In faith and in doubt : how religious believers and nonbelievers can create strong marriages and loving families

The claim is often made that interfaith marriages fail more often than same-faith partnerships. So what are the chances of survival for the ultimate mixed marriage - one between religious and nonreligious partners? Nearly 20 percent of Americans now self-identify as nonreligious, including millions who are married to religious believers. Despite the differences, many of these marriages succeed beautifully. In this landmark book, popular author and secular humanist Dale McGowan explores some of the stories of these unions, whose very endurance flies in the face of conventional wisdom, including his own marriage to a believing Christian. Drawing on sociology, psychology, and real-life experience, he shares: negotiation tips that set the stage for harmonious relationships; strategies for dealing with pressure from extended family; profiles of families who have successfully blended different world views; insights for helping kids make their own choices about religious identity; and advice for handling holidays, churchgoing, baptism, circumcision, religious literacy, and more. The first book of its kind, In Faith and In Doubt helps partners navigate the complexities of their situation while celebrating the extraordinary richness it affords their relationship, their children, and those around them It?s Hard Enough To Live A Secular Life In A Religious World. And Bringing Up Children Without Religious Influence Can Be Even More Daunting. Despite The Difficulties, A Large And Growing Number Of Parents Are Choosing To Raise Their Kids Without Religion. In Parenting Beyond Belief, Dale Mcgowan Celebrates The Freedom That Comes With Raising Kids Without Formal Indoctrination And Advises Parents On The Most Effective Way To Raise Freethinking Children. With Advice From Educators, Doctors, Psychologists, And Philosophers As Well As Wisdom From Everyday Parents, The Book Offers Tips And Insights On A Variety Of Topics, From Mixed Marriages To Coping With Death And Loss, And From Morality And Ethics To Dealing With Holidays. Sensitive And Timely, Parenting Beyond Belief Features Reflections From Such Freethinkers As Mark Twain, Richard Dawkins, Bertrand Russell, And Wellness Guru Dr. Don Ardell That Will Empower Every Parent To Raise Both Caring And Independent Children Without Constraints. -- From Publisher's Website. Personal Reflections -- Living With Religion -- Holidays And Celebrations -- On Being And Doing Good -- Values And Virtues, Meaning And Purpose -- Death And Consolation -- Wondering And Questioning -- Jaw-dropping, Mind-buzzing Science -- Seeking Community. Edited By Dale Mcgowan ; Foreword By Michael Shermer. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 277-278) And Index. Interfaith marriages fail more often than same-faith partnerships. So what are the chances of survival for the ultimate mixed marriage--one between religious and nonreligious partners? Nearly 20 percent of Americans now self-identify as nonreligious, including millions who are married to religious believers. Despite the differences, many of these marriages succeed beautifully. In this landmark book, popular author and secular humanist Dale McGowan explores some of the stories of these unions, whose very endurance flies in the face of conventional wisdom, including his own marriage to a believing Christian--a loving partnership that remains strong after three kids and 22 years. Drawing on sociology, psychology, and real-life experience, he shares: Negotiation tips that set the stage for harmonious relationships -- Strategies for dealing with pressure from extended family -- Profiles of families who have successfully blended different world views -- Insights for helping kids make their own choices about religious identity -- Advice for handling holidays, churchgoing, baptism, circumcision, religious literacy, and more The first book of its kind, In Faith and In Doubt helps partners navigate the complexities of their situation while celebrating the extraordinary richness it affords their relationship, their children, and those around them Foreword by Michael Shermer, Ph.D. Contributors include Penn Jillette, Julia Sweeney, and Dr. Donald B. Ardell This is an abridged edition of the print classic. It does not include essays by Richard Dawkins or Stephen Law. Please consult the print edition for these essays. It's hard enough to live a secular life in a religious world. And bringing up children without religious influence can be even more daunting. Despite the difficulties, a large and growing number of parents are choosing to raise their kids without religion. In Parenting Beyond Belief, Dale McGowan celebrates the freedom that comes with raising kids without formal indoctrination and advises parents on the most effective way to raise freethinking children. With advice from educators, doctors, psychologists, and philosophers as well as wisdom from everyday parents, the book offers tips and insights on a variety of topics, from'mixed marriages'to coping with death and loss, and from morality and ethics to dealing with holidays. Sensitive and timely, Parenting Beyond Belief features reflections from such freethinkers as Mark Twain, Bertrand Russell, and wellness guru Dr. Don Ardell that will empower every parent to raise