How does religion differ from brainwashing?

Question

Brainwashing is: "Intensive, forcible indoctrination, usually political or religious, aimed at destroying a person's basic convictions and attitudes and replacing them with an alternative set of fixed beliefs."

I see no difference...do you?

Answer 1

Religious indoctrination is definitely brainwashing. 'Faith' takes the place of evidence. "Belief' takes the place of knowledge. The victim is immunized against reason, logic and critical thought. The world view is molded from prescribed dogmatic delusions.

Sure sounds like brainwashing to me.

Answer 2

The only real difference in that religion has a marketing strategy. Rather than forcing people to accept brainwashing, religions choose to make the implied benefits desirable to people.

Ever watch an infommercial? Same thing. Ron Popiell built an empire on making people believe they needed things they really didn't, and made the cost of his products appear to be a bargain that only an idiot would pass up. He placed a high value on sub-standard products, then sold them at comparable prices.

Organized religions place a high value on an unprovable concept. Then they make the cost seem insubstantual when compared to the percieved benefits their faith offers. Only a fool would pass that sort of thing up and NOT gain the benefits of beliving in their God. Well, nobody wants to be a fool, now do they?

Of course not!

It's a sales job. If it weren't, then they would give away the knowledge and the "gift of salvation." Once someone falls for the sales pitch, churches only have to keep them coming back with a good show every Sunday. The cost of admission? A mere 10% of your income is preferred. However, the money grubbers will not hesitate to accept any loose change you have and ask for more than you can afford.

If you think about the symbolism of the Christian church, they don't even try to hide the fact that they brainwash people. Jesus Christ told his disciples to be "fishers of men" which is a a fairly apt description of how the Church operates.

How does one catch a fish? You have to catch it in a net against it's will (which the Christian church tried for about 15 centuries) or you have to trick it into believing it's food is real so you can catch it on a hook and reel it in (which is their current approach).

One of their favorite symbols is a fish for goodness sake. Historicly, the fish was used as a symbol between Christians so they would recognize each other. Thats all very well and good from a historical point of view, but what does that symbol really say to another Christian?

It says "Like you, I've been caught or tricked!"
-SD-

Answer 3

Religion offers a choice, brainwashing doesnt.

A religious person still commits acts that are contradictory to their beliefs (eg. religious people still lie, still judge, Still steal, still covet etc ) If they are fully indoctrinated, then whatever actions they commit will be exactly as their Holy Texts demand.

A brainwashed person will do as they have been programmed...full stop.

Choice is the word...although many religions come very close to saying you have only to choose THIS Given choice or die horribly and painfully... not very good odds... Painful Horrible Deaths or a Life According to Their RUles which could change any time according to how it suits the purpose of the moment.

Answer 4

Even if your proposition is partially true, religion runs a distant second to the brainwashing of popular culture.

Popular culture is constantly bombarding us with intensive, not-so-forcible indoctrination, aimed at setting up worldly convictions and attitudes.

Popular culture comes at us from all directions including books, movies, TV, songs, advertisements, video games and even the Internet.

A few of the these immoral values include:
- Lust and Sex (outside of marriage)
- A disrespect for God and religion
- A disrespect for lawful authority
- A disrespect for our human dignity
- Envy, greed and consumerism
- Anger and Violence
- Drugs including smoking and alcohol
- Vanity, outside is more important than inside
- Prejudice and hate

I think that if we expose our children to all this immorality without the moral anchor of God and religion "until they can come to a conclusion of their own" then we would be unwise irresponsible, and frequently too late.

With love in Christ.

Answer 5

There is no differance. Children's brains are pressure washed by thier parents because of the fear thier parents befor them instilled in them from the begining, which really turns out to be the end for imagination, self asteem,creative thought and most of all mans collective progress. God is just mans way to blame someone for things they think is beyond thier controll. So they simply throw thier collective problems up in the air with the hope that a god will catch them sugar coat it then sprinkle them back down on them, and make it all better. It's a miracle.

Answer 6

I would hate to see the religion that you're a part of, if it involves intensive, forcible indoctrination aimed at destroying your basic convictions and attitudes...

Answer 7

How does what your mother and father teach you to help you grow up and live on your own differ from brainwashing? Is all teaching brainwashing? If you are taught Hinduism, Buddhism, or Taoism, or Satanism, or Communism ... is that brainwashing.
Most parents teach what they believe is good for their children and what they have learned. When I grew up I became able to choose for myself. Therefore what my family taught me was not bad, rather it was what they knew. If I choose to reject it in favor or another belief that does not make their religion bad and mine good.
Here in America I can take a class in religions and choose one for myself. I have freedom. As do you. Do you see the difference?

Answer 8

I do see a difference. Religion is only one form of brainwashing. There are others, too. Religion would be a sub-category, the same as political indoctrination, for example.

Answer 9

Religion seems primarily aimed at those who have to current convictions and attitudes (ie: children). The end result is the same, however: filling a person's mind someone else's beliefs.

Answer 10

Generally or it to be called forcible in brainwashing, it has to involve capture-bonding and a restriction from neutral information. Most religions out there either don't or can't do that.