It seems to me that the atheist/agnostic "Anonymous" response found below (Tues., 7/14/09 "comment" #3, that atheists don't force their kids to be atheist), appears to be "wishful" thinking that is rather simplistic/idealistic. For example, the former atheist John Clayton related how his parents (both members of the American Atheist Association) often belittled religion and the Bible and painted a glorious picture of an atheistic world. Where's the neutrality that "Anonymous" seem to imply that atheists are blessed with and Christians are woefully lacking in? And shouldn't Clayton's late father know better since he was the former chairperson of the Dept. of Philosophy at Cornell University? And when John Clayton became an adult and a scientist and renown science educator, he explored some of the so-called silly Bible teachings that he was indoctrinated in and was surprised to discover that they weren't in the Bible at all! They were merely atheistic assumptions and story-telling! At the same time, I've met Christians who did not force their religion on their children. The bottom-line is this: parents, both atheists and theists, tend to bring their children up in a fashion that is consistent and comfortable with their own world-views. That's human nature. People will be people. Neither side is free from some intellectual pressures or biases. Let's not bask content in the "glittering generalities" of a simplistic portrayal of the world of thoughts but take the time and effort to delve deeper and explore.
Allen Jang
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment