Is teaching kids religion brainwashing?
Yes
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No
Side Score: 117
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Maybe not teaching them, that's just informing them. But things like baptizing your child and raising them to believe what you believe is brainwashing them. A child doesn't have the mental capacity to think for itself and choose the religion it wants, it's not until adolescence until people question what they are told. Side: yes
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Christian religion is based on values, morals, and ethics. It is not all about throwing a Bible in your face, not letting you cut your hair and ankle skirts. I should wait until they hit high school to teach them how to respect others, self control, and to be self reliant, as well as them understanding the consequences of their actions..etc? We are raising adults not children. They are the most influential before adolescents, which is the time you should be teaching them what I listed above. Baptizing is not something that's forced in to doing. People do it b/c they want to. It's funny how people who speak negatively of the Bible and/or religion know nothing TRUE about it nor realize their faults are far worse. People do a lot worse in front of their kids that they pick up on. Is this also brainwashing? This would mean anything you teach your kid could fall under this category. Even if they are brought up in church, when they become of age, they don't have to go. If everybody in the world was "brainwashed" into Christianity, we wouldn't be in such an awful world to being with. Side: No
Christian religion is based on values, morals, and ethics Sure and thats all well and good but it also involves telling young children that is a god and he is responsible for the creation of everything. There is a difference between raising you children with morality, and making them adopt your world view. A child is not going to question you if you tell him there is a God anymore than he will question you when you tell him about Santa. So you will be raising that child and teaching him that a God exists and deciding his beliefs for him, I do not agree with that. You do not have to raise a child as a Christian to raise him with morality and a sense of right and wrong. They are the most influential before adolescents, which is the time you should be teaching them what I listed above. I understand it is important to raise children as good and compassionate people but you can do so in a secular manner without deciding your child's belief for them before they can make up their mind. . Baptizing is not something that's forced in to doing. People do it b/c they want to. Really? Those newborns knew what they were doing? Those newborns not yet capable of speech knew they were entering themselves into a religion? Yeah that's plausible, I believe babies choose for themselves. It's funny how people who speak negatively of the Bible and/or religion know nothing TRUE about it nor realize their faults are far worse. 1 - Genesis 6:7 - God floods the earth 2 - Genesis 19:24 - Destroyed Sodom & Gomorrah 3 - Exodus 12:29 - Killed every innocent Egyptian firstborn 4 - Deuteronomy 3:22, Judges 20:18 - 21, 2Samuel 22:35, 1Chronicles 5:18-22 - God commands and assists in wars 5 - Leviticus 20:13 - Commands death to gays 6 - Exodus 22:18 - Commands death to witches 7 - Leviticus 25:44-46 - condones slavery 8 - Numbers 31: 1-54 - condones rape and pedophilia 9 - Genesis 3:16 - condones sexism I think God has a lot more blood on his hands than I do, I know quite a lot about the bible actually and I think that my faults of jealousy, hatred and swearing etc are nothing compared to the rap sheet God has got going. People do a lot worse in front of their kids that they pick up on. Is this also brainwashing? No because they are not telling their kids to adopt that lifestyle or action. If parents abused animals in front of their kid, then forced their children to do the same, that would be brainwashing because they are forcing their child to adopt their views and way of life. If everybody in the world was "brainwashed" into Christianity, we wouldn't be in such an awful world to being with. Yeah, no... we would be back in the dark ages where people stoned women in the streets for being harlots, condemned scientists and mathematicians as witches and warlocks and burned them alive, where we would live to the lengthy age of 20 - 40 and died of an easily curable or preventable disease or cause. Yeah, those were the days. Religion has gone down over the years, and if you look at history where almost no one was atheist or agnostic, terrible terrible things still happened on a far worse scale than they happen today. Religion does not stop people from being violent or evil, if anything it excuses it as religion has been used as an excuse for some of the most terrible atrocities such as the crusades, the inquisition or the holocaust. I'd say the world would be better if we didn't have a religion to blame or to use as an excuse and people would be responsible for their own actions on an entirely secular level. Side: yes
Okay, say, for example I am Xyz. Xyz has been taught all her life about the abc religion, her family is abc, her friends are mainly abc, and she goes to an abc school, where she is taught abc, and must pray to qrs. Xyz has heard of other religions and atheism, but she hasn't given it much thought as the world and everything in it was made by qrs in 123 days. So, Xyz, are you going to change your religion, now you're of age (and when you die you'll spend 789 days in hell)? Side: Yes
