Could we make our children believe anything?

Question

Do you think we, as a society, could convince the next generation of anything no matter how ridiculous it was?

Answer 1

Think of your own life which is comparable to anyone else's from the point of view of influence. From birth through infancy and early childhood, one's parents, naturally, are most crucial in one's formative concepts of self, belief, and the world in general, but, as one matures, attends school, and develops friends with differing ideas and philosophies, as well as acquires personal views which are unrelated to those espoused by one's parents, a person alters, becomes less pliable, less inclined blindly to accept creeds, religions, or concepts simply based upon parental premises, or even those of unrelated adults. That divergence is desirable as we would not, if we are sincere in caring for our progeny's welfare, wish to raise a generation of human robots, unable to think for themselves; such conditioning would certainly assure the imminent extinction of our species! Having said that, I would imagine that, in a totalitarian society where there is no freedom, where all literature and textbooks are banned or censored, where children are subjected to adults who terrorize them philosophically, who are taught only one set of strict beliefs and are denied access to any opposing information, then, of course, the generation so controlled psychologically would undoubtedly be mentally crippled to the extent that they would lack the capability for introspection and the courage to question authority or dogma. Again, that society would have achieved the production of robotic adults...

Answer 2

The current fervent belief in ridiculous religious dogma is evidence that a certain percentage of the population can be made to believe ANYTHING. There is no reason to believe that such will not continue into future generations. Sometimes the more fantastical it is the more it is believed.

Answer 3

We always have done. Look at the diversity of beliefs and Gods in every corner of the world over the past 20 to 30 centuries. So, "yes" - and the past is the evidence for the hypothetical.

Answer 4

If everyone agreed to keep their stories straight, yes--for a time. But eventually some inquisitive young soul would discover the truth.

See M. Night Shyamalan's film _The Village_.

"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." ~ Abraham Lincoln

Answer 5

Yes. This is why evangelicals like to push their beliefs on them so they can grow up and do the same thing.

Answer 6

Yes. Just look at what people have been believing for 2007 years

Answer 7

Children are being fed propaganda in schools every day. Time will tell..

Answer 8

We do a pretty good job with Santa.

Answer 9

yes

Answer 10

That's why there's still religion.