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Please visit Secular Web Kids for our updated information for kids, parents, and teachers.

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The Parents’ Corner is a compendium of articles and resources that help nontheistic parents deal with the challenges of secular child-rearing in a religious world. Traditional child-rearing resources typically assume that parents are religious and wish their children to be so as well. The needs of nontheistic parents are ignored by these resources, some of which even go so far as to condemn the very idea of raising children without religious belief. The Parent’s Corner is intended to address this imbalance by providing information that addresses the unique questions and challenges that nontheistic parents face.

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Events

Camp Quest Summer camp for secular humanist children from 8 to 14 years of age. For information on location, pricing, and upcoming programs, please see their web page.

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Essays

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Raising Freethinking Children

• American Humanist Association’s Response to the Christian Coalition’s “Contract with the American Family” (Off Site)
• Atheistic Education by Michael Martin | Article originally published in The American Rationalist
• Good and Bad Reasons for Believing by Richard Dawkins (a letter to his daughter, Juliet) (Off Site)
• How to Educate an Atheist by Michael Martin (2000)
• Parents at School (Off Site)
• Protect My Children from the Ten Commandments By Lewis Vaughn (Off Site) | Why we should not permit the posting of the ten commandments in schools
• Raising Children Without God by Dave Silverman, American Atheists (Off Site)
• Secular Family News by Jan Loeb Eisler (Off Site)
• Raising Humanist Children by Terri Mandell (Off Site)
• Rebuttal to the “Contract With the American Family” by Bryan Zepp Jamieson | A point-by-point rebuttal of the so-called “Contract with the American Family”

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Family and Commitment Ceremonies

• Humanist Child Dedication Ceremony by Patricia Burnet (Off Site) | A ceremony for welcoming a new child to the world while reaffirming the worth of the new child’s older siblings
• Humanist Naming Ceremony (Off Site)
• Online Directory of Humanist Celebrants (Off Site)

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Education

• Freethought Clubs In High Schools
  • Alabama’s First High School Freethinkers Club Forms by Adam Butler (Off Site) | Adam Butler tells of his fight to start a freethinkers club at his high school in Alabama
  • Equal Access Strikes Back by Adam Butler (Off Site) | Excerpted from a speech by Adam Butler, given at the Freedom From Religion Foundation convention in Madison, Wisconsin during October 1996. Recounts Butler’s fight to start a freethinkers club at his high school.
• Prayer In Public Schools
  • Constututional Amendment on School Prayer (March 11, 2002, ACLU) (Off Site)
  • Bible Believers Should Oppose School Prayer by Rick Lott (Off Site) (Scroll down) | Argues against forced prayer in schools
  • Case Against Government-Sponsored Prayer (Off Site) | The conservative argument for school prayer is based on flat distortions of the truth and a deaf ear to the Constitution, as this article shows (from Separation of Church and State Home Page)
  • Case Against School Prayer (Off Site) | A brochure produced by the Freedom From Religion Foundation on why forced prayer in public schools is a bad idea
  • Index of Separation of Church and State articles on this site
  • What’s Wrong With a Few Harmless Prayers in Courtrooms or Classrooms? By Ronald J. Barrier (1997) (Off Site)
• General Education and Religion Issues
  • In God We Trust in Public Schools: Talking Points (Off Site)
  • One Nation “Under God”: Questions and Answers (Off Site)
  • People for the American Way: Education Issues (Off Site) | A collection of articles about the religious right’s assault on public schools, including vouchers and tuition tax credit programs
  • Religion in Schools (Off Site) | Press releases from the ACLU
  • Religion, Public Schools, and Gray Areas By Wendy Kaminer (2001) (Off Site)
  • School Board Elections: Countering the Fundamentalists By Frank Prahl (Off Site) | Tips on how to fight local fundamentalists who try to take over school boards
  • Separation of Guru and State? Influence of the New Age Movement on Public Education by Frank Beckwith (Off Site) | Discusses the growing influence of Eastern and New Age religions in the public schools. Although Beckwith is a Christian, this article will be of interest to nontheistic parents who oppose Eastern and New Age superstitions as well as their Western counterparts.
  • Supporting Public Education & Working To Ensure Public Schools Welcome All Students (Off Site) | Argues against the use of tax dollars for parochial schools

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Boy Scouts Of America

• Boy Scouts Of America Practices Discrimination By Annie Laurie Gaylor (1994, 2000) (Off Site) | The Boy Scouts of America has earned a merit badge for hypocrisy by discriminating against atheist children.
• How Your Tax Dollars Support the Boy Scouts of America by Larry Taylor (Off Site) | Rebuts the BSA’s assertion that it is a private, non-tax-funded organization, and may therefore legally discriminate against atheist children.

