Religion as Child Abuse

The action of instilling religious doctrine in children is an act of child abuse, as it ruins the child's rationality, exposes children to horrendous entities such as God and Satan, and teaches children that immoral actions are legitimate if done in the name of religion. Similarly, it is these children that grow up to be fanatics with distorted perceptions of reality that go about propagating lies, justifying the actions of the state and capitalism, and ruining people's lives for a living.

Teach your children how to find truth, not religion.

[BrokeProphet]

I do believe the indoctrination of a unfalsifiable meme into the underdevoloped mind of a child, is child abuse.

[Defect]

Some people might consider it abuse to raise a child to seek truth, or an objective reality at all, because they don't believe in it and they think truth is completely subjective. Just something to keep you in perspective.

[JesuitArtiste]

Until children become public property, a parent has the right to raise their children as they see fit.

That said, I'm all for public ownership of children, and think that it would probaly be hugely advantageous to our society. Of course, It might not work. And I don't think that the current system of education would be adequate to make a hugely positive change.


Mind you, I don't think that teaching children 'the truth' would make any change to the situation (or would just be swapping one with the other), children should, in my opinion, instead be taught various thought exercises, and critical thinking over anything else. Personally I think that philosophy and literature should play the large part of education early on, with 'facts' being taught at a higher level later on when children can make their own minds up.

Of course, I don't know how well it'd work.

[JesuitArtiste]

Originally Posted by BrokeProphet

I do believe the indoctrination of a unfalsifiable meme into the underdevoloped mind of a child, is child abuse.

Isn't science unfalsifiable? And most theories of knowledge?

I know what you mean though, I'm just being a dick

[ArmsMerchant]

I tend to agree with OP, although I probably would use more temperate language.

Children should be taught to be kind, considerate, generous, fearless, and compassionate. Ideally, this would trump any religous dogman.

[redzed]

Having been forced to sit thru many a long winded, boring, sermon as a young child, and then being punished later for not sitting still, ... I do not agree with the OP! What you are calling religion is not! It is no more than theologising and use of metaphysics as a means of social control and as a path to power.

Pure and genuine religion .............................. means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

James 1:27

[Prometheum]

Originally Posted by JesuitArtiste

Isn't science unfalsifiable? And most theories of knowledge?

I know what you mean though, I'm just being a dick

No, science is easily falsifiable. Religion isn't.

Science is unproveable. You can't ever say that something is definitively true, but you can prove something false.

[CharChar]

Originally Posted by Monsieur

The action of instilling religious doctrine in children is an act of child abuse, as it ruins the child's rationality, exposes children to horrendous entities such as God and Satan, and teaches children that immoral actions are legitimate if done in the name of religion. Similarly, it is these children that grow up to be fanatics with distorted perceptions of reality that go about propagating lies, justifying the actions of the state and capitalism, and ruining people's lives for a living.

Teach your children how to find truth, not religion.

You know science can be just as bad. There are thousands of kids right now who think the earth will be completely flooded by global warming (not saying its real or not) because they teach it in school. Even some scared of black holes and gamma ray burst. Science can cause some major anxiety also.

You could say Atheism tells kids to be immoral because there is no consequences.

And what does capitalism have to do with this?

Theres people like this on both sides but very few.

[Prometheum]

Originally Posted by CharChar

You know science can be just as bad. There are thousands of kids right now who think the earth will be completely flooded by global warming (not saying its real or not) because they teach it in school. Even some scared of black holes and gamma ray burst. Science can cause some major anxiety also.

You could say Atheism tells kids to be immoral because there is no consequences.

And what does capitalism have to do with this?

Theres people like this on both sides but very few.

Bullshit. Show me one piece of evidence showing that:

• Schools are teaching that global warming will cause complete global flooding
• Schools are teaching that black holes will in any way harm Earth or any person on it
• Schools are teaching that "gamma ray burst" will kill you

You can't, because there is none. And really, the "atheism=immorality" argument is so tired.

