How do you raise a child to want and yern to practice a certain religion, without forcing it on them, inturn causing them to stray?

Step 1. When they are of age to choose to do something, do not force them to go to service,mass,whatever. Its annoying.

You LIVE your faith.

Let them have all the information they want. The pros and cons. Lead by example and they may just choose to follow (no guarantee though).
Do you not want the child to choose the belief-system that suits them and makes them happy? Or is it more important that it is your belief-system they adopt?

I don’t. I give them all the tools (knowledge) to make an educated decision on their own, when they feel the need to. In the meantime, I teach them to be good people, whatever their faith may or may not be.

My personal feeling is that ultimately, all one can really do is model their faith for their children. By the time they reach an age where they can responsibly choose their own path, your children will have seen a wide variety of ways of being in the world, some clearly more rewarding than others. Yours will be among the examples they’ll refer to in making their own choices.

Your children will paying far less attention to whatever creed you try to teach them than to the practical effect they see it having in your life. If your faith has made you the kind of person that they aspire to be, then you won’t have any convincing to do.

Why rear them to want (yearn) ANY religion?

Kids are not reared on a religion; they are BRAINWASHED to accept it unconditionally, by rote.

But, No, I don’t have a better idea, and my views on this subject don’t “count,” as others have repeatedly told me, because I’m not a Christian.

August 28, 2008, 7:29 PM EDT

I guess if I truly believed my religion were “the” religion then I would live my life by it and what should happen would.

It’s all by example. I don’t know whether you’re talking about Christianity, but that’s where my background is and it certainly worked when my parents just showed me how it was done.

I’m guessing the same thing would work with whatever religion you’re talking about. But, I think it may be tougher to force/“induce yearning” in a religion that has a lot of rules and rituals and doesn’t encourage a lively personal relationship with God.

It might help to know what exactly you’re referring to as “religion.”

Show them that you know how to interact effectively with other people. Impress upon them that this is the correct way to behave. Love them, but don’t be overly permissive; set standards and hold to them.
Let them choose for themselves, and love them and accept them whatever they choose.

Let’s say you raised the child to have the same mental weaknesses, the same psychosis or neurosis, the same insecurities that the religious parents have. If you can find a way to pass on the deficiencies then the child should need the same crutch.
I think the question would be better stated : how can I effectively brainwash my child to follow the same herd of sheep that I follow?

Am I brainwashed as well for supporting a free market economy and democracy? I mean, I am a part of the majority and I definitely need it… it’s a crutch, you might say.

What “Free Market” are you talking about? The “Free Market” that privatizes profit and socializes loss? See the lending crash, Bear Stearns, Countrywide Bailout, for proof of that Free Market that has the Gov subsidize oil industry, food industry, too man examples to list.
What does “Free Market” mean to you?

@chutter—what does raising a kid have to do with Free Market Economics?

I am curious as to our Questioner’s feedback.

ok

Me too, Bri.

(sound of crickets)