Relax It's Just God: How and Why to Talk to Your Kids about Religion When You're Not Religious, Paperback

A rapidly growing demographic cohort in America, secular parents are at the forefront of a major and unprecedented cultural shift. Unable to fall back on what they were taught as children, many of these parents are struggling, or simply failing, to address issues of God, religion and faith with their children in ways that promote honesty, curiosity, kindness and independence. The author sifts through hard data, including the results of a survey of 1,000 nonreligious parents, and delivers gentle but straightforward advice to both non-believers and open-minded believers. With a thoughtful voice infused with humor, Russell seamlessly merges scientific thought, scholarly research and everyday experience with respect for a full range of ways to view the world. Wendy Thomas Russell seamlessly merges scientific thought, scholarly research, and everyday experience in a book that gives nonreligious and progressively religious parents a toolkit to assist with their unique and complex issues. Among the topics included in the book: How to talk to kids about death without the comforts of religion; how to talk to kids about your beliefs without indoctrinating them into your way of thinking; how to navigate touchy issues with extended family members and religious friends; what to do if your child gets threatened with hell; what to say (and what not to say) so that your child will feel both capable and free to make up his or her own mind about what to believe. Interspersed throughout the book are anecdotes from Russell's own experience, providing both inspiration and plenty of comic relief. And at the end is an invaluable Cheat Sheet to World Religions, along with a guide to popular religious holidays. Says True Parent Magazine: "'Relax: It's Just God' is valuable for so many reasons. The book offers helpful timelines for how to talk to kids about religion at every age and includes a handy appendix with the CliffsNotes version of each major religion of the world, along with ways to observe their holidays in a secular way. The book's full of useful tools that you and your kids can use when confronted by religious peers and well-meaning family members. Best of all, it handles a potentially heavy topic with a lighthearted sense of humor, giving the reader the sense that we really can relax about it."