We get it. The idea of talking about religion may well make your kids wanna say “PASS.” Why are conversations about God, Allah, the messiah (insert any idol of choice) getting pushed to the wayside?
For starters, millennials, followed by Gen Z, have the highest percentage of those who don’t believe in God. Not to mention, slapping on a religious identity doesn’t actually mean anything. Even though more than 50% of teens aged 13-17 identify with the religion of their parents, only 24% of them say it has any meaning at all (compared to 43% of their parents). Also, interestingly…the “spiritual but not religious” camp continues to rise across age and ethnicity.
One nation, under many Gods
If parenting is all about raising better, more empathic and understanding humans, then we’re all for this advice: “Exposing students to a bird’s-eye view of what religion is and how it functions in our society helps them learn respect for other peoples’ behaviors and choices,” says a parent and professor of religious studies. If public schools are still bent on separating church from state, then it’s up to us to carry the baton. If adding one more thing to your ‘hard and awkward convos to have with the kids’ list makes your head spin, let us help you take the load off with these three awesome ideas.
Also, if you ever fumble, don’t ever forget the three magic words when it comes to religion: I. Don’t. Know.
Amen to that!
