Brainwashing: Children and Religion 6 May 2007
Posted by Todd in Christianity, Democratic Theory, Documentary Film, Teaching.trackback
After watching the documentary Jesus Camp this afternoon, I was thinking about my strong emotional reaction to what I saw. Given what I’d read about the film and friends’ reactions, I had expected to be offended and disgusted. And indeed, I was actually embarassed by the weirdness of some of these people (the older woman with the cutout of Pres. Bush speaking in tongues was beyond freakish). But mostly I felt violated.
There’s a scene early in the movie with a young girl, around 7 or 8 years old, who is bowling with friends and family. As she tries to hit the pins, she prays to god to make it a good strike, and she “commands” the ball to do her will. Seeing this twisted my stomach in nots. I have vivid memories of believing that I had that kind of power, because I had faith.
The teachers used likely techniques to indoctrinate the children and to get them to believe: emotional activities designed to excite feelings, music and dancing, object lessons, rhythmic chanting, telling the kids that they are chosen and important, encouraging the children to profess their faith (not to mention to speak in tongues and heal), showing the kids models (inaccurate ones) of fetuses. But mostly it was the content of the teachings that disturbed me–a blatant manipulation of the emotions of a child.
Richard Dawkins has taken a lot of heat over the past year about the claim in his book The God Delusion that indoctrinating children into religion is a form of child abuse. It is hard to watch these kids talk about Americans as sinners who need chastening, or about how they are sinful for wanting to watch Harry Potter, just because it’s so silly. Or even more, the little bowling girl goes up to evangelize a woman at the bowling lanes, it’s painful to see the brainwashing in practice. But taken as a whole, the kids taling about why evolution is evil, and global warming isn’t true, and how they have to redeem america from Satan…it’s hard not to see this is child abuse.
I suppose it is my own discomfort with my own childhood, and the degree to which I had believed what I was taught. I realize mormonism is a different kind of religion from Evangelicalism, but many of the processes were the same. I have to wonder if my long, difficult journey to reshape my own world view and perspective would have taken so long had I not been indoctrinated in the way I was.
For me, the film raises again the question that may very well be at the center of democratic freedom: what rights do children have? Do they have the right to be raised free from their parents’ superstition? Is the kind of emotional, pyschological, and intellectual damage inflicted on children not a form of abuse? I believe that these parents are sincere in their beliefs and they truly want what is best for their kids. But is sincerity enough to justify what religion does to children?
I agree 100% with Dawkins that the religious indoctrination of children is a form of psychological abuse. Where I run into problems is when I try to imagine how public policy should change to reflect this. It just seems very problematic on a practical level.
Man, it would be awesome if we could figure out a way of outlawing all forms of well-meaning or inadvertant parental psych-abuse. As kids, we’re little meme vacuums and though religion is a particularly sticky and systematic way of transferring parental and community values, the religious certainly have no corner on the market for transferring ideas that screw up children. It’s not for nothing that the first words you hear when reclining on your shrink’s couch are, “tell me about your relationship with your mother/father.” That’s what parents do–they screw up their kids.
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Apr 2nd, 2007 by pharaohscenotaph
The fact that the majority of the world’s populace haven’t a clue: as to what the human significance, is all about: is rather, disturbing…
Innumerous, organizations: of religions, traditions, and superstitions – aren’t helping, either… Many of whom, serve, only to facilitate the catalytic perils, of the blind leading the blind. However, man – have, marginally, survived his errors, notwithstanding… So far.
Owing, of course, a measure of gratitude: and, perehaps, a rite of passage: in honor, of the philosophical minds that are responsible, for the revelation: of the vortex, of spirituality. The perceived, hypothesis, of God.
Unfortunately, the negative, nuances; injected, through – corrupted, factions: promoting personal, agendas – spawned, a web of parasites…
From, voodoo, to lucky charms: predators, of the human psyche – “brainwashing, by default.”
The most lethal, of all the predatory tools – masked in the guise (appearance), of religion; is, friendship: an ill-promised, companion.
Trust your ‘gut instincts’… You do not want to play ‘host’ to a ‘ghost,’ if it ain’t holy. Otherwise, you’re looking at the candidacy, for exorcism…
Safe journey
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I don’t know if you can single out religion, I think parents indoctrinate their kids about *everything* — from bigotry to vegetarianism to things as trivial as the 9-year-old I heard explaining wisely that there’s nothing for kids to do in Vegas unless they want to sit on the sidewalk and watch panhandlers (a complete untruth obviously told him by an adult who wouldn’t take him to Vegas!).
