A new study from Rice University and the University at Buffalo suggests that some atheist parents take their kids to religious services. This has causes some Christians to gloat about how atheists are secretly believers or how this is evidence that atheists see value in religion. But that is not exactly what the study actually shows.
The study’s author, Elaine Howard Ecklund, was surprised to find that 17% or roughly 1 in 5 atheist scientists with children have taken their kids to a religious service more than once in the past year despite their lack of belief:
“We thought that these individuals might be less inclined to introduce their children to religious traditions, but we found the exact opposite to be true.”
When you think about it, it really isn’t all that surprising. For starters, that is an incredibly low number. I surprised it isn’t much higher. Second, a religious service more than once a year doesn’t actually sound like a lot considering that most religious believers go to religious services at least once a week.
The study however did reveal a handful of reasons why non-believers take their kids to religious services at all. According to Ecklund, “They want their children to have choices, and it is more consistent with their science identity to expose their children to all sources of knowledge.” Well, I wouldn’t say religion is a source of knowledge, but the idea behind her statement is valid. Atheists want their kids to learn about all religions and so it makes sense for us to bring our children to various religious services of various religions.
We tend to value education over indoctrination. So while religious believers only take their kids to the religious services of their particular religion (and often do so before their children are old enough to thin for themselves), atheist parents tend to wait until their children are old enough to think critically and then take them to multiple religious services to better educate them.
Most atheists support the idea of teaching our children about all manner of superstition and allowing them to think for themselves. This way they can see how ridiculous they all sound and can make an educated and informed choice. As an atheist parent, I am confident that if my child is exposed to all the various religions and also taught to think critically, they will reject them all.
Other possible reasons why atheist parents take their children to religious services more than once a year is that not doing so in some communities would negatively impact their personal lives. Pressure from grandparents, spouses, and from the general community often times makes it difficult to avoid taking one’s children to some sort of religious service.
Ecklund tries to twist the results of her own study by suggesting that atheist scientists weren’t as opposed to religion as had been reported by the media. Her view is that because atheist scientists take their kids to religious services, they must see value in those services. But her own study seems to indicate that isn’t the case at all. Atheist scientists don’t see value in religion, they feel forced into religion or they see it as a teaching opportunity to educate their children about the ridiculousness of religion.
Please check out the Atheism 101 series for frequently asked topics.
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