Indoctrination, what's the big deal?

What is "indoctrination"?

Simply put, it is teaching someone to accept a doctrine or ideology in a biased manner. Specifically I will deal with religious indoctrination. I watched "Jesus Camp" and now feel I am an expert. (That was joke) Anyways, lets delve straight in.

Are you saying teaching is bad?

Of course not, this is not about teaching though. It's about accepting what is taught. It's specifically teaching someone to accept something you want them to accept the way you want them to accept it. Teaching is great, learning is imperative. The problem lies in the teacher. The learner is an innocent by-standard, caught in the religious crossfire.

Don't you want your kids to believe the things you do?

Yes, and no. I would prefer that my child, or children believe many things I believe. Does this mean I will teach them only what I believe, and ensure that they also believe that? No. It means I will provide them with any information they desire so they may come to their own conclusions on what to believe. The information I provide will be the information they asked to receive, not the information I feel they should receive instead.

What about religious homes, where church is attended, prayers are offered, crosses and pictures of Jesus hang on walls?

Obviously this is a small dilemma. Do you remove everything from your home, stop attending church and refuse to pray so your child won't get indoctrinated? I have been accused unjustly before of advocating just this. Let me set the record straight.

The answer may surprise you, it's "no". Don't remove anything, don't not attend church, don't stop praying. Just don't force the child to be part of that world. Don't force your child to be quiet, and pray with you. Don't force your child to come to church with you because "mommy and daddy go". What you do is allow the child to question on its own.

Question on its own? Then the child will never learn if teaching is only administered when questions are asked!

I'm not talking about factual information. Teach anything you want to your child that is backed up by evidence. Like language, science, math. Things that are true, and have no bias involved because these things are real, and true. I'm talking about questions of uncertainty, unjustified beliefs. Questions that can be interpreted differently from person to person. Like the meaning of life, or morality. These are the questions kids must ask themselves, when they are old enough to understand the implications.

So what do I say if my children ask about my religion?

You may think that I am targeting theists here, but this goes for atheist too. You're subject to the same indoctrination issues. So what do you do when your child says "Why do you/do you not believe in God?"

Be honest, be open. Don't lie, don't overindulge to make your belief sound more grandiose and special. So that when my child says to me "Daddy, why don't you go to church or believe in God like some of the kids at school?" I can sit my child down and have a conversation with them. Don't assert my information, but instead solicit for their information. Find out what they think.

Ask them questions like "Why do you think daddy doesn't go to church?" and just go from there. Engage the child in critical thinking and questioning things. It's easy to tell a child what you believe, but it's more important to help them figure out why, rather than telling them.

Kids are smarter than they are given credit for, and they know how to question things (Most people have been with the child in its "What's that?" stage) Don't just tell them, inform them. You should be more interested in what your kid thinks about it, rather than what you think about it. Don't badger them with endless information they didn't ask for, just answer, and move on. Simple as that.

I'm scared my child will go to hell if he/she doesn't believe

I feel the need to address this as I believe it has a lot to do with indoctrination. Parents irrational fears about their children. God's children are good children. The problem with this is it's just silly. What kind of person in this day and age truly thinks a child will be damned for eternity for not knowing about God? More importantly, what kind of person would worship that same God?

What I really think

I am an agnostic atheist. I don't claim knowledge no Gods exist, but I lack the belief that any do. I think indoctrination is one of the worst things effecting society today. How many people today would admit they just "Grew up in a religious family" and now pass those same beliefs on to their kids, with no idea of how it is affecting the world, or their world?

I am sickened by things like "Jesus Camp", a place to fill kids heads with so much garbage they think they are tiny God conduits, able to conduct his will like a composers baton of God. I am disgusted by the amount of people who believe what they do simply because they were "brought up that way". Mostly, I am appalled by the people who brought them up that way.

How do I avoid indoctrinating my children?

Easy. Don't do it.