Is it ethical to teach your children that people who do not believe in God are going to Hell?

[Koolblue13]

You can talk politics, world views, diet, pretty much anything and have two groups completely divided and get nasty and say anything, yet nobody gets too offended or takes it too personal. Bring up religion and any slight is the deepest personal attack.

That's part of the problem with it, in my opinion.

[Larry]

So let me get this straight. Bringing a child to a religious event or indoctrinating a child into a religion is unethical. But a non-religious person completely dismissing a religion as "brain washing" and basically declaring anyone who practices a religion is stupid? Perfectly fine.

I love the irony on this board. "I hate it when people tell me how to be or stick their nose into how I live MY life, but let me tell you how you should live yours"....

Observing that there is an actual difference between adults and children.

I will observe, for example, that society permits adults to smoke. (Although, admittedly, more and more grudgingly.) But, I think that a whole bunch of people would say it's seriously unethical (and maybe should be criminal) for an adult to get a kid started smoking.

[Hitman21ST]

Observing that there is an actual difference between adults and children.

I will observe, for example, that society permits adults to smoke. (Although, admittedly, more and more grudgingly.) But, I think that a whole bunch of people would say it's seriously unethical (and maybe should be criminal) for an adult to get a kid started smoking.

And what about the children who choose by themselves to go to church?

There are plenty of examples of children who choose not to go to church that I can safely say at a certain age (different for each person) children choose whether or not they want to keep going. Those who keep going get passed off as either "forced to" go to church by their parents or that the "brainwashing was successful". If they don't go to church, they made that decision on their own, but if they stay, they didn't make the decision...

[Popeman38]

Observing that there is an actual difference between adults and children.

I will observe, for example, that society permits adults to smoke. (Although, admittedly, more and more grudgingly.) But, I think that a whole bunch of people would say it's seriously unethical (and maybe should be criminal) for an adult to get a kid started smoking.

Did you really just compare religion to the leading cause of lung cancer? Seriously?

A more apt comparison would be a hobby. Take hunting, for example. Is it considered unethical to raise you child as accepting of the hunting lifestyle?

[Larry]

Question for the folks who are saying that it IS ETHICAL. (A group which includes myself.)

At what point does it become UNethical for a parent to teach his own opinions/beliefs/values to his children?

My own answer, I think, would be "when doing so is at least likely to harm the child's life, down the road".

I would say that that, for example, covers teaching a child to smoke. Or that blacks aren't as good as white folks. And lots of other examples that I'm sure people can think up.

(This then brings us to the question of HOW MUCH does a belief have to affect a child's chances, for teaching it to rise to the level of "unethical". Is teaching a child that a suntan looks healthy "harm"?

There's lots of things where people can claim that "you're harming that child", if they really want to.

Politicians (and Tailgate posters) do it every day.

[Prosperity]

Is it ethical to teach your children that people who do not believe in God are going to Hell?

No

[Larry]

Did you really just compare religion to the leading cause of lung cancer? Seriously?

Did you just ask a question where you knew the answer was "no", just so you could try to accuse somebody of something that you knew they didn't do? Seriously?

[authentic]

Bringing children to religious events is the equivalent of brainwashing, in my opinion. Having suffered through the Methodist version of such brain washing (and depending upon WHICH Methodist version we attended, no card playing, no dancing, no images of anything including a crucifix just a plain cross), children are taught that if someone doesn't believe as they do, those people are sinners or whatever the religious organization's equivalent of sin is.

I think that if adults want to believe in these myths, then they can certainly make their choice, but to indoctrinate children is no less than brainwashing.

what you mentioned above in your experience isn't healthy... how ever wouldn't you say that all children are indoctrinated by someone with something? Actually i don't a problem with indoctrination (because, by definition its part of our human existence).. the problem is when we (or children for that matter) aren't allowed to think critically and ask tough, uncomfortable, yet sincere questions.

[Larry]

Actually, I would assert that it is a parent's ethical obligation to indoctrinate their children.

The debate is over which things they should be indoctrinated with.

[Darth Tater]

In fact, if that is your belief, it would be unethical not to.

[Renegade7]

Ethical and none of my business, as per the 1st Amendment. All I ask, if you're going to bring a child up in a religion, is that you teach it to them right. Don't make stuff up just to scare them or fill them full of hate. I have my issues with organised religion as well, but brainwashing is not a term a like to use to describe something like this...

[Hitman21ST]

Question for the folks who are saying that it IS ETHICAL. (A group which includes myself.)

At what point does it become UNethical for a parent to teach his own opinions/beliefs/values to his children?

I don't think it ever becomes unethical. As kids get older, they become more likely to develop their own beliefs, with less of an influence from their parents. Meaning that the younger a person is, the more likely they are to believe what the parent believes.

To use the example in your post:

If I teach my son that black people aren't as good as whites when he's 3, chances are high that what I say will have a pretty big influence over his life. If, however, I try to teach him that when he is 13, he will already have developed his own views on race, and what I say will have less of an influence

[Larry]

I don't think it ever becomes unethical. As kids get older, they become more likely to develop their own beliefs, with less of an influence from their parents. Meaning that the younger a person is, the more likely they are to believe what the parent believes.

To use the example in your post:

If I teach my son that black people aren't as good as whites when he's 3, chances are high that what I say will have a pretty big influence over his life. If, however, I try to teach him that when he is 13, he will already have developed his own views on race, and what I say will have less of an influence.

I may be misreading you post. Are you saying that "If I teach my son that black people aren't as good as whites when he's 3, chances are high that what I say will have a pretty big influence over his life.", but it's still ethical, anyway?

