What is the truth of "brainwashing" in children?

Question

I hate having to say something that will be incredibly controversial and provide a lot of arguments, but it needs to be said.

1.) Did you ever consider that the reason that parents teach religion to their children is because they love them? When you love someone, you want to do whatever you can to help them, and that includes teaching religion because the parents truly believe that it will help their children. When you say that children are brainwashed, you're saying that love is brainwashing.

2.) Atheists have more of an opportunity to "brainwash" children than religion. With the exception of private schools, atheists get to teach children for seven hours a day, five days a week, nine months a year. Since they have plenty of protection to keep religion out, they can teach whatever they want. At home, children don't always have to listen and have other priorities, so parents aren't guaranteed to have time to teach their children. In school, children are forced to listen.

3.) There is always an agenda in schools that is taught for children. For exapmle, in history class in early years, children are taught to look at the United States always as the good guys, and generally anything that can compromise that view is left out for several years. When it comes to evolution, it is presented as complete fact and taught not to be questioned. All that is taught is what is "true" about evolution, and anything that can compromise it is left out, when there are plenty of facts that aren't presented. You don't have to say anything about religion to present some of the issues in evolution (such as inaccuracy of carbon dating, gaps in the fossil record, issues about where the first life came from, etc.). Why not present issues like these as well to fully educate children if all you're looking to do is teach truth?

The simple truth is that brainwashing in children is more common in public school than in religion. Schools get forced time to teach children about whatever they want, and they have an agenda of things to teach children. Maybe similar things happen with parents at home, but they do it out of genuine concern for their children.

I expect plenty of people posting responses now that either completely denounce religion or just claim that Christians are brainwashed and nothing else. If you want to make a real point, please think it out and actually take the time to make a real response.

I didn't make the assumption that all public school teachers are atheists, but I see how it can be taken that way. However, what happens is that school is a place to remove religion, and is a place where the agenda of atheists can be pushed through because of that.

Answer 1

I see what you're saying, but it also depends on which state a person lives in, and which country. Some countries and states are more religious than others.

When I lived in South Carolina, nearly ALL of my teachers were Christians. So were most of the students. We had a Bible class, and we were also taught fun religious songs. Yes, this was in a public school. We were also, however, taught about science and evolution. My science textbook in third grade actually had a mixture of religion (God created the heavens and the Earth) and provable science (dinosaurs, some aspects of evolution). This was twenty years ago.

At the school I attended in California, it was the exact opposite. Hardly ANY of my teachers were Christians; most were atheists, and one was Hindu (incidentally, the best teacher was the Hindu). We learned NOTHING about the Bible, and most students were completely ignorant of it.

It was the same when I lived in Washington State, which is where I finished out school. I had ONE Christian teacher in high school, in all four years. (He was the best teacher I had, followed closely by the atheist who taught British literature. They were both AWESOME.) Coincidentally (or maybe not), it was after living in Washington for two years that I completely became an atheist, though I had had trouble believing in it my whole life.

People insist that it's ONLY Christians who "brainwash" their children. That's not true. ALL parents, whether atheist, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, agnostic or Christian; Democrat or Republican; conservative, moderate or liberal; influence their children. That's just the way it is. Some children become different from their parents later in life; others do not. It has little to do with "brainwashing" in reality. It's simply influence.

And you are right about one thing in particular: In most states in the U.S., atheists have a monopoly on teaching, especially in subjects like math and science. This is an undeniable, verifiable FACT. It may not be true in the "Bible belt," but it is true throughout the rest of the U.S.

But it's not "brainwashing." It's merely influence.

Answer 2

Are we talking so-called Biblical 'truth' or so-called factual 'truth'? Either way it is often an unfortunate and unhelpful word to use in any situation, despite being deep-seated in our vocabularies. Until they are given / learn a 'meaning' to the word truth, children are not really concerned with it. Their way of perceiving the world is as pure a system as there is... There are two functions to the acquisition of knowledge and children employ both of these: Empiricism: knowledge obtained through experience Rationalism: knowledge acquired through the use of reason Empiricism comes first, followed then by Rationalism - based initially on the understanding of cause and consequence found through experience. If we must address the question 'what is truth'? We should remember that no one has yet answered this question! There is an area of philosophical thought called Epistemology, which studies the foundation and nature of knowledge. There are many interesting reference sites to this area to be found on the web. However, I would suggest that the main difficulty with defining the nature of truth, is that all to often we remove ourselves from the equation. Where in reality truth is defined by personal interpretation, and as such it is used as a datum from which we as individuals rationalise. This is best summarised by the 'court room witnesses' scenario where five people witness the same event, all are happy to swear on oath that they are telling the truth, and all give differing accounts due to their interpretation of events. This is a common proble with teh reliability of witnesses, but makes the point well. I would suggest to try avoid using the word truth if at all possible and encourage your child to reason, rationalise and think for themselves. Use words such as fact and possibility (make sure that they are established facts first! - no point in giving bad knowledge to good kids. It's not whether your conclusion is true or not but how and why you came to that conclusion.