It’s a fundamental part of parenting to teach your child what you believe to be true — all we can do is press for school curricula that encourage kids to think critically, giving them the tools to sort the wheat from the chaff of their parents’ beliefs.
Many people don’t realize the consequences of teaching children facts, then throwing in that they must accept the idea of god/s also as fact. From a very young age, reasoning abilities are damaged. Because it happens so young (for most), it is very hard to undo. It takes a lot of faulty reasoning to accept the bizarre and barbaric, and view it as loving and right. If a mother is seen favoring one child over the other, it is considered abhorrent. But when a god favors one group of people over the other (and also tells the favorites to kill off the others who don’t satisfy the god’s need for obedience[slavery], including children and animals(wtf), it’s okay. Brainwashing isn’t just a weird cult thing – mainstream religion uses repetition of its rules and family like acceptance for positive reinforcement as well. When everyone around you is doing it, especially family, it is bound to take. If you question things to the furthest extent, you’ll get the throw-up-your-hands answer similar to ‘we can’t understand the grand design, the master plan, with our feeble brains’
Ask yourself this every day without fear, without the taught (pre-programmed) responses: Why would a perfect, omnipotent, loving god create imperfect beings, only to punish them for it? If you do it without the taught fear, things get uncomfortable…and interesting. But for most, it’s just not possible because it’s a loop or flowchart. Every response will be pulled from the book, like rote memorization of multiplication tables.
I’m glad I took the RED pill and woke up. :O)
I have two small children whom have been taken from myself the natural father. They have been relocated to another part of the provience and enroled into a church by their mother for the last couple of years. I have given up our hme moved been forced to follow all kinds of rediculous rules in order to see my own children. Threaten with alligations of abuse. I have been blackmailed had money extored and yet I am told I am evil and my family evil due to our native background!! by my the children’s mothers pastor(she also states she has been in a O.R. and pulled her husband back from death several times with the staff supporting her) My wife believes her but not that she told me my family is evil? There is so much more that has taken place however it all is unimportant compared to what lies ahead for my children. They are hearing the voice of God in their little heads and they are just 4 and just turned 6yrs old. I have court coming up at the end of this month and I need hard proof that this is dangerous for their longterm mental health. Please if you can help me do so asap
I will be happy to provide more details, please have credenicals to back up any documentation as I will need it for the courts here, they tend not to favour fathers even if we love our children.
Hi Lambert,
Unfortunately, I don’t research this area or know of any good resources for you, but i know that other people *do* research this and a lot of psychological work has been done on children growing up religious and on mixed-faith parenting. Keep looking and digging and best of luck in your efforts to care for your children.
Todd
I was raised in a church since I was born. In primary I was so confused. What there is no beginning or an end? I kept on thinking and thinking trying to figure it out. Nothing made any sense and God was made from the dust? Huh. I was one confused kid. Because logically these things didn’t make sense I kept on asking questions about it and most of the time I got I don’t know from parents and teachers. In the end I decided to stop thinking about it and worrying about it. I never thought that it was an option to think another way. This was when I was about 4.
Now I am a bit more independent and I want to leave the church as soon as I turn 18. Why I wait? Because when I show any sign of not believing or not believing in the exact same way the prophets said it everyone looks at me like I am evil and the devil fooled me. My parents and my little brother too. Now I don’t want to live two years dealing with that. So I wait and while listening to the ridiculousness I feel like I am going to explode and tell everyone what I really think about it all. My teachers teach lessons and show their active belief in the evilness of anyone who is against the church.
Yes there is fear in the church. If you leave everyone thinks of you as the “lost one” in need of rescue from the deceptions of the devil. They say people think for themselves then they say that the devil fools people and that god pulls people into religion. So many contradictions it makes me sick.
Nonmember seems to make someone less in the members eyes. Then in the lessons they say that the person who is fighting the church believes the church is true the whole time and I think what kind of idiot would believe that someone actively fighting something would believe in it at the same time? Gee.
RELIGION IS FOR FOOLS
Having once been a devout Catholic and Christian, I am now so saddened to see how people make fools of themselves believing in the mythology of religion. Just sit back and observe any religious service and note what it is doing to the minds of the believers.
Most religions forbid their adherents from reading anything of enlightenment beyond approved religious texts under implied threat of eternal damnation. This is how they maintain control of the masses of followers.
Heresy is the control word that comes to mind. Religion is nothing more than control based on fear and guilt. Religion is brainwashing. It is nothing more than disguised sun worship, extending all the way back to ancient Babylonian and Egyptian times. Note the halo around Jesus’ head!
Religious adherents are afraid to read or they would soon learn from their investigations how their churches are controlled by the same powers which control all governments through The Rothschilds’ central bank system. The Rothschilds have commandeered every aspect of human control from government and education all the way through to religion. You don’t have a chance.
