Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utcsstat.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcsrgv!utcsstat!laura From: laura@utcsstat.UUCP Newsgroups: net.philosophy,net.religion Subject: Re: Freedom Message-ID: <780@utcsstat.UUCP> Date: Tue, 12-Jul-83 14:08:26 EDT Article-I.D.: utcsstat.780 Posted: Tue Jul 12 14:08:26 1983 Date-Received: Tue, 12-Jul-83 22:47:38 EDT References: <431@mit-eddie.UUCP> Organization: U. of Toronto, Canada Lines: 36 It is difficult to know where brainwashing begins, and teaching ends. If I teach my (theoretical) kids what I feel is true and correct about the world then I am doing the best I can. If this includes respect for the scientific method, then this is a good thing; if this includes a respect for other people such that my children would not approve of slavery even if living in a country which practiced slavery then this is a good thing. Why is it a bad thing when what I believe to be true and correct happens to be a religion? When your children get older they can all come to their own conclusions anyway. Mine are very different from that of either of my parents, for instance. Both of my parents have tired to bring me up according to what they felt was right, which included two (different, but both Christian) religions. I now feel that neither of them is "correct" in their beliefs but I would feel that THEY thought that they were wrong in their beliefs if they had not tried to teach them to me. Of course, religion at our house was not the sort of thing that was only brought out on Sundays and Holy Days, and discussions of the merits of various religions (or various dogma within a religion) was always open ground for discussion. My mother is a staunch supporter of the Catholic Church, which is reasonable, since she honestly believes in this religion. I dont understand how a "believer" could *not* raise their children in their faith, since if is important to him (and for some religious, the religion is the most important aspect of his life) it ought to follow (given his reasoning which included the belief) that it is important for the children as well. Laura Creighton utzoo!utcsstat!laura I believe that this discussion about the possible justification for limiting freedoms belongs where it is, in net.philosophy. However, I have also posted this to net.religion. If enough people get upset about the mention of religion we can all move back to net.religion. laura