Raised in a two-religion family

[Aragarthiel]

We've had these talks before, and we agree that she should go to church. I have no problem reading her Bible stories (good morals, if nothing else), and if she has a more in-depth question that I can't answer, I field her off to Daddy, and if he can't answer, well that's what church is for. We have a plan for this, I just don't know how well it will work.

[CriminalMindsRocks]

well, I wasn't raised in a two religion household per say, it's just that my father's side of the family & my mother's interpreted the same ideas differently..See, my paternal grandmother raised my father with certain ideas & so my beliefs growing up were, I see now, a little warped. For instance, growing up my paternal grandmother always made out that Catholics, Jews, Buddhists etc were evil & that they would never have a chance at eternal life b/c they didn't hold to the same beliefs we did. Which, like I said, I know now that's not true, John 3:16 says "Who so ever will believeth in Me shall not perish but shall have everlasting life" key words being whosoever will, not whosoever will & oh & if you're Catholic, Jewish etc don't bother

I was raised Non-Denominational & our church taught the Kingdom message that when Christ's second coming happens, He & His Kingdom will reign here on earth.

So my advice to you is, next time you & your husband get a chance, sit down & discuss what you each believe (mention that you'd like your daughter to be raised in church & that you are willing to take her yourself if he can't make it). The goal here is to come to an agreement on the major points of your beliefs so that later on down the road when she's old enough to understand, she doesn't wind up becoming confused if mommy tells her one thing & daddy tells her something completely opposite (not saying you would mind you)

Hope maybe I helped a little...Good luck

[Aragarthiel]

The only churches in my area are Baptist and some sort of temple that doesn't speak English. I'd like her to experience more, but where we are now, it's just not possible. As for a goal, I'm just hoping that she'll have a foundation for her own beliefs, she'll have someone to go to with any religious questions, and that she'll have an easier time finding something to believe in than I did.

[Andara Bledin]

In my opinion, if you only take her to a single church, the only options she'll know about are that church vs no church. I'm in a major metropolitan area, and in my immediate area alone, I've got about 15 different denominations worth of churches.

I never really did church because I have no use for it. I've never needed the community (I am a member of several communities already, both offline and online) and church structure is actually irrelevant to my faith, despite my being what I would refer to as deeply religious.

Is there a specific goal you have in mind other than the options you mentioned? Or is there something you felt you lacked as a child that you are going to suplement vicariously through her?

[Aragarthiel]

Growing up, I was always given the option to choose to believe in whatever I wanted. However, I was never taken to church, and didn't know what I had to choose between. I ended up developing my own set of beliefs and I consider myself non-religious. I would have liked to call a religion my own, and have someone to answer my questions, but that could never happen.

My husband was raised Baptist. He went to church every Sunday and some Wednesdays, if his parents' work permitted it. We pretty much leave each other alone about the religious aspect of our relationship, and when one of us has a question, we discuss it thoroughly, trying not to turn it into a debate.

At his current job, he rarely gets a chance to go to church because of his schedule. As a result, our daughter has only been twice. I've attended church with him before, and I'm much more comfortable with it than I used to be. I want our daughter to go to church as a child, so that when she's old enough, she knows what her options are. She's not old enough to understand it yet, but as she grows, I want to be more proactive with getting her to church.

I'm asking for opinions on this, maybe from people who were raised in families with two religions. I have so little experience with religion that I really don't know what's best for her in this aspect.