Are people who raise their kids in an atheist home just as guilty as others when it comes to indoctrinating?

Question

Kind of a long question so I will ask it with mor space here if you didn't get it.

If someone raises a child in a home with an atheist belief structure are they not just as guilty of indoctrinating their kids into their religious views as someone who raises their children in a religious structure?

Answer 1

not really

its not like in an atheist household you take your kid to hear rants about a god/goddess not existing on a weekly basis.

Answer 2

it depends do they actually crush the religious stuff out of the child and convice the kid if the rightness of their view. then yes. if they just dont mention religin then no

Answer 3

It depends. Do they tell their kids not to believe in God, or do they let their kids decide for themselves while maintaining their own beliefs? I was raised in an agnostic household; nobody talked about God much around here. I turned out to be a happy atheist.

Answer 4

Atheist don't really teach their kids atheism, they just DON'T teach them religion.

It's an absence

Answer 5

Atheism is not a cohesive belief structure. It does not have set rules or dogma. It has one concept. It does not require the same level of blind belief that religion does (that's what "faith" is - it's not a leap of faith if you've got a bungee cord). It's no more indoctrination that the normal indoctrination of basic moraliy and reasoning that parents pass on to their kids.

EDIT: I have no problem with religoius indoctrination. Anything world view that you grow up with that you learn from you parents is a form of indoctrination. It's just religion is a more extreme example than atheism.

Answer 6

You're right. All parents are guilty of indoctrinating their children with their own set of beliefs whether it be political or religious. This is something that Atheist/Agnostic parents have to be careful about and make sure it doesn't happen to them. I'm Agnostic (only 19 so no children) but when I have children I'm going to make sure they know about religion. They should learn about all different religions and their customs. They will know that there are different beliefs and that people disagree on this issue. I will explain my beliefs but tell them that is okay if they don't agree with me. I just hope I do a good job. You should read "Parenting without belief" the writer tackles the same thing that you ask, it's a wonderful book.

Answer 7

Just about all parents somehow indoctrinate their kids with their personal beliefs, whatever they happen to be.  

Closed minded atheists argue that their particular indoctrination of children is the only one that should be allowed, even in the privacy of their own homes.

Answer 8

Yes, they are indeed just as guilty.

I'd rather be raised in an atheist home, however, since it (ideally) teaches about doing good deeds for others, rather than doing good deeds to get a reward (Heaven).

Answer 9

Indoctrination is the process of inculcating ideas, attitudes, cognitive strategies or a professional methodology. It is often distinguished from education by the fact that the indoctrinated person is expected not to question or critically examine the doctrine they have learned

No, absolutely not. The child raised in an atheist home is not threatened with hellfire for doubting or for sinning. Also there is no penalty for not believing in the beliefs of the parent. Your question seems to trivialize or at least be oblivious to the immense fear and guilt instilled in children by the religious before they have a chance to completely form their minds. I was raised in a christian home i speak from first hand experience.

Answer 10

I was raised in a home where religion played no part. I don't consider that I was somehow indoctrinated because religion was almost never mentioned.

Answer 11

Well said.

Answer 12

Yes, they are still instilling their belief system on their children. I don't know about the term "guilty" though.

Answer 13

Yes.

Answer 14

The goal of humanistic rational parenting is to teach children HOW to think clearly and honestly for themselves without prejudice so that they may be self-determining and choose their own beliefs based on their natural good conscience that they are born with and their observations of the world around them.  The goal of religious or magical-thinking parenting is to teach the child WHAT to think with subjective prejudice and intolerance-building for other beliefs with fundamental belief in the morbid concept that humans are born basically evil or bad and unless they follow the path and rules of the "religion", they will suffer and never know the grace of "goodness".