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so the preists that molest little boys, and the lying and covering up even the pope did, to the extremists who flew planes into the twin towers. Those are the respectable human beings? the people that do good deeds purely because the reward promised to them in the 'afterlife'. Rather than those that do good deeds because they want to, they dont seek reward, atheists do good deeds purely because they think its good to do. sorry i find it better to feel that people should have free choice in the issue. It has been proven the human mind will believe something, no matter how irrational it is based on the environment around them. im an atheist, ive had sex with 1 person, ive never done a drug in my life, and im on course to achieve an MBA and then a degree in law. But, because im an atheist i guess i have no morals :/ Side: No
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Yes. especially if you do not allow them to explore other possibilities. I fortunately was given that chance and saw through religion at a very early age. Even at 9 I did not buy it as logical or possible in any way. Forcing children to be the same religion as you through baptism/christining etc. is also wrong. Children need to find their path and it is not good to force feed anything to them with out other options. People need to understand that like fairytales the bible and religion is based on moprality tales and although we can learn from the stories and moralities within the book it should be up to parents them selves to guide children in what is right and wrong not abook or idea. Afterall morality is subjective! Side: yes
Depends how it's taught... but often yes it clearly is. If the approach generally taken to religious education was to present a spectrum of religious beliefs then let them evaluate them so that as they matured they would have a solid foundation for choosing their own beliefs that would be one thing. Very few people do this. Instead it's "This is our religion, you will believe it, not believing it or even questioning it is wrong/evil/etc... ". The evidence is irrelevant, the logic is irrelevant... That's brainwashing. Side: yes
I would say that by making the child fully believe in the religion and so on is like brainwashing the kind. For example, I'm an Indian and my parts are Hindus so they tell me those Indian folk tales which has a morale. There are also some stuff which are quite against and as me think that our parents are probably who we can belive we just follow. I think it would be better by just showing him/her how the religion works and probably let him know about the many few religions so that he can make his own choice. However, religion is only something which can be taught and probably make them understand why certain things are done in certain ways. Teaching them culture and clever and respectable stuff which they do in the religion is probably good but getting the person to be fully dedicated is quite wrong, the child himself has to realize that he wants to serve this religion. Side: yes
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depends. if your forcing it onto a young child who doesnt really understand and not giving them a chance to speak for themselves, then yes, i guess. but if the children actually understand the religion and are okay with it, then no. if it its like a situation where the child doesnt want to do it but is severely punished if they dont obey the religion, then yes. i was never raised like this, so i may be wrong, i dont know ;). Side: Yes
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It depends. Teaching them Islam is like handing them a machine gun, teaching them evolution is like handing them a blindfold, teaching them Christianity is like handing them a lifeline. Like I said, it depends :) Yes, I know, many will hate me for this post. But hey, no one ever said being a Christian was easy did they? ;) Side: No
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Hm, shouldn't it be from your prospective that any religion other than Christianity results in spiritual death? Singling out Islam, a closely related religion of Christianity, is interesting; After 9/11 in America, numerous bombings throughout the world and the wars demonization has set in against Muslims and people have made hasty generalizations. Then teaching them what may be considered as unbiblical, or anti-biblical is teaching them unbiblical viewpoints, weakening their Christianity. The thing about teaching Christianity a life line, although I disagree I'll let it drop since that not the main point I wanted to make here. Rather, isn't it possible to brain wash people with good things as well as bad? Thus brainwashing is independent of the content, but of the method? Side: yes
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I believe not, as long as it is not pressed upon them in such a way the child thinks of nothing else. A person should have a choice in what they believe. I go to a strcitly Catholic School, but I do not follow the religion. It is personal choice, that may take a long time to form. So no, teaching kids is not breainwashing them, but showing a part of the religion that they can worship. Side: No
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I moved to a catholic school about 6 months ago. I'm an atheist and it has made no difference what so ever. I'm constantly surrounded by prayers and catholics beliefs about God and I have remained Atheist. My religious studies lessons teach me about the catholic faith - they do not force me to be catholic or brainwash me. We are taught to be respectful of all religions and that it is okay to be any religion. Obviously, most of my peers are catholic, and they all know that I don't believe in God. My RE teacher is also aware, and just works around that and is fine with it. I don't think teaching brainwashes kids at all. RE lessons are there to TEACH children about religion, not to brainwash them into a religion Side: No
