Teaching Children About Religious and Spiritual Diversity
Most of us believe that teaching our children about racial and cultural diversity is a high priority. One way to teach children to respect differences is to help them to learn about various religious and spiritual belief systems.
One great way to learn about different beliefs is through books. There are many books available at your local library or bookstore for any age group. There are picture books about various holiday observances, and books for older age groups as well.
Another way to teach your children about a variety of belief systems is through travel, local or otherwise. Many museums have exhibits that touch on the history of different religions and spiritual practices.
Still another way to learn about how different groups worship is to participate with friends in their services and holiday celebrations. As a child being raised in a protestant household, I have fond memories of attending Italian Mass at a friend's Catholic church, attending friends' First Holy Communions, and celebrating Yom Kippur with a friend's family.
Most religious and spiritual belief systems are based in large part on ethics, morals, and other values. These are things that most of us want our children to be exposed to, no matter what our own personal beliefs are.