excursion into philosophy with Philosophy for Kids, by White, which we both enjoyed enormously.

 

Laura

Thanks, Laura! I'll look into that. Yeah, we're using the Logic Liftoff book right now with the boys (8) but I'm looking for options after that series, when we're digging into the more formal side, in preparation for rhetoric. I could just stick with what we have, as we've been pretty happy with it, but I always wonder if there is a more secular option. (Though TL and Gensler are both pretty well concerned for form rather than belief. Probably rhetoric will be the bugger.)

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Just about everyone i know knows I'm atheist. Everyone except my evangelical, paranoid schizophrenic, bipolar mother. I pray with her weekly. I pray that she never figures it out and comes to visit and rescue us! Lol. She's scary.

 

I've been blog hopping lately and every single time i come across a blog that deals with some of the issues my son may have, there is little to no credit given to the Drs or therapists. Because of this, when i read about kids making amazing progress, i cant find the therapy details. There will be a small mention that therapists are involved, but most of the posts are praising a god.

 

I do adore the free phonics lesson on the phonics page, and i love that my son is able to sit through, and listen to the bible verse at the end. He tolerates me pausing it to go over things, and is retaining what he hears and sees.

 

Other than the phonics lessons, i think everything else is secular.

 

I have a podcast we (inconsistently) use for history. We listen to a few science podcasts, watch documentaries, etc. Sometimes the kids will come across an experiment they want to try or even make one on their own. Ds's most recent was wondering if pop rocks will pop in water. He can't have food coloring, so he bought a bag just to dump in a cup of water. They popped for a loooong time! It was cool.

 

I'm getting to the point with dd that i no longer care if some curriculum is not secular. She refuses to accept that proper grammar must be used during a spelling and dictation test. Or that she has to spell correctly when writing a book report. I need an all in one English program and i do not care how many gods are talked about!

[Carrie12345]

 

 

If any of you come from a religious background, have you run into family members who are still members of that church insisting that you teach your children about the faith of your childhood?

 

My mother feels I'm robbing my children of choice by not bringing them to church.

Interestingly enough, she doesn't consider forcing me to church and through confirmation to have robbed me of scientific, evidence-based understandings. :tongue_smilie:

[NotSoObvious]

*hand raised* Former Mormons here. We go to a UU church now and keep trying to get into the Episcopal church because we like it better, but we just can't make the leap.

 

My parents could care less and my in-laws have finally stopped pushing. We enjoy lots of homeschoolers. Our favorite playgroup is the Christian one. I haven't found another secular hsing family that likes to go, but I don't know, it works for us. I like the people and I kind of just let a few comments roll off my back. They all know we aren't religious, so they are respectful. I even enjoy the Christian hs conference because it is the biggest he in the area.

 

The only religious curriculum we use is CLE for math. I keep trying to find something secular, but this works best for us. Plus, we love close to where it is published and they are so, so sweet and helpful. I like those Mennonites.

 

When we lived in Utah, this was a bigger deal. We were more of a minority. Now that we are in Virginia, it is easier to take it all in stride and just find people we like.

[Guest inoubliable]

 

 

We've struggled some with groups and finding our community, but have mostly been pretty lucky to find secular pockets. We recently moved to the Portland OR area, and oddly enough, no one has asked me about my church at all since we moved here! Its weird. I think we'll fit in here nicely!

 

 

 

Welcome to the group! My DH and I are planning a move out to Portland in the very near future - from all we've heard, we think we'll fit in very nicely there, too.

[Guest inoubliable]

I am so glad to see everyone here! It's nice to have a "home", isn't it?

 

As I mentioned earlier, DH, kids, and I are all firmly atheist, but there have been times we leaned towards Buddhism because of its....well, "gentleness" is how my five year old used to say. We practice yoga as a way to have a little peace to ourselves when we do, and as a great way to stretch. A Buddhist friend suggested some books to us and we liked what we read but just didn't jive with the bits about rebirth. Ultimately, I think we're more happy using a label of Secular Humanist. This works for us on several levels. We ARE good without a religion or God as our moral compass, we don't hold ourselves as humans to be above anything else in nature, we hold reason and evidence to be important, we believe that *this* life is the only one we have and are committed to doing the *most* good with it, and we work towards building a better world for everyone.

 

Does anyone belong to any local, regional, national, or worldwide non-religious groups? We belong to American Atheists, Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the American Humanist Association. We've yet to find a local group to join. There is one in the Shenandoah Valley (where we live at the top of) called the Shenandoah Valley Atheist and Secular Humanist but it doesn't look very active at all so we've not inquired. I see a lot about humanist groups being formed (or the need for more of them) in the non-religious blogging world. What do you think? Would you join a local non-religious community for meetings, film screenings, political discussions as it pertains to non-religious citizens and their rights, socializing, group deeds in the community, etc?

[Guest inoubliable]

In my usual role as GP champion, just mentioning Galore Park books. Religion is mentioned but only (apart from in the RE curriculum, which is itself usable by atheists) in a cultural context.

