PRAISE THE LORDDDDA!!!!

LOL! That totally got my attention. I was warming up my sarcasm muscles!

I don't have kids, and don't really have any intention of having any. But I would like to think that I would raise them to be free thinkers. If they encounter a religion that they like, then they should enjoy it.

As for religious kids being happier... I don't know about that. From what I have heard, happy kids come from happy families, regardless of what religion they are. Kinda reminds me of the Christian-funded "research" that said that kids who grew up with homosexual parents were screwed up because they didn't have a "traditional" family. That just isn't true. Happy, safe and stable family homes, regardless of how many parents a child has, or what gender their parents are, are the best environments for children.
So I would imagine that religion is another one of those variables that may influence childhood happiness, positively or negatively. I mean, I have always been an Atheist and I had a freaking great childhood! LOL!

Anyway, so ends my long and rambling answer.

Ha ha yup it definitely worked! I was already planning my rant as this page was loading ;)

I would never raise my children as something I am not, I mean you can't exactly try and make your children believe in something when you yourself do not... Except maybe Santa... I would feel very hypocritical convincing little children that there is a magical man in the sky who is watching them (besides, that makes him sound like a pedophile) it's kinda like lying.

Plus I agree with misanthrope

find other ways to amuse yourselves

THat rally caought me off gaurd

"find other ways to amuse yourselves"

Well ... it was funny!

Other ways to amuse ourselves whitelion? Like going onto the Christianity spot and telling people to find other ways to amuse themselves? Would you like it if we went to that spot and started leaving insulting comments? I think not.

Please treat us Atheists in the same way that you would want us to treat you as a Christian.

I second that emotion.

Well.....that got my attention!

No, Christians DON'T live better lives. - link

I'm trying to raise my daughters to have an open mind, if they ask me about god/religion I tell them what I believe, but I tell them that they should make the choice for themselves what their beliefs are.

I don't have kids, but if I did I wouldn't raise them religious. I had bad experiences with religion growing up. I would tell them what I thought but I would also tell them when they were old enough, that they should think for themselves. Also I heard a quote by George Bernard Shaw that goes:

"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one."

there's also the cliche "ignorance is bliss"

Personally, I prefer truth over happiness.

Haha, you fooled me! But, then, I am extremely gullible. XD

Nah, I think the healthiest way to raise children is agnostic (I think that's what it's called...).

'Is there a God?'

'No one knows.'

Let them make their own choice. :P

it got my attention :P
lol i guess for the wrong reasons yeah
and the fact that religious children live better lives is a myth spread by christians, im not saying they were meaning to be deceitful but, hey, if you're on team A ofcourse you'd say team A is better, but in today's world religious children face a lot of criticism, prejudice, persecution and injustice sometimes by their own christian pairs, ie. if you want to teach your kids to be moral, don't teach them by never changing, thousand year old standards, because they will get confused and they will have to be miserable at some point, because some of the things in the bible just don't comply to the world the way it is today (im not so sure about the other religions i've never really studied them) i think you're an atheist for good reason, at least give your kids a chance to choose what they want to be :)

Aww...I was getting my debatyness ready. I love when Christians post religious stuff cause debating is so fun!