Religion is a choice, isn't it?

If anyone says that religion is not a form of programming, ask a Christian why he, or she, isn't a Hindu. Upbringing and environment have more to do with what religion you are than anything else. Why else are you more likely to be a christian in a christian country, or a Muslim in a Muslim country. Choice seldom comes into it, especially for children, which is the ripe age where religion will sink it's filthy claws into you. I had no choice about being labelled a Christian. I was taken to an old building and doused in tap water, which apparently made me a Christian.

The religious then have your formative years in order to mould, and manipulate your logic circuits, so they don’t work properly anymore, and you thin that dinosaurs walked the earth with man, and that zombies are in fact a reality, and that it is perfectly fine to have cannibalistic rituals every Sunday.

I have a theory that children cry a lot during these occasions because although they cannot speak, they know what is going on, therefore they will make it as unpleasant as possible.
So how do you go about reprogramming the damage done to children during this time? Looking at films like Jesus Camp, or 'that new one from the UK that I can't quite put my finger on, but can't be bothered googling to find out its name' show that this indoctrination is not soft. It isn't a gentle intrusion in their lives. It is seemingly quite a strong force in their education. Now I was education in a religious school system. RC primary school, then on to an RC secondary school, and although we had RE lessens, they weren't really pushed down our throats. We talked about different faiths and what was we had in common, and what we didn't have in common. It was actually my favourite class aside from the one where they let us loose with saws, and drill bits. We had good teachers who seemed to appreciate the arguments young children put forward. However, is this the same in these more evangelical schools? Do the kids have the option of arguing, or being able to express their lack of belief? I was lucky in that I have always been an an atheist, so the classes were merely an excuse to ask the silly questions that children ask about God. Who made God? Why did he make the forbidden fruit? Why did he make a bad serpent, and so on.

I would like to know what peoples experiences were in their schools, be them secular, or religious. What could you get away with, and how much religion was pushed down your throats. I only have the glimpses of the 'odd' schools from the documentaries mentioned above, so is this real? Is it clever editing, or is it far worse then they show?

Tags: education, indoctrination, religion, schools

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Comment by Radu Andreiu on November 10, 2010 at 3:22pm: In my country - Orthodox Christianity preaching course (generically named Religion) and a quite poor scientific program, as evidenced by the lack of teaching evolution in Biology class.

Comment by AndyMeanie on November 10, 2010 at 3:25pm: Well, I've recently moved to Bulgaria, so have no idea how their education system treats religion, or evolutionary biology. My nieces are in the school system there, however, at an early age.

Comment by God on November 10, 2010 at 3:30pm: You either choose to accept Me as the one and true God, or you burn in the fire of Hell for all eternity!

Comment by AndyMeanie on November 10, 2010 at 3:31pm: Can I take marshmallows?

Comment by God on November 10, 2010 at 3:39pm: Yes. Just accept me as your God and cut your foreskin that I gave you and you will get any marshmallows you need. Needs are infinite. You will get an infinitely large amount of marshmallows! My will shall be done.

Comment by AndyMeanie on November 10, 2010 at 3:55pm: No, you misunderstand, (how does an omnipotent being misunderstand?). I am taking the 'Hell' option, and would like to know if I can take marshmallows. Come on, for a God, you're pretty rubbish.

Comment by Taylor on November 10, 2010 at 8:26pm: Can we smoke pot in heaven God?

Comment by AndyMeanie on November 10, 2010 at 9:05pm: I'm in Syracuse at the moment. I live between the US and Bulgaria. :)

Comment by AndyMeanie on November 10, 2010 at 9:14pm: English... Worked at sea for many years, and lived all over the place. Nigeria, Saudi, UAE, India, South Africa, Norway, the US, and now Bulgaria. I don't like my feet to dry.

Comment by AndyMeanie on November 10, 2010 at 9:19pm: My avatar? That's my passport picture, honest! The word "rubbish" is horribly underused.

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