Is teaching religion child abuse?

reply to post by MrXYZ

They can of course do it because we live in a free country, but they're turning their kids into retards and imo that's child abuse.

It would appear that the level; of retardation may be linked to the intellectual inability to think critically, critical thinking is suppressed with fear dressed up as blind faith don't you think ?

Something like this? -

"I'm afraid to look in case there is no bogey man in the closet, if there is no bogey man in the closet then I will look foolish believing there was and will need a new crutch to support my inability to think for myself "

Dear mamabeth,

What brainwash is cannot be religion. It can only be felt by the heart. People need to trust, people need to be free, people need to be companions with a vision on friendship. People should act to one another like they want to be acted upon like.

Justice when needed. Justice as matter of fact should never be. No justice is no wrong has been. Where there is no justice anymore there is no guilt. Great is a nation where justice faded.

Since people come out with their real problems now, likewiselove needs to be.

Enter!

In 2008, intelligence researcher Helmuth Nyborg examined whether IQ relates to denomination and income, using representative data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth, which includes intelligence tests on a representative selection of white American youth, where they have also replied to questions about religious belief. His results, published in the scientific journal Intelligence demonstrated that on average, Atheists scored 1.95 IQ points higher than Agnostics, 3.82 points higher than Liberal persuasions, and 5.89 IQ points higher than Dogmatic persuasions. "I'm not saying that believing in God makes you dumber. My hypothesis is that people with a low intelligence are more easily drawn toward religions, which give answers that are certain, while people with a high intelligence are more skeptical," says the professor.

LINK

As long as whatever religious doctrine you teach your kid doesn't make it dumber...there's nothing wrong with that. But if you keep your kid dumb on purpose just to make it believe in your religion, then you're committing child abuse. If you tell your kid the world is 6,000 years old, that we roamed the earth with dinosaurs, that evil scientists create mice with fully functional brains (O'Donnell, lol), that evolution is wrong and creationism is right, that masturbation will get you into hell...all that stuf...then you are ABUSING YOUR CHILD by selling total nonsense as fact.

In my opinion teaching religion to a child is not a child abuse, but if you teaching the child like some fanatic Person then its certainly a child abuse.

The hardest part of it to teach religion to a child , is how to do it without abusing the gift of " Free will".
And that is something that i do not know.

Seed76, Free will is not a gift and is not a thing of freedom. Giving yourself to the Holy Ghost is a free life in the name of the Father.

explanation.

Originally posted by etherical waterwave
Seed76, Free will is not a gift and is not a thing of freedom. Giving yourself to the Holy Ghost is a free life in the name of the Father.

explanation.

Freedom = the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action

Given that religion doesn't make such an absence possible, it's safe to say that religion isn't supporting "free will". In fact, given the many rules and doctrines, it's more the opposite of freedom.

But you do have the freedom to give up free will, so it's all good I guess...

reply to post by etherical waterwave


Religion, as it is practised in far too many of them, is mere parroting of dogma.

Pray a certain way, or god will not hear you. Worship a certain way, or god will punish you.

These are the rules you must follow, or god will punish you.

You are, quite obviously, a believer...and I wish you much joy in your journey. But your way isn't my way. Nor do I care to follow your way. This does not make me evil, nor damned, nor any of the other dire punishments that you seemingly believe are mine in the hereafter. It makes me different, that's all. Conversely, your way doesn't make you evil, or damned, just different.

Someday, perhaps, the twain shall meet.

Many rooms in the house of God, my friend. Jesus said so himself.

Originally posted by etherical waterwave
Seed76, Free will is not a gift and is not a thing of freedom. Giving yourself to the Holy Ghost is a free life in the name of the Father.

explanation.

Are you implying that "Free Will" is not a gift to man, from God?

Originally posted by mamabeth
I am not talking about religion being taught in public schools!I am asking,do
you believe, teaching children about religion,is a form of child abuse? If your
answer is yes,I would like for you to explain why.
There are so many atheists screaming about children being brainwashed by
religion.Why are atheists afraid of a subject they deem to be nothing but fairy
tales and myths? What harm could there be in telling children stories of Jesus,
or any other religious figure?
Here is your chance to voice your opinion.Is teaching children about religion
child abuse?

I'm a Christian and I think teaching children "Religion" IS child abuse.

Children should be taught "redemption" purchased by Jesus Christ. "Religion" is a disgusting invention right out of the depths of Hell.

Check out the video in my sig.

This is a delicate line to walk imo.

If you define teaching the religion as threats of burning and suffering. If you "teach" with guilt and terror. If you leave no acceptable alternative and force a child to surrender their innate right to self determination, then yes, I would say you are emotionally and intellectually abusing them.

If you offer to include them in family traditions, invite them to attend church and allow them to explore alternatives, then I would say SHARING your religion with your child is not a bad thing.

If your religion mandates that you MUST force it on others.. then please leave the planet immediately.

Thank you.

Teaching false stories about the bible and God and Jesus without understanding leads children ionto blindness of understanding and this is what traps one into slavery.

reply to post by NEMESISOFMAN


Teaching children through allegory is a tricky business, go too far one way, and you get a foaming at the mouth fanatic. Too far the other? ...and what's the point?

reply to post by seagull


Although i am not comparing religion to the Nazi agenda.

It is propagated through the same means; indoctrination.

In that sense, i think it is child abuse. Certainly, teach a child ALL religions, and then let them decide for themselves what they think is true.

I think this is a very sensitive matter because children have such suggestible minds.

Santa claus is one thing, but then an unfalsifiable hypothesis regarding the "creator of the universe" with fear of hellfire if they reject the theory is EVIL, wicked and should be treated with contempt by our brothers and sisters.

a reply to: mamabeth

I thought that I would give this older thread a slight bump
and see what happens.