Should parents teach their children religion?

[tayla]

Activist atheists answer, no; parents should not be allowed to indoctrinate their children with their religious beliefs. This is why all children should attend public school, so they can learn scientific rationality.

Certainly, some religious beliefs harm others, and these harms should be illegal. But is believing something untrue, and passing along the untruth to your children; does this constitute harming others?

 

[Cleary]

shoot ..... atheists indoctrinate their children totally .... indeed the religion they call no-religion is a religion

Atheism As A Religion: An Introduction to the World's Least Understood Faith

so they can learn scientific rationality < indeed

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Activist atheists answer, no; parents should not be allowed to indoctrinate their children with their religious beliefs. This is why all children should attend public school, so they can learn scientific rationality.

Certainly, some religious beliefs harm others, and these harms should be illegal. But is believing something untrue, and passing along the untruth to your children; does this constitute harming others?

Certain things are. The Bible is itself overflowing with examples of things that shouldn't be taught to children, such as "disobey me and die." (Deuteronomy 21:18-21)

 

[atanu]

But is believing something untrue, and passing along the untruth to your children; does this constitute harming others?

This question is not clear to me.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Activist atheists answer, no; parents should not be allowed to indoctrinate their children with their religious beliefs. This is why all children should attend public school, so they can learn scientific rationality.

Certainly, some religious beliefs harm others, and these harms should be illegal. But is believing something untrue, and passing along the untruth to your children; does this constitute harming others?

Seemingly two very different questions here.

I have no problem teaching a child religion. It helps them to understand others and how they think.

I do, however, have a problem with indoctrination of children into a religion. A child should have a choice on what views the accept as their own. I did not. Both of mine did.

 

[Uncommon Sense]

Activist atheists answer, no; parents should not be allowed to indoctrinate their children with their religious beliefs. This is why all children should attend public school, so they can learn scientific rationality.

Certainly, some religious beliefs harm others, and these harms should be illegal. But is believing something untrue, and passing along the untruth to your children; does this constitute harming others?

I think that there are lies in all of them. Because one of the humans greatest abilities is lying and deceiving, whether conscious of it or unconscious of it. All of the lies in religious stuff are pretty self-explanatory and easy to spot.

The science stuff is a little more tricky since I find most of it true, verifiable, observable, and able to be seen in action myself, or from a lot of other normal people. But when there are only a select few that are privileged enough to be able to test certain things that 99.999999% of others are unable to, I tend to not trust blindly into those. Neither confirming nor denying. As well as certain medical stuff too, since it affects different people in different ways.

 

[Uncommon Sense]

I think that there are lies in all of them. All of the lies in religious stuff are pretty self-explanatory and easy to spot.

The science stuff is a little more tricky since I find most of it true, verifiable, observable, and able to be seen in action myself, or from a lot of other normal people. But when there are only a select few that are privileged enough to be able to test certain things that 99.999999% of others are unable to, I tend to not trust blindly into those. Neither confirming nor denying. As well as certain medical stuff too, since it affects different people in different ways.

My child is taught to keep an open mind and to try and understand all views and seek for themselves. The more indoctrinated, the more the gates to the mind get closed. It’s kind of sad seeing so many being unable to even entertain any other ideas, thoughts, etc due to indoctrination. Become controlling, hostile, condescending, super defensive towards others. The mind police. Like the sin of questioning religious stuff leads to eternal torment and the sin of questioning certain scientific stuff also has the consequence of eternal torment.

 

[David T]

Activist atheists answer, no; parents should not be allowed to indoctrinate their children with their religious beliefs. This is why all children should attend public school, so they can learn scientific rationality.

Certainly, some religious beliefs harm others, and these harms should be illegal. But is believing something untrue, and passing along the untruth to your children; does this constitute harming others?

Choose either. Surely much therapy will be required as the children grow up.

 

[The Reverend Bob]

Choose either. Surely much therapy will be required as the children grow up.

Quit inserting common sense, it is bad form

 

[David T]

Quit inserting common sense, it is bad form

Its a forum violation!!!

My comment really is Sort of like explaining to mental patient asking "do i raise my child to be bi polar or do i raise my child to be skizoaffective!! I say screw it teach skitzaphrenia.

Yea i know spelling. Screw it i dont care the spell check sucks.

 

[The Reverend Bob]

shoot ..... atheists indoctrinate their children totally .... indeed the religion they call no-religion is a religion

Atheism As A Religion: An Introduction to the World's Least Understood Faith

so they can learn scientific rationality < indeed

Your vehemence and aggressive opposition to "scientific rationality" reminds me of the zealotry of the type of people who believe in a flat earth.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Activist atheists answer, no; parents should not be allowed to indoctrinate their children with their religious beliefs. This is why all children should attend public school, so they can learn scientific rationality.

Certainly, some religious beliefs harm others, and these harms should be illegal. But is believing something untrue, and passing along the untruth to your children; does this constitute harming others?

I will bite. What is scientific rationality?

 

[Mindmaster]

Activist atheists answer, no; parents should not be allowed to indoctrinate their children with their religious beliefs. This is why all children should attend public school, so they can learn scientific rationality.

Certainly, some religious beliefs harm others, and these harms should be illegal. But is believing something untrue, and passing along the untruth to your children; does this constitute harming others?

