Many parents who hold religious beliefs wish to pass them along to their children. They want their children to know the special connection with a higher power that has enhanced their own lives. But no matter which religion you subscribe to, you may also want to ensure that your kids grow up tolerant of the spiritual tenets that others follow. Unfortunately, this can be rather difficult to accomplish. Children that have been raised with one set of religious beliefs may have trouble reconciling what they’ve been taught with the existence of other religions. They might not understanding why others don’t believe the same things they do. But as a parent and the main source of spiritual guidance for your kids, there are things you can do to make the process easier. Here are just a few tactics you can try when it comes to helping your kids learn to respect the religious beliefs of others.

The first thing you’ll want to do is talk to your kids about other religions. They’re bound to have a lot of questions and you can be the one to address them. If you don’t know the answers, you can always ask your own religious leaders for information, or do a little research on your own. When you have a better understanding of world religions, it can only help you when it comes to having this complicated conversation with your children. Plus, it can’t hurt to practice what you preach. When we don’t understand something, it’s easy to discount. So it’s important that you take the time to learn at least a little about other religions and why people feel so strongly about them. Of course, your own faith can also inform you here; since you know what it means to hold strong beliefs you can see where others are coming from where their particular religions are concerned.
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