• The most popular religions preach hatred and persecution of gays/other sexual "deviants"
• The most popular religions advocate slavery and submission to arbitary powers
• Theism in general is accepting of ignorance as a suitable explanation of the world, inhibiting self-actualization for any believer.

Sounds like theism is much more immoral. Shit, that's what you do when you think that someone up in the sky is going to punish you for being immoral? Maybe you can't be atheists, but those of us with a functioning brain typically can.

[CharChar]

Originally Posted by Prometheum

Bullshit. Show me one piece of evidence showing that:

• Schools are teaching that global warming will cause complete global flooding
• Schools are teaching that black holes will in any way harm Earth or any person on it
• Schools are teaching that "gamma ray burst" will kill you

You can't, because there is none. And really, the "atheism=immorality" argument is so tired.

• The most popular religions preach hatred and persecution of gays/other sexual "deviants"
• The most popular religions advocate slavery and submission to arbitary powers
• Theism in general is accepting of ignorance as a suitable explanation of the world, inhibiting self-actualization for any believer.

Sounds like theism is much more immoral. Shit, that's what you do when you think that someone up in the sky is going to punish you for being immoral? Maybe you can't be atheists, but those of us with a functioning brain typically can.

http:../../news.scotsman.com/weirdoddand...bal.3348964.jp

I don't even have to show you the other two, just watch Nova or The Universe. I have science teachers and scientist tell me how the world will end and how its my fault.

Also tell me why so many homosexuals and "other" chose to still believe today. Ask most pastors and they'll say that they don't care what homosexuals do, like the ones in the area around where I live.

Maybe also Atheist are ignorant of a suitable explanation of the world. Ever think of that.

Also just thought id say....im Agnostic.

[Prometheum]

Originally Posted by CharChar

http:../../news.scotsman.com/weirdoddand...bal.3348964.jp

I don't even have to show you the other two, just watch Nova or The Universe. I have science teachers and scientist tell me how the world will end and how its my fault.

The link does not show that anyone is taught in school that the world will flood. The link shows that in a survey of little over a thousand 7-11 year olds, "half" (exact numbers are not given) lose sleep over "global warming". That's hardly what you proposed or what I asked you to show.

And again, those two aren't mentioned in schools, and anyone who actually watches them will know they're nothing to fear. My call of Bullshit still stands.

Originally Posted by CharChar

Also tell me why so many homosexuals and "other" chose to still believe today. Ask most pastors and they'll say that they don't care what homosexuals do, like the ones in the area around where I live.

Then they aren't following their holy book and according to that book, will go to "hell" or whatever. Seems pretty un-christian.

People believe because they're brainwashed into it. Any queer who thinks that the christian god "loves" them is still half in the closet.

Originally Posted by CharChar

Maybe also Atheist are ignorant of a suitable explanation of the world. Ever think of that.

Also just thought id say....im Agnostic.

Why do you need an explanation of the world? Clearly the one you or christians have (I don't really believe you're "agnostic", you sound like a theist) is false or hacked-up. Do you just need something, anything to fill that gap? Why don't you go out, research, experiment, and try to find the real explanation? Is that just too much work?

Originally Posted by CharChar

[W]hat does capitalism have to do with this?

Religion has historically justified illegitimate private power, a property inherent to the Capitalist system.

Whom do we find under God's banner? Emperor, kings, the official and the officious world; our lords and our nobles; all the privileged poisons of Europe whose names are recorded in the Almana de Gotha; all the guinea pigs of the industrial, commercial and banking world; the patented professors of our universities; the civil service servants; the low and high police officers; the gendarmes; the gaolers; the headsman or hangman, not forgetting the priests, who are now the black police enslaving our souls to the State; the glorious generals, defenders of the public order; and lastly, the writers of the reptile Press.

This is God's army !

- Mikhail Bakunin

[Prometheum]

Originally Posted by Monsieur

Religion has historically justified illegitimate private power, a property inherent to the Capitalist system.


- Mikhail Bakunin

Don't forget all the stuff in the bible about being a nice happy slave, giving unto Caesar the things which "are" Caesar's, etc.

Nice post.