a question about religion Options

[Mulder]

i was thinking about why im agnostic. and i realized, its because i was raised in a christian community, not a jewish one. i never developed jewish ties.


so i was wondering, how do you feel about a child growing up in a community whose major religion is not their own? do you think its bad? do you think that children should grow up in their religious community only? what about public schools?

and i searched. i really did.

[NoSex]

It's pretty simply to realize the truth here. Notice how geographical religious belief is. You may be hard pressed to find an Shintoist walking about at your local mall. However, no problem finding them in Japan. You know what you probably won't find in Japan though? A Christian.

Religious belief is highly geographical because of the power adults have an impressionable youth. What do you think getting them into church functions at an early age does to them? It's like intellectual rape. Isn't it awesome?!

[*mipadi*]

Religious belief is highly geographical because of the power adults have an impressionable youth. What do you think getting them into church functions at an early age does to them? It's like intellectual rape. Isn't it awesome?!

That's something that's practically unavoidable. Not exposing a child to religion could be considered "intellectual rape" as well; thus, the only acceptable way to expose a child to religion is to expose them to all religions, which is impractical at best.

Along the same lines, one could say that exposing children to any set of ideas is "intellectual rape".

But I don't think the human mind is so cementable. I went to church as a child, yet I am now an atheist; I was hardly "intellectually raped". Children can learn to reason and develop their own ideas, even if they are pre-exposed to a specific set of ideas.

[NoSex]

That's something that's practically unavoidable. Not exposing a child to religion could be considered "intellectual rape" as well; thus, the only acceptable way to expose a child to religion is to expose them to all religions, which is impractical at best.

Along the same lines, one could say that exposing children to any set of ideas is "intellectual rape".

But I don't think the human mind is so cementable. I went to church as a child, yet I am now an atheist; I was hardly "intellectually raped". Children can learn to reason and develop their own ideas, even if they are pre-exposed to a specific set of ideas.

Sure this may be entirely true. Somehow though, I think telling a child that "this is the only way" and otherwise you will "burn for eternity" is bit more abrasive and hostile towards the freedom of intellectual choice of that child.

You can expose a child to any set of ideas, or religions, or not, and that does not, in my opinion, automatically classify it as 'intellectual rape.'

I believe it becomes intellectual rape when you make the child feel as if they are doing something wrong, will be wronged, or have something great to lose if they do not adhere to said belief or set of ideas. Not all human minds are the same, you might not have cemented into your early religious upbringing, I didn't either. However, that is not to say that many have.

It can be a very difficult ordeal, as you grow older, to seperate from those ideas that were pounded into your mind as a child. Being told that this is right, and this is wrong constantly. Being pressured into belief, looked down upon if different. These become serious issues when thinking over a belief or idea rationally.

When these issues become so serious that they can detour a person from freethought, I think there is definately a problem.

I think there is a significant difference in saying, "Check this out... it's interesting. See what you think," and saying, "Believe it die."

Actually. I think we agree? Maybe not?