5 Tips to Raise Tolerant Children in a Multi Faith World
Around 84% of the world’s population is connected to some kind of religion, so there’s a pretty good chance that your kids are going to run into someone who has different beliefs at some point in their lives. Whether it’s in their schools, teams, clubs or the jobs they will eventually go into, we all want to raise tolerant children who are respectful and free of prejudice as they interact with those of different faiths.
Children aren’t born with prejudice in their hearts; they learn it from their environment. However, while we undoubtedly must constantly guard our little ones against developing prejudicial views, it’s equally important to actively teach and nurture our children to be tolerant and open-minded. With this in mind, we wish to share with you some of our thoughts on how to raise mindful children in a multi faith world.
1. Be Open for any Discussion
It’s natural for kids to be inquisitive, and we should be ready to talk about anything, from why many Hindus are vegetarians to why some religions practice circumcision. Remember, it’s ok if you don’t know either, because you and your child can find out together.
It’s a shame that adults often shy away from questions concerning religion or other sensitive subjects, like race or gender. The world through the eyes of a child is confusing enough already, and they’ll only become more puzzled if their sincere questions are simply swept under the rug. Worst still, a lack of discussion can be a dangerous gateway to ignorance.
As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, ‘Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity’. Therefore, to raise tolerant children means encouraging questions, and seeing them as a way to teach our children to investigate the truth for themselves rather than blindly accepting what others tell them. This might be one of the most important lessons we can ever give them.
2. Take them to Festivals and Places of Worship
Seeing the world through a Wikipedia page might be very convenient but experiencing the religious diversity of our communities first-hand trumps it every time. Let your kids join in any celebrations of Hanukkah, Diwali, Eid, Christmas and Vesak in your community. In this way, children can learn about other groups through music, rituals and traditions. Through their positive experiences, they can appreciate the beauty of other beliefs and naturally begin to respect and accept those who practice them.
If you live in a remote area or very small town, you can still teach your children to be knowledgeable and respectful of other religions even if you can’t find opportunities for personal contact. Why not read them wonderful children’s books written from the perspectives of other religious beliefs? And if you do happen to visit a big city with different places of worship, let them see the churches, mosques and temples.
3. Support Local Interfaith Activities
Interfaith initiatives are a wonderful platform for your kids to come together with followers of other religions in an open and nurturing environment. Better still, activities hosted by interfaith groups show how people of different backgrounds can work together with unity and acceptance in order to make positive contributions to their communities.
There are many examples of great interfaith activities for kids from many different parts of the world. Why not see if there’s something like this near you?
4. Encourage Friendships with Kids from Diverse Backgrounds
Research has shown that children who have positive contact with other races and groups are less prejudiced than those who don’t, and these kids form more cross-group friendships. They also react negatively to examples of social exclusion they see.
As a parent, you can make space for your child to have diverse friendships by organizing playdates, activities, and finding other natural and healthy opportunities for your children to make friends from different backgrounds. Having a nice circle of friends with different religious or non-religious views will be a good foundation for a well-adjusted, tolerant and accepting individual to grow from.
5. Work on your Own Prejudices and Biases
We all know that children don’t develop prejudices on their own; they learn them from others. Studies have shown that young children mirror even the implicit and unspoken prejudices as the adults in their social group, not just the explicit and spoken biases.
Therefore, as parents, we need to be constantly vigilant about our own biases and work on them, not only for our own sakes, but for those of our children.
Final Thoughts
Navigating the modern world is by no means an easy task for any parent, but by being conscious of the need to educate against prejudice and ignorance as well as teach acceptance to your kids, you are making a massive stride forward in helping them to grow into the kind of adult who will be a source of good in both their local and global communities.
About the Author:
Matt Morrisey is a former teacher who has travelled all over the world teaching children English, from China to the UK Matt is well known. Matt’s parents are teachers and his only brother works for a children’s charity in UK.
Matt currently is a contributor at buzzparent and enjoys writing about topics ranging from kids tech toys, outdoor activities for kids, parenting lifestyle hacks and fun facts for kids that range from national geographic topics to gaming at home. He loves techy drones and can’t wait until he opens his window to allow a drone to enter with an Amazon package. Not long now.
His work has been read by readers all over the world and features on blogs and websites all over the world. Matt recently decided to go back to university to do his PhD where he looks to continue his career.
