Is Teaching Religion To Children A Form Of Child Abuse?

After the last U.S. election, it seems optimistic indeed to think that "advances" in communications technology have done anything to overcome human divisions. We can systematically disseminate fake news, sow mass confusion, and opt for the media sources that enable our chosen reality. ISIS is a master of the art of manipulating the internet to recruit across the globe.

 

It's an obvious reality that I, as well as most anyone can now communicate instantaneously over the entire globe for essentially free, where even 25 years ago that would have at least cost a hefty phone bill. There's nothing optimistic about those advances, they are facts.

I think you are using a bit hyperbole to call ISIS "master" of manipulating the internet when you got individual celebrities and Vloggers who rack up exponentially more followers than there are members that comprise ISIS. But even granting that they can use the technologies, the news also perpetuates quickly of how awful a group they are for most and some of their activity has been blocked in certain places.

 

Yeah, but are the Vloggers and celebrities able to get their followers to blow themselves up on command? Re ISiS's use of social media:
http://www.newsweek.com/inside-isis-social-media-campaign-312062
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/31/isis-s-use-of-social-media-to-reach-you-its-new-audience.html
http://www.popsci.com/terror-on-twitter-how-isis-is-taking-war-to-social-media
Communicating instantaneously over the entire world is great; fake news, narrowcasting and cyber warfare, not so much.

 

AHAHH!,
the old double edged sword......
but is it really surprising???
everything has a positive and a negative, otherwise it all comes to a grinding halt.

like modern medicine....blessing or curse?

 

I say yes. It is child abuse. I will go into more detail at a later time (I've had a bit much to drink). But I grew up being force fed Christianity. I have come to resent the fact that my parents forced their beliefs upon me. In my research and studies I have found christianity to be very problematic. But that goes for any religion. No child should be told what to believe.

 

You missed my initial point, it had strictly to due with the cooperation that allows for that rapid of communication, given the extremely brief timeframe the internet has been around. By this I was meaning strictly the ability to create such technology, I even insinuated that other constructs may not follow suit as rapidly but any ideologies that use the net to promote themselves is a digression.

However I think your point and sources may provide some justification why some view religion as toxic in this day and age and why it may be harmful to youth.

 

Or at least some perversions of it. There are reports that ISIS recruits are learning their religion, appropriately, from Islam for Dummies.
http://nypost.com/2016/08/15/isis-fighters-are-using-islam-for-dummies-to-prepare-for-jihad/
https://newrepublic.com/article/119182/jihadists-buy-islam-dummies-amazon
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Islam-for-Dummies-ISIS-recruits-have-poor-grasp-of-faith/articleshow/53721724.cms
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2016/08/16/islam-dummies-isis-recruits-have-poor-grasp-muslim-faith/88818694/
ISIS seems to be attractive to the kinds of rootless youths who are also attracted to street gangs. Most of the recruits in Europe had prior criminal records, and were essentially a Muslim version of the Aryan Brotherhood. If historians are correct, they are also like the young landless warriors who joined the Crusades to rape, pillage, and get absolution for their manifold sins. (Asbridge, The Crusades: An Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land. ;Maalouf, The Crusades Through Arab Eyes.

"Get your motor running head out on the highway
lookin' for adventure in whatever comes our way..."

 

Meagain:

If you put it like that, then religious teaching, to children, is, without question, an abuse.
To back a "ban" would also be an abuse. Religion dies its natural death only in the freedom of education.
Teach 'about' religion, why not. History lends perspective.

As for my own bent ( let's never pretend we don't all have one lol), it's that religion should become nothing but history!



The only 'consensus' we ever reach is in pleasure!

ediT: if you imagine your pleasure is religion, um, well, you'll have to work that one out! Need any more hints?! lol

 

Then I think you're asking for a religion that examines itself... scientifically!? Good luck! I mean, it's possible that Santa exists, isn't it?! lol

 

The practical problems in teaching about religion (which I think is an excellent idea in principle) are: who would teach it? how it would be taught? what would be included? and when in the child's development would it be taught?. It's really hard even to teach history that touches on religion without stepping on somebody's toes and causing a fuss. I remember my parents being anxious about the history I was being taught in public grade school for fear it might conflict with a favorable view of the church (and they were right!) One solution is religious schools (i.e., indoctrination). Another is a bland, watered down public school curriculum. I can't think of much of anything that could be said about religion that isn't controversial. I happen to favor exposure to a diversity of views--maybe around the sixth or seventh grade. I think everybody should have a strong grounding in world religions; and history, sociology, anthropology, the hard sciences, and philosophy, with emphasis on logic and critical thinking.

Mark Allen Powell, in his Introducing the New Testament, writes: "In the United States, certain things can be taught about Jesus in public schools: a history teacher may tell students that Jesus was Jewish, that he taught the Golden Rule, that he called disciples, that he was crucified--these are regarded as "historical facts" about Jesus that can be presented without any suspicion that the teacher is promoting the Christian religion." I wonder. I've certainly gotten into enough heated arguments on this forum about whether or not Jesus even existed!

 

I came from divorced parents at 4 years old.
Along came the wicked step mother at the age of 9. When I was sent to my father's every other weekend, Sunday mass was always included.
I didn't like going at all.
I told my mom.
She spoke to my father who wouldn't listen to her. My wicked step mother told me about how my mom is going to Hell, she'll be in forever pain, bad things will happen to her. Things will happen to me soon if I don't start accepting. I had constant fear.
Of course I told my mother all this. My mom unleashed fury upon my dad for allowing his wife to say these things to me. She got the Guardian ad litem involved. It went on for months back n fourth. Sunday mass eventually eroded away completely.
I found my own path at about 14.

 

Did I read somewhere that the Supreme Court passed a ruling to teach religion in public schools and that is mandatory?
REALLY!?
Religious schools are not enough ?
Which religion will get taught?

You must include all religions then....and Darwinism, as MeAgain said.
What about the children who are not religious?
That to me would be abuse....
as what are they supposed to do?
pretend that they are to get along and fit in?

I can understand a psychology class of some sort as to exploring why religion even exists or something like that....but I would be bored to death learning about religion and would probably fail.
I rather take a class in fantasy writing.

Ghod, I am glad I am no longer in school or have any children in school, or I would be more outraged here.

 

I took a Philosophy of Religion course in college and I thought it was pretty awesome. The Professor had us analyze works and arguments from various philosophers on the issue and up until the first exam, we had to support the author's statements for both the theist philosophers and the atheist philosophers and everybody in between. The objective was to attempt to not have us just fall back on ideas that were entrenched or that we were most comfortable with.

Later in the course we could provide counter-arguments to the philosopher's works we analyzed, but I think that initial technique of providing support both ways on a polarizing topic, can lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the issue and various issues in general. However the course was steeped in Western Philosophy and Religion, so it's possible balancing the focus out with Eastern Philosophers might have provided other types of understanding.

 

Why all the outrage? Do you feel better now that you expressed your knee-jerk reaction?
Would you not want your child to be as well educated as possible?

There is a HUGE difference between teaching about religion and indoctrination into a religion.
I very, very seriously doubt that religious studies in public schools would incorporate indoctrination as part of the curriculum.

 

It was not knee jerk. I thought long and hard about the subject. Do you feel better now with your knee jerk reaction?

 

My point is that religion should always be a choice...not a requirement.

 

yes, following and adhering to a religious viewpoint is a matter of personal choice, being educated about religions is something many, many more people could benefit from.
Being afraid of being educated about religion(s) is just plain stupid.