Because that's what I get, when I look at the sentence I quoted, and your opening sentence.

[twa]

Actually, I would assert that it is a parent's ethical obligation to indoctrinate their children.

The debate is over which things they should be indoctrinated with.

true...my question is why is it ineffective for so many?

do they suck at it?

[Larry]

All parents suck at it.

Fortunately, many times, the kid comes out OK, anyway.

[Renegade7]

I may be misreading you post. Are you saying that "If I teach my son that black people aren't as good as whites when he's 3, chances are high that what I say will have a pretty big influence over his life.", but it's still ethical, anyway?

Because that's what I get, when I look at the sentence I quoted, and your opening sentence.

In his defense, I honestly believe he just used a bad example to explain his point. At the same time, as that kid will get older, and he sees all the mixing going on, that same kid may turn on their dad at an earlier age. Just because you try to shove something down a kids throat doesn't mean they're going to eat it...

[LadySkinsFan]

Most religions teach the same thing, how to get along with other human beings. I taught my daughter the same things, minus the religious/myth part. When she was older, I told her that if she wanted to go to church with her friends etc. that she could make up her own mind. She's not religious. Her husband, whose grandfather was a Baptist minister, is also not religious, and they are raising their daughter in an ethical manner, but not a religious manner.

[Hitman21ST]

I may be misreading you post. Are you saying that "If I teach my son that black people aren't as good as whites when he's 3, chances are high that what I say will have a pretty big influence over his life.", but it's still ethical, anyway?

Because that's what I get, when I look at the sentence I quoted, and your opening sentence.

No, sorry for the misunderstanding. My post was two separate thoughts.

Thought 1 was I don't think it ever becomes unethical, because kids are more able to be influenced while they are younger.

Thought 2 was an example of a child's thought processes based on age (more susceptible to influence at a younger age), although the example I used was definitely unethical.

---------- Post added June-6th-2012 at 07:22 PM ----------

In his defense, I honestly believe he just used a bad example to explain his point. At the same time, as that kid will get older, and he sees all the mixing going on, that same kid may turn on their dad at an earlier age. Just because you try to shove something down a kids throat doesn't mean they're going to eat it...

Right, which is why I said that they are MORE susceptible. Not 100% sure thing

---------- Post added June-6th-2012 at 07:23 PM ----------

As an aside, it isn't those who "believe in God" that aren't going to Hell. I'm assuming the OP is referencing Christianity. It's not a belief in God that saves from Hell: James 2:19 - "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder." What Christians believe is that every person is sinful since the day they are born, and the only way to be forgiven is to believe that Jesus Christ died and was resurrected as payment for all our sins. Belief in that is what allows a person to escape Hell, not just a belief in God.

Actually then, an argument could be made that teaching that "belief in God saves from Hell" is unethical, because it isn't the truth.

But I think I'm reading too much into it

[Larry]

In his defense, I honestly believe he just used a bad example to explain his point. At the same time, as that kid will get older, and he sees all the mixing going on, that same kid may turn on their dad at an earlier age. Just because you try to shove something down a kids throat doesn't mean they're going to eat it...

Yeah, but the question is "Is it ethical to teach a child that . . . " Assuming that well, as he gets older, he'll reject the unethical stuff on his own, certainly doesn't make it ethical.

[Renegade7]

Yeah, but the question is "Is it ethical to teach a child that . . . " Assuming that well, as he gets older, he'll reject the unethical stuff on his own, certainly doesn't make it ethical.

Right, but religion and race are too completely different beasts. You know how I feel about this thread topic, but as for teaching a kid to not like black people, I don't even know if unethical is the word for it. By definition, that would be unethical nowadays, but I can think of a couple worse things to call it. This is just my opinion though

[issapunk]

I mean, people are gonna believe what they believe and pass that on. I think its foolish and stupid, but people are entitled to their opinions.

PS: I have not been able to post a new thread for like 6 months. Does anyone know how to fix this???

[AsburySkinsFan]

PS: I have not been able to post a new thread for like 6 months. Does anyone know how to fix this???

Seems you ran afoul of a of the TOS.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

ELAINE BENES

Do you believe in God?

DAVID PUDDY

Yeah...

ELAINE BENES

Is it a problem for you that I'm not religious?

DAVID PUDDY

No.

ELAINE BENES

Why not?

DAVID PUDDY

I'm not the one going to hell.

[skinsmarydu]

ASF knows way more than me.(I'm a methodist PK)

But I kinda tend to live by the 10 and Matt. 7.

Makes things a little more fair and even. Just treat others as you'd wanna be. Not too hard, huh?

Are "please" and "thanks" that big of an issue?

In my world, they're small words, but mean more than you'll ever know.

---------- Post added June-6th-2012 at 09:45 PM ----------

I mean, people are gonna believe what they believe and pass that on. I think its foolish and stupid, but people are entitled to their opinions.

PS: I have not been able to post a new thread for like 6 months. Does anyone know how to fix this???

dude, NO NEW THREADS under your user name means just that. Don't try. Just don't. This team means everything to me...and if it doesn't to you, go away!! Apparently, you've done something to pss off the mods, and that's your prob.

[PeterMP]

I mean, people are gonna believe what they believe and pass that on. I think its foolish and stupid, but people are entitled to their opinions.

PS: I have not been able to post a new thread for like 6 months. Does anyone know how to fix this???

1. Try reading the rules. http://www.extremeskins.com/announcement.php?f=24

2. Figure out what post/thread you made that violated said rules (try looking at the last few threads you made before losing the ability to start threads).

3. PM a mod (especially if you can figure it out based on your threads) and apologize.