Is the religious indoctrination of children unethical?

Arts & Sciences Religion & Spirituality
1

I got criticized pretty heavily for a little protest post in the “Bible stories for children” parenting thread -

[post edited by moderator to remove comments in reference to a specific individual]

…so I thought I’d start this here. Maybe these would be a good jumping-off point:

Let me say right off the bat that I don’t completely agree with Dawkins in his general assessment, although I do strongly support his moral stance on this issue.

Basically, my position is “Teach a child about one religion and you indoctrinate her; teach her about many religions and you inoculate her.” (Of course I realize in reality it’s not that simple - plenty of people who are educated on “comparative religion”, in the absence of accompanying lessons in skepticism, nevertheless latch onto vague New Age spiritualism, “surrogate religions” such as conspiracy theories or the like.)

(Coincidentally, my month-old baby girl was 3.5 kg!)

2

Thanks to TempoGain for cleaning up the thread; I’m currently in the Glorious Communist Republic of Awesome, and my internet access is about what you’d expect it to be.

3

I wish I knew the answer to this, but it’s such a difficult thing to answer. What makes things ethical? And there are soooo many different types of worshippers in each section…it’s hard to know.

4

How about I raise my kids the way I see fit, and you do the same with yours? If I want to raise my child a Muslim, who are you to tell me it’s unethical? Are you a higher authority on ethical behavior? Is the government? Is the majority? Please.

If teaching your child the doctrines of a certain religion is unethical, what is the alternative? Leaving him to choose his own way? If you have ever raised a child you would know that’s a ludicrous thought. Without guidance a child will become an undisciplined immoral criminal.

And for all those out there who think teaching their children that there is no God is somehow “ethical,” think again. You’re only indoctrinating your child with your own “religion,” which is no religion at all.

So, no, teaching your own child the doctrines of your religion is not unethical, in my opinion.

5

Yes. Any child raised in a loving and stable home is probably going to turn out alright.

The alternative to religion is not an unabashed atheist orgy. Morality exists outside of religion.

6

Children should experience religion from a cultural aspect, not as any kind of dogma.

I personally think the prime time for a young person to experiment with religion is during the teenage years. Anything earlier, and exposure is either too much or too little.
As with any school of thought, it should not be taught until the children are old enough to ask poignant questions.

7

I can “tell” you I think it’s unethical, give you my reasons and hope to influence you without imposing any standard on you. People these days seem to be confused about this, thinking they should be able live in their little emotional comfort zones and not even have to be exposed to contradictory opinions or information. I think it’s why young people these days can’t constructively accept criticism (according to numerous articles).

And I don’t think I’m required to be an expert on ethics to raise an opinion or question in a forum.

The alternative is to try to raise him/her to have the tools to make their own evaluation when they reach adulthood, after the point where their credulity makes them easy targets for beliefs practically no thinking adult would accept without having been indoctrinated in them at an early age. Admittedly, I haven’t yet done this successfully, but it seems to me a worthy goal.

Here is a resource I’ve been interested to read on that topic:

Parenting Beyond Belief

As for the part about undisciplined immoral criminal, who said anything about “no guidance”? Teaching morals and ethical conduct doesn’t require religion. Look at the Scandinavian countries. Their crime rates are ridiculously low, and they are about as apathetic when it comes to religion as a place can get.

In fact, when it comes to moral guidance, I think even what religious people give their children is basically a heavy dose of what’s socially acceptable with a smattering of very carefully cherry-picked items from their preferred religious text.

How about not telling the child “There is/isn’t/are/aren’t any god/s”, but simply waiting until the question is raised, and then answering it honestly with “I can’t be certain, but I don’t think so. What do you think?”

8

It alarms me that time and again, the rudest, most condescending and patronising of all people tend to be those who favour the forcing and entrenchment of religion upon others.

9

I think it’s immoral to have children.

10

I’m not in any way a religious type, but I know a fair bit about many of them gods, goddesses, jesuses, mohammeds and all of them others, too, to an extent. My kid will know about them all, too, as best I can impart. What he does with that information is up to him. Am I about to hide his head in the sand from all those wierdoes, or should I try to show him what its about? Am I about to send him to CHURCH? God forbid! I want him to KNOW.

11

Please expand on this notion. I am not opposed, just generally curious.
:ponder:

12

well, you have no idea if you will be able to take care of them for the rest of their lives. Earth is seriously going down the crapper. Imagine it 50 years from now…then we’re out of here and they are still stuck here. If you don’t have a lot of money, chances are the will have a real hard time with everything. You really have no control over anything.

