Difference between teaching and indoctrination?

[LaSorcia]

I've heard a lot of non-believers complain that Christian children are being indoctrinated. I'm sure most Christian parents don't see it that way. To me, indoctrination implies brainwashing someone, with some measure of force or penalty for going against what one is taught. Teaching, on the other hand, imparts knowledge without expecting someone to check their brain at the door regarding the issues taught.
What do you think is the difference between the two?

 

[dzheremi]

One is a loaded word for the other. It's like how you can call water dihydrogen monoxide, and because people hear "monoxide" and are likely to think "hmmm, well, carbon monoxide can kill people, so dihydrogen monoxide is probably bad, too", they might start getting a bit panicky.

It's a way of framing the debate so that people are automatically on the side of those who are speaking against "indoctrination", even if they're doing a fair bit of it themselves. It's not like Dawkins, Harris, et al. are some scientifically objective people with no agendas of their own just because they're scientists. They're not "scientists of religion", because such a thing doesn't exist, yet their own brand of indoctrination is not called as such because, in the minds of many who they educate on religious issues, only religious teachings can be indoctrination. (Though, in fairness, I've never heard any of the actual leaders of the "new atheists" say that, as they tend to be a lot more nuanced than that, but that is something I have heard from the atheist acolytes that we see all over the internet.)

 

[Serving Zion]

I've heard a lot of non-believers complain that Christian children are being indoctrinated. I'm sure most Christian parents don't see it that way. To me, indoctrination implies brainwashing someone, with some measure of force or penalty for going against what one is taught. Teaching, on the other hand, imparts knowledge without expecting someone to check their brain at the door regarding the issues taught.
What do you think is the difference between the two?

One gives life, the other takes it (Proverbs 18:21, Galatians 5:26, Matthew 12:33, Luke 6:43, John 6:68, John 15:7, Philippians 3:18).

Now concerning idol sacrifices, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone thinks he knows anything, he doesn’t yet know as he ought to know.

 

[HTacianas]

I've heard a lot of non-believers complain that Christian children are being indoctrinated. I'm sure most Christian parents don't see it that way. To me, indoctrination implies brainwashing someone, with some measure of force or penalty for going against what one is taught. Teaching, on the other hand, imparts knowledge without expecting someone to check their brain at the door regarding the issues taught.
What do you think is the difference between the two?

One man's teaching is another man's indoctrination. Fruit salad. Ambrosia.

You'll find that "teaching" means telling someone things I believe, while "indoctrination" means telling someone things I don't believe. It's a polemic people use against what they are against.

 

[usexpat97]

A good example of the difference could be in a hypothetical eschatology class:

Indoctrination says, "God created humanity under several dispensations. We live in the church age. We will be raptured and that will usher in Daniel's 70th week."

Teaching says, "There are different camps of thought on this. Pre-trib thought believes we will be raptured before the tribulation. Post-trib, after. Mid-trib, after 3 1/2 years. Preterism believes the tribulation already happened. Here are the supporting arguments for each."

 

[Dave-W]

Teaching is biblical. Indoctrination is a worldly term for teaching something they do not want people to know, or using methods deemed too intensive.

I am sure that the discipleship of the first century would fall squarely into the world’s definition of indoctrination.

Deuteronomy 6:7

 

[hedrick]

With adults the distinction is clearer. Indoctrination involves coercion, psychological pressure, etc. Children, depending upon age and other things, may not have the ability to evaluate what they're told independently. That makes it hard to make the distinction.

Ethically, I think we have to teach children what we believe to be true. But if we don't also teach them to evaluate their beliefs critically, and encourage them to make rational decisions, then I think in some sense everything we teach them is indoctrination.

 

[Tayla]

I've heard a lot of non-believers complain that Christian children are being indoctrinated.

I suppose if someone is teaching something that others don't want taught; I suppose that is indoctrination (in their view). The question is whether parents have to right to impart their cultural and religious beliefs to their children. Of course they do, otherwise society will indoctrinate them with their immoral, perverse, and godless views.