Main Discussion Zone > Religion & Society
Indoctrination and Children
EV:
--- Quote from: jaimehlers on February 23, 2012, 12:58:39 PM ---Telling them to provide objective evidence is a good starting point, at least.
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Jaimehlers, he's 6... He still believes in Santa and the tooth fairy :P
That raises another point actually, if society requires you to tell your child that the tooth fairy exists, is that really necessary? I don't know if when I grow up and have kids that I want them to believe in something imaginary... You can take this logic too far, obviously, but the same applies to God.
I know that it is morally abhorrent to force religious views on a child. I know this because you are abusing a position of power. Boots, I think that you are doing the right thing. Children learn about the world through experience, and that is the only thing that really matters in life. If you teach them something that was learned through experiential data, i.e. evolution and the big bang etc; then you are really teaching them the right thing.
It is hard to get the balance right though. My mother made me go to synagogue until after I had done my bar mitzvah, but always said if I wanted to drop religion after that then I was free to. I did in the end, and she has aways been proud of me or making my own worldview, and having the independence to do so. I'm really glad that she made me have an upbringing into a religion, but also let me learn about science, and never told me that any one thing was right. She let me find out for myself.
She sounds like you, and I bet that in a few years time, then your kids will thank you for having the foresight to let them make their own choices.
--- Quote from: Quesi on February 23, 2012, 01:09:18 PM ---You know, you made a huge impact on the life of this child today. It may be a long time before he starts hearing the information that you "almost" presented today, but you planted a seed. He is at least in school, as opposed to homeschooled, so he does not live in complete isolation. It sounds like he is not going to stop asking questions, even when shushed by a teacher. And if he is as bright as you describe, there will be a time in which he finds himself dissatisfied with the answers.
And for the quieter children in the room, they heard something new too.
--- End quote ---
Thanks Quesi :) I think they were all listening intently. The teacher did concede that God may have guided evolution though, which was a massively good step in the right direction. I did forget to pt that actually, sorry about that.
Dawkins covers the psychology of the indoctrination of children in the God Delusion, there's quite an interesting bit in there on 'Psychological Priming'.
edit: ran spell check and corrected a load of misspellings
thunderridge:
ElliotViola
--- Quote ---she will dismiss it as utter bollocks.
--- End quote ---
bollocks must mean something like nonsense or bullshit here in the U.S. I love the British.
Indoctrination of children is sad. Of course the xians think we are indoctrinating our kids. However I gave my kid both sides of the equation. By both sides I mean no god or xian god, muslim god, hindu gods..............
atheola:
But teacher..where is this great mystery man of the sky you speak of? Why did he not pre-program me to have eyes to see 'him' and teacher why are you NOT at home barefoot and pregnant?
BLASPHEMY! SHE'S A WITCH!
BURN HER!
...it's a mystery my child only the great mysterious man in the sky can know...banish thy thoughts and be an ignorant ass as GAWD commands...
Babdah:
--- Quote from: thunderridge on February 23, 2012, 07:18:02 PM ---
Indoctrination of children is sad. Of course the xians think we are indoctrinating our kids. However I gave my kid both sides of the equation. By both sides I mean no god or xian god, muslim god, hindu gods..............
--- End quote ---
But if god was real in the first place wouldnt the kids already know, or have they (xians) already came up with an excuse for this.
thunderridge:
Babdah
--- Quote ---But if god was real in the first place wouldnt the kids already know, or have they (xians) already came up with an excuse for this.
--- End quote ---
IDK if they have an excuse. Anyone?
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