Raising Free Thinkers

Raising Free Thinkers

A practical, hands-on guide for raising independent, caring kids without religion.

Praised by Newsweek as 'a compelling read" and Library Journal as 'accessible and down-to-earth," Dale McGowan's Parenting Beyond Belief offered freethinking parents everywhere a compassionate introduction to raising caring, ethical children without religious guidance. Now, for the more than 40 million people in the United States who identify themselves as nonreligious, Raising Freethinkers offers solutions to the unique challenges secular parents face and provides specific answers to common questions, as well as over 100 activities for both parents and their children. This book covers every important topic nonreligious parents need to know to help their children with their own moral and intellectual development, including advice on religious-extended-family issues, death and life, secular celebrations, wondering and questioning, and more.

Complete with reviews of books, DVDs, curricula, educational toys, and online resources relevant to each chapter topic, Raising Freethinkers helps parents raise their children with confidence.

Dale McGowan (Atlanta, GA) is a writer, editor, and parenting educator. He edited and co-authored Parenting Beyond Belief.

Molleen Matsumura has been a humanist activist and writer for more than 20 years and has contributed to Free Inquiry and The New Humanist.

Amanda Metskas (Albany, NY) is the Executive Director of Camp Quest, Inc.

Jan Devor is Director of Religious Education for the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis.

Raising Free Thinkers
McGraw-Hill Education Australia & New Zealand
Authors: Dale McGowan, Molleen Matsumura, Amanda Metskas, Jan Devor
ISBN: 9780814410967
Price: $17.95

Interview with Dale McGowan

Question: Why did you believe parents needed Raising Free Thinkers?

Dale McGowan: A practical companion was needed for my earlier book, Parenting Beyond Belief - one that answered specific questions and provided practical resources for raising children without religion.


Question: What was your main motivation behind Raising Free Thinkers?

Dale McGowan: No other resource of its kind was available, and the expressed need was great.


Question: Why was it important that you incorporated activities in the book?

Dale McGowan: The first book (Parenting Beyond Belief) laid out a general philosophy for nonreligious parenting. Many readers then expressed an interest in a book that put those principles into practice.


Question: How will Raising Free Thinkers help all parents, worldwide?

Dale McGowan: Both of my parenting books start with the recognition that religion offers tangible benefits for parents. Nonreligious parents worldwide have many of the same needs and desires for their children as religious parents, but they lack that existing community and tradition. Raising Freethinkers was written to show how nonreligious parents can achieve all of the same outcomes without the need for theistic belief or religious community.


Question: How did you go about collaborating with other authors on this project?

Dale McGowan: I selected three collaborators with different areas of expertise. We worked together to define topics and structure, then divided the chapters according to our own interests and abilities. Finally, we all reviewed and commented on each other's work. It was a very satisfying process.

Interview by Brooke Hunter