I think some indoctrination is unavoidable, especially when they are young before their critical thinking skills develop. But, as their critical thinking skills develop, I think we should foster and encourage those skills. Expose them to other people's ideas. See if your beliefs and values can compete in the free marketplace of ideas.
That is what I am doing. Although my wife and I are atheists, we have exposed our children to some of the beliefs and practices of Wiccans, Christians, Jainists, New Agers, and Deists in our UU fellowship, and Mormons (because all of our extended family are Mormons and we occasionally go to church with them). And our kids are still very young, ages 4 and 2.
My main concern with indoctrination is if the parents strongly discourage their kids from being exposed to things that might challenge their beliefs. Many Mormons are counseled to avoid what they call anti-Mormon material. My thought is, if the anti contains lies or misrepresentations, the person reading it can soon find that out, but if the "anti" contains truths which might cause a person to question their faith, then maybe their faith should be questioned so that they can draw nearer to the truth.
In my opinion, believers should be encouraged to read Biblical criticism (and apologetics). A mind that is encouraged to think for itself and be open to new ideas is not being indoctrinated. A mind that is encouraged to replace their own thinking with the thoughts of another (whether that be a prophet, parent, or cult leader) and to be closed to new ideas about certain core topics (because they KNOW they are right) is being indoctrinated.
Perhaps it would be helpful if we first define some terms.
From
wiki:
"
Brainwashing (also known as
thought reform or as
re-education) consists of any effort aimed at instilling certain attitudes and beliefs in a person — sometimes unwelcome beliefs in conflict with the person's prior beliefs and knowledge."
From
phinnweb:
"Moderator cut: SnippetBelow is a list of the usual brainwashing/mind control techniques used in schools, hospitals, army, religious cults, totalitarian states; with political prisoners and dissidents, mentally insane, some versions of psychoterapy, etc., etc. "Indoctrination" is a more slight and more subliminal form of brainwashing (e.g. commercials). However, these concepts are nothing short of controversial and open to various interpretations.
1) HYPNOSIS - Inducing a high state of suggestibility, often thinly disguised as relaxation or meditation.
So, how do we avoid brainwashing our children? Perhaps it is unavoidable at least to some degree and perhaps not completely undesirable because most of us would like to instill some values in our kids. But, I also want my kids to think for themselves, so I have taken the list of brainwashing techniques and have made a new list of how to teach your children to think for themselves.
1) Discourage the passive acceptance of whatever messages the child is taught by teaching the child about how presentation methods manipulate the emotions and affect the likelihood of being receptive to the message. Commercials are a great teaching opportunity. You can discuss the role of the music, the announcer’s voice, the pleasing graphics, etc, plays in making the product more appealing and creating associations with pleasant feelings.
2) Reassure the child that they are still loved and belong even when they express doubt and resistance.
3) One must learn to foster independence by gradually cutting the apron strings and stopping the “hand holding”. Release the child so that they can learn to swim in the deep and ride their bike without your balancing it.
4) Encourage the objective evaluation by helping the child identify the good and bad of both sides on an issue or decision.
5) Encourage the use of logic by praising critical thinking.
6) Help child to identify both the direct message being conveyed by a speaker as well as any meta-messages also being conveyed. One might ask the child what the political ad said and then what other messages were being conveyed by what was left unsaid.
7) Encourage private contemplation. Set aside a little time each day, free of distractions, in which the child can reflect on the events of the day and what might he or she learn from them.
8) Teach child to be cautious of circumstances that decrease one’s ability to inhibit behavior, especially when there are others who might take advantage of us in that state.
9) Encourage child to question and challenge rules including your own. If you can’t defend your rules, then maybe they should not be rules. Child needs to be old enough to understand the advantage of social order in the classroom and the consequences of breaking laws.
10) Encourage the child not to tolerate verbal or physical abuse. Child needs to learn appropriate ways to stand up for her or himself and how to report abuses.
11) Help child understand the importance of getting enough sleep and exercise in helping maintain mental alertness and in decreasing vulnerability to suggestion.
12) Encourage individuality and also the value of striking a balance with conformity.
13) Encourage exposure to lots of different literature, philosophies, and religious ideas.
14) Help child develop personal boundaries and understand that it is best not to share their inner most feelings or weaknesses with people they hardly know.
15) Encourage financial independence, and a healthy skepticism of anyone wanting their money or trying to place them in a position in which they will be dependent on another.
16) Discourage judgmental attitudes.
17) Teach child to beware of those who would attempt to separate them from their support systems.
18) Help child learn to identify manipulation attempts, especially peer groups that withhold praise except for acts of conformity or obedience.
19) Teach child about how important nutrition is in helping keep one’s mind alert. Beware of drugs that loosen one’s control over one’s self.
20) Encourage child to really consider a situation before obeying.
21) Encourage child to question everything, especially authority.
22) Encourage child to be on the lookout for guilt-trips.
23)Teach child to beware of anyone who tries to instill fear in them.
A) When in a situation where repetition is unavoidable, encourage child to actively critique the message that is repeated.
B) Avoid over-scheduling the child.
C) Be consistent and respectful of the child
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