Do you believe because your parents did? If so, WHY?

[FREE-of-FAITH]

In modern times when we have many ways of researching any material on our own we should not let others dictate it to us in whichever form they wish. Failing to investigate things on our own will only lead to accepting what we are told as the truth, no matter how incorrect it may be. The information we are taught at an early age, no matter how accurate, will undoubtedly influence our future. Contrary to what many believe no child is actually born Catholic, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, or an innate follower of any belief system. In spite of this, since this religious label has been given to millions of children from birth, many of them will never question it, let alone detach from it. I was given the label of a Muslim child, but eventually liberated myself from it. One would hope that reason and evidence would at the very least lead to recognizing certain palpable fallacies that exist in what was once perceived as the best possible answer. Recognizing errors in a method or approach that has been routinely followed for years is only the initial step in accepting alternatives. To completely break away from that early education is an extraordinary expedition, one which will not happen overnight. Do you ever wonder how different your overall perspective would have been if you had just been born in a different country? Religious teachings, even if it may be in the form of secular traditions and principles, sit at the pinnacle of early childhood education for the majority of people around the world. The level of exposure we have to religion when we are younger is one of the many episodes of life greatly influencing our future perspectives. The extent of this experience often leads to creating significant divisions amongst otherwise similar people. Should the birth place of our ancestors really have such a strong emphasis on what we define ourselves with? Why do you believe something just because your parents did?

 

[Riverwolf]

I don't. I grew up in an agnostic household with only a casual semi-belief in angels and heaven, but that angels were the spirits of the dead. I suspect this also had less to do with my parents' beliefs, but as a coping mechanism for my grandmother passing away when I was six.

It wasn't until much later that I created my own religion out of various favored entertainment media (Sonic, Land Before Time, and Ecco the Dolphin being the primary ones), and dropping out of that retaining only a submissive reverence of Time, played around a casual neopagan and then converted to Hinduism a few years ago.

And nowadays, I choose to identify my heritage based on my European ancestors.

 

[Sumit]

Do you believe because your parents did? If so, WHY?

Absolutely not .My faith is different than that of my parents :sw:

 

[dawny0826]

In modern times when we have many ways of researching any material on our own we should not let others dictate it to us in whichever form they wish. Failing to investigate things on our own will only lead to accepting what we are told as the truth, no matter how incorrect it may be. The information we are taught at an early age, no matter how accurate, will undoubtedly influence our future. Contrary to what many believe no child is actually born Catholic, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, or an innate follower of any belief system. In spite of this, since this religious label has been given to millions of children from birth, many of them will never question it, let alone detach from it. I was given the label of a Muslim child, but eventually liberated myself from it. One would hope that reason and evidence would at the very least lead to recognizing certain palpable fallacies that exist in what was once perceived as the best possible answer. Recognizing errors in a method or approach that has been routinely followed for years is only the initial step in accepting alternatives. To completely break away from that early education is an extraordinary expedition, one which will not happen overnight. Do you ever wonder how different your overall perspective would have been if you had just been born in a different country? Religious teachings, even if it may be in the form of secular traditions and principles, sit at the pinnacle of early childhood education for the majority of people around the world. The level of exposure we have to religion when we are younger is one of the many episodes of life greatly influencing our future perspectives. The extent of this experience often leads to creating significant divisions amongst otherwise similar people. Should the birth place of our ancestors really have such a strong emphasis on what we define ourselves with? Why do you believe something just because your parents did?

I often think what it would have been like to grow up in a different country and culture, particularly those where freedoms are limited. I'm quite happy to live where I do, even though America is greatly flawed.

I don't believe as my parents do, for the most part. There are commonalities, but, we don't see eye to eye on many things.

I grew up in a household with a very conservative, Christian, mother. My father grew up Catholic, but wasn't a practicing Catholic when he married my Mom. Both parents are quite conservative in their political leanings.

I did question God and religion. I did question politics. My brand of Christianity is much less conservative than my Mother's. Politically speaking, I'm a Libertarian.

 

[Draka]

I don't. My mother is what one might call a "spiritual" Christian. Very open. She raised my brother and myself with some Christian teachings and prayers and such, but nothing was ever really forced. She's from a Catholic background herself. I still could not tell you what my father is or what he believes. He's never discussed it. My brother is agnostic I think. My family is diverse and everyone has always been encouraged to find their own way.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Why do you believe something just because your parents did?

I believe it wrong to engage in pathetically trite generalizations. So did my parents. I guess I agree with them because I believe them to be correct. :yes:

 

[TomuchHatred]

I don't. I grew up in an agnostic household with only a casual semi-belief in angels and heaven, but that angels were the spirits of the dead. I suspect this also had less to do with my parents' beliefs, but as a coping mechanism for my grandmother passing away when I was six.

