Alex_G
Enlightner of the Senses
I am firmly against teaching children religious truths. The idea of having a Jewish child, mwslim child or chritstian child seems very odd. You wouldnt get children labeled such things as a conservative or labour child would you, because these political viewpoints are considered far too complex for the child to hold. So why is religion allowed to impose on them so?
Children are genetically pre-programed to recieve information from their elders, no question. Obviously developed for survival purposes, because critical thought would take too long. You listen if you parents tell you not to go so close to the cliff edge for example. To abuse this fact, and teach a child alledged religious truths could be considered ill moral indeed, as these children will grow up with false foundations, and remain in a permenent state of infacy. This would be the price of being told what to think rather than how to think.
Many places take the immorality of religious teaching to the next level. Certain 'Hell Houses' actively put the fear of hell into children to morally police them. To a child the fearfull idea of eternal damnation is very real, and can be grotesquely scarring. This is a form of mental child abuse that is overlooked today.
I believe that humans poses a natural empathy, and moral standing, due to our unique evolution in response to the whole 'if you scratch my back. i will scratch yours', as it usually leads to mutual success. This can be observed in close related species to us such as chimps. To tarnish this with inflexible, out-dated, morally dubious scribbles, especially when its a child is plain wrong. Morality is far older than religion.
We are soo incredibly lucky to have a spark of conciousness in this otherwise dark world. We will die eventually, but we are the lucky ones. Some never get born in the first place
Children are genetically pre-programed to recieve information from their elders, no question. Obviously developed for survival purposes, because critical thought would take too long. You listen if you parents tell you not to go so close to the cliff edge for example. To abuse this fact, and teach a child alledged religious truths could be considered ill moral indeed, as these children will grow up with false foundations, and remain in a permenent state of infacy. This would be the price of being told what to think rather than how to think.
Many places take the immorality of religious teaching to the next level. Certain 'Hell Houses' actively put the fear of hell into children to morally police them. To a child the fearfull idea of eternal damnation is very real, and can be grotesquely scarring. This is a form of mental child abuse that is overlooked today.
I believe that humans poses a natural empathy, and moral standing, due to our unique evolution in response to the whole 'if you scratch my back. i will scratch yours', as it usually leads to mutual success. This can be observed in close related species to us such as chimps. To tarnish this with inflexible, out-dated, morally dubious scribbles, especially when its a child is plain wrong. Morality is far older than religion.
We are soo incredibly lucky to have a spark of conciousness in this otherwise dark world. We will die eventually, but we are the lucky ones. Some never get born in the first place