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Books

Ages 4 – 8

• The Brand New Kid by Katie Couric
• Did the Sun Shine Before You Were Born? by Sol Gordon and Judith Gordon; illustrated by Vivien Cohen
• Just Pretend: A Freethought Book for Children by Dan Barker
• Mommy Laid an Egg! or Where Do Babies Come From by Babette Cole
• On the Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier
• One-Hundred-And-One Read-Aloud Myths and Legends : Ten-Minute Readings from the World’s Best-Loved Literature (Read-Aloud) by Joan Verniero et al.
• A Solstice Tree for Jenny by Karen Shragg
• Talking About Death by Karen Bryant-Mole | Good book for explaining death to very small children from non-religious perspective
• Tree of Life: The Wonders of Evolution by Ellen Jackson; illustrated by Judeanne Winter, Hardcover

Ages 9 – 12

• Alexander Fox and the Amazing Mind Reader by John Clayton
• Atheist Primer: Did You Know All the Gods Came from the Same Place? by Madalyn Murray O’Hair
• A Birthday Present for Daniel: A Child’s Story of Loss by Juliet Rothman; illustrated by Louise Gish
• Bringing UFOs Down to Earth by Philip Klass
• Girls Are Girls and Boys Are Boys: So What’s the Difference? by Sol Gordon; illustrated by Vivien Cohen
• Gullible’s Travels (Audio Cassette) by Steve Allen (Audio Cassette)
• How Do You Know It’s True?: Discovering the Difference Between Science and Superstition by Hy Ruchlis
• Humanism, What’s That?: A Book for Curious Kids by Helen Bennett
• If You Had to Choose, What Would You Do? by Sandra McLeod Humphrey; illustrated by Brian Strassburg
• In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World by Virginia Hamilton
• It’s Magic by Henry Gordon
• Just Pretend: A Freethought Book for Children by Dan Barker
• The Magic Detectives: Join Then in Solving Strange Mysteries by Joe Nickell
• Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong: A Guide for Young Thinkers by Dan Barker
• Maybe Yes, Maybe No: A Guide for Young Skeptics by Dan Barker
• Old Tales for a New Day by Sophia Blanche Lyon Fahs et al.
• Science In a Nanosecond by James Haught
• What About Gods? by Chris Brockman
• What’s Wrong With Grandma: A Family’s Experience With Alzheimer’s by Margaret Shawyer
• Wonder-Workers! How They Perform the Impossible by Joe Nickell

Ages 13 and Up

• Learning Bible Today: From Creation to the Conquest of Canaan [PDF] by Michael Prival

Adult

• 20 Teachable Virtues: Practical Ways to Pass on Lessons of Virtue and Character to Your Children by Barbara Unell and Jerry Wyckoff
• Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion by Dale McGowan, Ph.D.
• They’re Never Too Young for Books: A Guide to Children’s Books for Ages 1 to 8 by Edythe McGovern and Helen Muller

More Resources

• Children’s Books from Prometheus Books
• Kids Books from Evolvefish

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Links

Organizations

• The Secular Web’s “Local Organizations” page | A listing of local organizations around the world
• AtheistParents.org | Articles, book reviews, forum
• American Atheists Youth and Family Site | Information for atheists in school and their families
• Family of Humanists (FOH) | Applying the Humanist philosophy of life to issues of interest to families and family members of all ages
• North Texas Church of Freethought | Located in Irving, Texas, the NTCOF features a Freethought Sunday School for younger children during its monthly Sunday service

Meeting Other Families

• American Humanist Association Chapters and Affiliates | Look for an organization in your area
• Unitarian Universalist Association | Many UUs are atheists, agnostics, and humanists, while others are nondogmatic theists. Your local congregation is one way to meet other families in your area, although it is not for everyone.
• American Ethical Union | List of ethical societies in the U.S.

Boy Scout Alternatives

• 4H USA | 4-H is a community of young people across America who are learning leadership, citizenship and life skills.
• Camp Fire USA | From their web site, “For nearly a century: integrity, responsibility, tolerance. We build more than campfires.”
• Earth Scouts | Earth Scouts is a coed youth organization for 3 – 13 year olds. The mission of the Earth Scouts is to empower youth to learn about the Earth Charter, spread it’s message, and participate in fun activities that will benefit themselves and the earth community. They will “Change the world one fun badge at a time.”
• Girl Scouts of America | The organization is for girls only, but unlike the BSA, they do not discriminate. Their web site states that the word ‘god’ in the GSA pledge can be interpreted in a number of ways depending on one’s spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, members are instructed that is okay to replace the word ‘god’ with whatever word their spiritual beliefs dictate
• YMCA | Find the link to your local organization from the national web site and search for information on Y-Adventure Guides (formerly Indian Guides and Indian Princesses). Most local groups have a statement on their web site that they are open to all regardless of age, race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, or economic background. Stepfathers, grandfathers, uncles, and mothers are encouraged to participate with children whose father is not available to participate.

