How much should we indoctrinate our children

[DamianWarS]

I just finished watching a nameless documentary that showed teaching children elements of faith that were very bias to the culture of the Christian group. words like "brainwashing" came to mind when watching it but yet I could personally identify at least some of the approaches being a recipient of it myself in my childhood, tt just looked different watching it as an adult observer.

I have a 2yr old and I let him watch faith based media, I read to him bible stories and pray with him and try to enrich his life teaching him the strong faith values I have... but I don't want to brainwash him. I am of course selective with what I expose to him which inevitably exposes my bias for the content. I want him to be impacted not by my world view or by a church's world view but instead by Christ's world view.

I realise this might be impossible in my limits and the concept of emphasising any value over another, christian or not is a form of indoctrination in itself. There's a line of responsible teaching but most christian communities seem to take the approach that Christ can only be interpreted through a specific narrow lense. I rather not teach the gospel according to an astigmatism but instead teach how to remove the lense and see Christ clearly but at the same time emphasising the value of the church. Is this even possible?

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

I just finished watching a nameless documentary that showed teaching children elements of faith that were very bias to the culture of the Christian group. words like "brainwashing" came to mind when watching it but yet I could personally identify at least some of the approaches being a recipient of it myself in my childhood, tt just looked different watching it as an adult observer.

I have a 2yr old and I let him watch faith based media, I read to him bible stories and pray with him and try to enrich his life teaching him the strong faith values I have... but I don't want to brainwash him. I am of course selective with what I expose to him which inevitably exposes my bias for the content. I want him to be impacted not by my world view or by a church's world view but instead by Christ's world view.

I realise this might be impossible in my limits and the concept of emphasising any value over another, christian or not is a form of indoctrination in itself. There's a line of responsible teaching but most christian communities seem to take the approach that Christ can only be interpreted through a specific narrow lense. I rather not teach the gospel according to an astigmatism but instead teach how to remove the lense and see Christ clearly but at the same time emphasising the value of the church. Is this even possible?

I don't know if it's possible or not because no child comes with a manuel on what will be the most effective way to parent that particular soul. Jesus seemed to take from circumstances to teach heavenly concepts. Scripture isn't always the starting point when one has no point of reference to begin with.

 

[Tolworth John]

I don't want to brainwash him.

A question for you.
How much Christian material will your child see, read, and hear in the course of an average day?
What 'Christian' content is in the average childs tv program? How many non christian families will he spend time with, when playing with friends?
Are you going to homeschool him or let a state or private school indoctrinate him?

Your role is to prepare your children for life as Christian men and women. That means teaching them what Christianity is, what others believe or don't believe and how to reasonable defend Christianity etc.
The world is going to 'brainwash/indoctrinate' your Children to think in the way it wants them to. You have to teach them how to think as a Christian should.

 

[Monna]

I want him to be impacted not by my world view or by a church's world view but instead by Christ's world view.

What will have the greatest impact on him is your own behaviour, and the extent it is consistent with what you claim to believe.

Your statement in the quote above, in the light of mine, is that you know and live by "Christ's world view." What this actually is warrants a thread on its own!

 

[LionL]

In my opinion we shouldn't indoctrinate our children at all. Lead by example. Children usually try to emulate their parents. Those not exposed to other beliefs and ways of thinking are more likely to rebel when they come across other influences as teenagers and young adults.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

If my daughter (who is now 25) cannot see Christ in me in the way I live and conduct myself, there is no point trying to teach her anything.

 

[Dave-W]

Deut 6. 6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

 

[Hidden In Him]

There's a line of responsible teaching but most christian communities seem to take the approach that Christ can only be interpreted through a specific narrow lense. I rather not teach the gospel according to an a stigmatism but instead teach how to remove the lense and see Christ clearly but at the same time emphasising the value of the church. Is this even possible?

Yes, there are a lot of overly restrictive Christian worldviews in my opinion as well. It's as if there is an excessive fear of the world and everything in it, which leads to a rejection of even that which is good and right in others, and in the world. The Greek philosophers had worldviews that were certainly not Christian, yet not everything they believed was rejected by the early church. Many of the things they taught were held up as virtuous, and rightly so.

Scripture says that as much as is in us we should be at peace with all men, and I believe that means being fully considerate of people from different cultures, races and belief systems. At the same time it is of paramount importance that we teach our kids truth from falsehood, not in a spirit of elitism or narrow-mindedness, but in one of wisdom, knowledge, consideration and understanding.

In short, should we indoctrinate them? For Heaven's sakes no. But should we educate them to walk in both the love of God and the wisdom of God? Definitely. And as for the church, we should teach them to view Christians of all different stripes from the same perspective.

 

[Phil 1:21]

We have no more higher responsibility as parents than to raise our children to know the one true God.

 

[DamianWarS]

A question for you.
How much Christian material will your child see, read, and hear in the course of an average day?
What 'Christian' content is in the average childs tv program? How many non christian families will he spend time with, when playing with friends?
Are you going to homeschool him or let a state or private school indoctrinate him?

Your role is to prepare your children for life as Christian men and women. That means teaching them what Christianity is, what others believe or don't believe and how to reasonable defend Christianity etc.
The world is going to 'brainwash/indoctrinate' your Children to think in the way it wants them to. You have to teach them how to think as a Christian should.

and that's the rub.... how does a Christian think?

 

[DamianWarS]

If my daughter (who is now 25) cannot see Christ in me in the way I live and conduct myself, there is no point trying to teach her anything.

This is true but I could probably convince my son any number of heresies at least until he is 10. Doctrines can be strongly oppose by other christian groups and it can create a "us and them" mentality. What level then should we teach our children these doctrines that are so unique to our flavour. For example Oscarr, you are a pentecostal, and the OP is not about specific pentecostal distinctives or is this an attack of pentecostalism, but I'm sure you understand how others may clash with pentecostal values, should we then let our actions speak for us up until an age of maturity or should we go the next step and teach our children that faith looks like "this" but not like "that".

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

This is true but I could probably convince my son any number of heresy at least until he is 10. Doctrines can be strongly oppose by other christian groups and it can create a "us and them" mentality. What level then should we teach our children these doctrines that are so unique to our flavour. For example Oscarr, you are a pentecostal, and the OP is not about specific pentecostal distinctives or is this an attack of pentecostalism, but I'm sure you understand how others may clash with pentecostal values, should we then let our actions speak for us up until an age of maturity or should we go the next step and teach our children that faith looks like "this" but not like "that".

I would stay away from doctrines and stick with principles common to all Christians. There are many precepts of the bible that are used as guidelines for the Christian life. Those are important boundaries that should not be removed either. But certainly no child should be forced to hear about the battles fought on Christian grounds as to who has which piece of the pie

 

[Tolworth John]

and that's the rub.... how does a Christian think?

With a bible biased brain.
See Romans 12 v 1+2