Cynical evangelisation of children

[cleanhippie]

All parents are concerned when they send their children out into the world. We all hope that our schools, and other places our children go, are going to be safe. We are rightfully shocked when we find adults entrusted with the care of children have actually been preying on them.

Sexual predators get the headlines. But children can also be subject to unhealthy interest of adults who interests are more political or ideological than sexual. I am beginning to think we should look at the way religious instruction operates in our public schools as an example of this unhealthy interest.

--snip--

The document is “Evangelisation of Children.” Prepared several years ago, it’s seen as part of a general plan of world evangelisation. I’ll present some extracts from the document and compare them with what is actually happening here.

We are all aware of the importance dogmatic religions place on the early indoctrination of their own children. But this document describes the same approach to your children.

“Children represent arguably the largest unreached people group and the most receptive people group in the world. “

“Children are more open and receptive to the gospel than at any other time in their lives.”

„ “Between the ages 5 and 12, lifelong habits, values, beliefs and attitudes are formed. Whatever beliefs a person embraces when he is young are unlikely to change as the individual ages.”

„ “If a person does not embrace Jesus Christ as Saviour before they reach their teenage years, they most likely never will.”

“The data show that churches can have a very significant impact on the worldview of people, but they must start with an intentional process introduced to people at a very young age. Waiting until someone is in their teens or young adult years misses the window of opportunity.”

“Unevangelised children generally become adults who see no relevance of Christian faith to real life, make no contact with a church, who live and die without knowing that Jesus offers eternal life. Ineffectively-evangelised children in our churches become ‘well-intentioned, inadequately nurtured, minimally equipped secular people who dabble in religious thought and activity.”

The organisations currently operating religious instruction classes in public schools all seem to express the same belief in the importance of reaching young children.

http://www.secularnewsdaily.com/2012/08/cynical-evangelisation-of-children/

Much more on this document at link...

[msongs]

1. without santa clause christianity would wither away and die nt

[Dawson Leery]

2. Evangelicals are one of the worst groups of people to ever have existed.

[cleanhippie]

3. I disagree. Strongly.

To me, the worst kind are those that enable people evangelicals by ignoring and/or dismissing the same criticism they get about their irrational beliefs. If it weren't for them, evangelicals may have gone the way of the dodo some time ago.

[longship]

4. Dawkins calls it child abuse.

I am inclined to agree with him.

Daniel Dennett, has a practical solution to this problem, and it is his sole policy recommendation in his wonderful book, Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon, which I am increasingly seeing as the source for ideas for some solutions to many questions of this nature.

Dennett recommends an addition to the K-12 curriculum, a course sequence on world religions. It would be an all inclusive course with absolutely no proselytizing allowed. Just the facts (ma'am) and especially the history which would neatly dovetail into history and literature curriculums, something devoutly (so to speak) to be desired.

I rather think this is a wonderful idea. Unfortunately, the religious would get their mealy fingers into the pie and start turning it into a war of who can proselytize better.

In today's USA, nothing but Christianity would be offered in many states, undoubtedly beginning with Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas -- more commonly known as Jesusland.

But Dennett has a good idea, if it could be pulled off. If everybody knew the difference between a Sikh and a Moslem, maybe needless murder wouldn't happen. If they knew how the vast number of Moslems worship and think, maybe they wouldn't demonize them either.

One can only hope.

[cleanhippie]

5. I do too. Dawkins advocates (as I do) religious education, not religious indoctrination.

There is a wide, wide gulf, and a world of difference between the two. Unfortunately, many, including some here, fail to see the difference.

[RobertEarl]

10. Religious education in public schools?

Good idea.

And if we ever get around to doing that let us make sure we teach them both sides of war. The present day education that 'war is good' needs to end.

And environmental education. And etc.....

The list is never ending when you actually consider all the one-sided crap that is taught.

At least the tenets of Christianity taught are better for society than most of the crap taught.

[rug]

6. Adults, including nonbelievers, always inculcate their beliefs or nonbeliefs on their children.

Including Camp Quest:

Our Mission

Camp Quest provides an educational adventure shaped by fun, friends and freethought, featuring science, natural wonder and humanist values.

http://www.campquest.org/mission

It's a very personal and responsile part of parenting.

But this is a cynical attempt by an organization to target children as ideological consumers.

[MineralMan]

7. Like most general statements, yours is incorrect.

Not all adults do what you suggest, by any means.

My parents are examples of that. I did not know until I was in my late teens that they were both atheists. They went out of their way to expose their three children to the beliefs of the dominant religion of this country. We were unceremoniously sent to Sunday School at a nearby Presbyterian church as children. Religion was otherwise not discussed at all. All three of us continued our church activities through high school, and our parents would show up if we were in some program at the church, just as they did for our school programs.

When I began having difficulties believing in the concept of supernatural entities in my late teens, I finally learned that my parents were atheists, and we discussed that at that time. My brother and sister are nominal Christians, but aren't active in organized religion.

My parents told me that they encouraged us to learn about the dominant religion so as not to unduly influence us. They had discussed it, and decided that we would be capable of making our own decisions at some point without their influence. It worked just fine.

Some parents do foist their beliefs off on their children. Not all, however, do that.

[rug]

8. Like most personal anecdotes, yours is not illustrative.

I'm going to discuss neither you nor your parents but inculcation does not raise spctres of North Korea.

Parents teach their children in myriad spoken and unspoken ways and children learn in myriad overt and latent ways.

It does raise an additional point however. What is wrong with passing on your own values to your children, provided it remains an open discussion?

[Odin2005]

9. Indonctrinating religion into kids is child abuse.