All the way back in the early 90s, a religious woman at a school board meeting told me “critical thinking” is leftist code for “challenge your parents and your church.” She wanted to be sure no one encouraged that kind of thinking in our public high school.
The anti-thinking crowd has been at this for a loooooong time.
All the way back in the early 90s, a religious woman at a school board meeting told me “critical thinking” is leftist code for “challenge your parents and your church.” She wanted to be sure no one encouraged that kind of thinking in our public high school.
The anti-thinking crowd has been at this for a loooooong time.
They don’t want critical thinking because then their kids would come to question their parents’ religious beliefs. Despite that, quite a few young people are leaving their parents’ Evangelical churches because of the overt Christian Nationalism.
unfortunately having to accept a lot of Christian theology, you are forced to shut off a rationality switch in your brain. I don’t mean to be derogatory it’s just true you can’t question certain things. that’s the critical thinking piece. and I think when you get used to turning that switch off, you can do it for other things. It becomes easier to believe weird shit.
One of my dear friends tells the story of how she came to be “kicked out of Sunday School.” She had the temerity to ask, “If Adam and Eve were the first people and had two sons - where did the sons’ wives come from?” She said her teacher turned apoplectic and told her never to come back to Sunday School again with her horrible questions. Suffice it to say she took the teacher’s advice!
Mmmmmm, I remember. She unfortunately [if memory serves] was NOT a good spokesperson for reasoned and rational atheism, but I have no idea if I would have been back then [or manage to be now], either.
I’m not particularly militant these days. Might have been a bit more once, but not like Ms. O’Hair. If I remember correctly, she was kind of belligerant. Am I wrong?
Also, came to a sad end.
[Credited with “taking prayer out of school,” which isn’t even true, but people like their ideas simple and simplistic. Is that unfair?]
All the way back in the early 90s, a religious woman at a school board meeting told me “critical thinking” is leftist code for “challenge your parents and your church.” She wanted to be sure no one encouraged that kind of thinking in our public high school.
The anti-thinking crowd has been at this for a loooooong time.
They don’t want critical thinking because then their kids would come to question their parents’ religious beliefs. Despite that, quite a few young people are leaving their parents’ Evangelical churches because of the overt Christian Nationalism.
unfortunately having to accept a lot of Christian theology, you are forced to shut off a rationality switch in your brain. I don’t mean to be derogatory it’s just true you can’t question certain things. that’s the critical thinking piece. and I think when you get used to turning that switch off, you can do it for other things. It becomes easier to believe weird shit.
One of my dear friends tells the story of how she came to be “kicked out of Sunday School.” She had the temerity to ask, “If Adam and Eve were the first people and had two sons - where did the sons’ wives come from?” She said her teacher turned apoplectic and told her never to come back to Sunday School again with her horrible questions. Suffice it to say she took the teacher’s advice!
Yes, the belief-without-proof element of Christianity is considered one of the STRENGTHS of the faith[Doubting Thomas was NOT a hero ... Oy, vey.]
@Pat. I represented school districts. In right wing circles, starting in the '60's, Madelyn Murray O'Hair was the devil incarnate.
Mmmmmm, I remember. She unfortunately [if memory serves] was NOT a good spokesperson for reasoned and rational atheism, but I have no idea if I would have been back then [or manage to be now], either.
I’m not particularly militant these days. Might have been a bit more once, but not like Ms. O’Hair. If I remember correctly, she was kind of belligerant. Am I wrong?
Also, came to a sad end.
[Credited with “taking prayer out of school,” which isn’t even true, but people like their ideas simple and simplistic. Is that unfair?]