I hear these same idiotic statements over and over. It isn't forcing a child. It's teaching a child.
You wouldn't let your kid make his or her own choice about the rightness and wrongness of things like stealing, murder, drugs, or alcohol. Why would you choose not to educate them on something as important as their immortal soul?
42 comments
Stealing, murder, drugs, and alcohol are proven conclusively that they do exist. Immortal soul cannot say the same.
I grew up christian, once i deconverted, i railed on my mother for teaching me such trash. I still cant truly forgive her, because the emotional scars will never go away comepletly. As for a soul, christianity kills the spirit, I know this by personal experience, i felt my spirit after i deconverted. I know idiots that go to church, even though they get headaches just from going there (those headaches are warnings)
@brianisha:
But what if your child then turns on you and ends up another fundie?
If indoctrination is child abuse when a fundie does it, it is when an atheist does it. Despite having two atheist parents, my child goes to a school with a strong element of faith and hears all about "God". It's up to her to make up her mind what she wants to believe.
Don´t worry, I´ll teach them about it.
@ brianisha : Teaching your child to hate Christianity is better than teaching your child to hate some other religion how? Way to become ~just like them~ Brian. Try teaching them how to think for themselves and maybe point out the bad thinking used in religion in general, but when you teach them to hate you just feed the cycle that religion has spiraled this world into.
I think I'm going to state the obvious, but I don't care.
When fundies say "teaching them about their immortal soul" they're actually saying "teaching them about my religion"
Because the immortal soul has not been proven to exist.
My parents raised me Catholic, and I used to be a deeply pious Catholic until last year, when finally I deconverted and got a breath of fresh air. I'm not mad at them or anything - they did what they thought was best. Still, when I have kids, I'm going to teach them to think freely and make their own choices.
Your kids don't believe in "god" because they want to, but because you brainwashed them into believing. I know many people who went to christian schools and turned out atheist or agnostic.
There is a building near me with a big sign on it;
You know if there was one across the street with
...because basic ideas about respect and how to function in society are just as important as believing that the Earth is 6000 years old, that evolution doesn't exist, and that they must submit to a savior who loves them so much that he might choose not to burn them forever.
The existence of a soul is an opinion (your opinion, not mine). The morality of theft, murder, drugs and alcohol has been (and still is) defined by society and is taught to enable a person to function in that society. Your personal opinion about the soul is not essential to society.
Why would you choose not to educate them on something as important as their immortal soul?
I don't have a problem with educating my son on the subject of his immortal soul. I have a problem with people like you educating my son about his immortal soul.
There is evidence that stealing, murder, drugs and alcohol exist.
Show me proof of this "immortal soul," other than "the bible says..."
I'll teach my kid about murder, drugs, stealing, alcohol and hurting others and why not to. When it comes to their soul, like my parents did for me, I would let my kids explore and learn rather than force feed them my beliefs.
You can let children know about the dangers of stealing, murder, drugs, and alcohol without bringing in religion. That's the best way to do it. I however believe that experience is knowledge. At least, that is how I was brought up.
I would rather educate a child that they are free to make their own choice about what they wish to believe in. I would warn them that there are people out there who will attempt to sway them one way or another, and that the child should not let these people pressure them. They should make an informed choice based on free thought and with their best interests in mind. Theft, murder and drugs can be proven to exist. Immortal souls cannot. You are confusing the tangible with the spiritual. That doesn't mean a soul can't be believed in, but it is up to the child to make the decision without coercion.
@kingoftheheavies: That's harsh. Her post is stupid, yes, but calling her a whore is OTT.
[...It isn't forcing a child...]
You're giving the child ONE option. That's force.
[...It's teaching a child.]
Yeah...you're teaching the child YOUR world view.
[...Why would you choose not to educate them on something as important as their immortal soul?]
You're talking in absolutes about something that's subjective. Not everybody believes in an immortal soul, and those that do often disagree as to what happens to it after you die.
You're talking about having the child choose from ONE option. How is that educational?
We know about things like stealing, murder, drugs, or alcohol. We don't know squat about the "immortal soul" - we don't even know it exists. Teaching kids about the immortal soul is more like teaching them about extraterrestrials.
while i'm against indoctrination, i cant help but see his point. put yourself in their fundy shoes, would YOU allow your children to burn in hell for eternity? if you sincerely believe it. its wrong to force the child into such idiocy, but what can we do ban them from teaching religion to their kids?
so confusing where to draw the line :(
Well, choosing not to teach a child about an immortal soul is the same as choosing not to teach them about flying saucers.
Fiction is really unnecessary. They'll find their own fiction entertainment as they grow and learn what they enjoy.
I would raise my kid to know the difference between right and wrong, such as stealing is wrong, killing is wrong, etc. When he becomes an adult it's up to him. So yes, I would let him make his own choice about stealing and murder. I would only hope that I'd educated him fully about the difference between right and wrong.
"It isn't forcing a child."
No, because who needs to use force when the poor kid doesn't know there's any other option?
"It's teaching a child."
What about teaching her to think for herself and make her own decisions? If she grows up constantly looking to authority for what she should be thinking, there'll come a time when that authority isn't there and she's lost.
"You wouldn't let your kid make his or her own choice about the rightness and wrongness of things like stealing, murder, drugs, or alcohol."
Stealing definitely not. Murder definitely not. Drugs, probably not, though I'd rather have a proper discussion about it than just say "No, because I say so". Alcohol, it would depend on the age and responsibility of the kid.
"Why would you choose not to educate them on something as important as their immortal soul?"
All I could ever teach them would be my ideas about the immortal soul, and I have a feeling that should wait until they're old enough to know the difference.
Why would you choose not to educate them on something as important as their immortal soul?
Because children will believe pretty much anything you tell them. Including your batshit insane ideas about invisible gods.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
To post a comment, you'll need to Sign in or Register . Making an account also allows you to claim credit for submitting quotes, and to vote on quotes and comments. You don't even need to give us your email address.
