Children & religious education

I was asked recently to point out similarities and differences between religion and science. In terms of differences, I responded that religion is (at large)inculcated since birth, while science is (generally) developed later during schooling years.

My response taps into my greater beliefs that early and unbalanced religious ideology disenfranchises children and overrides independent thought.

Do I find the belief in god inherently problematic? Not at all.

Do I believe that imprinting a single reality since birth to create dependency on a particular concept--and consequently intertwining the identity, emotions, conscience and morals of a growing human being with that concept--irrevocably alarming? Absolutely.

I will even go a step further and say that it is emotionally abusive to embed ideas of eternal damnation, divine judgement, Satan, and sin in a vulnerable and developing mind--and worse, present such concepts as absolute truth. That is traumatizing and utilizes fear to carve mental paradigms that will (potentially forever)shape a child's view of the world.

If the beliefs of a certain religious framework are such beacons of truth, is there really a need to indoctrinate children? If the way is so righteous, clearly someone capable of rational thought would choose it.

At the end of the day, there is no greater gift a parent can give a child than independent thought, faculties of reason, and working muscles of critical processing--which BY THE WAY does not happen when you force-feed a kid the idea of the almighty since infancy, implant moralistic and habitual obligations and tendencies, and make intricate connections between a child's emotions and the divine.

Again, nothing inherently wrong with deities, prayer, or spiritual experience--if they are experienced out of understanding, appropriate context, and out of choice.

Sort of like sex--the rule of thumb is cogent, mutual consent.

I am not saying that all religious information must be postponed until post-pubescent years. In fact, I am saying quite the opposite: religious information and tradition can certainly be shared--but should not be presented as a single and undeniable reality that immediately closes off all other modes of thought to a forming brain. Diversity, any one?

This quite relevant to the saying "If you give a person a fish, s/he will eat for a day...Teach a person to fish, s/he will eat forever"

Similarly, if you force-feed ideology onto a defenseless being, you can use tyranny to instill ethics...but if you teach a child rational thought, you can ensure critical thinking for a lifetime.

On one final thought, are parents in general so hot over themselves they need to create clones? I don't understand the inclination to program other people instead of cultivating reason and inquisitiveness.

In a few short words: Don't imprint early...explain later