Discussion Boards, Newsgroups, and Email Lists

• AtheistParents.org | Forum
• Atheist Parenting | iVillage (formerly ParentsPlace and ParentSoup) Forum
• Yahoo! Atheist Moms | Very active email list
• Yahoo! Atheist Dads | Email list
• Yahoo! Atheist Parenting | Email list
• Yahoo! Atheist Parents | Email list
• Yahoo! FreeThinking-HomeEducators | Email list

Education

• Atheism Central for Secondary Schools | Help and general support for atheist students attending religious studies courses in secondary schools in the United Kingdom NOT WORKING JUNE 2005 GONE?
• Camp Quest: The Secular Humanist Summer Camp | The annual secular humanist camp for 8-12 year olds
• National Center for Science Education | A nationally-recognized clearinghouse working to defend the teaching of evolution against sectarian religious attack
• National Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty | A broad-based coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to preserving strong public schools that are free from sectarian control

Homeschooling

• Home Education Press | Providing nonsectarian resources for homeschooling parents
• Homeschooling Unitarian Universalists and Friends | More resources for UU and Humanist homeschoolers
• SDP HomeScholars of Southern California | A Secular, Diverse and Progressive Homeschool Support group in Southern California.
• Unitarian Universalist Homeschoolers and Kindred Spirits (HUUKS) | An organization for UUs and humanist parents who educate their children at home

Social Activism

• Childreach | Secular organization for helping children in poor countries

Religious Liberty

• American Civil Liberties Union
• Americans United for Separation of Church and State
• Freedom Forum First Amendment Center
• National Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty
• Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
• People for the American Way
• Supreme Court Decisions on Religious Liberty

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Articles

• Ceremonies And Ceremonial Services ForNontheists
  • Humanist Celebrants: Who We Are And What We Do by Terri Mandell
    An introduction to humanist celebrants, the humanist equivalent of a chaplain. Includes information on how to contact them and how to become one yourself.
  • A Humanist Child Dedication Ceremony by Patricia Burnet
    A ceremony for welcoming a new child to the world while reaffirming the worth of the new child’s older siblings.
• Education Issues
  • Creationism In Science Classes
    • Creationism In The Public Schools
      Collection of documents for those fighting the religious right’s attempt to introduce creation “science” into the public schools. Part of the Secular Web’s Activists’ Corner.
  • Freethought Clubs In High Schools
    • Alabama’s First High School Freethinkers Club Forms by Adam Butler
      Adam Butler tells of his fight to start a freethinkers club at his high school in Alabama.
    • Equal Access Strikes Back by Adam Butler
      Excerpted from a speech by Adam Butler, given at the Freedom From Religion Foundation convention in Madison, Wisconsin during October 1996. Recounts Butler’s fight to start a freethinkers club at his high school.
  • Mandated Prayer In Public Schools
    • The ACLU on School Prayer
      Why the American Civil Liberties Union opposes forced prayer in schools.
    • The Case Against Government-Sponsored Prayer
      The conservative argument for school prayer is based on flat distortions of the truth and a deaf ear to the Constitution, as this article shows.
    • The Case Against School Prayer
      Why forced prayer in public schools is a bad idea.
    • Church And State: ACLU Briefing Paper Number 3
      Answers several common questions about school prayer.
    • A Matter of Conscience: Why Faith Groups Oppose Government-Sponsored Prayers In Public Schools
      Most religious organizations in the United States actuallyopposeforced prayer in our public schools. Here’s why.
    • Prayer In The Public Schools
      Debunks various myths about school prayer and briefly discusses several possible compromises.
  • Other Education Issues
    • God And The Public Schools: Religion, Education & Your Rights
      Discusses the role of religion in public schools and argues in favor of keeping public schools religiously neutral.
    • People for the American Way: Education Issues
      A collection of articles about the religious right’s assault on public schools.
    • Religious Expression in Public Schools by William D. Golden
      A collection of links and news articles relevant to religious expression. The site is ideologically neutral; it does not take a stand on the issues.
    • School Board Elections: Countering The Fundamentalists by Frank Prahl
      How to fight local fundamentalists who try to take over school boards.
    • Separation of Guru and State? Influence of the New Age Movement on Public Education by Frank Beckwith
      Discusses the growing influence of Eastern and New Age religions in the public schools. Although Beckwith is a Christian, this article will be of interest to nontheistic parents who oppose Eastern and New Age superstitions as well as their Western counterparts.
    • Should Tax Dollars Finance Parochial Schools?
      Argues against the use of tax dollars for parochial schools.
    • Teaching Fear: The Religious Right’s Campaign Against Sexuality Education
      Exposes the religious right’s efforts to eliminate sexuality education from the public schools.
• Discrimination In The Boy Scouts OfAmerica
  • Boy Scouts Of America Practices Discrimination by Annie Laurie Gaylor
    The Boy Scouts of America has earned a merit badge for hypocrisy by discriminating against atheist children.
  • Ending Religious Discrimination in the Boy Scouts of America
    Collection of documents for those opposing bigotry in the Boy Scouts. Part of theSecular Web’s Activists’ Corner.
  • How Your Tax Dollars Support the Boy Scouts of America by Larry Taylor
    Rebuts the BSA’s assertion that it is a private, non-tax-funded organization, and may therefore legally discriminate against atheist children.
• Other Articles
  • Helping Your Child Learn Science
    Tips and techniques for imparting a love of science to your children.
  • Raising Humanist Children by Terri Mandell
    On raising humanist children in a god-soaked society.
  • A Rebuttal to the “Contract With the American Family” by Epp Jamieson
    A point-by-point rebuttal of the so-called “Contract with the American Family”.