Religion is a very powerful tool of government because religion can get you to do what your government, by itself, could never get you to do, i.e., die in war for the benefit of those who profit from it. Some way to get to “heaven”, huh? Maybe fools do get what they deserve.
Very few people ever escape from the Masters of Damnation. They are very good and have been around for thousands of years, taking advantage of the basic human instinct to BELIEVE.
Try to talk to one of them? Forget it! They are already programmed in their response because their puppet masters knew ahead of time what challenges would be raised.
If there was a law which forbade parents from teaching bullsh*t to their children until their 21st birthday, how many would chose the religion of their parents? Would any churches still exist at all?
There are two things I have learned about God in this lifetime: he’s not “up there” and he sure as hell isn’t in church!
Religion is an awful thing to do to the human mind.
See the movie ZEITGEIST.
Michael Duberson
What are we, as humans in general, doing to our children? It is hard to realize that no matter how many times you “whisper to the wind” your so-called “God” will not answer. In the long run we ARE seriously hurting and abusing our children and it does need to STOP.
It’s good to see that so many people share the same view as me! I was forced to believe the way my parents did for eighteen years, and am just now beginning to “see the light”. Although I have finally been able to truly believe religion is just a sham, I still have “flashbacks” that are left over from my childhood, feelings of great fear that I will go to hell for not believing. I know I might have a long road ahead of me before I am truly freed from indoctirnation, it is so helpful to read other peoples stories, thanks!
I couldn’t agree more!!! My partner was raised in a religious group and married not for love but because his father told him she was a “good” one and of course he was 20 and all he wanted was to be able to have sex! What better reason to get married! ughhhhh
Anyhow, to prove you have faith…you have children.
5 children later and with one on the way he realizes that this is not the life he wants…he wants to be free to think for himself and love for love not to fake it to show faith.
So he left…met me and we’ve been together ever since (almost 3yrs)
I had to help him a lot in the beginning as he thought he was for sure going to hell.
The rules for him to see his own children were rediculous…he could not see them unless someone in the church or the exwife was present.
He could not afford a lawyer as I’m sure you could imagine the amount of child support for 6 children took most of his paycheck.
It has been a huge struggle and horrible for him to be away from his children but even if he fought to see them, she told him she would make sure to make a huge scene every second weekend in order to make the children not want to go with him.
So him being the great man he is…decided it was better to not put the children through such turmoil and hope that when they grow up they will see the light of reality. He stays in constant communication with them…in which they always beg for him to come home and to leave me “the devil”.
It so very sad…but what else do you do…do you make the childrens childhood horrible with constant fighting or do you leave them to try and have as much of a stable lifestyle as possilbe and hope for more for them in the future.
It’s heartbreaking for me to see…he truly is a great man who is finally “in love” and it’s too bad his children can’t see what real love is all about
We have many recordings of phone conversations and emails for the children to read and listen to when they are older so they can see and hear that in fact their father wanted a relationship with them but that their mother and religion created a very large wall between that.
So sad…
added to that….these children are told to pray everynight for their father to come back and rejoin the church and that every prayer goes into a bucket in heaven and once the bucket is full…it empties and all the prayers are answered! Now, tell me that is not mental child abuse!
Crazy is what it is
The misery that religion causes is obvious to me. It’s an evil way of controlling people. I was raised by a very religious family and three unfortunate things happened : 1) I took it very seriously, and wanted nothing more than to please my family, (2) I was precociously bright and was primed to be the golden child who would bring the light of Jesus to the world, (3) I turned out gay. The time I spent in my teenage years reading christian apologetics in an attempt to deny the undeniable instilled in me a great deal of bad mental habits and I’m only starting to enjoy life, even as the signs of aging are becoming apparent. What a wasted opportunity – I spent decades alone and in a great deal of mental pain, trying to convince myself that I was crazy, because what I experienced was impossible according to their bible and its interpretations. Well, I wasn’t crazy to start with… At this point I’m very good with the arguments – having seen it all, from all sides, there isn’t much that I haven’t reasoned my way around – but I also know it is pointless to argue with a person living under the bonds of religion, because they generally don’t have the attention span necessary to understand what you’re saying – if they are even listening, they are simply looking for a place to insert their ideas about God.. I wonder if I would have broken free if my sexuality was normal. Maybe it was a gift from God after all, I would rather be sad and honest, than happy and deluded.
