(February 14, 2010 at 6:13 pm)fr0d0 Wrote: There's nothing in that link that disagree's with my statement. Please quote the precise text you think does so. Do you also disagree with the idea that it's a natural instinct in infants to attract care and feeding?
You said babies are selfish and greedy. This is a blanket statement and I was illustrating that it is a developmental stage where they make a conscious choice to adopt those qualities or not. This is heavily dependent on the upbringing of the child as well. They are not born with inherently evil qualities and have to work out of it. They are simply learning and adapting to new concepts to manipulate the world around them.
Here's an excerpt:
"Birth to 18 months:
Erikson also referred to infancy as the Oral Sensory Stage (as anyone might who watches a baby put everything in her mouth) where the major emphasis is on the mother's positive and loving care for the child, with a big emphasis on visual contact and touch. If we pass successfully through this period of life, we will learn to trust that life is basically okay and have basic confidence in the future. If we fail to experience trust and are constantly frustrated because our needs are not met, we may end up with a deep-seated feeling of worthlessness and a mistrust of the world in general."
(February 14, 2010 at 6:13 pm)fr0d0 Wrote: If you had the slightest understanding of the Christian dogma you are criticising, you would realise that the widely adopted 'fallen state' is precisely the same subject. To save yourself from hell (separation from God) you choose life (onesness with God).
That's not even remotely the same thing. Reacting to stimuli and developing personality traits has nothing to do with belief systems. If it was the same thing, all children would have an inherent knowledge of God from birth, or at least develop it down the line at a later time on their own. This does not happen.
I brought up childhood indoctrination because it is the most effective way of converting people. Children are highly incorrigible, and an appeal to authority is highly acknowledged and respected. Simply put, kids will believe anything an adults tell them. If religion was started only at an age where the person has mentally developed enough to make decisions about their belief systems without the authoritative pressure, religion would not be as prevalent as it is now.
It's not a strawman, it's connected quite solidly with the subject at hand.
