childhood indoctrination

Very interesting discussion in class yesterday about where to draw the line between parental guidance and childhood indoctrination, when discussing speculative religion with children. Some worried that refraining from specific instruction in "what we believe" would encourage children to embrace a pernicious moral relativism. I'm more trusting of them than that, and more inclined to worry that terrorizing them with primitive superstition, hellfire, and the threat of eternal damnation will scar them for life.

Richard Dawkins has been beating this drum for awhile.

bright kids

I'm always climbing up on my soap-box to rail about the reprehensible mental and emotional crippling of children through religious-ideological indoctrination. But what is to be done about it? Miso's question yesterday in A&S, followed by Lauren's & Matt's & Dean's reports, all underscore the urgency of freeing children from this persistent, insidious virus.

Here's important new video on empowering the next generations of free-thinkers, featuring Dan Dennett and others, at The Brights site. Let's give kids the tools they need to break out of unreflective conformism, and watch what happens. The rippling effects of a relatively few enlightened parents, nurturers, and educators taking the simple initiative of speaking honestly and plainly on this subject in public, in schools, and in our homes could be astonishing and game-changing. Why don't we try it and find out? The Parenting Beyond Belief movement, too, is making impressive strides in this direction. (PBB video)

I used to think Richard Dawkins was over the top with his "child abuse" charge, but no more. Dean described being led by his "youth minister" to draw images of himself in Hell, at age 10. If I learned that any adult had attempted to implant such horrific ideas in my daughters' minds, at that or any age, I'm very sure "abuse" would be one of the mildest epithets to come immediately to mind.