Should Parents Raise Their Child(ren) Into a Religion?

Alex; oxytocin.:

Again, any examples? Teachers are required not to stray from the curriculum, and if they do, it's usually a bit of additional helpful knowledge, and I've never heard any cases of a teacher bare-facedly lying to their students about anything to do with what they're learning.

You say this as if the teach is always aware of the lie that slips from their mouth for what it is.

Alex; oxytocin.:

So surely it should be the parent's responsibility not to plant something as dubious as a fully-fledged belief system/worldview into it's mind?

It doesn't matter. We are the children of the world, and we listen to our elders. We may not agree, but it's expected for us to listen. What does a child know anyway? We know what our parents teach us from experience because we are still young. We think we know what we're talking about all the time (especially at the age many of us mibbians are) but we don't. That's why we have our parents to guide us in life.

Religion is nothing more than a belief. I don't feel there is anything wrong with a parent instilling a religion into their child. It is their child so they would like to teach that child what they know and learn.

ayanasioux:

You say this as if the teach is always aware of the lie that slips from their mouth for what it is.

Well you've still failed to give me any examples of what you're referring to, so I'm finding it hard to believe at the moment.

ayanasioux:

We think we know what we're talking about all the time (especially at the age many of us mibbians are) but we don't. That's why we have our parents to guide us in life.

And who's to say that our parents know what they're talking about all the time? Where's the cut-off age at which one goes from being naïve to being knowledgeable and wise? Or is it procreation that suddenly entitles someone to all this wisdom?

ayanasioux:

Religion is nothing more than a belief. I don't feel there is anything wrong with a parent instilling a religion into their child.

Religion is a hell of a lot more than a belief. Theism is a belief; if you're just saying "I believe in God", then that's all it is. Religion goes much deeper. It tells you how to live your life; tells you what to do and what not to do, it (usually) involves worship, etc.

ayanasioux:

It is their child so they would like to teach that child what they know and learn

There's a difference between someone teaching a child what they know; imparting knowledge, and, for example, having a child baptised and confirmed because of what they personally believe.

Alex; oxytocin.:

Well you've still failed to give me any examples of what you're referring to, so I'm finding it hard to believe at the moment.

Yeah, because I've been avoiding it because I already know where this will lead.

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And who's to say that our parents know what they're talking about all the time? Where's the cut-off age at which one goes from being naïve to being knowledgeable and wise? Or is it procreation that suddenly entitles someone to all this wisdom?

Of course our parents don't always know what they're talking about. But what gives the child the right to go against what the people who raise them and provide for them say? When it comes to religion, what your parents say probably wouldn't harm the child in a very malevolent way, so I still don't see the problem.

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Religion is a hell of a lot more than a belief. Theism is a belief; if you're just saying "I believe in God", then that's all it is. Religion goes much deeper. It tells you how to live your life; tells you what to do and what not to do, it (usually) involves worship, etc.

Yes, and how to live springs from a belief. How to live your life doesn't have to come from religion, it can come from morals and ethics. But when one adds religion in there, that's when there's a belief added. That's why I mainly look at a religion as a belief.

Also, in religion, what is wrong from right and how you live your life is based on what that religions god tells you. That's where the belief comes in. If you believe that your woman should dress very conservative, but someone else doesn't, that comes from a belief.

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There's a difference between someone teaching a child what they know; imparting knowledge, and, for example, having a child baptised and confirmed because of what they personally believe.

And baptizing a child will harm them? You still haven't given examples of the issues with instilling a religion into a child.

ayanasioux:

Yeah, because I've been avoiding it because I already know where this will lead.

...I don't understand.

ayanasioux:

But what gives the child the right to go against what the people who raise them and provide for them say?

Well it very much depends on what it is the parents are saying. If a parent says to a child, "you must be home by 10", then the child would be expected to obey; it's for their safety and the parents' comfort. If a parent is essentially making it so that their child is of a particular religion, even if the child doesn't understand what the religion entails, I wouldn't blame a child for thinking, "hang on a moment, why am I believing this?" That kind of thought would probably occur to them later on, probably in their early to mid-teenage years, but the point still stands.

ayanasioux:

Yes, and how to live springs from a belief.

