What to Do When a Child's Friend Keeps Pushing His Religion

Religious intolerance and bullying is alive and well in the United States, according to Huda TV, an Islamic satellite television station. That atmosphere can lead to peer pressure from your child̵7;s friend to become a part of a specific religious group. Advanced planning, open dialogue with your child and a frank discussion with the offending child and his family can resolve the matter on many occasions.

  1. Teaching Tolerance

    • If your religious preference isn̵7;t the dominant one, and sometimes even when it is, your child may have a playmate who seeks to convert him to his religion. One way to deal with this is to teach your child religious tolerance and how to cope when others want to push the issue. Encourage your child to say, ̶0;Thanks, but I̵7;m comfortable with what I believe and I̵7;m glad your beliefs work for you.̶1; Your child might also suggest that he would prefer it if his friend stop his religious conversion attempts if he wants to remain friends.

    Role-Playing Interactions

    • Use role-play to help your child learn how to deal with friends who push religion. Ask her to think about the last interaction she had with the friend where religious pushiness was a problem and replay it with you. She can be her friend and you can help her think of ways to respond to what has been said. Think of other religious conversations that could come up and help brainstorm for responses to those such as, ̶0;What do you believe about God?̶1; or ̶0;What church do you attend?̶1; Advanced preparation can defuse that type of conversation so she is less uncomfortable and the friend may be less inclined to get pushy.

    Exploring Options

    • Your child can benefit from information about various world religions when responding to pushy friends. For example, Modesto, California, requires its freshman students to take a semester world religion class to graduate, resulting in more religious tolerance without undermining the student̵7;s faith, according to the Teaching Tolerance website. Help your child explore various faiths if his school doesn̵7;t offer a similar program, including visiting different houses of faith to discover what they believe and how they worship. This can help your child deal his friend by comparing what he believes to what his friend believes, different world views based on faith perspectives and perhaps explain why his friend̵7;s faith isn̵7;t for him. An intelligent conversation about what he knows about his friend̵7;s faith based on his exploration could turn the tables on the friend and put an end to the religious pushiness.

    Confrontations

    • If the child doesn̵7;t end the pushy behavior, it could be time to confront the child and the child̵7;s parents. You and your child can express her displeasure with the behavior and ask that the behavior stop. If it̵7;s happening at school, your child can ask a teacher to intervene when it begins. You can also approach the school to insist that all students should be free from religious bullying. Your child benefits because she knows that you support her, and it can put a stop to the friend̵7;s religious pushing.

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