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Religious indoctrination of Nieces and Nephews: How to help?
November 21, 2014 at 2:49 pm
Recently something occurred in my immediate family where I just have to find some sort of solution or advice or just support or something because they've all obviously alienated me because I'm an atheist.
One of my nieces is going to Sunday School where she's being indoctrinated in various Islamist ideologies through the use of some very carefully selected verses.
One of the verses is about being intolerant towards Christians .. and apparently, after discussing it with like-minded religious people on FB, even though my sister innately disagrees with any form of intolerance has succumbed to the pressure of allowing the indoctrination at the school to continue.
I've had disagreements with my family like all new atheists, and now obviously they don't listen to me because I'm an evil person ... In fact, my comments on her facebook were completely ignored.
I need advice from other atheists on what to do ... We're a very close knit family and I find this indoctrination completely unacceptable .... but I'm being completely shut out.
Is there any way at all to approach this situation. I just hate being helpless. The kid is 11 and even though she's rejecting the indoctrination too, her parents are allowing it to continue.
Of course, I can't open up a direct like of communication with the kid .. but I do feel somewhat responsible ... What should I do?
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RE: Religious indoctrination of Nieces and Nephews: How to help?
November 21, 2014 at 3:07 pm
(November 21, 2014 at 2:49 pm)Free Thinker Wrote: Recently something occurred in my immediate family where I just have to find some sort of solution or advice or just support or something because they've all obviously alienated me because I'm an atheist.
One of my nieces is going to Sunday School where she's being indoctrinated in various Islamist ideologies through the use of some very carefully selected verses.
One of the verses is about being intolerant towards Christians .. and apparently, after discussing it with like-minded religious people on FB, even though my sister innately disagrees with any form of intolerance has succumbed to the pressure of allowing the indoctrination at the school to continue.
I've had disagreements with my family like all new atheists, and now obviously they don't listen to me because I'm an evil person ... In fact, my comments on her facebook were completely ignored.
I need advice from other atheists on what to do ... We're a very close knit family and I find this indoctrination completely unacceptable .... but I'm being completely shut out.
Is there any way at all to approach this situation. I just hate being helpless. The kid is 11 and even though she's rejecting the indoctrination too, her parents are allowing it to continue.
Of course, I can't open up a direct like of communication with the kid .. but I do feel somewhat responsible ... What should I do?
Tell them to let the kids decide for themselves if they want to believe in god or not and indoctrination is wrong. if you let a child decides what he or she believes in they will for the most part follow after you instead of forcing them to believe in something that they don't.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization join today.
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RE: Religious indoctrination of Nieces and Nephews: How to help?
November 21, 2014 at 3:16 pm
If the sister disapproves of what other people are doing to her child, she has every right to intervene. Not so much on your part. My nieces are being indoctrinated too, but there's nothing I can really do because they aren't my kids. I'm just hoping one day my nieces will bring it up to me, and I'll tell them I don't believe in that stuff. I've come out to my family, but they don't want me explaining this stuff to the little ones.
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RE: Religious indoctrination of Nieces and Nephews: How to help?
November 21, 2014 at 3:17 pm
Quietly be the voice of reason for the kid.
When families decide to let fairy tales replace reality there isn't much you can do.
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RE: Religious indoctrination of Nieces and Nephews: How to help?
November 21, 2014 at 3:24 pm
(This post was last modified: November 21, 2014 at 3:26 pm by Free Thinker.)
(November 21, 2014 at 3:16 pm)Chad32 Wrote: If the sister disapproves of what other people are doing to her child, she has every right to intervene. Not so much on your part. My nieces are being indoctrinated too, but there's nothing I can really do because they aren't my kids. I'm just hoping one day my nieces will bring it up to me, and I'll tell them I don't believe in that stuff. I've come out to my family, but they don't want me explaining this stuff to the little ones.
What bothers me so much is that despite disapproving the cirriculum herself, my sister has pretty much told her kid to listen to the teacher ...
How can someone smart enough to recognize that something is wrong defer authority to someone that is wrong?
Ironically, my parents were our only authorities when it came to religion themselves because they did not trust anyone else's indoctrination. It allowed me to break away from religion eventually.
Unfortunately, I'm no longer on speaking terms with my sister because I've been told to butt out completely.
Makes me sad, because she asks complete strangers and friends for advice because they're Muslims but will shut out her brother because he's an atheist. You really have to wonder just how bigoted religious people really are when they stop trusting what you have to say entirely simply because you don't believe the same things they do.
But I really like the advice of holding on to my views until the kid ever brings things up herself ... It really freaking sucks, because I'm afraid it might be too late by then. It's really going to be weird because her cousins are most likely going to be atheists eventually and in Islam, atheism is a sin. And given what I've seen, I'm pretty sure my family isn't going to raise their children to be specifically tolerant of mine .. they themselves aren't.
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RE: Religious indoctrination of Nieces and Nephews: How to help?
November 21, 2014 at 3:28 pm
It's odd that, despite disapproving of both sides, she puts priority on the teachers that she disapproves of over her brother that she disapproves of. She's probably afraid for her nieces lives if she tells the teachers off, since these are religious people of the Abrahamic faith.
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RE: Religious indoctrination of Nieces and Nephews: How to help?
November 21, 2014 at 4:15 pm
Ultimately, it's your sister's decision, they're her children. In my opinion, the best thing you can do is answer the children's questions honestly and thoughtfully, but only if they ask you. Don't risk their parents cutting you off, and keep your mouth shut if that's what it takes. It's more important to have your sister's children in your life than to make sure they're raised the way in the way you think they should.
I'm not anti-Christian. I'm anti-stupid.
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RE: Religious indoctrination of Nieces and Nephews: How to help?
November 21, 2014 at 4:33 pm
(November 21, 2014 at 3:28 pm)Chad32 Wrote: It's odd that, despite disapproving of both sides, she puts priority on the teachers that she disapproves of over her brother that she disapproves of. She's probably afraid for her nieces lives if she tells the teachers off, since these are religious people of the Abrahamic faith.
This is happening at a Sunday Islamic School .. in Canada of all places. The deference to an outside authority (one that's less educated than her) really bothers me and she hasn't given a single rational explanation for it.
The only thing I can come up with is that she's a university professor herself and is projecting her personal need to feel authoritative over her students onto her daughter without realizing that it's an unreasonable expectation from an 11 year old.
I've asked my mom to interfere and encourage my sister to take her daughter out of that Sunday School entirely. Hopefully she'll listen to someone who shares the same faith, because she's not going to take my advice.
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RE: Religious indoctrination of Nieces and Nephews: How to help?
November 21, 2014 at 6:52 pm
Why do Muslims listen to very old uneducated strangers
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RE: Religious indoctrination of Nieces and Nephews: How to help?
November 21, 2014 at 7:08 pm
(November 21, 2014 at 6:52 pm)DramaQueen Wrote: Why do Muslims listen to very old uneducated strangers
i have no idea i'm not delusional so its best to ask a theist that.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization join today.
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