Childhood indoctrination

[Dave_B]

If you were born into a Muslim family in Afghanistan would you think that Islam was true and Christianity false?

If you were born into an Atheist family in China would you think that Atheism was a true belief system and Religions false?

If you were born into a Hindu family in India would you think that Hinduism was true and Christianity false?

If you were born into a Agnostic family in France would you think that religions were false?

 

[Dave_B]

I think its obvious where I am going with this. Having been on this forum a while I can see that upbringing is the number one factor going on here.

 

[Formosus]

I was born into a Roman Catholic family, for a time I was a Buddhist, and a traditional Roman Catholic, almost converted to Eastern Orthodoxy, and am now Eastern Catholic. I think its far too simplistic to say upbringing is the number one factor. It may be a factor for some people, it may not be a factor for others.

 

[Dave_B]

I was born into a Roman Catholic family, for a time I was a Buddhist, and a traditional Roman Catholic, almost converted to Eastern Orthodoxy, and am now Eastern Catholic. I think its far too simplistic to say upbringing is the number one factor. It may be a factor for some people, it may not be a factor for others.

I think statistically people will follow the religion they were brought up in.

I seems like it has been true in your case, as it is true in mine.

I was brought up an Anglican Christian, and was a Christian in childhood, and also for several years in my 30s.

 

[Alberti_Devoveo]

If I were not a Christian and did no research into the Faith whatsoever, then yes I probably would think it were false. If I were to do some research into the Faith, I would (and did) come to the conclusion that it is indeed true.

Your questions, however, does not falsify religion. Nor does it show that one religion in particular is false. What it does show is that there is work to be done.

 

[Pugsly]

If you were born into a Muslim family in Afghanistan would you think that Islam was true and Christianity false?

If you were born into an Atheist family in China would you think that Atheism was a true belief system and Religions false?

If you were born into a Hindu family in India would you think that Hinduism was true and Christianity false?

If you were born into a Agnostic family in France would you think that religions were false?

External factors guide the hungry toward the food that is available in their own situation: people in a village by the sea will fish…while people in the mountians of Bolivia might raise lamas for milking…My point is that people KNOW that food is necessary and seek to get it as best they can…but to grow up (atheist) with a disdain of cooks, restaurants and baking is foolish.

 

[Dave_B]

Your questions, however, does not falsify religion. Nor does it show that one religion in particular is false. What it does show is that there is work to be done.

Comparing religions does show that they are all incompatible.

For example Jesus is God here, but in Islam he is an ordinary man.

There are 000s of different gods in 000s of different religions.

So you are right it does not show one is right or wrong. They cannot all be right, but they could all be wrong.

 

[Dave_B]

…but to grow up (atheist) with a disdain of cooks, restaurants and baking is foolish.

Does this apply to someone growing up in secular Europe or in the far east (china or japan) and you are brought up thinking religion is foolish?

To believe a man goes to heaven on a flying horse (islam) or on a cloud (xianity) is considered foolish by those not in either belief system.

 

[Pugsly]

Does this apply to someone growing up in secular Europe or in the far east (china or japan) and you are brought up thinking religion is foolish?

To believe a man goes to heaven on a flying horse (islam) or on a cloud (xianity) is considered foolish by those not in either belief system.

Dave…you are a clever person…I will not try to argue you into God’s embrace…that is between you and God.

 

[AugustSon]

If you were born into a Muslim family in Afghanistan would you think that Islam was true and Christianity false?

If you were born into an Atheist family in China would you think that Atheism was a true belief system and Religions false?

If you were born into a Hindu family in India would you think that Hinduism was true and Christianity false?

If you were born into a Agnostic family in France would you think that religions were false?

Just because I don’t believe in Henry Ford doesn’t mean cars don’t exist. In other words, if someone only sees Ford cars, any other car is false? The absence of fact/observation does not negate somethings existence.

Personally, I can at least see the minimum underlying pattern that shows man in ALL places seems to to ascribe to a god or gods; a divine existence beyond our finite world.

 

[Augusta1990]

If I were not a Christian and did no research into the Faith whatsoever, then yes I probably would think it were false. If I were to do some research into the Faith, I would (and did) come to the conclusion that it is indeed true.

Your questions, however, does not falsify religion. Nor does it show that one religion in particular is false. What it does show is that there is work to be done.

I concur with this. Nice job pointing out the genetic fallacy

 

[Dolezal]

If you were born into a Muslim family in Afghanistan would you think that Islam was true and Christianity false?

If you were born into an Atheist family in China would you think that Atheism was a true belief system and Religions false?

If you were born into a Hindu family in India would you think that Hinduism was true and Christianity false?

If you were born into a Agnostic family in France would you think that religions were false?

Children would, but any grown man will start thinking for himself. I was born into a family of three generations of atheists, only my grandmother believes in God but she is not Catholic. Of course you need access to different sources for study. The internet is a great grace in that respect.

 

[mountee]

I think its obvious where I am going with this. Having been on this forum a while I can see that upbringing is the number one factor going on here.