Well, not really. Religious dogma doesn't spring out of a particular kind of theism. It coincides with the deity in question. And from whichever way you look at it, a religion is not just a belief.

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If you believe that your woman should dress very conservative, but someone else doesn't, that comes from a belief.

But that belief stems from the religious dogma that says "your woman must dress conservatively". Not the other way around.

ayanasioux:

And baptizing a child will harm them? You still haven't given examples of the issues with instilling a religion into a child.

No, but it's essentially branding them with a religion they didn't even understand the concept of. "This is now a Christian child" (paraphrasing, obviously); and yet what does the child know about Christianity, anything? Even confirmation (at least in the Church of England, from which my experiences of Christianity come) is usually encouraged at an age at which a child probably hasn't yet considered any other options besides Christianity. In my experience it tends to be encouraged at about 10 years old, and I mean, children at that age are likely still not to have questioned their beliefs.

Then there's the issue of circumcision in young Jewish children (without consent), to give another example. Medical reasons? Well, sure. Religious reasons? Slightly more trivial. If a Jewish man decides that he wants to adhere to the part of his religion that instructs circumcision, nothing against that; he's a man, he knows what he's consenting to. A little child doesn't.

I just see education about religion, with the opportunity to decide on that kind of belief whenever the child becomes inquisitive enough, as the way forward.

^ And still I don't see the harm.
Also it's a part of life. What would this world be if all of a sudden we decide to let our children make their own decisions? We don't make our own decisions to begin with. Does a child name themselves? Does a child choose what race they are? Does a child choose where they were born? Where they live? What environment they grow up in? How they live their life? No. All of these things are depended upon their parents. What would the world be like if all of a sudden we decide to let children make their own decisions? We learn from the people who come before us, and that's how it will always be. And when we're on our own, we make our own decisions.

So, I still don't see what's wrong with introducing a religion to a child. Of course they have the right to do so, they gave birth/ took ownership of that child.

ayanasioux:

Does a child name themselves? Does a child choose what race they are? Does a child choose where they were born? Where they live? What environment they grow up in? How they live their life? No. All of these things are depended upon their parents. What would the world be like if all of a sudden we decide to let children make their own decisions? We learn from the people who come before us, and that's how it will always be. And when we're on our own, we make our own decisions.

I'm not suggesting that children should make their own decisions concerning everything. I'm saying that they should, in my opinion, be given free choice concerning belief systems.

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So, I still don't see what's wrong with introducing a religion to a child. Of course they have the right to do so, they gave birth/ took ownership of that child.

Well, there's a lot of hazy terminology around; the word "introducing" is a bit ambiguous in this situation. I have no hang-ups with a parent introducing a religion to a child in the sense of saying "This is Christianity. Christians believe this, etc...". I do however have a problem with the idea of branding a child as a "Christian child" when he/she has no idea what Christianity even entails, just because it's the religion of the parents.

^ But that's not the definition of instilling.
And what if a child believes later on in their life that it's okay to kill people? Or drink alcohol at the age of ten? Why would someone leave a young child to decide what to believe and what is wrong or right?

ayanasioux:

^ But that's not the definition of instilling.

I'm beginning to regret the term "instil" in the title of the thread seeing as it's causing so much ambiguity.

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And what if a child believes later on in their life that it's okay to kill people? Or drink alcohol at the age of ten? Why would someone leave a young child to decide what to believe and what is wrong or right?

Again, these examples aren't comparable to my point. Morals are up to the parent to teach, so of course a child should be taught that killing is wrong. (Drinking alcohol at a certain age becomes subjective, when you consider amounts and supervision, etc. but we're getting off the point on that.) Belief systems, in my opinion, are not something that should be drilled into children. Yes, parents should teach children what's right and what's wrong. That's practically a given. But religion is a different kettle of fish, so to speak.

Alex; oxytocin.:

Well, there's a lot of hazy terminology around; the word "introducing" is a bit ambiguous in this situation. I have no hang-ups with a parent introducing a religion to a child in the sense of saying "This is Christianity. Christians believe this, etc...". I do however have a problem with the idea of branding a child as a "Christian child" when he/she has no idea what Christianity even entails, just because it's the religion of the parents.