13

I like this!

The general assumption in some of the above is that, if you don’t bring up your child within some set of religious conventions, he/she will be irreligious. Seems unlikely. Organised religions are just social conventions that enforce some sort of preferred behaviour. You think such things don’t exist outside of churches? I know plenty of people who have unshakeable blind faith in the economic, political and social memes that have been put into their heads by their elders and betters: GDP growth is good, you must go to work so that you can have a mortgage and buy a car, you must vote for a political party every five years, your government knows what’s best … and they faithfully dedicate their life to doing what they’re told, because if they don’t, they’ll go to hell (or become social outcasts, which is similar). What’s that if not a religion?

14

Oh, dear.
The same thing has been said for thousands of years. Maybe this time it is the real biscuit, but I doubt it.
And why would “I want to take care of them for the rest of their lives”?
They will be cared for until at least 18, hopefully sooner, when they will be glad to stand on their own financial feet.
For the sheer exercise of their will, which indeed can have some control over somethings. Granted there is no longer a gilded cushion, the weak shall be left behind.

“Trust not in gods nor devils, but rather keep both at length of arms.”

For a free thinker, that would seem to be more than enough room to carve out a niche.
And I do mean carve. Not with a blade, but with a soul and its sustenance.
Huzzah!

15

What about college or university? Who is going to take care of that?

16

I like the way this was put, Sandman. :thumbsup:

My aunt and uncle are Jewish and Catholic, respectively. They raised their child practicing neither religion, but rather teaching him to have an open mind and educating him about different world religions and philosophies. He is now 20 and an atheist. A wonderful atheist, I might add. He didn’t turn out to be a murdering heathen at all despite his lack of religious upbringing. :laughing:

17

It’s not unethical to indoctrinate/educate (what a difference a word makes) children in a religious belief; indeed it would be unethical not to- would you deliberately lie to them?

If you think faith in Jesus is the road to salvation, and lack of that faith will lead to eternal damnation, aren’t you morally obliged to impart that belief to your children ? Apart from any consequences, you are telling them what you sincerely believe to be true about the world (Same goes for any other religious belief, of course).

You can’t rise your child without “indoctrinating” him/her is some manner- they will draw their conclusions from observing your words and actions over 18 years. You will end up presenting them with the values you hold to be true, if only to counter what you feel to be undesirable influences from the outside, and even if those values are "you should examine all sides and make your own decision.

18

Me. That’s part of our social contract. But only as a ticket to ride.
They must learn by free will.

19

Is the atheist indoctrination of children unethical?

Or the scientific indoctrination?

Capitalist indoctrination?

Democratic/Republican indoctrination?

I guess that all depends on whether you are an atheist, believer in science, democrat, republican, capitalist or religious person.

20

I do. I’ve been saying for years that it makes no sense at all for any person, be they a child or adult, to adopt the belief system of his or her parents just because it is the belief system of his or her parents.

That said, I remember as a child of about 6 or 7 y.o. experiencing an extreme terror of the annihilation of death, but being slightly comforted by my parents’ Christian belief in an afterlife. My comfort, such as it was, was based on solely on the belief that my parents would not lie to me. Though it must be said, I did harbor suspicions that that they could have been mistaken. How could they or anyone really know whether there was an afterlife or not? Anyway, as a result, in elementary school I considered myself a Christian, albeit an agnostic one.

By the time I was in high school, however, I considered myself a Hindu, and then in university, I turned to Buddhism, which I’m still exploring, though with a much, much more critical eye than before.

I would like to say that if, as a child, I had been able to understand and accept in a limited way Christianity, why would I have not also been open to Hinduism, Buddhism, or some other -ism?

I have no problem with kids being taught religion as long as it’s not just one religion, and no one insists that they have to “join” (whatever that means) any particular club. If they want to join up, that’s fine, but parents would do well to protect their kids from religious nutcases and zealous clergy.

Nevertheless, it does seem to me, that whichever religion a person chooses to belong to as a child (assuming he or she is given a choice) it is unlikely to be the one (if any) they belong to in later life. We grow up, and we change. It is only natural. Well, speaking personally, anyway.

When that does not occur, it’s probably due to what the OP means by the term “indoctrination”, which I would agree is unethical. And it’s not just parents who are often guilty of indoctrinating kids, members of the clergy I’d say are probably even more guilty.