I don't want my daughter to end up being brainwashed by my husband, his church, or his family. I think I have her on the right track by encouraging reading and love of the outdoors. What else can I do to keep her mind curious for real answers?
2006-11-16 16:43:36 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Don't worry Christians -- if my daughter ends up just like my husband it will still be OK -- I love them both no matter what. I'd just like to try to prevent the analytical part of her brain from being fogged over. Thanks for the answers though.
2006-11-17 00:02:57 · update #1
Most important, have her learn about all religions, not just Christianity, and not just "live" religions. What's the historical context behind religions -- how were they created and used, and why? What's different between Zeus and the Christian God? Who's right? Why? To paraphrase Richard Dawkins, there are many religions. Everyone's an atheist about every religion but their own, I just take it one God further.
History is good. Aristotle, Pythagoras, Galileo, etc. all had wildly varying affects on or from the church. Why is that? What were the arguments that caused Christian fragmentation? What was considered heretical during the Inquisition?
Have her read about interesting scientists, like Feynman's books. Read A Brief History of Time or A Short History of Nearly Everything. Rent Carl Sagan's Cosmos and watch it together.
Talk to her. Have her get used to questioning assumptions, searching for answers, and not taking the intellectually lazy way out. Have her be OK with uncertainty and not knowing something (but wanting to learn it).
Teach her the basic scientific method (observe, hypothesize, test). Explain Occam's Razor. Demonstrate how they work.
Let her play. Let her see that beauty, and magic, and love, and life, and happiness, and goodness, don't require an invisible omniscient all-powerful deity to exist. Teach her that morals don't come from fear of hell, but from respect for others and herself.
And, maybe, "accidentally" set http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/ as her browser home page ;-)
2006-11-16 17:26:54 · answer #1 · answered by AnotherNickname 1 · 3⤊ 4⤋
You need to teach her to have an open mind, even about religion and religious views. let her know what is out there. Teach her how everyone has different beliefs. So your husband is religious, so what...would you rather have an uncaring, abusive and detached father for your daughter? Just because your daughter is "little", she will be naturally inquisitive, if she asks you about religion, don't dismiss her OR the religion, if anything have a conversation explaining that there are many religious beliefs, tell her there are also those who don't believe. Explain to her a little about the differences between Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam etc. in such a way that you are just giving her facts, not YOUR one-sided opinion. If you do this with your child for all things, not only will you raise an open-minded child, but one who will learn to be accepting of others beliefs and opinions...If you teach your child to be a racist, (for example), that is what you are contributing to the world....I would hope you would want more than that for your child.
2006-11-16 16:59:27 · answer #2 · answered by Pie's_Guy 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Like anybody else, if you try to hide something, their curiosity will find a way to get it. Let her know that she has free will (I think God was supposed to have given her that) and she can explore her possibilities. Thereby, be able to make the decision to do what her heart desires, when she is a mature adult. Don't tell her she can't and don't try to force her into something just to keep her away from the church. The more you do that, the more she will try to break away from you.
So, encourage her as you have done, but make sure she knows that she has choices. It could save you a lot of grief in the long run.
Good luck.
2006-11-16 16:58:01 · answer #3 · answered by GORDO BLAKHART 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Answer to your title question: you get me!
As for your daughter, just encourage her to look at both sides of the issues. You can buy books for her that talk about the issue from both sides, and let your husband know that she needs to be let to make her own decision on the process.
Just remember that if she is to be a 'freethinker', she will have to be able to hear others' viewpoints and still come to an open-minded decision on her own, so shutting her off from other influences completely isn't wise. Good luck!
2006-11-16 16:55:39 · answer #4 · answered by Free Ranger 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
What you need to do is recuse you and your husband from the equation and let your daughter do her own thing. Sounds like you have other issues ("brainwashed", in this context, is a rather strong word).
Of course, you want your daughter to be a free thinker without the interference of your husband's interference but unfortunately, you're gonna have to refrain as well.
Let your daughter research on her own and tell your hubby to back off.
2006-11-16 17:33:08 · answer #5 · answered by umwut? 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
What do you consider real answers? Maybe you have an answer for this: In Nature, every thing supports something else!
Every microbe, every sell, all that exists, in nature has a purpose.
If you take out any one thing, you cause the death or destruction of something else. Nothing exists just to exists. Nature creates nothing just for show!
What do humans support in Nature? What requires the presence of Humans, in Nature, for its survival? Humans only destroy! Humans do not support anything in Nature and nothing in Nature requires humans! So, why are we here?
Why even bother with this coming here for less than an instant in time and then leave? What is the purpose? Not one thing made by humans support anything?
We effect nothing in the whole scheme of existence!
Why are we hear? Since Nature does not create or cause to evolve what it does not use/need, where do humans come from?
Birth is just the contentiousness of what has been set into motion,
into motion by what for what reason?
2006-11-16 17:22:27 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
What would she get? A synthesis thought - a wonderful exposure. She could understand the truth better than hardcore believer and scientific nuts. She would probably be able to bridge the gap that used to be unrelated because she can see clearly what the subjects are all about and would be easily for her to relate to those.
Example: Matter and spirit = soul
2006-11-16 16:56:37 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Have you discussed this with your husband? Seems to me your making choices for someone that you haven't even asked what she wants. Looks like you want to do some brainwashing of your own. Just because you don't believe as your husband, it doesn't mean that he is wrong. Make sure you have the facts before you import them into someone else.
2006-11-16 16:50:53 · answer #8 · answered by RIDLEY 6 · 5⤊ 1⤋
So, what you are saying is that you don't want others to brainwash your daughter; you want to be the one that brainwashes her in to your own belief system. Can you not see that you are doing the same thing?
2006-11-16 17:36:26 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Wow, that sounds problematic. Did one of you convert or leave after marriage?
I'd say make sure she goes to a public school, buy her books about science, and explain your views when she asks why you don't go to church.
I'd also say that she needs to understand what her father believes and that her father has the right to raise her, too.
Good luck to you all.
2006-11-16 16:56:59 · answer #10 · answered by GreenEyedLilo 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