Commentary: My nonreligious children shouldn’t worry Justice Alito

Plenty of people have concerns about raising children without religion. If Alito had bothered to listen to the adult’s response, he might have learned something — perhaps how secular parents navigate societies still dominated by religious traditions, how we talk about other people’s cherished beliefs, or how we try to impart empathy and compassion to children, who naturally seem inclined to both. Alito and other Christian parents may have answers supplied by their faith traditions to complicated questions such as, “Who is that man on the cross?” or “What happens when we die?” Nonreligious parents don’t, which can be worrying, but at the same time liberating. So Justice Alito, you don’t have to worry about children growing up without a religion assigned by their parents. But I wish I could say that my children don’t have to worry about you and the Supreme Court diminishing our religious liberty — which includes their right to be free from your religion.