Freedom To Believe

Bodhi
Bodhi Members Posts: 7,932 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited December 2012 in R & R (Religion and Race)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCY1pRzQrMg

What do you think about these kids and their involvement in religion? In some instances, I think it is clear to see that their beliefs and ideas about the world were spoonfed to them by their parents as opposed to actually researched themselves. Some of their information is wrong, but can we fault them for it because they are kids?? Is this how ignorance in adults is born??? Let's talk about it.

Comments

  • alissowack
    alissowack Members Posts: 1,930 ✭✭✭
    I don't generally think it is something wrong with kids involvement in religion. It's a step in the direction of seeing that maybe there is something or someone bigger than themselves. I just think the parents of these kids underestimate their interests in religion and it could be because they really don't have a respect for their kid's ability to learn and they don't have a respect for religion (whether they have beliefs or not). There are things in the video that these kids are misinformed about concerning religions, but the parents are misinformed as well.

    There is a certain ignorance but I think the roads were not paved with that intention. I believe that parents should instill in their children the desire to trust their parents with their lives; that when Mom or Dad do or say something, the kid can feel like they can place their trust in that even though they may not like what is being done or said. However, the parents can't think that, because they are parents, their kids are not entitled to ask questions about things they feel are important. Some parents feel that if their kid asks a question, especially about something pertaining to religion, it is an insult to them as parents and not a sincere wanting for the answers.
  • Bodhi
    Bodhi Members Posts: 7,932 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited December 2012
    alissowack wrote: »
    I don't generally think it is something wrong with kids involvement in religion.

    I agree; definitely not. My only issue is with the children who obviously do not know much about religion aside from (and, by the video, including) their own and begin to express early signs of religious intolerance. I think that children should instead of being indoctrinated into religion by their parents, encouraged to explore it themselves with help from their parents so that they can better understand religion and other's choices to be involved in it. That way, if the day comes where they decide that they would like to become involved in a religion, intolerance could possibly decrease and wisdom increase.

    I could be wrong. It could be the children who were first proactive in searching for religion but I think just like anything else, they should be guided correctly by parents/guardians/whoever. I could also be overreacting but imo it looks like you can see the beginning stages of adult ignorance.
  • jono
    jono Members Posts: 30,280 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Kids pretty much have to do and believe whatever parents say, I was a bit perturbed at the concept of the "kiddie bible" but as a person who is not a parent (even if I was) its not my place to tell people what to teach their kids.


    I only hope that when they get older they are able to make a decision for themselves.