Is it right for a child to grow up in an environment which encourages them to

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MattR

Member
follow a certain religion? It's generally agreed that children are highly susceptible to believing what their peers teach them both consciously and subconsciously. It is also generally agreed that the person you later become in life is highly dependent on the views and opinions of our parents and peers due to this.

At this young age children are vulnerable in this aspect and can easily be taught to believe in things which could be viewed as being absurd. What makes this unfair on the child is that they are picking up these things are accepting them at face value, without the protection of scepticism and critical thinking.
Therefore, a child with very religious parents will be very likely to grow up to be highly religious. Alternately a child with strongly atheist parents is more likely to also be strongly atheist.

Now, I'm not saying that being religious is right or wrong - I'm asking if it is fit and right for a child to be put into an environment where they are being taught beliefs which although may be the truth in that peers opinion, are actually merely theories.

It can't really be healthy for society if we have a generation of people who have grown up to believe everything their superiors believe unquestioningly - right?
Furthermore; is it considered abuse to indoctrinate a child?

nb: I believe in promoting an open-mind.
 
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derius537

New member
Lets see, I believe the Nazi's tried to deal with this issue by taking the children away from their parents and raising them in state run boarding houses and schools.

Is this what you are advocating? Because other than allowing parents to raise their children as they see fit that is where that will go.
 
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kaz716

New member
Most of my friends were raised in the Christian church (and me too, for that matter). We were taught about God and Jesus, following God's teachings, and we grew up just fine. And we didn't have problems like teen pregnancy/std worries, drug issues, etc.

I think the problems come when parents don't give enough love and/or attention to their kids, regardless of whether they are religious or Atheist.
 
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kaz716

New member
Most of my friends were raised in the Christian church (and me too, for that matter). We were taught about God and Jesus, following God's teachings, and we grew up just fine. And we didn't have problems like teen pregnancy/std worries, drug issues, etc.

I think the problems come when parents don't give enough love and/or attention to their kids, regardless of whether they are religious or Atheist.
 
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jtrusnik

New member
Children learn how to interact with the world through their upbringing. Obviously, not all upbringings are equal. As long as the children become adults that can engage in the world in such a way to support themselves and are capable of making decisions necessary for living their lives, the upbringing can be considered adequate.

Religion provides a framework through which the world can be understood. All else being equal, people who grow up in religious households are generally just as capable of getting through their lives in those who grew up in nonreligious households. They might be influenced to have slightly different personal, moral, professional, and/or political philosophies, but both are capable of making decisions that all adults need to be make.

As such, it is not necessarily wrong for a child to grow up in a religious environment.

As for what sort of environment is ideal for raising a child is a bigger question, and is going to be at least partially dependent on aspects of the child's personality that he/she was born with, as opposed to the plethora of environmental factors that we can control. Sometimes a parenting strategy good for one child doesn't quite work on another, even when the children have the same biological parents.

Finally, regarding your comment on authority, it is not good to follow everything without question...but to never accept any authority at all can be terrible. Some authoritative figures should be trusted completely, even while admitting that they are fallible, such as your doctor. The key is knowing when to trust, when to question, and when to other authoritative opinions to get a bigger picture of how to make complicated decisions, and any adult who can do this can teach it to their children, believers and nonbelievers alike.
 
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mandm68

New member
Matt R... For one Christ was not a religion, Christ was a person. Believing in such causes nothing unhealthy. A study was done with those that believe and those that don't years ago. Those that believed excelled in all areas of life becoming doctors lawyers and held higher offices, While those who did not had high prison rates, were less educated, held lower paying jobs, became homeless and many other things when traced back through roots of family trees. A child can make their minds up when they are old enough to decide for them self's on what to believe and not believe. Those who believe have nothing to lose when it proves true that Christ and the bible were right. Where does it leave those that don't? Good Luck!
 
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StMosestheBlack

New member
No, it doesn't matter because the child will grow up and scrutinize his religion and see if it's right. That is why we see people converting as they grow older.

So unless you assume people are dumb, it doesn't whether a child grows up anywhere.
 
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