It wasn't until much later that I created my own religion out of various favored entertainment media (Sonic, Land Before Time, and Ecco the Dolphin being the primary ones), and dropping out of that retaining only a submissive reverence of Time, played around a casual neopagan and then converted to Hinduism a few years ago.

And nowadays, I choose to identify my heritage based on my European ancestors.

this is why i don't like religion. Just goes by w.e the person wants, doesnt matter because they just switch anyway. What a terrible way to live.

 

[Quintessence]

Contrary to what many believe no child is actually born Catholic, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, or an innate follower of any belief system. In spite of this, since this religious label has been given to millions of children from birth, many of them will never question it, let alone detach from it.

I think you're being a bit dismissive of the power of cultural conditioning and cultural norms as well as its importance. While it's true humans are not technically born holding a particular religious ideology, they have an extremely high probability of adopting whatever religious ideology is engrained in their culture. That millions supposedly never question this is not a bad thing. It is what creates and preserves key aspects of human culture and civilization. If children do not emulate their parents and accept conditioning from prevailing cultural norms, you have no cultural stability or civilization as we know it. They wouldn't bother following the laws, virtues, or facts that their ancestors before them have cultivated. All humans follow examples set out before them as children. It's part and parcel with how humans learn, and given it's fundamental to how our brains work as a social animal, I don't even remotely consider this a bad thing.

Religious teachings, even if it may be in the form of secular traditions and principles, sit at the pinnacle of early childhood education for the majority of people around the world.

I'm going to have to ask for proof of this statement, because it sounds rather counterintuitive. I'm pretty sure that kids younger than four or five can't even comprehend such heady principles, much less learn them. I've watched enough two-year-olds to see the core of their education centers around actually learning how to talk and develop motor skills. I'm very skeptical that the majority of parents start doing RE on their two year olds.

Should the birth place of our ancestors really have such a strong emphasis on what we define ourselves with?

See what I wrote above about the preservation of culture, tradition, and civilization as we know it. The answer is yes, to make it easy.

Why do you believe something just because your parents did?

Because like any human, I'm the product of past experiences and a tank-load of cultural conditioning. I'm not naive enough to suppose I have that much control over this (hi, I'm a determinist!). Hell, I can trace many of these ideas I'm having right now to my background in the social sciences. And the fact I even went to college was definitely inspired by my parents, who strongly value education. Isn't it horrifying that I believe in the value of education because my parents did? It's even more scandalous that I value a good home cooked meal because my parents cooked. Gosh, in this age of microwave dinners? What am I thinking?!

:run:

Haha, and now that I tore apart the OP, I will say this is a good topic. Don't mistake my counterarguments for ingratitude.

 

[Reptillian]

I still could not tell you what my father is or what he believes.

My father was much the same way despite being a regular Baptist churchgoer. I tried to discuss what he believed with him once and he replied "What a man believes, that's between him and God."

 

[9Westy9]

I used to but not anymore

 

[InvestigateTruth]

In modern times when we have many ways of researching any material on our own we should not let others dictate it to us in whichever form they wish.

Exactly!

Failing to investigate things on our own will only lead to accepting what we are told as the truth, no matter how incorrect it may be.

Exactly!

The information we are taught at an early age, no matter how accurate, will undoubtedly influence our future.

Surely

Contrary to what many believe no child is actually born Catholic, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, or an innate follower of any belief system.

Exactly

In spite of this, since this religious label has been given to millions of children from birth, many of them will never question it, let alone detach from it.

Well said!

I was given the label of a Muslim child, but eventually liberated myself from it.

No comment.

One would hope that reason and evidence would at the very least lead to recognizing certain palpable fallacies that exist in what was once perceived as the best possible answer.

One would recognize palpable fallacies, provided he/she becomes free from any bias, love and hate feelings.

Recognizing errors in a method or approach that has been routinely followed for years is only the initial step in accepting alternatives.

Awsome!

To completely break away from that early education is an extraordinary expedition, one which will not happen overnight.

Absolutely!

Do you ever wonder how different your overall perspective would have been if you had just been born in a different country?

I do.

Religious teachings, even if it may be in the form of secular traditions and principles, sit at the pinnacle of early childhood education for the majority of people around the world.

Perhaps. But I am not so sure this is true for the majority of people around the world.

The level of exposure we have to religion when we are younger is one of the many episodes of life greatly influencing our future perspectives.

That is true for me.

The extent of this experience often leads to creating significant divisions amongst otherwise similar people.

For majority of people yes.

Should the birth place of our ancestors really have such a strong emphasis on what we define ourselves with?

It should not. That is the reason, I think every person somewhere in his/her life, should start to investigate the truth independently, free from every bias, any love or hate relations, only for the sake of truth. Not just because it is appealing to believe this or that so he/she may go to heaven!

