Indoctrination?
My husband and me are bahá'ís (followers of Bahá'u'lláh) since a long time and we give our two children in a bahá'í upbringing. We teach them to say prayers, they go to bahá'í children's classes, they attend bahá'í gatherings and are free from school on bahá'í holy days, etcetera. Sometimes people criticize us for indoctrinating our children. I don't really understand this. I don't remember my (catholic) parents being criticized for taking us to church; no-one makes any problem when football-loving parents buy their children a football and take them to football matches and who attacks the atheist for not teaching his child about God?So why us? I think it has mostly to do with fear for brainwashing. But on the contrary we teach our daugther and son to think for themselves, to see with their own eyes and to hear with their own ears.
Because I love my children, I want to give them the best. I give them healthy food and the opportunity to attend a good education, take them to a good doctor when ill and so on. Of course I also want to give them the most precious I know in this world, which are the latest Teachings of God, the Words of God that are given for this age in the life of humanity. I would do my children harm to ignore them that.
We incourage them to investigate other religions, so that they, when older, can chose for themselves whether to accept our religion or reject it. Independent investigation is one of the principles in the Bahá'í Faith. Bahá'ís cannot force anybody to become Bahá'í, not even their own children.
Besides, being a bahá'í and following Bahá'ú'lláhs Teachings (which is inseparable) gives a protection agains many harmful worldly inflictions like alcoholism, drugabuse, adultery, unwanted children, etcetera. three comments
I think an interesting point of view is this:
All parents indoctrinate their children meaning that we influence them. The ideas of the parents are to a high degree inherited by the children, wether they like it or not. Even an absent parent affect the child. When it comes to guiding our children it is important that we do it with love, understanding and respect. If we do so they will grow to be able to make their own choices.
The people that think that you indoctrinate your children cannot see the difference. To neglect to guide your children is very harmful since they become much more dependant on what “friends” do, what other people think and can easily be misled.
Hans - 06 12 06 - 11:23
Can anyone please help!!!!!!!!!
Answer yes or no.
About God
1. Human faculties of conception, perception and learning, and attributes of volition, intuition and apprehension cannot catch sight of
His Person or fathom the extent of His Might and Glory? .............
2. There do not exist words in any language to specify or define His qualities, peculiarities, characteristics and singularities? ..........
3. Reason and sagacity cannot visualise Him? .........
4. His Attributes cannot be fixed, limited or defined? .......
5. None can fully understand or explain His Being however hard he or she my try? ........
6. His Worth cannot be described even by the greatest rhetoricians of all times? ........
7. Intelligence, understanding and attainment cannot attain the depth of knowledge to study or scrutinise the Godhead? ..........
8. He is so absolutely Pure and above nature, that nothing can be added to or substacted from His Being? .........
9. There is no difference between His Person and His Attributes, and His Attributes should not be differentiated or distinguished from
His Person? ...........
10. Whoever accepts His Attributes to be other than His Person then actually forsakes the idea of Unity of God and believes in
duality ( He and His Attributes). Such a person in fact believes Him to exist in Parts. One who holds such a faith cannot form a
true concept of God, he is ignorant and will always try to believe in some creation of his or her imagination as his or her god? .....
11. His Existence is not coming into Being from non-existence? ............
12. He is with everything but not physically and bodily? .......
13. No physical eye has and will ever see Him? .........
14. He has not permitted human mind to grasp the Essence of His Being yet He has not prevented them from realising His
Presence? .........
ipc - 17 05 08 - 17:52
Dear ipc, sorry for my late reaction, I am not working on this blog any longer.
Not being sure whether this is a
call for help or a way to filter believers in God in true or false believers, which no-one but God Himself has the right to do, I have tried to give you my answers.
To avoid misunderstandings I could not answer every question with just Yes or No.
I hope this is some help to you and feel free to make yourself known.
1. Yes/No We cannot perceive Gods inner being, but we can get to know His qualities (like love, mercy, etc.).
2. I don’t know. There are words for Gods qualities, but they likely don’t give a complete description.
3. Yes (true)
4. Yes (true)
5. Yes (true)
6. Yes (true)
7. I’m not accustomed to the word ‘Godhead’ and assume you mean ‘God’. In that case: yes (true).
8. Yes (true)
9. No (false) The difference is that God Himself is bigger than His Atributes. He includes His Attributes, so there is no differentiation nor distinguishment. To say that God is equal with His Attributes diminishes Him though.
10. No (false)
11. I don’t know
12. Yes (true)
13. Yes (true)
14. Yes (true)
Margo - 20 06 08 - 21:13
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