15.6.16

6.14.2016

Today I read a letter written by my mother from god to my daughter. My mother literally believes she can hear from god for my daughter. I remember when I used to think this way and it just makes me feel sick. I wish I could say that there wasn't anything inherently wrong with the letter but it essentially says that my daughter is nothing without god. And that is a complete lie.

She is curious, silly, brilliant, creative, intuitive, strong, generous, inclusive, friendly and beautiful inside and out without anyone else's input. She is not nothing without god and she can accomplish anything she desires with or without a god.
Do not make her smaller.
Do not make her nothing.
Do not make her into a sinner.

I've always felt like I didn't want to shield her from religions because it would be the same thing my parents did with me growing up in their "christian" household but I don't know anymore.. I just want her to believe in herself and know that she doesn't need help from a god. I don't want her to think that her only worth is how she is in relation to men. I want her to know that she has stories, strength, integrity and discoveries within her which is worth much more than modesty, virginity or only see how she relates to men. (She is more than a sister, daughter, wife, girlfriend...) I don't want her to think of herself as a sinner and that she needs to fix herself to be allowed into heaven, I want her to have a good foundation of morality, to be good because its good. I want her to practice empathy and know that she can build upon her character and integrity versus seeing herself as a flawed creation.

That's the thing with religion, it creates an issue and then supplies a solution.

Sophia has a lot of growing up to do and I don't want to hinder that with my belief system, but if she is fed lies from trusted adults in her life before she has the ability to understand and think critically for herself then I don't know if I want those adults in her life.

ETA
I love my parents very much and it would destroy me to have to remove them or any other trusted adult in my children's lives. That is not the plan right now. I do want my children to grow up secular versus religious. I want them to make the choice with no shame to believe or not believe in a god. I don't want them to be taken advantage of at their young age.