It'll Stunt Your Growth

This photo of a child smoking caught my attention today.   When it was taken, I am sure there was nothing wrong with putting a cigarette in a small child's mouth.  It was funny.  I mean after all what did we know about smoking back then?  Today we would consider this abuse. After all, what where her parents thinking.

I had a Facebook friend who recently suggested parents should have the freedom to raise their children in any manner they chose even if that meant exposing them to dangerous factory work at a young age.  I of course took exception with this attitude.  

I have a similar reaction when parents expose their children to religious indoctrination.  I have seen perfectly reasonable children turned into self loathing followers.  I additionally have seen them ignore important flaws in their religion.  Those flaws, when observed with a critical eye, proves the claims of the institution false.  If they don't absolutely prove it they certainly cast doubt on its validity. 

There is something about indoctrination that causes us to compartmentalize our beliefs and to shield them from critical examination.  The indoctrination as a child, carries over to adult hood and derails the critical thought process.  

I have had believers testify to me that they know of many who are religious and critical thinkers. I submit this can only occur through compartmentalizing your beliefs.  It is in this attempt I hear statements like, 'god can not be judged by physical laws' or 'we cannot understand god the way we under stand the physical world'.  As a result they come to know what they don't understand or cannot prove as evidence god.  It is fallacious but imperceptible to them.

When critical thinking is applied to those ingrained beliefs it is often emotionally painful.  For some it is too painful for them to complete the journey. Others explore other paths such as mysticism or alternative medicine or engage in government conspiracy theories because they don't really know how to fully apply critical thought.    

My mother used to tell me I should avoid cigarettes because they would stump my growth.  I see religion in the same way.  I am as apt to give my children a cigarette as I am to teach them to worship a myth.  In many ways I think the cigarette is less harmful.