I understood what Christianity entailed when I was a child, just saying. :)

Alex; oxytocin.:

I'm beginning to regret the term "instil" in the title of the thread seeing as it's causing so much ambiguity.

Well hey, the title changes everything you're saying. If your opening with instill, then instill is what I'm gong to argue on.

the mice endure:

I understood what Christianity entailed when I was a child, just saying. :)

How old were you when you were baptised/christened?

I'm not denying that children will eventually understand the religion they're being brought up in; I just don't find it quite right that a child is landed with a religion before they really do understand it, and I think the best alternative would be to educate a child about the main religions (maybe even others too) and then once they actually know about them, they're free to choose what religious beliefs suit them, if any.

ayanasioux:

Well hey, the title changes everything you're saying. If your opening with instill, then instill is what I'm gong to argue on.

You don't have to be snarky about it.

I'll change the title to avoid further confusion.

^ Even that doesn't change my stand point on it. I think all that what I've said still applies. We're raised into almost everything we do by our parents, why not religion?

Because religion is so much different to the other things. And it involves a great deal of subjective personal views. For me, religious beliefs are something that should be thought about by oneself. Just like political views and other things that involve personal subjectivity. For example, a parent drilling their political views (drilling is a strong word but you get the idea) into their kids would be frowned upon.

^ And as I said before, how would a child know how to think for themselves at a very young age? We should let them think for themselves when they're old enough to comprehend certain morals/ views of life and things of that nature. Not at a young age. That is why I don't have a problem with parents raising their child into a religion.

I think raising a child with religion is very different than shoving it down their throats. I plan to have my children go to Sunday School and Bible school, but if they want to stop going or ask questions or say it isn't for them, that's fine. And if they think it is for them, that's fine, too. But I certainly wouldn't say it's wrong to expose my children to my faith.

^ I agree. Also because, if you don't expose them to your faith when it's such a huge part of your life, I imagine that could bring up mixed feelings/questions for them. I attend mass/service every Sunday and I work within my church a lot. If I don't raise my son within that to some extent then I can imagine he could get confused and possibly feel left out when he's little. Especially because I'm a single-parent so it's not like he's staying at home with my other half or anything.

It just seems like it'd be a double-standard to have my Christianity and the church be such a big and good part of my life and in the same breath, leave my son out of it.

ayanasioux:

^ And as I said before, how would a child know how to think for themselves at a very young age?

Well if they're at a very young age, i.e. not old enough to think for themselves, why is telling them what to believe the only other option?

@Alex I was Christened at 3 years old [some call that a dedication where the parents promise before God to bring their child up within the Christian faith but also to guide them in making their own decisions]. And the thing is I now want to be water baptised. [I'm 26]. So, it's taken me 23 years to get to this point, but as a child I understood as a child does. But, I don't think that's wrong.

I have had plenty of time growing up to be completely disillusioned by Christianity. And I did become disillusioned with the Church as an institution while I was in my first year of university, as an 18 year old. I studied science/biology/evolution and many would suggest that would turn me away from my beliefs, but it has affirmed my faith.

Alex; oxytocin.:

Well if they're at a very young age, i.e. not old enough to think for themselves, why is telling them what to believe the only other option?

Because you're the parent, it's your responsibility to set up the bases of your child's train of thought. We aren't born into this world knowing about it, that's why we need a hand to lead us through our ways. Raising a child into a religion is almost harmless. All that's being done is introducing your child into a belief system that you believe in also. If the child doesn't believe the same later on in their life, then that's fine. But raising them into it isn't a problem.

I think that parents should raise their children however they see fit. That's the purpose of raising children in the first place, for the parents to educate their children about the world around them. When that happens of course there's going to be bias towards one idea over another, whether that bias lie within religion or not.

However.

Brainwashing techniques aside, if the child really disagrees with that religion, and would rather place their faith elsewhere, or nowhere, the parents shouldn't force that religion down their throats. They should have the right to choose what they believe in, but the foundation laid in by the parents should remain. Without that, things such as traditions, as well as just understanding society would fall apart.

It won't kill someone to be religious. Really. You can always step out, if things don't feel right, whether they be in your childhood or as an adult.