Yes, initially in a person’s life, upbringing drives faith choices. People who are born to a certain faith practiced by their parents are raised in that faith as children, it is what they know as their norm. But, as the child grows and goes out more and more independently into the world their choices can change. Sometimes they come and go through various faiths trying them out so to speak. During this time God is speaking to them in a variety of ways and where they eventually land is a result of adult choices on what they believe, or don’t choose to believe. On this forum I think there is a range or spectrum of people who are in various stages of their faith, certainly some are still greatly influenced by their upbringing but not all. Personally, I hope that I have achieved the place in mine where I am completely ruled by God and His Truth.

 

[fhansen]

If you were born into a Muslim family in Afghanistan would you think that Islam was true and Christianity false?

If you were born into an Atheist family in China would you think that Atheism was a true belief system and Religions false?

If you were born into a Hindu family in India would you think that Hinduism was true and Christianity false?

If you were born into a Agnostic family in France would you think that religions were false?

Wasn’t that way for me. I rejected Catholicism for all practical purposes, explored Buddhism, Hinduism, hedonism, etc , wanting to know if any kind of truly significant Truth existed without having any sort of axe to grind for or against any of them. I was surprised after several years to find myself believing in the Christian God, having given the bible a chance, too, even more surprised to find myself, many years later, back to the CC.

 

[Linux]

If you were born into a Muslim family in Afghanistan would you think that Islam was true and Christianity false?

If you were born into an Atheist family in China would you think that Atheism was a true belief system and Religions false?

If you were born into a Hindu family in India would you think that Hinduism was true and Christianity false?

If you were born into a Agnostic family in France would you think that religions were false?

It would seem that you are more likely to be Christian as an adult if you were raised Christian as a child. The same would be true for any ideology or belief. A child simply accepts the reality they are given until they reach an age or find themselves in a situation where they either feel free or forced to think critically about what they have been taught.

Once you realize that it is possible that your parents can be wrong about what is actually true, there begins a journey of self discovery.

But let me pose you another question…

If a naughty child hates going to church on Sunday, will that increase there chances of being atheist as adults merely on the bases of that dislike. I think yes.

But i would be wrong to assume that all atheists were once naughty Sunday Church hating children.

 

[cap76]

External factors guide the hungry toward the food that is available in their own situation: people in a village by the sea will fish…while people in the mountians of Bolivia might raise lamas for milking…My point is that people KNOW that food is necessary and seek to get it as best they can…but to grow up (atheist) with a disdain of cooks, restaurants and baking is foolish.

Very true. :sad_yes:

Plus, anything other than Christ is food-poisoning.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

While true that you are, statistically speaking, likely to be a member of the dominant religion of your area, look at the number of Buddhists, Sikhs, Muslims, etc. in America and the number of Christians in Africa and China. If you grew up in Nazi Germany or the atheistic Soviet Union, you might believe in those evil beliefs, but that doesn’t mean they are morally equivalent or more correct than Christianity.

The existence of multiple forms, or multiple wrong forms, doesn’t mean that a single correct form doesn’t exist. Dave, you could have had 30 imaginary friends as a child and 1 real friend. The existence of the 30 imaginary friends doesn’t mean the real one didn’t exist.

 

[Candide_West]

If you were born into a Muslim family in Afghanistan would you think that Islam was true and Christianity false?

If you were born into an Atheist family in China would you think that Atheism was a true belief system and Religions false?

If you were born into a Hindu family in India would you think that Hinduism was true and Christianity false?

If you were born into a Agnostic family in France would you think that religions were false?

To a large extent this is true yes. A lot of what happens with children in childhood sets up conditioning for behaviours later in life.

A common pattern for example is for a child to unquestioningly accept what their parents teach while as a child, then rebel against that view through adolescence and early adulthood, then return to the conditioning of their early life as they relax back into a less critical and aggressively challenging worldview.

This pattern applies with a broad variety of areas of people’s opinions. The last stage is often characterised by the individual perceiving that they have grown into a role similar to that which they viewed their parents as having possessed, and hence modelling themselves on their best known role model.

Of course this is all just generalisations. With each generation there is (fortunately) quite a bit of variance but the generalisation nonetheless holds closely enough, and the statistics speak for themselves, religion is a strongly inherited trait.

 

[empther]

Harper Lee wrote a book about the indoctrination of children in a belief.
It’s called: To Kill a Mockingbird.

You’ve seen the Gregory Peck movie. The book is narrated in the first person of Scout, the nine year old daughter of lawyer Atticus Finch.

The trial of the black man takes up only a small part of the book and doesn’t even begin until page 157. The rest of the book is about Scout’s day to day life with her brother Jem and a friend Dill. What’s this all about?

It’s about racial prejudice, you say? Yes, but why throw in all this material about Scout?

Harper Lee’s intention was to show how racial prejudice is passed down from one generation to another. We watch Scout as she sees and hears examples of prejudice which is universal in her small 1930s Southern town. Will she absorb this prejudice, or will she adopt her father’s fair minded attitude?