There is a sense, in Christianity at least, that doing it partially (participating only on Christmas and Easter for instance) is almost worse than believing not at all. I don't think everyone feels this way, but I was certainly raised in this mindset.
children’s minds aren’t designed to understand complexities and subtleties and caveats.
While I don't doubt that there is quite a literature on this topic that presents a compelling case, I disagree with the approach in general. I think children are far more capable of dealing with complexity or subtlety than we imagine. I do my best to expose them to gray areas and help them think through them.
I agree that kids need clear boundaries and something sure to grab on to, but they probably can handle the confusion of life better than not.
There is a sense, in Christianity at least, that doing it partially (participating only on Christmas and Easter for instance) is almost worse than believing not at all. I don't think everyone feels this way, but I was certainly raised in this mindset.
While I don't doubt that there is quite a literature on this topic that presents a compelling case, I disagree with the approach in general. I think children are far more capable of dealing with complexity or subtlety than we imagine. I do my best to expose them to gray areas and help them think through them.
I agree that kids need clear boundaries and something sure to grab on to, but they probably can handle the confusion of life better than not.