Kids and theism, is it natural?

[LuisDantas]

Yes so let's indoctrinate the kids with atheism instead, LOL

Depending on how exactly you define that, this may in fact be the way to go.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Depending on how exactly you define that, this may in fact be the way to go.

 

[Eliot Wild]

Depending on how exactly you define that, this may in fact be the way to go.

Yeah, I certainly hope Senedjem's post wasn't in response to my suggestion that immersion in one religion is essentially indoctrination of children. 'Cause I definitely wasn't suggesting that children should be given any sort of biased education, whether it be religious or atheistic.

But I was raised in a fundamentalist household. My parents essentially indoctrinated me into Christianity, an evangellical form at that. And I wished they wouldn't have done so. I would rather have been given a broad, liberal education on many religions and on atheistic perspectives as well. There have been times as an adult when I felt my narrow education and indoctrination into one religion as a child made me feel ignorant and inadequate.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I was always a natural skeptic. I wanted to take people at face value as a child, but things that didn't make sense always nagged at the back of my mind - even before I could understand what it was that was nagging at me.

As far as god, heaven, etc. - on some level, I assumed that nobody actually believed this stuff, and that it was kind of a big make-believe story that everyone pretended to go along with - like Santa (which I also never believed).

Actually, I still find that this applies to the majority of "believers."

 

[Revoltingest]

What I am saying is that without be taught a particular god or that god does not exist you would create your own naturally.

I never created a god to replace the one I wasn't taught. None seemed necessary.

 

[Magic Man]

Yes so let's indoctrinate the kids with atheism instead, LOL

There's no need. If we don't instill in them the idea that these made-up stories are anything more than made-up stories, then they'll stop believing in them as they grow up, just like they do with Santa and the Easter Bunny.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Mball except that anyone has yet to prove they're made up and that gods don't exist

 

[Magic Man]

Mball except that anyone has yet to prove they're made up and that gods don't exist

No, it's been proven as much as Santa not existing has. Some people have yet to accept it, though.

Anyway, the point is that kids might make stuff up that sounds like religion, but as they grow up and learn about the world, as long as they're made-up religion isn't reinforced, they'll grow out of it.

 

[Falvlun]

I think we are born with an inherent belief in a higher power, as I stated in another thread. This is further evidenced by a TV documentary about kids building their own society, and the first thing they did was assign gods to things.

Doesn't this lend credence to the view that gods were simply made up?

Humans are, after all, naturally inclined to assign agency to things.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

No it lends credence to the idea that the need to reach out to the divine is within us, and hence, there is something to it.

 

[LuisDantas]

Mball except that anyone has yet to prove they're made up and that gods don't exist

See, that is exactly why if we MUST indoctrinate people in some way, then it ought to be with some form of disbelief and/or atheism.

If it turns out to be wrong, well, no harm done. People are free to choose to believe whatever they want. And if it turns out that there IS some sort of God out there, so much the better, I guess.

You probably either don't notice or at least disagree with me in that belief in God may be (and often is) prejudicial, particularly to little children.

 

[Magic Man]

No it lends credence to the idea that the need to reach out to the divine is within us, and hence, there is something to it.

I don't think children making up stories about different gods as if they're superheroes has anything to do with "reaching out to the divine in us". I think that's a bit of a stretch.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I don't think children making up stories about different gods as if they're superheroes has anything to do with "reaching out to the divine in us". I think that's a bit of a stretch.

Indeed - it's nothing more than mimicking. It's what children do.

 

[LuisDantas]

It IS what children do, and it is mimicking at least to an extent... but I happen to believe that it is also the concept of God developed.

I'm not kidding when I say that Wolverine is an Avatar of Shiva. I really believe that people "believe" in Wolverine in not too different a way than they might "believe" in Shiva.

Of course, I also maintain that it is wrong to bother with belief in gods. Gods are man-made concepts, meant to inspire, not to be believed in.

 

[bobhikes]

So in summary no one believes that any child left on their own or on an Island like lord of the flies would create there own God and religion to explain things.

The belief is that this child would develope without any God or religion. I find this hard to believe


Few more points, I believe God has existed before Homo Sapiens existed. I also believe God exists for Chimpanzee's and maybe Dolphins.

 

[LuisDantas]

So in summary no one believes that any child left on their own or on an Island like lord of the flies would create there own God and religion to explain things.

Not a full-blown God, but I believe they would be likely to believe in Spirits of some kind. And for sure some sort of religion as well.

The belief is that this child would develope without any God or religion. I find this hard to believe

Did we say that?

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Bob I think children probably would create religion and some higher power of some kind, if nothing else, perhaps animal spirit guides or ancestors.

 

[bobhikes]

Did we say that?

Not everyone since I last posted. But the general Idea I got from most replies was that it was mimicing adults that caused religion.

 

[Eliot Wild]

So in summary no one believes that any child left on their own or on an Island like lord of the flies would create there own God and religion to explain things.

The belief is that this child would develope without any God or religion. I find this hard to believe


Few more points, I believe God has existed before Homo Sapiens existed. I also believe God exists for Chimpanzee's and maybe Dolphins.

No, I am not saying that. As to how a child or a group of children would mature and develop without adult guidance, care, supervision and education, I can only guess. And mine would not be good guesses as I am not a child psychologist.

I can't say with any certainity, but it seems to me the human mind, at any level of development, seeks to apply causes to effects. I believe this is natural because it is such an evident function in the natural world. We hear sounds, and we look for what made them. We see phenomena we can't immediately explain and we want to attribute a cause to it.

I have no idea what sort of "causes" a child's mind might attribute to effects and phenomena experienced and observed in their world without adult supervision and education. But as some others put it, I don't necessarily believe a child's mind would make the natural leap toward a "God" model for unexplainable phenomena.

What causes the bright flashes of lights in the sky when in rains? Maybe a child would attribute that to a god or creator. But then again, depending on the previous personal experiences of the child, they might fill in the blanks with another explanation.

 

[Magic Man]

So in summary no one believes that any child left on their own or on an Island like lord of the flies would create there own God and religion to explain things.

I'm sure some children would, but what does that have to do with anything? Some children would also try to bully other children, some would beat each other up, and others would be peaceful and quiet. What do you think that proves?

The belief is that this child would develope without any God or religion. I find this hard to believe

That's probably because it's not true. I don't remember anyone saying children left to themselves would not make up gods or religion. What I remember seeing is that while kids might make up gods and religion, it would be nothing more than a way to explain things. They'd probably think god were responsible for everything that happened, just like ancient peoples did. Now that we are out of the dark ages, we know enough about the world to understand that there's no need for gods as explanations.

Few more points, I believe God has existed before Homo Sapiens existed. I also believe God exists for Chimpanzee's and maybe Dolphins.

Good, now all you have to do is explain why, and maybe give some evidence to support this.