Hi vulnerable
You are incredibly thoughtful in so many ways. Putting thought into how your children would benefit from learning elements of Christianity and putting thought into how painful it feels to have your faith ridiculed are just two examples of your thoughtfulness.
I offer my mother's wisdom, with her having raised her children in the Catholic religion up to a certain point. Her way of thinking was 'I wanted to give you are reference or a choice between something and nothing, as opposed to nothing and nothing'. She was a very wise woman, for I've taken significant key elements from Christianity which have come to serve me and still serve me as a 55yo woman. If she had given me nothing to begin with, there would be no reference. While I'd class myself these days as a collector of key elements of various religions or cultures, one of my questions in times of challenge is occasionally 'What would Jesus do (WWJD)?'. What would a man full of compassion and with an open mind do in this situation? Would he judge harshly, jump to conclusions, degrade a person, act in heartbreaking ways or would he open his mind and meditate or pray on best way forward? It was my mother who gave me the opportunity to learn about such a man.
To an atheist I would say something along the lines of 'I offer nothing more than the opportunity to gain insight into a religious culture and teachings and through such insight there is the choice to adopt ways of thinking that come to serve. I also offer a sense of freedom to question the ways that do not serve'. At the end of the day, it's about coming away with insight that can serve in many ways throughout life.
By the way, there's a fascinating speaker/author named Alain De Botton. While he's a devout atheist, he speaks of the many benefits of religion while other atheists speak of no benefit at all. Author of 'Religion For Atheists', there's a fascinating YouTube video (approx one hour) of him giving a talk at the Sydney Opera House. It may offer some insight into some of the important things your wife may not be considering.
