Both DH and I are atheists in an extended family of southern baptists. While my parents are not practicing and haven't for many, many years, they both have a deep rooted faith in a higher power. My grandmother is still very much practicing and tells me all the time that I'm damning DS by refusing to baptize him. Even pre-atheism, I had a very hard time stomaching the idea of a benevolent and loving God who would send small children to hell because they hadn't been dunked in a tub of water.
DS is 8 and is a very committed and practicing Greek mythologist(?). I don't really even know if we have a term for it anymore... but he very much prays and gives offerings to whatever god he needs the favor of for any particular event, ceremony etc. He had a major stage performance today and took a few minutes before we left to have words with Dionysus.
I just roll with it. I can't very well foster a believe in magic, Harry Potter, Santa and the Tooth Fairy and tell him that Dionysus isn't real. He'll find his own path soon enough.
As for religious education, we consider ourselves to be Secular Humanists and rarely identify ourselves as atheists because that's just the beginning. For some reason, atheism and anarchy often get lumped together- that is not our belief set. We seek out the "why", ask questions, value humanity and human life, teach the golden rule etc. We operate on the principal that this is the only life you're going to get, so you'd better do it right the first time!
We encourage DS to seek out information about other religions and would take him to "research" if he asked. I have always felt that information is power. I've had too many friends who believed because they were told to do so and found a huge crisis of faith in their early 20s because of it.
