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 A CNN iReport essay on raising kids without God draws record-breaking number of comments.
January 18th, 2013
06:32 PM ET
Godless mom strikes a chord with parentsBy Daphne Sashin, CNN Deborah Mitchell remembers the time, when her boys were younger, and another mom asked her about her religious beliefs. Mitchell was raised Catholic but moved away from religion in her early 20s. She told the other mother that she didn’t go to church and didn’t even really believe in God. Then, she says, the recruiting started. “She used to call my house and tell me she was praying for me. She’d leave me messages and leave cards in my mailbox with scripture,” Mitchell says. “I do realize that she meant well, but at the same time, I know my views were seen as wrong. I needed to be ‘saved.’” Mitchell, a mother of two teenagers in Texas who feels “immersed in Christianity,” started a blog about raising her children without religion because she felt frustrated and marginalized. She didn’t want to feel so alone, she says. This week, she gained a whole new audience and the reassurance that she's not alone. Her essay on CNN iReport, “Why I Raise My Children Without God,” drew 650,000 page views, the second highest for an iReport, and the most comments of any submission on the citizen journalism platform. It starts:
Mitchell posted the essay detailing her seven reasons for raising her children without God on CNN iReport because she felt there wasn’t anyone else speaking for women or moms like her. As she sees it, children should learn to do the right things because they will feel better about themselves, not because God is watching. She asks questions like: If there was a good, all-knowing, all-powerful God, why would he allow murders, child abuse and torture? Lots of people disagreed with her. Tons. They flagged her iReport as inappropriate and criticized CNN for linking to her essay on the CNN.com homepage. But there were plenty of others who wrote thoughtful rebuttals, respectfully disagreeing with Mitchell while not foisting their own beliefs on her. Take, for instance, a Methodist dad, who said faith can be hard to nail down, but “not to avail ourselves of the power of something we don't completely understand is silly.” Others said Mitchell presented a simplistic view of religion. “Presentations such as these seem to ignore a substantial percentage of believers - well-educated, compassionate, liberal folk, Christian and non-Christian alike - who, I feel, are able to worship without being blind to the realities of the world, or without lying to their children about their understanding of these complexities,” wrote commenter RMooradian. “I'll be raising my children with God, but I understand those who cannot!” But Mitchell’s essay also struck a chord with hundreds of like-minded parents raising children in a world where lack of belief puts them in the minority, often even in their own family. “Thank you for writing this. I agree with everything you say, but I’m not brave enough to tell everyone I know this is how I feel,” a woman who called herself an “agnostic mommy of two in Alabama” posted in the comments. “Thank you for your bravery and letting me know I’m not alone.” It’s a growing group. One in five Americans is not affiliated with any religion, and that number has grown by 25% in the past five years, according to a survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Of that group, 88% said they were not looking for religion, although 68% of the unaffiliated said they believe in God. Brittany Branyon, an American graduate student and substitute teacher living in Germany, was also compelled to express her thanks to Mitchell. Branyon was raised Southern Baptist in Georgia and Alabama. In high school, when she began to question the theory of creation and befriended gay and lesbian students, she says her mother tried to perform an exorcism. “She opened all the windows and doors in the house, brought me to the door, held my shoulders and shook me while screaming, ‘Satan, get out of this child!’, ‘Satan, leave this child alone!’.” After moving away from the South, she and her husband “became more comfortable in our secular ways,” but still take criticism from family members. They are now expecting their first child. “Though we are elated to welcome our child into the world, we can’t help but dread the religious uproar that is to come from our families,” she wrote in an e-mail. Such an uproar is familiar to Carol Phillips, a stay-at-home mother in northern Virginia. When she gave birth to her first child, she said her family was shocked that the baby wasn’t baptized. She said her mother-in-law cried and told her the little girl’s soul would not go to heaven. Then there are the comments from strangers. Last year, Phillips said she and her daughter were at a birthday party when a tornado warning sounded. “We were all in the basement keeping safe. A little girl was saying baby Jesus will keep us safe. My daughter asked who Jesus was. The rest of the time was spent hearing ‘I'll pray for you sweetie, we can take you to church with us if you want,’” Phillips told CNN. Commenting on Mitchell’s iReport, Phillips said, “To live out loud and to speak freely about my beliefs brings many clucking tongues. I would think it’s easier to come out as gay than atheist.” Mitchell said she spent years studying the history of religion and does believe it has “an important place in our community.” She has told her children that she’ll be fine if they decide to join a church when they are older. She ended her essay:
After her post ran on CNN, Mitchell said she was encouraged by the number of people who agreed with her, or who disagreed but wanted to have a respectful discussion. “I’m not saying that everybody should think how I do. I’m saying the people that do should have a place in our society and have acceptance and respect,” she said. “I just want to have children grow up and be able to not be afraid to say ‘I don’t believe that,’ or ‘I’m not part of that.’” soundoff (15,081 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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If you wonder why we are here you should see the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" with Jimmy Stewart.
