What is your reaction to this video of an 8 year old Atheist?

Question

who speaks out against O'Reilly and Religion. I do not know if it was staged or not, but how does it make you feel. As an Atheist I would disprove of such behavior from my daughter.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-925225399513268586&q=The+Coolest+8+Year+Old+In+The+World+Talks+About+O%27Reilly

Here is how Bill O'Reilly responds. I am more offended by the woman than I am the child.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJjuZg7Mndo

chico2149,
True, it was likely staged. I find that the same must also be true of eight year olds that profess their belief in Jesus on TV with such intensity.

Answer 1

My son began expressing similar thoughts as those this child expresses at about that age, although he was not allowed to use foul language (and still isn't) and I didn't dress him, let alone dress him in ridiculous clothes. He wouldn't have put up with that anyway. I can just hear it. When my son was eight, if I'd tried a stunt like that with him I would have had a fight on my hands. He expected to be treated with respect, and he conducted himself with dignity. That didn't stop him from taking the occasional swipe at religion, which amuzed and puzzled him until he found out more about it. Then it horrified him.

He was always an atheist, he has never believed in religious doctrine. He had, even in his younger years, a tendency to listen to something, evaluate it in a split second, and either reject it out of hand as absurd or go find out more about it if he wasn't sure. He was an atheist before I was. I was a practicing Catholic. He was studying ancient Egypt and Rome in school, and stumbled across the Council of Nicea in his reading, and he went on from there to discover a lot of other things that suggested to him that religion was "wrong", as he put it. After that, he never went to Mass, except when the Pope died, to ask me every twenty minutes to remind him again why we were going to a special Mass for a man who claimed that the hand of Our Lady of Fatima had guided an assassin's bullet so as not to kill him. He turned fifteen yesterday. He is unfailingly logical, a nice kid, but zero tolerance for ignorance. He wants to become a doctor, and I think he will. He certainly cured me of my delusional disorder.

I know that boy well, and I'll tell you what he'll say when he sees this video. "Cute kid, funny, but obviously performing for somebody." I'd be inclined to agree. What amazes me is the reactions to the video. Would the reaction be the same if this kid, who (according to the children's advocate) "has no idea what she's saying", was talking about Jesus? I don't think so, because we're used to children being indoctrinated into theism, but not so used to them being indoctrinated into atheism or antitheism. This was bound to happen. Someone was bound to do this, just to make a point, which is that a child spouting religious rhetoric is just as offensive as one spouting anti-religious rhetoric.

Answer 2

You do not know if that was staged or not. How many 8 year olds have you been around. Knowledge on any subject comes from experience. At 8 years old where does a child go to get the experience to express the thoughts she is expressing. How would or could she know what is or is not new. At eight her entire life only started in 1999 or so. She would not even be aware of what is going on around her until a few years after that as far as any in depth thought go......

So you could not tell if it were staged.....isn't that funny. It appears to be more of using a child than a child expressing her true belief.

I am not and never have been a fan of Bill O'Reilly but this video makes me have to agree with him on this one topic. This video did more to harm and damage what many atheist are trying to accomplish than anything. Rude behavior from anyone is wrong. I repeat rude behavior from anyone is wrong. Does not matter what they stand for. If you are a kid (and by that I mean under the age of 21) then get a clue and figure out what being part of a functional part of society is all about....

Answer 3

She is too young to have her own opinion. The many cuts in the clip point to her being fed the lines a few words at a time, as do the exaggerated gestures she uses. That doesn't mean she isn't making sense, but I think it's someone else's sense. I feel the same when I see those programs where five and six year old kids are quoting the Bible and singing songs of praise. It's all indoctrination and it is abuse no matter which side it comes from.

Answer 4

I don't always agree with O'Reilly but in this case I must say that I am appalled by the remarks and the behavior of the very young girl whose parents dressed her up like either a showgirl or a prostitute and seemingly whose parants had coursed or coached the young girl to rant & rave against the Christian beliefs.
I believe as the Word of God says to do,tell the world the good news,let people get curious on their own about the Lord, let them come to the Lord on their own and then step aside and allow God to guide their heart on the path that God has intended for them to follow.

Answer 5

NOOOOOOOOOOO, why? That gives such a bad impression of atheists that they do the same to their children as Christian do. That woman on O'rielly was ridiculous though - how many people have tried to remove the children of the parent from that American church that uses the children to protest outside of Gay mens Funerals (ie God Hates Fa**, God Made AIDS).

Lots of people indoctrinate their children (and get them to use big words they don't understand like communion, and intersession) but no body says its emotional abuse.

here is a definition of emotional abuse - Emotional abuse victims can become so convinced that they are worthless that they believe that no one else could want them. Their ultimate fear is being all alone, What the H*** has that to do with taping a kid reciting atheist and anti-republican views. OOH I'm mad they demonize the parents and undermine the term emotional abuse all in one go UGH - they are all as bad as each other!

Answer 6

absolutely shameful! regardless of ones religious orientation, no responsible parent should ever encourage a child to speak such words, dress in that manner, and for watching Southpark, that show is for adults, not for children. How will children who have been taught to be this way and that is good behave as adults? I will guarantee you, they will not be respectful caring people. And that is with religion aside. That child has no clue what she has been scripted to say, but she will get from that that being disrespectful, mouthy and sleazy is just peachy!

Answer 7

This is straight up child abuse, using a child in such a manner is disgusting. Expressing ones view is one thing but this goes way beyond that, I would hope that most Atheists would do better than this with their children, she's dressed like a prostitute and using a lot of foul language, she should be removed from her parents for using her in such a manner, it's obvious that it is staged but dressing her as a prostitute and having her use a gangsta style, get real, she should be removed permanently from her parents for such abuse of a child. All these Atheists that come here telling Christians that they are brainwashed better stop and take a good look in the mirror, this is a case of brainwashing and child endangerment, some freak is going to go hunting this child down because her parents are stupid enough to post a video of her on the Internet without any regard to her safety.

Answer 8

Of course this was staged!!!!

I'm sure she's the child of an atheist. But so what? I hear Christian children saying the exact opposite with just as much vigor! An eight-year-old merely repeats what they have been taught by an adult. True faith, philosophy, or non-faith comes at adulthood.

Answer 9

That's terrible! They using a child for a political propaganda!

In a point of view the kid spoke the truth: i mean religion is indeed responsible for a lot of bad things such as rapes.killings,abuses,even War and terrorism. As far as the other things she says and her utilization..it is just terrible...

Answer 10

An eight year old is way to young to understand the concept of being an Atheist.