Indoctrination vs Education

[Geezer]

Can any believer be honest enough to admit that all religions indoctrinate rather than educate their adherents? Can any believer admit that indoctrination is essential for religions survival?

The difference between education and indoctrination is very subtle and thus difficult to demonstrate.

Education involves learning and growth, it implies the difference between truth and lie, but above all, education means critical thinking with regards to the content of the received information. 

Indoctrination is intended to influence targets to believe in what they are told without questioning the veracity or authenticity of the conveyed information. (Does that sound familiar?)

We can be indoctrinated by a political party, a religion or a system of beliefs. In fact, we are all indoctrinated with the convictions instilled on us while growing up. We are subtly indoctrinated into their system of thinking. As we mature, many of us seek to develop our own values and principles through education. 

Education should be directly supported by data confirming the theory. Indoctrination tends to use an inclusive language, making general, relative references about everything, or anything, as if making a statement for each individual within the group it addresses. If such relativization cannot be supported by real data, then the step towards indoctrination has just been made.

Education emphasizes that different solutions to the same problem do exist, while indoctrination accentuates the fact that there is only one solution to the problem at hand.

Education is impartial and helps develop one’s own convictions based on the discoveries made during the learning process. Iindoctrination has an agenda, a goal, and that is to determine targets to embrace the information they are exposed to.

Religion protects their agenda by claiming their beliefs, teaching, and traditions must be accepted by faith. That is a text book definition of indoctrination. Any form of critical thinking is strongly discouraged. In fact, failure to believe without supporting evidence is claimed to be a sin unto death.

Unfortunately, an indoctrinated mind is incapable of recognizing it has been programed. Even Christians can recognize an Isis fighter has been indoctrinated but can't connect their own religious beliefs with having been indoctrinated. That is probably because Christianity has been widely accepted as a good thing and beneficial to society in general. 

[Guest]

Excellent synopsis. And no, the indoctrinated mind doesn't recognize the programming, not when it has been indoctrinated into the belief that it holds the ultimate truth and everything else is lies (and even more so, that satan has control over those without the truth). I also think this is because Christianity has been widely accepted and seen as a good thing. I might even have persisted in sticking to some of these ideas if I hadn't read so much during my deconversion, in particular on psychology and how harmful Christian beliefs can be to one's mind and mental health. I used to be one of those people in the church that was confounded by people's claims that they had to leave and break contact with Christians for their own emotional health, I never understood it. And now it's as clear as day to me. That's indoctrination.