 

Laura

 

 

Laura, I was actually going to PM you about GP Latin today, but I'll go ahead and put it out here in case anyone else was wondering. I'm finishing up GSWL and need to move on to something else with the boys. I've seen your posts before about GP Latin, but I got a little confused when trying to find it on Amazon. I see a book that's called Latin Prep AND a book called So You Really Want to Learn Latin in threads all the time, but it looks like one in the same book on Amazon. Is this correct? I've got

http://www.amazon.com/Latin-Prep-Book-Really-Learn/dp/1902984986/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1UMATVIW9BT5Q&coliid=IV52A6XCKGSRV as the text and two workbooks. http://www.amazon.com/Latin-Prep-Book-Really-Learn/dp/1902984676/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1UMATVIW9BT5Q&coliid=I12KSLS9XA7DVS as the first one, and http://www.amazon.com/Latin-Prep-Book-Really-Learn/dp/1905735146/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1UMATVIW9BT5Q&coliid=I1L780DOB8QKBJ as the second one. Is this right?

[Cassy]

Same here except my in-law lives in another country. She has made comments over the years. However, her reasoning is a bit strange. She doesn't care that we aren't religious, but she is disappointed that we are not a part of the culture of Catholicism. She has outright said we lack culture because we don't go to church. I mean...who cares if we like it or believe it or what not...but yeah we lack culture. **whatever** LOL

 

 

I wonder if something has been lost in translation :001_smile:. I think I kind of get what she means, in that so much of the art, literature and music of western culture has been inspired over the years by Christianity. I'm not a Christian, but DH is and takes the boys to Church each week, and I'm very grateful as I think it adds to their education. Religion here is, I think, an awful lot gentler than in the US. There is no sense that your children are being indoctrinated, but a healthy atmosphere of enquiry. Both DS13 and DS11 have discussed Dawkins' books in Religious Education at school.

[Izzy]

Oops double post but this one wasn't a complete post. :)

[Lady Florida.]

Thank you for this group! Finding secular materials, especially science, that aren't meant for a classroom setting is a big problem for me.

 

 

I've been an atheist for about 7 years now. I was born and raised RCC but we were Cafeteria Catholics. We were also "Kennedy Catholics" from the sixties. That's the kind of RC that's more interested in helping the poor and disadvantaged than sticking our noses into other people's beliefs or lives.

 

Dh was raised barely Methodist.

 

Because both of us were raised in nominally religious households, we're fortunate to have family who don't care about our beliefs or lack of.

[Laura Corin]

 

Laura, I was actually going to PM you about GP Latin today, but I'll go ahead and put it out here in case anyone else was wondering. I'm finishing up GSWL and need to move on to something else with the boys. I've seen your posts before about GP Latin, but I got a little confused when trying to find it on Amazon. I see a book that's called Latin Prep AND a book called So You Really Want to Learn Latin in threads all the time, but it looks like one in the same book on Amazon. Is this correct? I've got

http://www.amazon.co...d=IV52A6XCKGSRV as the text and two workbooks. http://www.amazon.co...=I12KSLS9XA7DVS as the first one, and http://www.amazon.co...=I1L780DOB8QKBJ as the second one. Is this right?

 

It is a bit confusing. Firstly, there are two courses: So You Really Want to Learn Latin Prep (previously just called 'Latin Prep') is for ages about 10 to 13 and moves at a moderate pace. So You Really Want to Learn Latin is a high school course, moving much faster and getting further in three years.

 

SY Latin Prep consists of a text book and an answer book for each year (plus audio and flash cards if you require them). In addition, for the first year, there are workbooks (1A and 1B) and an answer book to go with those.

 

I would start by looking at the Galore Park pages: you can see samples there as well as all the books on one page here. I normally recommend that people in the US buy from horriblebooks.com (US supplier) or from bookdepository.co.uk (with free shipping to the US).

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[Izzy]

I'm not a member of any non religious groups but I am still a new deconvert. There is a former Christian forum I visit which has really helped me. I found out I'm not the only one leaving religion and it's we all pretty much have similar stories. Someone labeled the 5 stages of deconversion and the 4th and 5th stage are anger and then acceptance. I think I would be stuck in anger if not for that group and the books I'm reading. And then this social group gets started and I feel that much more at home. :)

 

As far as realizing this life is it and doing the most with it...yes! I feel so much peace now and love others in such a different way. I feel free to see everyone as complete equals and not feel it's my duty to minister to them. Kwim? I particularly like the Dalai Lama's teachings and want to study him. I'd also like to study Jesus' teachings apart from the bible. I think he had wise words too. Instead of focusing on my sins I focus on what I did well each day. I do the same for my kids. What a difference on the self esteem!

 

 

I am so glad to see everyone here! It's nice to have a "home", isn't it?