Answer 3

Correct, correct, and correct. The secular humanist school system has succeeded in brainwashing our children.
Discovery Channel, National Geographic, museums of 'natural history'.
Our children are being fed this stuff from the cradle. The gross corruption of true science; evolution, is crammed into our children's heads from the moment they can watch TV.
Why does a 4 year old child need to know about sex, let alone being read a book in kindergarten titled 'Billy has two Mommies'? Then, when they are older, say about 8, they are taught about 'safe sex', and how to properly use condoms and contraceptives.
Why don't they teach that dirty word: A B S T I N A N C E in the schools?
another dirty word: V I R G I N.
And we wonder why rape, drugs, murder, and assault are rampant in the schools today.
Why did this happen? The secular humanist crowd got exactly what they asked for. They tried to socially engineer a generation, and it back-fired on them. We have generations of kids who have had no moral compass. After all, we are just highly evolved animals, and that is all. You cannot teach any kind of morality in school unless it is secular humanist morality, which is actually a moral vacuum.
People are home-schooling and putting their kids in private schools in record numbers today, why? Because they would like their child to live until he/she reaches 18, not have an abortion without their knowledge, or not get an STD, or full blown AIDS before they are 18. It is estimated that 40% of kids in school today will have an STD before graduating high school.
That is pathetic.
Does anyone wonder what this will do to future generations? Abortions increase the probability of a miscarraige when a woman does decide to have a child. Many children will be born with all manner of physical problems, because of their parents STDs. This could affect the whole future generations.
Well, they got what they asked for. In the 'old fashioned' days, back in the 50s, we had teachers complaining about kids chewing gum in class, talking out of turn, and cutting the line as main problems in school.
What is it now? Metal detectors and bullet-proof vests for teachers. When I was in high school, in order to be at school on time during deer season, you brought your gun to school with you. You either kept it in your truck in the school parking lot, or if you had prior written permission, you took it to the principle's office, where it was locked up until after school. Nobody thought twice about it, and alas, no one EVER got shot on purpose, or accidentally.
Those days are gone forever.

Answer 4

Alright, I'll bite.
I was born and raised catholic, went to a catholic school until 6th grade, then went on to junior high at a public school. All up til then I NEVER questioned god or jesus or mary. At public school, I learned science, which I needed for myself to make the decision that the whole bible and all my life teachings, were crap.
You have heard of the whole seperation between of church and state, right.
I love that I had the chance to be catholic and live the life, But I grew out of it fairly quickly and am still searching for a religion that explains the truth. Since I have found NONE, I claim to be an atheist, by my choice
I would NEVEr question my sons' teachers beliefs, since they are in a public school and IT's NONE OF MY BUSINESS. As long as they don't teach it. I can teach my kids whatever, whenever. They are more well behaved than any kids I know, including the religious ones.
My boys can ask us anything and get an honest answer, whether about god or buddah, or any other religious icon out there. They have a brain and I want them to figure out what THEY want for themselves. If Derrick wants to be a Catholic, then he can and I will support him all the way. And if Nathan wants to be a Lutheran, I'll be there for him too.
They both have religious names, Derrick Christian and Nathan Gabriel.
Bible thumping christians DO brainwash their kids. I was born into it, but I want my children to have an openminded choice when they are older. They have their own minds to make up and that's the way that I want it. for them and for me.

Answer 5

Since there are so many different religions (and even many differerent varieties of Christianity itself), I would prefer that the public schools leave any sort of religious instruction to the parents. I have heard other people say that the absence of religion is a religion in itself, or that 'secular humanism' is a religion. I do not agree.
If parents wish their children to have a specific sort of religious instruction, they may send them to a private school or teach them at home.

Answer 6

Thin line between teaching and brainwashing - all the atheist and christian can do is teach (brainwash.. whatever) the version of 'morals' that they have at the time. The churches morals shift with the times just like non-believers - (homosexuality, women priests, divorce) simply defining your version of truth as 'love' is a cop-out giving you carte blanch to define others truths as "not love" evil or bad.

Answer 7

Schoolteachers are atheists?

Sorry but you live in a fantasy world. You people are the majority of the country, you are the presidents, the governors, the mayors, the teachers..

Yet somehow you feel victimized by the small percentage of atheists, who have no power.

Edit: If there is an atheist agenda how come I haven't been invited? I get no newsletter, no secret meetings :( I feel hurt. If some of my fellow atheists have a plan to take over the world, I want in on it!

Answer 8

Amen
You have seen the truth a little bit.. and the fact is, most (I said most) school teachers don't believe in any supreme being (aka atheist) I heard many many people (including other atheist) say that on here plenty of times.

As a christian, I've never ruled out scientific studies and theories (unless it contradicted the bible) for the fact is we don;t know what God does and for all I know God tells me Nothing is impossible.. As I know we never evolved from any other kind of species or other animals, I do know that we probably have "evovled" naturally as humans over a span of thousands of years.

God lets us know not to lead our children astray. Christians are known (by many atheist) as being narrow minded and just plain dumb for not "seeking the truth" or "ruling out every possibility besides God", but just as much as they say we are narrow minded for believing in God I believe they are just as blinded in not believing in him and ruling him out.

God Bless You

Answer 9

All religions brainwash their kids.. Some even pay for college tuition so the kid will be endebted to whatever religion for the rest of their lives.

Answer 10

I guess I see what you mean...at least atheists do not organize under some banner of "love", "peace", "Tolerance" and such while slaughtering the opposition.