I’ve heard many people that I’ve met in person and online who have railed against “religious” people in church who brain-wash their kids to believe the same things. I’ve heard it in movies, sitcoms, the news, and even billboards. Some have declared that my children should get to choose whether they believe what I believe for themselves and I should not try to influence them otherwise.
As a parent, here’s the truth…
- Your kids are being influenced. By their friends, musicians, advertisements, facebook, major corporations, the government, and Lady Gaga. All of whom have an agenda. I trust my beliefs and values a million times over any of the above influences. And honestly, I trust your instincts to the same degree when it comes to your children.
- Parents make decisions for their kids. My kids go to school, eat vegetables, answer adults with respect, go to church, take baths, and get shots from the doctor. We taught them to do those things. We make them do those things. Because we know what’s best for them more than they do. My kids may not always like school, but I hope that one day, they’ll appreciate the value of their education. The same is true of church and spiritual values (although, my kids love church).
- You can’t teach what you don’t live. Just because you tell your kids that God, faith, community, and church are important doesn’t mean that you’ve taught them so. You teach what you do, not what you say. What are your actions teaching your kids? Does it tell them that God has control of your life? or your friends? or your job? or the NFL season schedule?
I am completely convinced that you as a parent are perfectly equipped by God to raise your children better than anyone else (especially the media). If someone says you’re brain-washing your child, than at least they’ll have a cleaner mind than if you didn’t.
Blessings,
John
See my post on 5 Ways to Make your Kids Hate Church, for more.
I think that the issue with “brainwashing kids” via religion is not so much that kids aren’t being influenced in other ways, but that the values that fundamentalist religion teaches are detrimental. Plenty of children grow up without Christianity and eat vegetables, respect their parents, and grow up productive members of society. Teaching your child that the earth was created in six days and to rely on blind faith rather than critical reasoning to come to scientific conclusions — that’s bad.
Dear Anonymous,
Yes, I believe moral people can and do come from non-Christian families. This post is in regard to society attempting to tell us not to raise our children according to our spiritual values, while that same society teaches our children it’s own agenda.
I am not against non-Christian people. In fact, I get along with many non-church people better than I do some “church” people. I never said anything about being “fundamental,” and your use of that word may very well be describing something entirely different than me for all you may know.
There is a huge difference between faith and blind faith. But just for the record, yes I believe in a six day creation, yes I do have an education, and no, it doesn’t bother me that others may think I’m crazy for having an opinion different from “mainstream” science.
I’m glad you were here and hope you come around again. Blessings…