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Re: Parenting support from organised religion, women and atheism

Started by Whitney, June 13, 2011, 09:34:27 PM

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Willow

It was suggested in the lounge that there are fewer women atheists because of the parenting support which is provided by churches.  Our local Christian community does provide a lot of parenting support, partly indirectly buy having social communities of parents with small children and partly directly by providing things like toddler groups and mothers' meetings.

There is some state provision of parenting support, but it is very basic and sometimes limited to at risk or deprived groups.  In my experience, the church toddler groups and get togethers with the Christian mummies are more friendly and proactive in supporting each other even if a parent doesn't have post natal depression/ a disabled child/ living in poverty etc.

Maybe family support is a by product of organised religion, maybe it is one of the goodies to keep parents religious and thereby indoctrinate their children to perpetuate their faith.

Our NHS run breastfeeding group is one of the best state parenting support groups I've come accross, because it is child friendly but mother focussed.  It introduces mums to one another as well as having midwife support.  It would be good to have equally supportive groups for everyone, not just breastfeeding peeps.

How can better secular parenting support communities be built?  Would secular parenting support make atheism more attractive to women?  Would it allow more children to be raised without dogma?

Whitney

Just looking at the groups that are in the dallas/fort worth area; those groups which are family oriented do seem to have a higher number of women (of all types..single, married, parents and childless)  they also tend to attract younger (20, 30, 40s) people more so than older people.  None of the groups are good at attracting the young 20s crowd...they tend to disappear when they graduate college (thus no longer connected to SSA) and reappear a few years later when they start thinking about settling down either as a family or just their lives in general.