 

As I mentioned earlier, DH, kids, and I are all firmly atheist, but there have been times we leaned towards Buddhism because of its....well, "gentleness" is how my five year old used to say. We practice yoga as a way to have a little peace to ourselves when we do, and as a great way to stretch. A Buddhist friend suggested some books to us and we liked what we read but just didn't jive with the bits about rebirth. Ultimately, I think we're more happy using a label of Secular Humanist. This works for us on several levels. We ARE good without a religion or God as our moral compass, we don't hold ourselves as humans to be above anything else in nature, we hold reason and evidence to be important, we believe that *this* life is the only one we have and are committed to doing the *most* good with it, and we work towards building a better world for everyone.

 

Does anyone belong to any local, regional, national, or worldwide non-religious groups? We belong to American Atheists, Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the American Humanist Association. We've yet to find a local group to join. There is one in the Shenandoah Valley (where we live at the top of) called the Shenandoah Valley Atheist and Secular Humanist but it doesn't look very active at all so we've not inquired. I see a lot about humanist groups being formed (or the need for more of them) in the non-religious blogging world. What do you think? Would you join a local non-religious community for meetings, film screenings, political discussions as it pertains to non-religious citizens and their rights, socializing, group deeds in the community, etc?

[Lady Florida.]

 

I wonder if something has been lost in translation :001_smile:. I think I kind of get what she means, in that so much of the art, literature and music of western culture has been inspired over the years by Christianity.

 

I'm not so sure. There is a Catholic culture that has nothing to do with culture related to art, literature, etc. I was raised in it. I never even met a Protestant until I was 13. We lived in our own little Catholic world, and the only non-Catholics we knew were Jewish. I wonder if that's the culture she was referring to?

[Χά�ων]

Awesome group idea! We fit in I am athiest/buddhist and ds is leaning more toward pagan but he is struggling with the heavy baptist culture where we live in a very rural and very conservative area. My family is mostly agnostic/new age/pagan so it is not an issue

[jenangelcat]

Agnostic atheists here. Don't believe in gods but can't say they absolutely don't exist until science proves it. I do think organized religions on earth are all created by normal human beings and that an intelligent creator is the least likely scenario. My family is technically Anglican. All this means to them is that they pray when convenient. They are not involved in our lives at all by my choice. Hubby's family is also not really involved. None are religious but one who is muslim and I have definite opinions about why she converted. She's the only one that has made comments to us about religion in the vein of "your kids are going to hell". She lives overseas and contact is via Facebook so she's relatively easy to ignore.

 

Religon never came up before moving to our rural location. I couldn't tell you the religion of any of my friends from other places because it never comes up. Here in Nova Scotia, it's the first thing people ask. Regardless almost all of my friends here are not religious.

[Izzy]

My church taught that you had to get children young because that's when they were most teachable. They even gave statistics. There were times my dad tried to talk to me but by then I had already been indoctrinated. I knew Christianese and knew when someone was trying to give me other viewpoints that my faith was being tested and I needed to "discern the spirit". Then you had to pray for that person. We were also told Christians had the truth and non believers would persecute us for it. Non believers felt guilty and that's why they fought us. A child doesn't really stand a chance against this and will buy it hook, line, and sinker. So no, not sending your child to church doesn't rob them of choice. Sending them robs them of choice.

 

My mother feels I'm robbing my children of choice by not bringing them to church.

Interestingly enough, she doesn't consider forcing me to church and through confirmation to have robbed me of scientific, evidence-based understandings. :tongue_smilie:

[HomeschoolMamaOfTwo]

Oops double post but this one wasn't a complete post. :)

Would you mind sharing the forum? If not here, could you PM me? I think it might be helpful.

[Guest inoubliable]

It is a bit confusing. Firstly, there are two courses: So You Really Want to Learn Latin Prep (previously just called 'Latin Prep') is for ages about 10 to 13 and moves at a moderate pace. So You Really Want to Learn Latin is a high school course, moving much faster and getting further in three years.

 

SY Latin Prep consists of a text book and an answer book for each year (plus audio and flash cards if you require them). In addition, for the first year, there are workbooks (1A and 1B) and an answer book to go with those.

 

I would start by looking at the Galore Park pages: you can see samples there as well as all the books on one page here. I normally recommend that people in the US buy from horriblebooks.com (US supplier) or from bookdepository.co.uk (with free shipping to the US).

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

 

Thank you very much! I'll take a look at the GP site today.

[Lady Florida.]

My church taught that you had to get children young because that's when they were most teachable. A child doesn't really stand a chance against this and will buy it hook, line, and sinker.

 

My niece is concerned about this. Her twins go to a Catholic school for preschool. Her son doesn't pay any attention to the religious aspect, but her daughter is starting to buy into it. Next year she has to make a decision. She won't send them to the public school they're zoned for, but her in-laws are against homeschooling. She's afraid they'll offer to pay for Catholic school and that her husband won't have the nerve to buck them. I told her I'd help all I can with hs if it comes to that.