When it comes to kids' beliefs, why do believers say "I will let them choose" while brainwashing them

Question

It is frightening!, and just for the record believers, religious training IS brainwashing!!

Answer 1

Religion runs a distant second to the power of brainwashing of popular culture.

A proper exposure to God and religion can help to counteract the real brainwashing that popular culture is constantly throwing at all of us in books, movies, TV, songs, advertisements, and even video games.

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
- Drug abuse 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 2

It can be brainwashing if dogmatic practice is going on...it mirrors secularism. If you've been exposed to that I hear ya. I've learned quite a bit from those life experiences.

Consider this....Jesus was God in the flesh and what does God stand for? My answer is love. I do not know your answer but I am curious. I have experienced that some in society "believe" a believing parent should not teach their child the difference between love and hate/right from wrong? I often wonder if it out of jealousy? I know it brings quite the revenue to the government. A parent who who has experienced the truth that love conquers all loves their child enough to want to do their job the best they can. Some are pulling it from the good in their parents and grandparents but first their relationship with God. Some don't have much to go on but if processed with love have been blessed with learning experiences thru trials. Parents without positive prior life experience can also do this because they believe in Him and his word along with seeing it in others. They do so because they know their child(ren) will need it later just as they did. Is it not a fact that most of us want to be loved and want to love back? Isn't it a fact that love also covers joy and peace along with acknowledging sometimes things might have to get a bit testy and downright inconvenient to self to stand up for that love. That's where belief in God's guidance and trust in God given wisdom is of positive use to parents.

With all that said bottom line is whether anyone excepts any form of teaching in life it's all up to us starting at a very young age. History proves there have been trials of confusion in the past. Back in the 60s/early 70s they claim that drugs and rebellion were the peace generation ...only partially true because there is never anything peaceful concerning living a rebellious lifestyle except this: Those that pulled out of it were blessed with the ability turn their lives around by having the strength to walk away. Even Jesus acknowledged that people can't save people nor can they fix their life...they can only share. Just like you've shared your fears with us.

This is the scripture that proves it:

John 14:6 in red in my Bible ...which means the words that Jesus spoke.

Answer 3

This is how I understand it. Parents who teach their religion to their children do it because they practice their religion and believe it and feel that it is their duty to teach it to their children. However, they realize that the child has free will and as they get older and start to question life and such, they may choose another religion or none at all. The parent will teach what they think is right, but the child will eventually choose for himself at some point.

And religious training and brainwashing are not the same thing.

Answer 4

Crozzlow, I'm Jim Darwin. Do you remember me from way back in the day?

I agree with you, but also feel it is important for all families to teach our children some basics for cultural literacy.

That is, who were Zeus and Athenia, and the Oracle at Delphi. Who was Jesus of Nazareth? Who was Muhumad?

Why are there Minorahs and why do we, even thou my family is not very religious, my wife Christian, and I an atheist, why do we have a Christmas tree.

I think there is a big difference between "Jesus is God without him you go to hell and burn" which is a radical form of abuse, and what I will do with my son, which is, "some families believe in the mythology of Zeus, some in the mythology of Allah, some in the mythology of Jesus".

We take our son to the zoo and point out to him the Chimpanzee and Orangotangs as primates. When he is older we will be able to discuss geneitics.

Answer 5

I was raised in a believing home, and am deeply grateful my mom asked me why I believe. That I can't just believe because she and dad did. It made me question my own belief system and what I was taught and if I still believed and how true it all was. And I do believe today, and plan on doing the same with my children.
I suspect you will have a way to discredit this though?

Answer 6

Because "I will let you choose" literally means to them "Choose my beliefs or else".

Answer 7

Dear Sir

Children know more about GOD than we do as blinded adults.

Answer 8

Thanks for your two cents. I'm trying to imagine any person on earth with kids caring about what some nobody on R&S thinks about how they raise their kids.

Answer 9

and so is child abuse...mentally and phsyically...(it is a life sentence for the abused)...