Bringing up children is hard work.

Where I live, you can say you're an atheist without fear of a beating. However, you might suddenly get some very cold relationships to others. Even so, religion is very much a lingering problem.

We have a law that separates Churc and State, but from an atheist point of view, it is still mostly on paper. (From the view of religious people however, you will probably get another opinion.)
The Church is still trying to keep its foot inside the door of the schools and our politicians tend to be church politicians as well.

As it is not a risk for me or my family, I don't hide being an atheist and I try to teach my children to think critically. I ask them questions that make them think, tell them how commercials on TV and computers are exaggerating to make people buy the products, tell them not to automatically trust what people say, especially on the Internet. I show them animal / nature documentaries and inform them about fossils and about the universe around us.

I also tell them about other religions (other than Protestant Christianity), and about some of the religious insanities that keep popping up in the news (some screening is required though). I try to avoid telling them that they "should not believe in religion" as I think that they should come to that conclusion themselves.

I consider mistreatment of children to be among the worst crimes you can commit. I have never spanked them and I never will.

So, when I read about this Christian book about bringing up children "To Train Up a Child", I get a bit angry:
http://www.amazon.com/Train-Up-Child-Michael-Pearl/dp/1892112000/ref=asa...

Amazon's info about book:

"Three thousand years ago, a wise man said, “Train up a child in the way that he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Good training is not crisis management; it is what you do before the need of discipline arises. Most parenting is accidental rather than deliberate. Imagine building a house that way. We don’t need to reinvent training. There are child training principles and methods that have worked from antiquity. To neglect deliberate training is to shove your child into a sea of choices and passions without a boat of compass. This book is not about discipline, nor problem children. The emphasis is on the training of a child before the need to discipline arises. It is apparent that, though they expect obedience, most parents never attempt to train their child to obey. They wait until the behavior becomes unbearable and then explode. With proper training, discipline can be reduced to 5% of what many now practice. As you come to understand the difference between training and discipline, you will have a renewed vision for your family, no more raised voices, no contention, no bad attitudes, fewer spankings, a cheerful atmosphere in the home and total obedience from your children."