Leftists in the majority don't want any religion above or beyond their own -- which is the bulk of the scientific community as well as the educators. A good majority of atheists are leftists. And, before any of those atheists put their superiority cap on -- you accept subjective realities over real biological ones or empiric findings, so nah, you're not smarter because you joined that club.

Anyway, nothing irks me as much faux-secularism when it's more a case of eliminating religious access to an audience while simultaneously overloading on leftist social constructs, ideas, and thinking. What the champions of this approach really want is a complete shut-out so they continue prattling on about their political and social agendas uncontested.

To the last point, children are not learning rationality in schools -- they're learning science babble and subjectivity that aligns with popular leftist viewpoints. Many religious viewpoints for example have no problem when data indicates that something in their religion may be wrong, but certainly reject subjectivity for what it is -- and err on the side of their religious beliefs in these gaps. Modern day "objective viewpoints" will often double down on their errors and stupidity at every turn. It's a topsy-turvy world we live in these days when the scientific community is more dogmatic than the preachers, lol.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Leftists in the majority don't want any religion above or beyond their own -- which is the bulk of the scientific community as well as the educators. A good majority of atheists are leftists. And, before any of those atheists put their superiority cap on -- you accept subjective realities over real biological ones or empiric findings, so nah, you're not smarter because you joined that club.

Anyway, nothing irks me as much faux-secularism when it's more a case of eliminating religious access to an audience while simultaneously overloading on leftist social constructs, ideas, and thinking. What the champions of this approach really want is a complete shut-out so they continue prattling on about their political and social agendas uncontested.

To the last point, children are not learning rationality in schools -- they're learning science babble and subjectivity that aligns with popular leftist viewpoints. Many religious viewpoints for example have no problem when data indicates that something in their religion may be wrong, but certainly reject subjectivity for what it is -- and err on the side of their religious beliefs in these gaps. Modern day "objective viewpoints" will often double down on their errors and stupidity at every turn. It's a topsy-turvy world we live in these days when the scientific community is more dogmatic than the preachers, lol.

I get you and I am a leftie. Though to some, I am not, since I am a social democrat European tradition.

 

[Shiranui117]

Activist atheists answer, no; parents should not be allowed to indoctrinate their children with their religious beliefs. This is why all children should attend public school, so they can learn scientific rationality.

Certainly, some religious beliefs harm others, and these harms should be illegal. But is believing something untrue, and passing along the untruth to your children; does this constitute harming others?

If you have a faith tradition, I think you are in your rights to teach your children your faith. I dread the day when the state can tell us what religions are acceptable and which aren't. We don't need to take a 500-year step backwards in progress.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

If you have a faith tradition, I think you are in your rights to teach your children your faith. I dread the day when the state can tell us what religions are acceptable and which aren't. We don't need to take a 500-year step backwards in progress.

It is not that simple, when you look closer, but yes - overall parents should be allowed to teach their children their faith.

 

[Nakosis]

Activist atheists answer, no; parents should not be allowed to indoctrinate their children with their religious beliefs. This is why all children should attend public school, so they can learn scientific rationality.

Certainly, some religious beliefs harm others, and these harms should be illegal. But is believing something untrue, and passing along the untruth to your children; does this constitute harming others?

Sure, I teach my kids Atheism as a religion. The truth/untruth of atheism can't be determined, however, I've found it to be an effective way of dealing with the world. I teach my kids what has effective for me in the hopes that they will also find it to be just as effective for them. I can't guarantee that it will, since I can't prove atheism, I can only rely on my own experience and do my best to relay the fruits of that experience to them.

 

[Neutral Name]

I don't think it matters. I have heard of many children raised in church families who did what they were told and went to church frequently but never actually believed. On the other hand, I was raised by an atheist scientist yet I found God. I am rational. So, I approach the spiritual in a scientific manner. Yet, I do believe. However, I do see problems with any religions I am familiar with. I see man involved in what has been recorded, not God, in much of it. Religion is of man. Spirituality is of God(s).

 

[bobhikes]

Activist atheists answer, no; parents should not be allowed to indoctrinate their children with their religious beliefs. This is why all children should attend public school, so they can learn scientific rationality.

Certainly, some religious beliefs harm others, and these harms should be illegal. But is believing something untrue, and passing along the untruth to your children; does this constitute harming others?

Should we teach them Fairy tales or any fictional works, should we teach them our morals as they are subjective. Should all history books be written in both the winners and losers view. Religion is a belief like many other beliefs without beliefs the world wouldn't work. For example the only thing the supports money anymore is your belief that it has value. Don't believe me what about cryptocurrency. If you want parents to stop teaching their beliefs to their children and rely on only facts the world will never work.

 

[Jim]

Activist atheists answer, no; parents should not be allowed to indoctrinate their children with their religious beliefs. This is why all children should attend public school, so they can learn scientific rationality.

Certainly, some religious beliefs harm others, and these harms should be illegal. But is believing something untrue, and passing along the untruth to your children; does this constitute harming others?

I think that singling out “religious” beliefs would just create needless confusion and distractions. I would like to try to find ways to make critical thinking part of every child’s education. Whatever ways anyone has learned to influence the curriculum in public and private schools and home schooling, I would say to use those ways to try to make critical thinking, and healthy use of all our internal capacities, part of the curriculum. There might be overpowering resistance to that from global monopoly interests, and all kinds of factional interests.