How to Encourage Religious Tolerance in Christian Home-Schooled Children

A common problem for parents teaching their children at home from a Christian curriculum is developing a sense of acceptance within their young students for those outside their own faith. In their own worlds, the only social experiences they have may be amongst only those who have similar beliefs. In their classrooms, they are taught largely Christian viewpoints and little else. While we cannot alter curriculums completely, there are steps that parents can take to teach their children their Christian values through home learning while also preparing them for a much more complex world. Consider the following tips on how to encourage religious tolerance in Christian home-schooled children for a few quick, simple ideas.

Tip #1: Form "faith" groups. Home-schooled children often take part in other home school groups for the sake of social interaction, but most Christian home-schoolers only interact with other kids of the same faith (perhaps from different denominations). Consider speaking with parents of children outside of your faith and forming a home school group that teaches tolerance through play. Simply having friends outside one's own religious system is a great way to learn more about other beliefs while simultaneously learning to respect the differences in others.

Tip #2: Add religious studies to your child's home school curriculum. Studying the belief systems of others from a textbook can at least introduce a child to the many religions practiced in the world. While many Christian parents shy away from introducing their children to other religions, doing so in a scholarly manner can give a child a way to relate to other people of faith.

Tip #3: Study the common need for faith. Most religious systems stem from the need for answers to universally asked questions. Where did we come from? Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? What happens when we die? Religious leaders form answers to these questions based on what they believe to be divine insight, whether from ancient texts or modern day revelations. Some find the answers based on their own personal spiritual journeys. Others depend upon scientific discoveries. Regardless, understanding that most of the citizens of the world have a need for answers is a first step toward religious tolerance. Christian home-schooled children can gain a great deal by grasping the concept of the individual need for truth.

Tip #4: Schedule question and answer sessions with religious leaders outside the Christian faith. One of the downfalls of practicing a dogmatic religion is the reluctance some have toward learning what other intellectuals believe. Instead of shying away from what a religious leader of another faith might teach your child, consider how their teachings may enrich your own. You may find that you agree with one or two theories taught by another faith. Your child, by asking questions of a respected leader, may be able to find a few answers that even strengthen their own beliefs in Christianity. At the same time, he/she will be fighting the ignorance that comes from disassociating oneself from other people of faith.

Tip #5: Study the idea of having no faith in a higher being. Just because one does not believe in God or a higher being does not mean that they have no ideas about the afterlife, about our purpose, or about how we define right and wrong. Teaching a Christian home-schooled child about the idea of simply choosing to believe in spiritualism, humanism, or other non-deistic theories rather than God will help them understand that there is a broader scope to mere religion. There is a difference between religion and a belief system structured around something other than God or gods. While learning about people of other faiths, it is essential that a child also understand the possibility of not believing in any particular religion at all.

Tip #6: Study the origins of Christianity from a historical perspective in addition to a biblical perspective. One of the disturbing hallmarks of Christian home school curriculums is strict adherence to only one perspective of the faith itself. Even history and science lessons are taught in accordance with the Bible, without explaining where the Bible came from or why it is validated. Once a child enters college, however, they will be forced to look at their own religion from a more objective standpoint in various classes. Being restrained from looking at Christianity from all angles is little more than a crippling delay. Understanding where one's faith originated, how it was nurtured, and how it has adapted throughout history is essential to fully appreciating one's own belief system.

Teaching a home-schooled Christian child that other faiths are to be respected is a key factor in fighting intolerance, ignorance, and fear. By adding further study and meaningful social interaction to your child's curriculum, you can rest assured that he/she will have a head start in a richly varying world of belief systems.