Na wa o! Some backward posters are still criticising yvskc for not raising her child properly simply because the child voiced her quite reasonable and legitimate opinion. Like it or not guys, God's existence is only a matter of belief, it can't be proved, and challenging this belief is quite normal. Non-believers (in Xtianity) outnumber Xtians in Naija alone.

But, what's this? Yay! The poll on this topic has swung for the progressives for the first time!
Big ups to all progressive thinkers: Queen D-reloaded, almondjoy, omo.olomo, , Seun, manmust etc etc. Your children will always stay close and will always confide in you.

Hopefully the 'drag ams' and 'flog ams' have not reproduced themselves, as they obviously can't tell the difference between a child and a goat.

I love you guys/gals who went to a good university, but are now saying 'Philosophy? Psychology? All na grammar!' If you are better-educated than past generations, yet you can't make better decisions than your parents, then what have you gained?

yvskc,
Kindly ignore those posters who are criticising your parenting under the guise of offering advice. It is evident that you are caring and thoughtful with your children, and I apologise on the part of the 'drag am' and 'flog am' crew for their poor insight. Don't set your heart on changing her mind, control of your child's mind is not at all a given. In later years, these same people (often fathers), will be found complaining that their grown children have forgotten them, don't face them nor take their advice, blah blah.

Don't export her to Naija, where she will be surrounded by insensitive, inflexible people such as have given hopeless advice on this topic, and sadly, should not be in charge of goats, let alone pikin. The Yoruba habit of handing over their children to others can sometimes work, but often leads to misery, abuse and long-term issues. If she is a good, happy and intelligent child, you are already very lucky!

I'm sure you know your daughter's friends already. As a thoughtful child, she will gravitate to similar friends. Don't bother scapegoating them, as has been suggested by many posters. If she has bad friends, that is a separate problem. Her friends being from a different church, atheist or Muslim does not make them bad, as some here would have you believe.

It's quite likely that as well as being intelligent, your daughter is also sensitive, so she will be irretrievably damaged by being under the control of harsh relatives/teachers in Naija. If she is tough rather than sensitive, she is bound to break out and rebel - and that will happen in the UK, in the US, or even in Naija. As much as we complain, African children in the West are in fact hardly ever just like oyinbo/toubab/mzungu (ie white) kids - this is a red herring, worthy of another thread.

I'm sorry to inform faith-blinded posters that [b]not everything [/b]in the bible is to be taken literally, especially in the OT.

Nor is the answer to every issue to be found in the bible, praying etc. Wouldn't that be easy! For some things you use a bank, for others you call for police. In this case, if you don't know what to do, I would advise consulting a child psychology book rather than sticking a pin in the bible and quoting the results. Above all, do not bother trying to use the bible to prove Christianity. Your daughter may start explaining tautology and the meaning of 'begging the question'!

Some fool even said 'atheists are not born that way'! When I stopped laughing I felt sad - this is the twenty-first century

Staloone, don't you know downloading copyright files you didn't buy is illegal (in most countries)? Before you make a mistake, do some research.

http://rapidshare.de/files/38555589/dl_info.txt.html

PS: PC Games: HL2, MW4 series, UT series - UT classic and UT2004 + UT mods. In fact, the Unreal engine rocks and shocks. Bioshock also uses the Unreal engine. Old/slow PC? go for Half-life/Counterstrike.

No, forcing her is a mistake. The majority of the advice being offered here is bad advice, given on the basis of strong religious belief and old-fashioned attitudes that a child must never talk. Look at your child and know your child. If at 13 she's saying she is an atheist, then she is obviously able to think for herself, and has come to some conclusions. She is not 'an infant' and she is not 'too young'. You will not succeed by punishing her or forcing her, it will teach her that religion is her enemy and there is no free acceptance. I myself went to a missionary school, and there were plenty of stubborn atheists there.

You are right, it is fair enough that she attends prayers at home, for family togetherness. Please, please don't let this issue spoil your relationship with your daughter.

Just check to make sure that she still has good morals - they come from her family, not from God. If she is generally a good child, then pregnancy and such-like is just scaremongering. Similarly, put 'bad influences' and other ideas in the bin with 'evil spirits'. It is a bad idea to start carrying her round pastors as if she is sick rather than having a philosophical difference. Make sure she is at home and maybe reads or studies while you go to church.

You will have to be strong, don't worry if your friends and relatives talk, or even if other siblings copy her. If you stay close to her, it is possible for her to think again in later years. I would say 'God's time is the best'.

Good luck.