It's about the best explanation of Christianity and life that I know.
Talk to me and tell me how you feel about life after you see that.
Seen it. So?
Bobby – you just walked into a hate cult meeting. atheists everywhere. They will cannibalize you. Watch your rump. LOL!
Seen it.
Christianity is still bullshlt.
The colorized version lacks soul.
Poor Wow. You must be really upset.
I saw it. Or at least part of it. It seems like a nice old fashioned feel-good movie. But as old movies go, I really much prefer Gunga Din with Cary Grant and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. It's racist as all get out, but funny and entertaining. And lets face it: Young Cary Grant was rather easy on the eyes.
Most truthful post I've seen in the last hour. Cary Grant....
If God is for you, who can be against you? No one can shake my faith. Jesus warned His followers that like Him, they would be persecuted and hated.
You can't be serious about this persecution comment. How many hundreds of thousands of churches, how many television channels and radio stations do religious people need before they stop imagining themselves as being persecuted? Also, please note that quoting scripture is where discussion about religion goes to die.
Amen, sister! Blind faith and persecution complexes are the road to eternal bliss in the company of such lovable characters as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and Terry Jones!
what does it mean, if the cat came to my house, and that night i had a dream a demonic voice sang, inverted my body, and the cat ran under me with blood gushing out. and when i woke up the cat was flat as a pancake in the road. where is the delusion?
you hate the truth. what did i do wrong? what is wrong with me? I had a dream? or the cat was actually dead?
ROTFL!
Christian POS, in your unfinished dream the cat was not yet dead. You had only to present your SPCA card an the resurrected Hitchens would have spared all the blood. Loser! LOL!
..Hey, look at the track record of the christians: the Crusades (in the Middle East AND Europe!!), the Inquisition, the christian armies of Napolean, the christian armies of Germany and the U.S. in BOTH World Wars !
..
...the christians are the GREATEST KILLERS OF ALL TIME...and Jesus was such a peaceful fellow !!
..
It just goes to show that there are so many different ideas as to what a Christian actually is, not to mention that they can't all be right.
Atheist Bible = C. Hitchens and R. Dawkins videos, Myth Busters re-runs, Bill Maher pay per view specials, D & D games, and SPCA membership cards. LOL! That's all you have. What losers
Yet you seem quite fascinated. LOL!
Keep thinking that while we take the wheel. You can sit in the back of the bus, preferably behind a caged enclosure.
Actually, I'm not. But whoever that is keeps posting those stupid videos on this site. he seems more in love with that fall-down drunk hitchens than anyone else. What a loser.
it seems butthurt
ppl get so upset when you tell them the truth that jebus never existed and their imaginary man in the sky isn't real.
sad stuff
She is obviously butt hurt. She reeks of it.
Looks like atheists have really jostled Esmirelda's jimmies.
Yes, Essie's got her hair in a braid and her knickers in a twist. Poor little Wow.
I am not overly religious but i think we all need to be reminded....
Romans 14:1-23
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind
Christian POS
We know you have a puppy. Unhand that unborn child, undo your unmentionables and service the Lord. LOL!
http://youtu.be/OssZkWU-ZjQ
This guy sounds like he's about to cry. Look at all those christian faces in the crowd coming to realization that they have been lied to by those they trusted.
Look at his fat bloated face and his glassy eyes. A fall down drunk. yeah, I'm going to listen to that dead umbriago. LOL
For that insolence you can stay in Mexico.
Given enough time to speak their true beliefs, a religious person will always reveal their hidden mentaldisbalances
Sadly they are too thick to realize even that.
