That is very open minded of you! I wish more people would raise their kids that way.

We just see it as not repeating mistakes we believe that our parents made raising us. We've experienced firsthand what happens when kids are raised in an atmosphere of indoctrination. (Both of us were raised in very strict Catholic homes.)

But we are also trying to be mindful of not overreacting and doing the opposite, either. Solely bashing or ignoring religion as a part of life would be just as irresponsible, I think.

My wife is a Christian, I am not. We are trying to expose our daughter to all manner of religious teaching (in moderation), including some Bible study and occasionally attending church services.

She asks us a lot of questions, and we answer as best we can. And when we don't know the answer, we say so, and try to point her toward resources/people who can help.

We don't claim to be experts on raising kids, but we feel good about this approach.

Thanks for your comment here.

Even though it seems like the 'right' thing to do, I doubt raising kids with an 'open mind' about these things is realistic. Children aren't able to make logical/rational decisions on their own about their meanings. Biologically, children are wired to soak in information from figures of authority like a sponge. Therefore, trying to raise children with 'an open mind' is just about as illogical as a child that's allegedly "a Christian child".

They can't make those kind of decisions until they're emotionally and intellectually mature enough.

Trust me - the kids in "Jesus Camp" have DEFINITELY decided they are Christians.

No, their parents decided that for them, through a means of indoctrination. Jesus Camp itself was an indoctrination program.

True, it is - but these kids don't go to the camp as unbelievers - they're already evangelicals. This camp is merely to turn them into 'warriors" for Christ.

It reenforces their brain washing...

I think you may have misunderstood my meaning, Kat. We aren't trying raise her to be open minded about religion, we are trying to be open minded about religion as we raise her.

I agree, kids are sponges. They soak up anything they are exposed to. So on the topic of religion, we are trying to raise our daughter with exposure to lots of different points of view, and trying to downplay our own views as just another view to consider, no more or less important than other views.

She is 10 now, and she is definitely showing signs of becoming her own person, with likes and dislikes, and opinions of her own.

She's already asked one very solid religion question of my wife, who is a Christian. After the two of them had gone to church about five times, she asked, "Why do they do and say the same things every time? It's boring."

I didn't ask that question myself until I was 16, so I was quietly proud of her... but I let my wife handle that one.