I also agree completely with Dawkins. I’m 17, and was raised in a baptist household for the majority of my childhood. You said that it was a long journey to reshape your worldview and I can sympathize completely. Even now I constantly subconsciously revert to my former way of thinking and have to focus very hard to overcome my past superstitions. It may sound stupid and childish but it is amazingly hard to overcome childhood indoctrination, to have to knock down and then rebuild the foundations that you built your life around for the most critical years of your life. I’m not seeking sympathy or pity, but I have been to two seperate in-patient drug treatment centers and countless out-patient centers. That’s how I used to shut out my suspicions and doubts, everyone takes a different road and that was the unfortunate road I took. The only reason why I even bring this up is to silence doubters, I’m still a child myself and thus I would consider my perspective on this matter quite valid. The ironic thing, is that my father and step-mother both consider raising children as muslims child-abuse, yet consider raising children as christians to be the moral and proper thing to do. Either way it’s wrong; but I digress, I suppose all I can do is continue to think logically. Wish me luck on my own singular journey.
Connor,
I realize from your perspective right now, this will sound trite, but you are so lucky to have figured this out in your teens. My doubts didn’t start until my early 20s and didn’t really change completely until I was in graduate school. It does take a lot of years and hard work to “deprogram” yourself, especially from tight religious scripts such as a conservative evangelical background.
The problem is that religion gives you a complete world view, giving meaning to everything around you, so when you realize you don’t believe it anymore, you are left floating and adrift, moorless. So I would urge you to focus your energies on looking for “meaning”. A good way to do this is to step back from religion and think of it as a “philosophy of life”, and start looking around the world at how different people have answered the Big Questions (Who am I? Why am I here? What does it all mean?). Artists, poets, musicians, philosophers, and even religion (if you think of it is humanity’s attempt to give meaning to life) can give you ideas, thoughts, inspirations. You’ll start feeling connected to humanity and to other people on the same journey as you. Rather than feeling a connection to a “god”, you can learn true compassion for your fellow human beings. If possible, see if you can find a group of friends you trust to talk about these things. There are even “churches” that offer this kind of atmosphere, such as the Unitarians. You might even consider an in-between step by reading some rational, liberal, loving Christian thought; I highly recommend Elaine Pagels’ books on ancient Christianity, Bishop Spong’s critical books on the meaning of the Bible; Marcus J. Borg’s books on the meaning of Christianity and Jesus after you have a rational awakening.
There are a lot of things out there for you to help in this process. Good luck!
I have a 17 year old son, who is the centre of my life. I was born a Christian and converted to Islam when I married his father in 1992. We divorced in 1997 (he had an affair) and I went back to my christian faith. As my son was born a Muslim, I enrolled him in an Islamic Educare Centre and when he went to school he attended moslem school in the afternoons, although his father and his family were never devout muslims and they had little contact with him.
I never forced this on my son and I always told him that he does not have to follow my faith, only if he wants to. He grew up to love his faith and he had freedom in our house to do his prayers and rituals as his faith expected of him. Through the years I made contact again with his father’s sister( we used to be quite close) who has two daughter almost the same age as my son and he started spending lots of weekend with them. They also came to my house for weekends as well and we used to do a lot of thing s together.
My son became more religious and was exposed to a lot of muslim people. I even paid a fee to a certain Imam ( muslim priest) at my son’s request for special classes after school. During the month of Ramadaan (the fasting period) I used to get up before my son (an hour before sunrise) to prepare him food and in the evening at sunset I would lay out the table for him like the tradition is. I would even invite his muslim family to come and break their fast with him and vice versa.
Through all this I attend my Church ( I am an Anglican), read my bible etc.
One weekend (06 Nov 09) my son went to visit his cousins for the weekend and never returned. He very politely told me that he was told by a Imam that he cannot live with me as I am not a Muslim. If I want to keep him I was told to embrace Islam. My ex husband;s sister, whom I thought was my friend, has been doctrinating my child along with other Muslim leaders and he is living with her right now. I was so dumbstruck as I did not see it coming. I thought I was doing everything right.
I am heartbroken, I cry myself to sleep every night. I cannot concentrate on my work as my mind is on my child. On 31 Oct it was my birthday, a week before he left. He wrote me the most beautifull message. Telling me that I am the most greatest mom and how much he loves me. Then snap, just like that, he ups and leaves. I am so confused. I don’t know what to do. He has made contact with me once to ask how I was doing and I cried so much over the phone that i sdidn’t say what I wanted to say.
Someone out there, if you have advice for me pleeeeease help me.
I have become unsure of myactions. Is it all my fault. Should I have kept him away from Islam and his muslim family? Would he have turned out different? I haven’t been to church since this happened. I am so confused and messed up right now. I feel my child has been brainwashed!! What responsible adult, no matter what religion, tells a child to leave his mother!! To me thats bad people.