Multi-Faith Parenting

[reikihealer83]

Hi everyone,

I am not a parent yet but there will come a day when I will be a dad and my lovely girlfriend will be a mom. Now, I was raised Christian and so was she but she also knows that I am ancestrally gifted. My question is how do we balance the parenting because I do not want to hide what my children may be from them but do not want to have issues with my spouse due to the differnences. Any idea what might be good besides the obvious talking about it? Has anyone here had to do this and how did you manage it?

[JBRaven]

this really depends on how open to witchery your wife is. If she is a witch burning christain then I am saying it is going to be near impossible. Tell me more on how you and her stay together being of two different faiths.

[reikihealer83]

JBRaven,

She is not a witch burning Christian and has been so great about the whole thing. We have no secrets so I do not have to worry about that. I think that for us the trick will be balancing the two out and having our kids make their own decision and supporting them. If anything our kids may end up in the catagory of Christian Witch and that is not a bad thing.

[WitchyLady506]

Best approach is always honesty. Teach your kids about everything, don't hide anything. Teach them all about Jesus and whatever path of Christianity you were raised and teach them about witchcraft and the gifts God has bestowed upon you and may on them. Teach them about all the love and ability He gives. There's nothing saying you can't go one way or another. It also never hurts to teach them about other religions too, as in what all religions have in common, like God's love and being good to everyone around you. Well informed children make for tolerant, intelligent adults and can help bring peace to this world.

[reikihealer83]

Best approach is always honesty. Teach your kids about everything, don't hide anything. Teach them all about Jesus and whatever path of Christianity you were raised and teach them about witchcraft and the gifts God has bestowed upon you and may on them. Teach them about all the love and ability He gives. There's nothing saying you can't go one way or another. It also never hurts to teach them about other religions too, as in what all religions have in common, like God's love and being good to everyone around you. Well informed children make for tolerant, intelligent adults and can help bring peace to this world.

Thank you so much! I really am thinking about doing just that. I find that the best tolerance lesson is to let the kids decide for themselves.

[Penelope]

Having grown up monotheistic, with an attraction to magick and yet always the anxiety that it is somehow suspect, I know how hard it can be to reconcile the two. Have you tried highlighting the values your Christianity and your magick have in common? What are your values as a Christian, and how do your other spiritual practices line up with those values?

My fiance and I both practice magick, though I used to be Christian and he is Jewish. We probably will raise the kids Jewish, while still practicing magick. At some point I think we just stop fretting about how the systems we identify with fit or don't fit, and say "these are our values - they come from more than one source but they are consistent."

[Y0m]

Best approach is always honesty. Teach your kids about everything, don't hide anything. Teach them all about Jesus and whatever path of Christianity you were raised and teach them about witchcraft and the gifts God has bestowed upon you and may on them. Teach them about all the love and ability He gives. There's nothing saying you can't go one way or another. It also never hurts to teach them about other religions too, as in what all religions have in common, like God's love and being good to everyone around you. Well informed children make for tolerant, intelligent adults and can help bring peace to this world.

I support this.
My parents did this for me and it was amazing for me. I understand more and more that the path is many, suited to various personalities and cultures. I have never stopped at one faith for too long.

But... if you can find a unity church around you... please give your children the opportunity of experiencing these retreats. They are god given and extremely life changing (in a good way!) for a kid growing up.

They expose them to chakra meditations, loving kindness in the MOST intense way ever, and they will make bonds that will last them a lifetime.

This is a promise.
My love.

[Aine]

My advice is not to discriminate. Educate your children about the multitude of belief systems out there, and allow them to choose for tehmselves. Not only is that healthy for your children to find their own spiritual path in life, it will also likely work out with your spouse and you as you're not only teaching your kids about your individual belief systems and there won't be competition to get your child to follow YOUR belief system, know what I mean?

[reikihealer83]

My advice is not to discriminate. Educate your children about the multitude of belief systems out there, and allow them to choose for tehmselves. Not only is that healthy for your children to find their own spiritual path in life, it will also likely work out with your spouse and you as you're not only teaching your kids about your individual belief systems and there won't be competition to get your child to follow YOUR belief system, know what I mean?

Thank you so much everyone! I think the best way to go about this is expose them to the great things that all faiths have and really educate the kid(s). I have respect for all faiths and I want to teach the kids that.