At what age do you allow your kids to decide whether they will go to church with you or not? - Page 2

Perhaps we could start a different thread - lol. For me, "crisis of faith" isn't entirely accurate. I still have faith, I just am having trouble with the Catholic Church and their policies right now. And that is doubly hard because I do believe that the Catholic Church is the one-true religion but the current church is horribly misdirected. I feel disenfranchised by the church and have a lot of trouble financially supporting it, yet I want to practice my faith and celebrate with a community. I find myself wondering if I can find a "church home" and be apart of that small community while ignoring the bigger hierarchy but I also find that disingenuous. Or I could join a different religion - like Episcopal - which is so much more aligned with my beliefs but how do I reconcile that with my Catholic background? Anyway, I haven't been going to church because I've put the whole issue on hold until after we move.

I'm not a huge fan of church so I don't know what the answer will be.  We go because dh says "It is the right thing to do".  That is his answer for going to church.  I take the kids but we don't enjoy it.

She went as long as she lived in my house.

Same with Jr.

When he moved in with us, he didn't go to church. E told him that if he wanted to live with us as a family, then he had to go to church with us as a family. He loved it. Now he goes to church all of the time.

Cookie - you sound like you are where I was about 25 years ago...

Calimari, fortunately this isn't the first time I've had this issue. Each time I return to the Catholic Church. This time it just might take me longer than before.

My kids go to church when they are with me...either with me or with a friend, DS goes with his friend sometimes.  My adult brother moved in with my parents for a few months, and while my mom did not require him to go, she wanted him to go, but wouldn't ask him to.  So I asked him a few times if he wanted to go....and then he started going every service. 

I think 18 is a reasonable age, unless ds really hated it and or wanted to try a different religion.

Isn't faith supposed to be about living your life according to your beliefs and the guidelines set forth through the religion you identify with? Doesn't forcing those beliefs or religion onto someone else kind of oppose that?

I'm not religious, but if my child wanted to go to church or synagauge or whatnot I would fulfill their desire and bring them. I would also go the other way and not force them to come with me to a religious service if they didn't want to.

I gave my mom a hard time when I was in high school about not wanting to go to church. Had she let me decide on my own, I probably would have stayed home, but I didn't have a choice. It was the same for dh. All these years later, we still go to church, so I guess we weren't traumatized by being made to go. That's how it is in our house to. If they decide when they're 18 that they don't want to go to church, then so be it.

I went to church with my parents until I was 17-18 then I just quit going, my choice. Now I only go to the service on Christmas Eve. My DS(10 y.o.) started going with my parents a few years ago and is really enjoying it, so we let him go, but if he ever tells me he doesn't want to go or I see him losing interest, then he can stop going, I feel it is his choice. I do go to some of the other programs that they have at the church that my DS is involved in like the 'trunk or treat" party, and I usually volunteer at bible school.