I was watching the Bill Oreilly show and he was talking about this video of a little girl who was basically spewing liberal stuff like religion is the cause of all war and that republicans cause poverty and so on and so forth. He claimed that this was child abuse. I agreed because I think brainwashing is child abuse no matter what your brainwashing the child into believing. But notice that Bill Oreilly has never said anything about the Evangelical Movement. These parents basically send there kids to these bible camps to be brainwashed into believing in god and agreeing with conservative views. How is this not child abuse???? Why is it ok to brainwash children into believing conservative views but not liberal views???
2007-05-02 09:00:15 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It IS child abuse.
2007-05-02 09:03:01 · answer #1 · answered by Atheist Eye Candy 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Was the child harmed? Were there bruises visible for more than 24 hours?
There is a difference in manipilation and child abuse. If manipulation was child abuse, I'd have my husband's ex-wife in jail on numerous counts.
Parents teach by numerous methods what they want the child to believe--aka freedom of religion, freedom of speech. Just because you don't agree with what the child spewed doesn't make it child abuse. There are probably an equal number of Americans that agree with her as disagree with her.
2007-05-02 09:06:07 · answer #2 · answered by Carol D 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Probably because O'Reilly is Conservative and according to many of them, it's only wrong when the "other side" is doing it. It's not wrong when their side does it because they do not see it as Brainwashing... they see it as Teaching. It's the same old double standard both sides use to try to convince the rest of us that the other side is wrong. Personally, I think all forms of extremism is wrong and this hypocritical double standard falls right in that category.
2007-05-02 09:22:16 · answer #3 · answered by Kithy 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Children will ape whatever the parent says. A child knows nothing of religion or politics, they are innocents.
It doesn't matter which way it goes, leave the dang kids out of it and let them be kids!
2007-05-02 09:06:09 · answer #4 · answered by arewethereyet 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Very good! You raise an excellent point. Bill O'Reilly is guilty of the good ol' double standard: "When I do it, it's education. When you do it, it's brainwashing."
That said, I believe that parents have a right, within reason, to raise their children to believe certain things, be they liberal or conservative, traditional or radical. This is what I think the attitude should be:
"I want my child to believe as I believe. Therefore, I will teach him/her my beliefs, and I will explain to the best of my ability the reason why I believe these things. I will also model, to the best of my ability, appropriate behavior which brings those beliefs to life. However, I recognize that my child also has the right to question those beliefs when he/she is young, to be skeptical about my beliefs as he grows older, and to reject those beliefs as an adult. I will love my child and relate to him/her to the best of my ability whether he agrees with my beliefs or not.
"I have the right as a parent to force my children to attend institutions that teach those beliefs, as long as my child is a minor. However, no amount of force can make my child truly accept those beliefs in his/her heart. I also need to determine to what degree forcing my beliefs upon my child is harmful to her/him.
"I also must teach my child to have reasonable respect for those who disagree with my beliefs, to the extent that those other beliefs don't infringe upon the rights of other human beings. (And does the practice of my beliefs infringe upon others' rights?) I myself must also respect those who believe differently from me. This does not mean that I must believe as they believe."
2007-05-02 09:16:12 · answer #5 · answered by MNL_1221 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You have an excellent point. Cramming fairy tales as fact into a kids head is child abuse, but we all went through it, and survived. Many continue the fairy tale all the way to the grave.
2007-05-02 09:14:55 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
You... watch Bill Oreilly and believe what you see?
Hmmm, tell me, do you want to buy a bridge? I have a nice one in Brooklyn to sell you, cheap!
2007-05-02 09:07:38 · answer #7 · answered by Yoda Green 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It goes both ways.
I don't think it's child abuse to raise your child to believe something. Part of becoming an adult is learning to think on their own, and they will get to that part.
2007-05-02 09:06:14 · answer #8 · answered by Cass M 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
i'm liberal and religious so i guess i'm brainwashed...i beleive in gay rights and i'm pro-choice but i guess you would never say that those groups brainwashed me huh? it is brainwashing for the simple fact that it opposes your views. simple as that.
2007-05-02 09:29:11 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Depends on the agenda huh
2007-05-02 09:03:30 · answer #10 · answered by Snooter McPrickles 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Religion is child abuse.
2007-05-02 09:31:52 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