HACKING AT THE ROOTS OF EVIL---INDOCTRINATION IS CHILD ABUSE

Thoreau said that thousands are hacking at the branches of evil to every one person hacking at its roots.  I agree and I want to hack at what I consider a root cause of evil in the world---indoctrination of children.

I was indoctrinated in the Southern Baptist faith and  was 27 when I escaped.  That crazy belief system and culture damaged my intellectual growth, inflicted guilt, stole happiness, wasted time and energy, imposed prejudices and much more.

I recognize that currently, almost everyone is indoctrinated into some belief system and culture.  Every cocoon must hang from some tree and so every one of us comes to consciousness within some culture. Most cultures have crazy components to it. (Catholic: birth control abortion divorce, infallibility of Pope----Mormons golden book, magic underwear etc) A key question is whether you can break free and construct your own value system. Regretably only about 20% of us do so.

I believe we should stop indoctrinating our children.  I think it is possible to teach values without doctrines. Here's apoem I wrote years ago:

Introduction

What if all the religions of the world were forced somehow to compete on a level playing field? Perhaps a world, weary of religious strife, finally traced the problem to its roots: the indoctrination of children? And what if this were outlawed? Parents could still share values with their children, but not doctrines. Children would reach age 12 or so with their minds more open. And when they demonstrated sufficient mental competence and curiosity, they would be allowed to visit the Religion Warehouse.

The Religion Warehouse

Kids are gathered outside at eight,

Doors are opened at nine.

They are here to sample religions of the world,

All strung out in a line.

Row upon row, every living faith

Represented in spacious booths.

And every booth has people anxious

To share their “eternal truths.”

They have pamphlets and films and all 27

Major “holy books,”

The Bible, the Koran, the Bagavad Gita.

Every kid’s invited to look.

As they wander up and down the aisles,

Believers of every bent

becon children into their booths,

Like barkers at a side show tent.

The Christian section has 200 booths,

Each with a different slant

On God, salvation, Jesus and heaven,

That they wish to implant.

There are nine different versions of Islam,

Six different kinds of Jews,

A host of Buddhist sects,

A hundred types of Hindus.

The New Age section is replete

With people pushing “spiritual” stuff,

Smiley-faced believers in a thousand things,

Like crystals and superstitious fluff.

The American Indians drummed up a crowd

With dancers adorned with feathers.

Truly believing that Shamans can heal,

And Kachinas can change the weather.

Cults took up a whole wall–

Gurus of every stripe,

Dominating tyrants trolling

For the total submission type.

The atheist booth had scrappy folks,

Dead sure in their conclusion

That religion is the opiate of the people,

A dumb and deadly illusion.

Agnostics had a cheerful booth

With banners above and below.

The upper one said, “Keep an open mind;”

The lower said, “Nobody knows.”

The Mormons were talking ‘bout golden books.

The Quakers pushed peace and hope.

The Amish urged us back to the land.

Catholics said obey the Pope.

Back in the corner were Unitarians,

Of all the churches most odd;

The only church that didn’t claim

To have a message from God.

Muslims were a backward lot,

Their religion frozen in time,

Their nations ruled by autocrats,

Their women treated like slime.

Voodoo believers sacrificed chickens;

Spiritualists summoned ghosts.

Urantia folks told of flying saucers;

Tantrics urged sex uppermost.

On and on the religions stretched.

Children came and went until

In a day or a year, their minds were clear,

Or perhaps just had their fill.

Then back to the world, having chosen

“Truths” that suited their taste.

Most took bits from several faiths,

With a job of “cut and paste.”

Gone was arrogance and dogmatism.

Their study of religion and history

Lets them tolerate ambiguity,

Embrace the human mystery.

In a few short years, religious wars ceased;

All nations made a truce.

Every civilized person now agrees

Indoctrination is child abuse.

Freedom to choose your religion

Is a universal human right.

Parents stopped laying their “trip” on kids,

And the world sleeps better at night.

 I say to my readers:  If you have escaped your indoctrination---created your own value system--you are a part of life's solution.  Congratulations.  If, on the other hand you believe the doctrines your parents told you---you are likely part of life's problem.


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