I'm not at all religious but I think that it isn't brainwashing because if you are a Buddhist or whatever and your child just copies you without you forcing it on them it isn't. However if you tell your child that a certain religion is the only way and force it on them, it is. I think you should let your child make their own choice when they are old enough. Side: No
Absolutely not. I agree that, shoving it down their throats is wrong and in fact does the opposite. I believe that teachings from the bible, even if you aren't a holy roller (which I am def. not), simply give you great guidance as to how to live as a decent, respectable, productive, human being. Judging from who voted on which side of this debate more, which is mostly against teaching kids religion, and from how awful the world is in todays times and the crazy people in it, seems to me there isn't enough religion. Maybe if there were enough water the fire wouldn't be so big. You can teach your kids whatever you want but eventually they will become their own person. As they mature in their 20's, the things you have taught, all your morals, values, etc... whether it be all or some, they will keep and live by. Side: No
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How are morality and religion related? "things you have taught, all your morals, values, etc... whether it be all or some, they will keep and live by." isn't that just another way of saying that they will fail to question what has been implanted in them, or at least disobey it; aka brainwashing? Side: yes
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So basically you are saying things like the story of lots daughters raping lot while he was drunk, or god throwing a fit and murdering every man woman and child (save noahs family) or God personally seeing to it that Lot's wife is turned to a pillar of salt (for having looked behind her while fleeing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah). Teach good morals and guidence? And thats not even scratching the surface lets look at jesus and the new testament. Matthew MATTHEW 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." Jesus endorses the mass murder, rape, slavery, torture and incest written about in the Old Testament. MATTHEW 8:12 Jesus warned of eternal torture in hell, "into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." MATTHEW 10:35-36 Following Jesus meant the possibility of turning a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, etc. "…a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household." MATTHEW 11:21-24 The cities of Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum were not impressed with Jesus’ great works, so Jesus said "Woe to you" and cursed them to a fate more unbearable than that of Sodom. MATTHEW 8:21 A man sought to follow Jesus, but he wanted to bury his recently deceased father before he went. Jesus replied, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead." Jesus ignored the man’s grief. Back to top ↑ Mark MARK 4:10 In Jesus’ parable of the sower, he told his disciples that he spoke to others in parables so they’d remain confused..."otherwise they might turn and be forgiven." MARK 7:10 Jesus taught that any child who cursed his parents should be killed according to Old Testament law. Back to top ↑ Luke LUKE 8:32-33 Jesus cast demons out of a naked man and into a large herd of pigs. They fell over a cliff to their death. The town asked Jesus to leave. LUKE 12:47 Jesus warned that a servant of God who does not heed his master will be "beaten with many blows." LUKE 19:26 In the parable of the ten minas, the master (God) said of those who chose not to follow him, "...bring them here and kill them in front of me." Back to top ↑ John JOHN 6:53-66 Jesus said to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Despite the metaphorical tone, many disciples were uncomfortable with the idea and chose to walk away. Back to top ↑ Acts ACTS 5:1-9 Ananias lied about the money he’d made on sold property, keeping some for himself. God killed him, then killed his wife for being in on it. Romans ROMANS 1:26-27 Paul said that homosexuals deserve death. Ephesians EPHESIANS 1:4-5 Despite all of Jesus’ instructions to accept him as savior, Jesus also says God "predestined" those will be saved according to His pleasure. Hebrews HEBREWS 12:20 God said that animals must be stoned to death if they lay foot upon Mt. Zion. 1 Peter 1 PETER 1:20 Despite God’s failed experiment in the Garden of Eden, the mass execution of Noah’s flood and the final solution of Christ’s sacrifice, Jesus was predestined to be crucified all along. "He was chosen before the creation of the world," Revelation REVELATION 6:8 In the End Times, God gives Death permission to slaughter 25% of the earth’s population by "sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth." Side: Yes
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It depends on what type of religion im a child and i do belive in a religion I dont think its brain washing,some religions dont even brain wash the child but the ones who say to kill , kill or something now thats brain washing! and it depends on the age of the child im 13 and I agree people are are like 3-11 can easily be brain washed. Side: No
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