@Esmerelda de ville. You are a sad commentary of what a christian is. Why would anyone want to be like you? You spew garbage from your mouth and proclaim to be a christian. You are full of hate towards those who don't agree with you. I feel sorry for you, which by the way is lower than having pity for someone. Grow up or go away.
She is a perfect example of someone who has accepted Jesus. She is at peace and infinite love radiates from her.
@victoria
Why would you want to deny our fun?
I love watching the ranting of lunatics and their hate. It fills me with joy to see that christians are suffering for their stupidity.
Victoria = I hate you because you seem to hate me. Stop hating because you only make me hate more what I already hate. LOL!
You make no sense.
I agree. Let her comment and prove the good christianity has to offer. That way I don't even have to argue with her. She defeats herself.
Esmerelda's team must have lost the playoff game.
I think her brain has lost the battle with encephalitis.
http://youtu.be/1Tw3i3k4zCs
Make that 6 Hitchens videos. LOL!
That's quite a bible you have. LOL!
The video is ten minutes. You commented 3 minutes after I posted it. I can tell you are fearful of watching it.
She doesn't know what the arrow in the middle of the screen is for.
Uh, hello! Already seen his schtick. Not impressed. didn't watch your offering of his drunken ramblings
You forgot the "LOL," Essie. LOL!
Shtick? So I guess you saw the one where he walks on water.
Austin-Did you really post this "the devil has control of you if you do this to your child. ". Oh my gosh you believe there is a devil! That character was created when mankind was considered primitive.
Austin is struggling with psychotic dream-delusion episodes. Apparently he is an assault rifle short of kindergarten fame.
It's 10:10 p.m. Do you still hate your parents? LOL!
Run for the border!
A hollow christian and their emptiness are a thing of beauty.
Desperate troll is desperate.
Jesus Christ is the source of my joy, peace and happiness. He sustains me through difficult times. He IS my rock. I am grateful for His unwavering driving skills as he never fails to miss groundhogs on the way to church. LOL!
The various De Villes all seem to equate atheism to liking animals. I guesss only true Christians hate animals.
Atheists PSA's
It's 10:00 p.m. have you pet your dog today?
Have you killed an unborn child today?
poe
So you've changed to a different screen name to do the same drivel...
What will your new screen name be by next week?
If you're a christian, have you sacrificed your child today? Have you touched them in their naughty parts?
Poor Esme. Don't your 'friends' let you play World of Warcraft with them anymore? Is it so dull in Mom's basement that you have to pretend to be a girl and post stupid insulting things just so people will pay attention to you?
This is news again?! Pushing the atheist agenda again CNN?
I believe Deborah Mitchell would make a great Canadian. Why not Deborah? You would be welcomed.
Much more tolerant, believe what you like, never hear the word God when our members of Parliament are presenting to the nation, a separation of church and state (no prayers in school). Oh, and very few guns. Hmm, I wonder if there's a connection?
As a U.S. citizen, I truly appreciate our northern neighbors and wish this nation would take a page out of your book in regards to things like religion and health care.
Atheist Bible = C. Hitchens and R. Dawkins videos, Myth Busters re-runs, Bill Maher pay per view specials, D & D games, and SPCA membership cards. LOL! What losers.
http://youtu.be/SnyS2fiHm20
For Esmerelda the vile.
Jesus Christ is the source of my joy, peace and happiness. He sustains me through difficult times. He IS my rock. I am grateful for His unwavering love.
It makes missy feel all warm and fuzzy when she thinks about how a man was tortured to death so that she wouldn't be accountable for her own actions.
Jesus was always here. We are on this earth for a fleeting time and then we enter eternity. The Bible is clear what happens next. God is giving every human being the opportunity on this earth as to where they want to spend eternity. We all have choice. He asks, "Do you want to be with Him or do you want to be away from Him?" You have freedom of choice. Don't be mad at Christians. They want you to choose paradise with the Lord. If you want to be with Him, He is offering you a free ticket to heaven. If you don't want to be with Him in this world then so be it but the consequences are awful. Love God and you will see greater things than you can imagine. Choose Life, your life in heaven.
Joe, The Bible was written by humans. It's the equivalent of the modern day "Marketing and Advertising!". (Meant to shape your views and change your behaviour............for the purpose of? Think HARD about the purpose!)
I chose reality, Joe. And I'm not afraid of my own mortality.