One of the many things that bother me about organized religion is the fact that so many adults have occupied the same pew since before they could crawl.
At an early age, children are dragged to church by their parents where they are promptly scared to death into thinking that if you believe anything other than exactly what the preacher is preaching, you will spend an eternity in hell.
Of course an eternity of damnation sounds rather unpleasant to persons of any age, which is the sole reason organized religion has expanded throughout the centuries.
People telling impressionable children that they not only know how the universe was created, but also exactly what will happen to individuals when they die, is a pretty good scheme. So good in fact, that organized religion is thriving despite scientific evidence that indicates their sacred books belong in the fiction section of your local Barnes & Noble.
I once saw Kirk Cameron, former child star and current fundamentalist Christian, talk about how he found Christ. His parents didn't force Him upon a young Kirk; Christianity is the path he chose after doing research on his own.
I got no problem with that.
I understand most parents would probably rather spend an eternity in hell than see their children spend an eternity in hell, and that is why they are so adamant their offspring believe a certain way. So I'm not saying brainwashing their children makes religious folks bad people. After all, in their eyes, desperate times call for desperate measures.
But how does one justify teaching a belief? As much as I want everyone to agree with me, I would never be pompous enough to say to a young person, "I'm going to teach you what's in your heart and soul. I'm going to teach you what's in your gut. I don't want you to have the opportunity to gather facts and formulate opinions on your own; I want to force feed you your core beliefs."
I would never force my child to wake up early on Sunday morning so he or she could be preached to by gown-clad figures insisting that atheism is the absolute truth, and then let them herd little Timmy or Suzy off to a room to be surrounded by peers who would consider my child an outcast if he or she didn't agree with the teacher's every word without question. I don't know if I'd rather stand up at a meeting and say that I adamantly disagree with my fellow labor union members regarding their stance on health insurance reform, or stand up in the middle of a third-grade Sunday school class and say that I think Moses was way too preachy in the Book of Deuteronomy.
I suppose having a belief system that says no one suffers for all of eternity means there's no reason for me to panic due to fear that I will unnecessarily be separated from my loved ones. I was once in a situation where the adults became separated from the children at one of those huge K-Marts and it certainly was not an enjoyable experience.
But that panic and desperation does not mean you should deny your family members the right to decide for themselves. Telling children that Jewish people are not saved because they fail to believe in Christ as their savior should not be considered a positive message because such a statement has never been proven.
Why not tell them what you personally believe, and why you believe it. Then tell them what others believe, and why they believe it. Take them to various churches and let them experience a wide variety of religions. Tell them that some people don't believe in a higher power at all, and explain the various theories, that have nothing to do with supernatural forces, which explain how the earth may have begun. Oh, and make sure to tell them of said theories without rolling your eyes or laughing out loud every few words.
See, I already provided a good example of how you should educate. I said, "Explain how the earth may have begun," as opposed to, "Explain how every scientist under the sun believes the earth began."!
There is nothing I enjoy more than sitting around a table with a bottle of wine discussing religion with folks whose beliefs differ from mine. But such conversations are only enjoyable if those involved are knowledgeable about the subject at hand.
Religious people just need to remember that knowledge is never a bad thing - no matter how old you are.
And besides, what do you think will earn your loved ones more brownie points in heaven; saying they came to believe in God because their parents insisted they go to church every Sunday morning and Wednesday night, or that they came to know the truth after examining all the evidence they could get their hands on?
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