both caring and independent children without constraints. Praised by Newsweek as “a compelling read” and Library Journal as “accessible and down-to-earth,” Dale McGowan's Parenting Beyond Belief offered freethinking parents everywhere a compassionate introduction to raising caring, ethical children without religious guidance. Now, for the more than 40 million people in the United States who identify themselves as nonreligious, Raising Freethinkers offers solutions to the unique challenges secular parents face and provides specific answers to common questions, as well as over 100 activities for both parents and their children. This book covers every important topic nonreligious parents need to know to help their children with their own moral and intellectual development, including advice on religious-extended-family issues, death and life, secular celebrations, wondering and questioning, and more. Complete with reviews of books, DVDs, curricula, educational toys, and online resources relevant to each chapter topic, Raising Freethinkers helps parents raise their children with confidence. "Why am I here? What happens after we die? These are some of the hardest questions a child can ask--and even harder for parents to answer, especially if you've chosen to raise your child without religion. Gathering the perspectives of educators and psychologists, as well as wisdom from everyday parents, Parenting Beyond Belief offers insights and advice on a wide range of topics including: Instilling values - Finding meaning and purpose - Navigating holidays - Coping with loss - Finding community without religion ... and more The second edition of this secular parenting bestseller brings back reflections from such celebrated freethinkers as Richard Dawkins and Julia Sweeney, and adds new voices including journalist Wendy Thomas Russell, essayist Katherine Ozment, sociologist Phil Zuckerman, and many others. Wise, entertaining, and deeply supportive, the book will empower parents in their quest to raise ethical, compassionate, and open-minded children--without religion."--Publisher's description Foreword by Michael Shermer, Ph.D. Contributors include Richard Dawkins, Penn Jillette, and Julia Sweeney. A large and growing number of parents are choosing to raise their kids without religion. In Parenting Beyond Belief, Dale McGowan celebrates the freedom that comes with raising kids without formal indoctrination and advises parents on the most effective way to raise freethinking children. With advice from educators, doctors, psychologists, and philosophers as well as wisdom from everyday parents, the book offers tips and insights on a variety of topics, from "mixed marriages" to coping with death and loss, and from morality and ethics to dealing with holidays. Sensitive and timely, Parenting Beyond Belief features reflections from such freethinkers as Mark Twain, Richard Dawkins, Bertrand Russell, and Dr. Don Ardell that will empower every parent to raise both caring and independent children without constraints. "Dale McGowan's popular and compassionate guide 'Parenting Beyond Belief' was the first comprehensive book to offer a general philosophy of nonreligious parenting. 'Raising freethinkers' is a practical sequel, providing specific answers to common questions and more than 100 activities for parents and their children. 'Raising freethinkers' covers every topic nonreligious parents need to know to help their children with their own moral, intellectual, and emotional development, including sound advice on religious-extended-family issues, death and life, secular celebreations, wondering and questioning, and more"--Page 4 of cover Though commonplace today, interfaith marriages are fragile institutions. New research suggests that they fail more often than same-faith partnerships. So what are the chances of survival for the ultimate mixed marriage--one between religious and nonreligious partners? According to popular author and secular humanist Dale McGowan, many of these marriages succeed beautifully. In this landmark book, he draws on sociology, psychology, and real-life experience to recount some of the many success stories, and to explore how people navigate the complexities of their unions and overcome the inevitable A book of reflections by 'freethinkers' on such things as deciding not to raise your child based on a religion, living in a religious culture, holidays and rites of passage, ethics, values, morality, nurturing the love of knowledge, and science. It features contributions by medical professionals, psychologists, educators, and secular parents. Describes how couples can work to save a relationship that might be suffering when a religious believer is with a nonreligious person, offering negotiation tips, strategies for dealing with extended families, and advice for handling holidays and rites The inquiring mind -- Living and teaching ethics in your family -- Secular family, religious world -- The physical self -- Ingredients of a life worth living -- Celebrating life -- Death and life -- Finding and creating community -- The grab bag Collects guidelines and advice for secular parenting, providing tips and strategies for addressing such issues as death, sexuality, morality, and religion while encouraging children to think for themselves. A practical, hands-on guide for raising independent, caring kids without religion.