Why do you believe something just because your parents did?

No, I did my own investigation of truth, independently.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I've always found it safe to assume that what my parents believed could be counted on to be false. Then again, they're much like most people.

 

[ChristineES]

I also grew up in a home with no religion. But, may I ask, would be wrong if a person who is religious to follow their parents' faith? If they see nothing wrong with it, then they will continue to follow it. If they see flaws in it, then they will either leave religion altogether or they will follow another religion. I don't believe that children are brainwashed by their parents with religion- be it the religions of Abraham, Hinduism, Paganism, and on and on.

 

[Draka]

My father was much the same way despite being a regular Baptist churchgoer. I tried to discuss what he believed with him once and he replied "What a man believes, that's between him and God."

I've never even known my father to go to a church. I know his mother was quite a devout Christian, but my father has never even so much as indicated any clue as to any belief. Never bothered to ask him either. My mother and I have discussed spiritual beliefs many times, I'm assuming at least one of those conversations may have taken place in his presence at some point, but I've never gotten anything from him.

 

[Riverwolf]

this is why i don't like religion. Just goes by w.e the person wants, doesnt matter because they just switch anyway. What a terrible way to live.

I know you're banned, but for anyone else who might have similar sentiments, no, it's not just what I want. In truth, ever since becoming a Hindu, I've been more disciplined and mature than before, being able to sacrifice what I want in favor of what's right.

 

[FREE-of-FAITH]

I'm going to have to ask for proof of this statement, because it sounds rather counterintuitive. I'm pretty sure that kids younger than four or five can't even comprehend such heady principles, much less learn them. I've watched enough two-year-olds to see the core of their education centers around actually learning how to talk and develop motor skills. I'm very skeptical that the majority of parents start doing RE on their two year olds.

Well for fpr starters, there are Millions of Muslim children being brainwashed to hate Jews, most of the times this has nothing to do with religion, although it does manifest from religious ideology because the Quran (5:51) does say: "O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you - then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, Allah guides not the wrongdoing people"

This is one exmample of how religion creeps through to become part of secular education/practice. Cricumcision in the Middle East is another example.

 

[FREE-of-FAITH]

I think some people fail to understand the main point here, which is that we should not follow a belief system because our parents did. This question was mostly directed at people who believe strongly in the same religion as their parents! The main objective is to demonstrate how common this is and my question is why? We need to encourage children to think freely and that is what I intend on doing when I have kids. I want to teach them love and how to be good without any fear of an unseen god, and give them the ability to decide on their own.

 

[FREE-of-FAITH]

I also grew up in a home with no religion. But, may I ask, would be wrong if a person who is religious to follow their parents' faith? If they see nothing wrong with it, then they will continue to follow it. If they see flaws in it, then they will either leave religion altogether or they will follow another religion. I don't believe that children are brainwashed by their parents with religion- be it the religions of Abraham, Hinduism, Paganism, and on and on.

Really!! Well I know it may sound foreign to you but in fact MANY children are brainwashed by their parents to follow and adhere to a specific religion. I can definitely give you proof of this if required and in addition show scripture from holy texts that encourage this type of brainwashing!

 

[Riverwolf]

I think some people fail to understand the main point here, which is that we should not follow a belief system because our parents did. This question was mostly directed at people who believe strongly in the same religion as their parents! The main objective is to demonstrate how common this is and my question is why? We need to encourage children to think freely and that is what I intend on doing when I have kids. I want to teach them love and how to be good without any fear of an unseen god, and give them the ability to decide on their own.

As do I.

Yet, the why is actually quite easy to answer from a behavioral and instinctive perspective.

Children learn from observing their parents. As the parent is, so is the child. Just as in nature, children learn what to eat by watching their parents, human children learn how to act by the example of their parents. This is part of our basic instincts as children. Once we reach physical and instinctive maturity (i.e., around puberty), these instincts drop off, and they become more independent. In ye olde days, parents would have employed fear tactics to keep them from acting out of hand, which would have been a necessity in farming communities and small villages, where social order was (and in some places, still is) paramount to survival. Considering the fact that we've only had civilization for about 6000 years (a VERY small amount of time when placed next to the entire timeline of our species), well, old habits die hard.

 

[ChristineES]

Really!! Well I know it may sound foreign to you but in fact MANY children are brainwashed by their parents to follow and adhere to a specific religion. I can definitely give you proof of this if required and in addition show scripture from holy texts that encourage this type of brainwashing!

Sorry, Buddy, but although there is brainwashing in a few cases, for the most part, parents teaching their children their religion is not brainwashing- especially not where I live. I just don't agree with you on that- I just haven't seen much evidence of that in my 47 years on earth. And you can show me your "proof" but I doubt it will convince me of anything.

I realize I forgot to welcome to the RF.