Raising Freethinkers

CHAPTER 7

Death and Life

Dale McGowan

Of the hundreds of questions about nonreligious parenting I’ve fielded from reporters and audiences, one stands head and shoulders above the rest for its ability to amaze, amuse, and confound me: “Without heaven, how will you make your kids okay with death?”

I can’t get used to it no matter how often I hear it. No fewer than three myths are embedded in those eleven words—three common misunderstandings that must be unpacked before we can get a handle on this topic. Let’s look at those three myths, as well as ...