Why is brainwashing children an acceptable practice in modern society? (Page 2) TheismIsUntenable: "I think you're just being a contrarian now. Niggling on irrelevant things is what one does when lost in the forest, missing any points that were made. By the way, speak for yourself - I rose above my genetic code. I'm the light that radiates from the temple." The points were false. I'm not being contrarian, I'm genuinely concerned that you have no awareness of the intelligence of non-human animals. Chimps have far greater memory than humans. Ravens/Parrots have intelligence that at minimum surpasses children. Dolphins are often found saving the lives of other species as well as our own. You used synonyms in a way that made no sense, and instead of clarifying what you actually meant you instead say "I'm missing points". Well yeah, because your communication skills are quite poor. "I rose above my genetic code" - what does this even mean? No description, no evidence, just a bald assertion as if I'm to take this as prima facie true. If you don't have any evidence, don't make claims you cannot support. And certainly don't get mad at me for your inability to communicate effectively. Zanjan: "I rose above my genetic code" - what does this even mean?" As my momma used to say, 'if you don't know, I'm not going to tell you' - it was a catch phrase applied to a thing called "an unwritten understanding". She was pretty big on encouraging critical thinking. Another one was "your brain is a muscle - use it or lose it". Surely you must understand that I don't feel it's a good thing to do your thinking for you. (Edited by Zanjan) TheismIsUntenable: It's a shame you don't realize how embarrassed you should be after making such an idiotic remark. You're the one trying to communicate with me. You made a comment that is really nebulous, so I offered you an opportunity to clarify. Instead of offering clarity you pretended it was my fault. You are woefully incompetent at even basic communication skills and you're clearly mentally still a very immature person. shadowline: The right to impart one's beliefs to one's children is essential to freedom of religion, which is a foundational principle of democracy. The right to believe means the right to practice and the right to teach. That is why children are instructed in religion from an early age. Whether or not that seems like brainwashing to someone hostile to it isn't really the point. It is a right in a rights based society. TheismIsUntenable: @shadowline This is not really about rights. It is a metaethical consideration of ought we do it. Nowhere in my OP did I mention legality. There is no issue legally with starting a Nazi cult in the USA for example but the broader society would find this group to be objectionable. What I am asking is why certain practices, such as brainwashing children into your cult of choice is not treated with the same amount of disdain. TheismIsUntenable: Brainwash is not education. There's no issue with learning about religions. There is an issue with indoctrinating people into a religion through coercive means. Zanjan: You can't make someone believe. You can influence them but only for a very short time. Children trust their parents and most adults to know what they're doing - if that goes badly, the children will change things soon as they come of age. See how far you get, trying to make a teenager do your will - if you're treating them wrong, they'll just run away from home. At no point does any child's education become a lifelong blight on their lives. TheismIsUntenable: I guess you've never spoken with a single person who has overcome their brainwashing. Every single one has told me that it was incredibly difficult to overcome their brainwashing because it tainted every facet of their lives, their entire world was a bubble. Their parents believed, their peers believed, their teachers believed. Zanjan: Everyone is allowed to make as many mistakes as they want; but, no matter how hard they try, they can't get away with passing the buck. TheismIsUntenable: Because kid's brains are fully developed and as capable as adult brains. You are proving to be quite dim. Zanjan: I'm sure you know the medical science - kid's brains continue to develop until they're in their early 20s. However, they reach puberty between 12 and 16 years of age - nature speaks, saying the youth doesn't have the experience to guide the next generation until then. This is why the age of discretion (freedom of choice) is placed at 15 years old. To us, that's a child but to our forebearers, that was an adult. Nature speaks at another age, saying when it's time to quit bearing offspring. Apparently, our genes have determined that we're not smart enough to know when. Common sense is a power of the mind, not the brain. It's not inherited. This is why one isn't eligible to vote until age 21 ( 18 in some counties). Wisdom isn't a matter of experience or ability but one of maturity. Mankind has always known children need spiritual development, learning through training and education; otherwise, they'll do exactly as they please and grow up with authority issues. The jails are full of unbelievers and, some of those inmates are children and adolescents. (Edited by Zanjan) TheismIsUntenable: "The jails are full of unbelievers and, some of those inmates are children and adolescents." No...no they are not. Atheists are one of the least incarcerated groups. "Overall, almost 1 in every 1,000 prisoners will identify as atheist compared to 1 in every 100 Americans." https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/are-prisoners-less-likely-to-be-atheists/ Zanjan: Heheh, you've never been a street guy. The avowed atheists are either newbies or will never be eligible for parole. Many go into prison as atheists but soon become born again Christians - that gets them early parole. It doesn't mean they're cured. The system can be manipulated and that's the one thing criminals know how to do well. Their lifestyle back into society tells the truth. Check out how many return to prison. (Edited by Zanjan) Zanjan: Well, Canada is very different - 15.4% have no religious affiliation, and 13 % are unknown. Of the religious, 47% are Christian but only 7% are Muslim. https://www.statista.com/statistics/562631/distribution-of-adult-population-in-federal-correctional-services-canada-by-religion/ Maybe change your search terms. The same site has differnt results for the USA https://www.statista.com/statistics/234653/religious-affiliation-of-us-prisoners/ The USA is a gun-totin' country. I'm not sure about this stat but it's reported the USA has 5% of the world's population but 25% of the world's prisoners. That doesn't really bother me as much as this painful actual factoid: " Overall, people of color account for 37 percent of the U.S. population but 67 percent of the prison population." https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2020/07/17/religious-ideals-shaped-broken-us-prison-system-can-they-also-fix-it (Edited by Zanjan) | Religion Chat Room 20 People Chatting Similar Conversations |