Just joined this forum. It looks pretty awesome. I love the topics after a brief perusal!
I have young children (3 of them: 6, 4, 2) and I have wondered how I am going to raise them as I am moving through a variety of stages of faith and expect to continue my growth. As much as I have left the old teachings behind, I do value the experiences and perspectives they gave me. In fact, I am certain they were instrumental in helping me move beyond some of the more basic truths which I once upon a time accepted.
Recognizing the importance of all these milestones along the way, I am wondering if I should rather begin to influence my children in the fundamental teachings of my early childhood experiences. Even those beliefs I heartily disagree with, I think are crucial to formation of spiritual understanding. I can help to expose the inconsistencies and help them think outside the box as opportunities arise.
In the story Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton, the scientists are skeptical of Dr. Hammond's dream of reintroducing dinosaurs to humanity. Their critique is that he is standing on the shoulders of many scientists before him to extract the dino DNA (blah, blah) and basically take a massive leap forward scientifically. Their concern is that he has not acquired the maturity and understanding to efficiently and safely manage the creatures. He has not grown through the process of maturation to be able to adequately think through his decisions.
In some weird, round about way, I want to provide my children with a healthy, slow process of discovery and growth that in some ways emulates my own growth of faith. The temptation is to imbue in each of them an understanding of God and Christianity that in many ways only begins where I leave off - without the broader foundation of nurture, safety, and dissent. Not that I am anyone to point fingers, but maybe this is the problem with the Baby Boomer generation having grown up with Builder (Depression era) parents.