My husband handed this book to me last night to my delight. He borrowed it from 8th Battalion's library. I started reading right away and I couldn't bring it down.
To quote a few lines from the book:
"There is NO such thing as a Christian child; only a child of Christian parents."
And I absolutely agree! Every new-born child knows nothing about God or religion and everything that goes with it. A child's religion is just a by-product of indoctrination. His/Her idea about God or religion is taught and learned from the people and society he/she grows up with. If a child is born to a Muslim family he would grow up as a Muslim. The same happens to a child born to a Hindu parents, etc. Take an orphan baby boy born to a Christian mother and give him to Muslim parents, this boy is very likely to grow up following Islam unless, of course, he would come out of his own senses and question things around him later on. But if not, he would be like the rest of the religious today.
"Children are too young to know what their opinion about God and religion really is."
If they don't grab the chance to think of their own they would remain "religious" and follow the same non-sensical, time-wasting activities of the church or temples.
"There is NO such thing as a Christian child; only a child of Christian parents."
And I absolutely agree! Every new-born child knows nothing about God or religion and everything that goes with it. A child's religion is just a by-product of indoctrination. His/Her idea about God or religion is taught and learned from the people and society he/she grows up with. If a child is born to a Muslim family he would grow up as a Muslim. The same happens to a child born to a Hindu parents, etc. Take an orphan baby boy born to a Christian mother and give him to Muslim parents, this boy is very likely to grow up following Islam unless, of course, he would come out of his own senses and question things around him later on. But if not, he would be like the rest of the religious today.
"Children are too young to know what their opinion about God and religion really is."
If they don't grab the chance to think of their own they would remain "religious" and follow the same non-sensical, time-wasting activities of the church or temples.
Another idea that registered quickly in my mind is the "nineteenth century" argument in the context about religion. According to Dawkins, it's a code for,
"You are so crude and unsubtle, how could you be so insensitive and ill-mannered as to ask me a point-blank question like 'Do yo believe in miracles?' or 'Do you believe Jesus was born of a virgin?' Don't you know that in polite society we don't ask such questions? That sort of question went out in the nineteenth century."
He then added that, if you really think about why it is impolite to ask such direct, factual questions for religious people today is because it is EMBARRASSING!....If your answer is yes, of course!
Indeed! Gone were the days when people fear to share their views on miracles and virgin birth. No man in his right mental attributes could ever believe in those things anymore.
And many religious, when their beliefs are pointed out, tend to get offensive, angry, etc. because they are suddenly reminded of their illusion or wishful thinking, they suddenly feel threatened that the entire foundation of their 'happiness' is shaking because reality bites deep and they suddenly have to face the cognitive dissonance that they have been hiding. "How great it would have been if everybody believes in miracles." or "How nice it would have been if nobody says, "virgin birth? Impossible!"
This book is very interesting and really a consciousness raiser! Now I understand why moths do tend to commit "suicide".
"You are so crude and unsubtle, how could you be so insensitive and ill-mannered as to ask me a point-blank question like 'Do yo believe in miracles?' or 'Do you believe Jesus was born of a virgin?' Don't you know that in polite society we don't ask such questions? That sort of question went out in the nineteenth century."
He then added that, if you really think about why it is impolite to ask such direct, factual questions for religious people today is because it is EMBARRASSING!....If your answer is yes, of course!
Indeed! Gone were the days when people fear to share their views on miracles and virgin birth. No man in his right mental attributes could ever believe in those things anymore.
And many religious, when their beliefs are pointed out, tend to get offensive, angry, etc. because they are suddenly reminded of their illusion or wishful thinking, they suddenly feel threatened that the entire foundation of their 'happiness' is shaking because reality bites deep and they suddenly have to face the cognitive dissonance that they have been hiding. "How great it would have been if everybody believes in miracles." or "How nice it would have been if nobody says, "virgin birth? Impossible!"
This book is very interesting and really a consciousness raiser! Now I understand why moths do tend to commit "suicide".
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