I tell him what I believe and why, but that he should make his decisions on his own based on research and analysis.

I probably wouldn't ever bring God or religion up in a spiritual context unless they asked or brought it up first.

I would give my child a foundation from which to eventually base their own decisions off of. I would never force my child to believe in or not believe in anything.

if they asked i'd tell them that i believe there is no god due to the lack of evidence for its existance and due to scientific knowledge, i would also tell them that lots of different people believe in different gods and that it is up to them to decide wht they think on the matter

I would not discuss god with them at all.Why confuse them unless they ask you questions that they have heard from others.I would ask them to think logically when contemplating the point,though would not force them to be non believers.

If you were a theist, would you tell your child that there is a God, or would you tell them that YOU think there is a God?

My kids know I do not believe but we are giving them the freedom to decide for themselves.. . We could choose between ethics or christian studes in school, but let the kids choose themselves, have taken them to chrch when they have showed an interest... .

The latter. Actually, I didn't say anything until they asked, then I told them my opinion as impartially as I reasonably could.

I would tell them (assuming they are still very young) that I do not believe there is a God, but that some of the things (such as the ten commandments) are still good rules to live by regardless. I would also expose them to different religions so they could make up their own mind.

I think it is fairer and indeed healthier to tell them what I believe and let them make their own minds up; this seems to be a common theme amongst those of us who don't believe in god. Can the same be said of god fearing churchgoers?

I would tell them my opinion only. I wouldn't intervene with their beliefs unless they became a fundamentalist.

I told both my children that I did not believe in God, but it was up to them to form their own opinion.

I wouldn't tell them there isn't a God, but I would definitely push science, reasoning and free thinking onto them.

I told my children and my grandchildren that some people believe there is a God and some people don't. I used to believe when my parents told me there was a God, but now I do not. I left it up to them to choose.

I wouldn't teach them that there was a god in the first place..... I can`t say I ever sat round with my children and shared my views on fairies, Loch Ness monsters, magic or gods. They are all grown adults now and I allowed them to form there own opinions without my in-put. As things stand today, they each came to the conclusion that none of the above exist, or at least each is about as likely as the other.

Excellent question. If I were an atheist, I would do just as I do now, tell them everything I know and believe and expressly why I believe as I do - exposing them to the sources of information that have lead me to my conclusions. +5

i wouldn't tell him there is no god because that's not a proven fact. . i would tell him i don't think there is one, and why i think that's so, when he's ready to appreciate the reasoning, or possibly ready to disprove it. . it's not so much about whether you believe or not, rather do you dis/believe because you reached a logical conclusion or just because you were fed a certain dogma as a child.

Yes i would definitely tell my kid that there most certainly is not a god, i would also tell him there is no easter bunny or a santa clause or tooth fairy, i feel no need to lie to children

I plan on teaching my children about a variety of religious beliefs and customs, but to teach them as "some people believe." I hope to instil in them a sense of skepticism, a healthy curiosity and an appetite for learning. It is my hope that with those tools they will be able to navigate succesfully through all areas of their lives'. - If they ask me point blank if there is a god, I will ask them what evidence there is for or against such a suggestion. I hope to guide them along a path rather than carry them.

There's no need to tell a child that there is no god. Nobody is born believing in invisible spirits (gods, angels, devils), so what is there to tell? We could print a list of imaginary creatures, but why? If nobody has seen ghosts, goblins, fairies, leprechauns, unicorns, or invisible spirits, then why bring them up at all? "Kids, we need to talk about things that don't exist. Leprechauns, unicorns, fairies, ghosts, gods, and goblins. They're all imaginary. Only drunks and religous nuts believe in them." - "But daaad! If they don't exist, then why do we need to talk about them?" - "Good point! Now, put on your jammies, brush your teeth, and go to bed."  

I'm not going to lie to my children. I would be clear that god is imaginary when it comes up. They should learn about religion(s), but I'm not going to preach any religion to them.

There's no need to do either. When children are raised without the indoctrination of the church, they get to make up their own minds. Something religious parents don't allow their children.

Raising your child without religion would involve some mention of other people's religious beliefs, but for the most part there is no need to dwell on the existence or non-existence of dieties. Brainwashing children to believe exactly what you believe is the province of religion, which is why I avoid it. Now, I think any literate western person should be somewhat familiar with the Bible, because it is strongly connected to our culture, literature, etc. I would present it to children in the same way as any other mythological tradition, and let them think what they like about it. Should they ask me specifically, say if some other child or adult presents ideas to them that they are curious about, I would try to tell them that people have lots of different beliefs about how the world works. I would point out that many of these beliefs conflict and exclude each other, and emphasize that anyone who tells them they know everything exactly is either lying or very misguided. i would explain that our family's tradition is based on scientific knowledge and philosophy, which can coexist with the other religions of the world but does not typically agree with them. Most of all I would encourage a child to believe the evidence of their eyes and to value all of the different traditions in our culture. Our own individual tradition would be non-religious and rooted in knowledge and kindness, but they are free to sample others. I believe that presenting all options equally to a child, they are inclined either towards what they were raised with or to something more suited to their personality, and there's no use fighting either. Concealing the options would only make them more likely to reject my values, and if they're a buddhist at heart, well, there's not much I could do to dissuade them.

I'd tell them I don't think there is one - with explanations as to why based on how old they are and what they'll understand.