Is it brainwashing, or just the Way?
 

My son is a Cowboys fan. Huuuge Cowboys fan.


I did that. He'll grow up being a Cowboys fan because he's a loyal sort, and it's his first 'team'. He'll have to take abuse from Eagles fans, but he'll be all the stronger in his sense of loyalty for it.

I've done this both consciously and unconsciously.

some people raise Christians.

Brain washing. He will have no self-esteem.

we all brain wash our kids. it's part of parenting

pah! let him tell you how excellent he is at stuff!

Talking of brainwashing. I watched a documentary on Ch4 called 'Jesus Camp'. I think that was the most frightening thing I have seen in a long time!

HA! I rented that from Block Buster. I agree, that thing is very worrisom. If any of you want to see what a group of whacko bible thumpers are doing to their kids you have to watch this.

What was really disturbing (or rather, more disturbing than some of the rest of it) was the way they mixed in politics to the religion. All that praying for a 'righteous administration' and big cardboard cutouts of Bush with a flag behind him, praying to God to guide Bush in certain ways, politically.

Most disturbing to me was that thought that they are not alone. There are huge groups of people like that in the US. And I mean HUGE. There was some info put out recently about how many of the White House interns were coming from some really hard core religious colleges. The US Air Force is rife with bible bangers among the senior officer corps. Ugggggg....

*nods*. We've had an increase in that sort of political christianity over here as well. The religious right have been mobilising to form lobby groups and so on. There are a number of schools that are run along faith lines that deny evolution and teach creationism instead and which are linked to these politically active christian groups.

Politics and religion is an admixture I find very disturbing. One of the inconsistencies in the British political system to my mind, is the acceptance of church and state links. On the one hand we're a modern representative democracy whose royal house is a mere figurehead, on the other hand our state schools are legally obliged to be run 'along broadly Christian principles' and all schools perform acts of collective worship. As has been mentioned in a previous thread, the end result is that we're far more irreligious as a nation than America, in which the division between church and state is sacrosanct, but it doesn't make it right.

Interesting thoughts Dana, I do remember some statements by you and others a while back about that difference with Church-State relations between our nations but had not really thought about it in depth until now. I am not really sure how we can maintain an even keel in the US, on the one hand you have the Religious Right, who is a very small minority of the Republican Party, dominating much of the agenda. On the other hand we have the Democrats who are polar opposites and give the appearance of anything goes. There is no balance, only a swing from one extreme to the other.

You use the same words that they do...
 

Let it be said that the source of my agnosticism is not the time that I spent in seminary, but rather the inequities in which the world abounds.

Having said that, however, there are those who use the same words to describe us as we do to describe them. Why is it not enough to believe what one wishes to believe and allow the same privilege to others. If a school has certain "running rules" that are well publicized, then let it.

In fact, that which is "taught" in school is seldom more influential than whatever "brainwashing" (or is that teaching) is accomplished at home.

Just thoughts...

Sre

Most Christians in the US are as lax about their religion, as they are about their politics. They don't scrutinize what the church leaders do, any more than they scrutinize what the politicians do.

So when the rabid Christians, or politicians, propose something, and the sound bite doesn't indicate it'll affect them personally, their like yeah, ok, whatever, how about them Celtics.

This leads to the rabid Christians, seeming to speak for millions of people that wouldn't agree with them, if they took the time to understand what's being proposed. It also leads to politicians, that should be dumped, being returned to office.

I believe the majority are moral, but they are uninvolved. :(

I guess Christians I know are different than the ones you have met. I do agree that there are a large number of Christians that call themselves that because their parents told them they were. Yes, there are the Obama and Jeremiah Wright Christians out there too, but most of those dudes aren't fooling any committed Christians. Unfortunately, they do fool the uninformed non believers, giving Christianity a bad rap

Here's an olde Englishe Soccer/Football/Pigsbladder-kicking Hymne for ye.....

(To the tune of : Bachelor Boy - Cliff Richard)

When I was young my father said, son I've got something to say,
and what he said, I'll never forget, until my dying day,
he said son you are a Villa fan, and that's the way to stay,
happy to be a Villa fan, until you're dying day.

I said "Bollocks ya cunt, I'm a Birmingham fan and that's the way i'll stay
Happy to be a Birmingham fan, until my dying day

It'll come back to haunt you, Jimbo....

When I was cleaning the other day I had MTV on. Background blah. I sat down for a breather and there was an American girl on it (some kind of reality show?) in Sydney. She was crying because she had almost gone to Sydney's - famous - Mardi Gras. Then she heard some Christian buskers and was disgusted in herself. She nearly went to a party thrown by gays. She nearly supported a gay evening. She knew that if you supported these people it just encouraged them. She couldn't believe she had behaved like that - it wasn't her, it wasn't how she saw herself.

I watched a bit because I was puzzled - she talking about promoting being gay and I thought perhaps she was part of an advertising firm at first.

It shows if you teach your children that people outside your mindset are just wrong, they can make fools of themselves on television years later and halfway around the world.

Oddly, my nephew is a West Ham fan like all the men in our family. My niece is a Chelsea fan. Lord help us when she really starts acting out!