Sprintcyclist wrote on May 25^th, 2008 at 10:42pm:

Ahhh touche.. lol..

Answer away.

Massalaama

Adz

Sprintcyclist wrote on May 25^th, 2008 at 11:36pm:

Thank you for your kind words, if your intention is sincere in having balanced spiritual chat then I am sure that we can have dialogue in a very respectful manner with each other. I am happy to have that my friend.

My main gripe with Islam, and with many other religions is that they all try to teach children that their way is the one true way. My own view is that children deserve the opportunity to wait until they are adults before deciding which religion to follow.

We don't have schools teaching kids how to be good Liberals or good ALP voters, so why teach them how to be good Methodists or Catholics or Muslims?  My somewhat cynical answer to that is that if we didn't brainwash them at childhood, we'd probably have a nation of atheists. Now that would be a terrible thing, wouldn't it?  

Seriously though, if you're going to teach kids about religion, I think it should include all religions in a balanced way, and that includes the fact that a growing number of people (myself included) have no religion - a personal worldview that I believe deserves to be respected.    

On the other hand I have no trouble with teaching kids about maintaining their culture. The problem is that religion and culture are often intricately entwined. The religion comes as a free 'gift' along with the culture.

Malik.Shakur - Welcome to the forum. Which culture do you belong to? I admire your tenacity in trying to tell us your side of the story. I have good friends of many different cultures and religions, so although I'm an atheist myself, I am tolerant of other religions to the point of defending their individual right to practice their religion as they see fit. (but that does not include brainwashing the young and vulnerable)  

I have more tolerance for non-extremist religious people than I have for extremists, whether religious or atheist.

You're not an extremist now, are you?  

FD, ok - From your blog, I had kind of assumed that you were a Christian. Maybe you're saying that you became a Christian despite your educational experience.

Actually most schools in Australia, religious ones included, teach about a wide range of religions.  I don't have a problem with providing information on religions. I do have a problem with sending kids to church or mosqué against their will, because whatever you call it, being forced to repeat sacred verses is a form of brainwashing.

I think the only kind of brainwashing that is acceptable is voluntary brainwashing or self brainwashing (cognitive programming), which I use on myself regularly whenever I want to achieve a particular goal.

Umm, how many three or four year olds do have a say in what they wear or how their hair is cut? Just because a style is associated with a religion does not make it a form of brainwashing.

Freediver, once again you miss the point, by the time this kid grows up he will already have been programmed, at some point he may question what happened but the chances are, he wont. I went to a public school. the kids that went to the Catholic school in my hometown had the best of everything. Im not that sure a Polka is an English dance either.

Really, take a look at all the little gangsters, thinking their 50cent, white kids who think their black, all they do is listen to a little music and watch a few movies. Yet they have taken too a lifestyle, is it by choice or is it all they know.