Is taking children to church a form of child abuse?

[Carl-Richard]

10 hours ago, Monster Energy said:

In my opinion, yes, school is abuse.

Then I think we might be watering down the concept as you've said. Is teaching your kids to not break the law abuse?

 

11 hours ago, Natasha Tori Maru said:

You could even reverse uno this - NOT educating your children could be seen as neglective abuse. An adult has a responsibility to prepare the child for life in society; instilling in them the knowledge, skills and habits to thrive. 

Abuse can be what we do, and what we do not.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't! 

Sadhguru did not put his child in school before 12 years old, specifically to avoid indoctrinating her (he even told people not to teach her anything vaguely school-related when interacting with her). But he made her travel with him all across the country. She did not have a say in that. And of course that affected her beliefs a certain way than if she had "decided" not to travel with him.

At some point, treating school or church as a concrete thing or place you can choose to go to or not is a bit simpleminded and reductionistic. The very environment you are born into is technically a place you can choose whether to be in or not, and it affects your beliefs just the same. The only strong difference is that school and church has an organized and strong agenda behind it, people having an intention to teach something to somebody. But this intention exists in micro-versions as Sadhguru was aware of in daily interactions with people, and even without any intention to teach or even the active intention to prevent teaching from happening, you are passively being molded by your surroundings, happenings and events in a just as significant if not a more significant way.

Bringing up a child has an element of coercion if you want them to live successfully inside a state (a place with a government) or simply a community with behavioral expectations. They have to conform to either laws or norms or both, or else they will be punished. And of course if all of this is abuse, then what is letting them "choose" to be independent of these things, letting them go live in the jungle alone (let's assume a kid, a very young kid, just keeps wandering into the jungle any time you let them out of sight)? Maybe laws and norms can protect children from neglect, as you've alluded to, a form of abuse.

So can abuse maybe depend on other things than coercion, influences of beliefs, and teaching, and perhaps social responsibility, expectations, duty? Can coercion be a social expectation, a duty, and can it even be morally good?

Edited 9 hours ago by Carl-Richard

[Leo Gura]

School is not abuse. But it is conformist. But some degree of conformity cannot be avoided. Kids cannot help going through a conformist stage.

Edited 3 hours ago by Leo Gura

[Inliytened1]

On 5/3/2026 at 5:21 AM, Monster Energy said:

Serious question.

Kids don’t choose it. They don’t understand it. They can’t question it. But they’re still brought into a belief system before they even have the ability to think for themselves.

If this was any other kind of belief, people would probably have a problem with it. But when it’s religion, it gets called tradition or how you raise your kids.

So where’s the line?

Is it guidance

or shaping someone’s worldview before they’ve had a real choice?

Not saying religion is right or wrong.

Just asking

If a kid can’t say no is it really a choice?

 

They can take you there but whether you choose to believe it is up to you.  My parents were conservative Jews so I don't feel like I was ever brainwashed or forced to believe something.  But then again when it came to.God I just thought for myself always.  Which is weird because I didn’t always do that in other areas of my life.  But I can see where in more orthodox or religious families there can be forms of brainwashing and cult like behavior.  So I think it depends.

Edited 2 hours ago by Inliytened1

[Natasha Tori Maru]

11 hours ago, integral said:

I deeply questioned everything that was happening from day one and thought the whole thing was wrong and deception, I told the teacher when I was 6 that she's just repeating whatever she was told. This of course got me into huge trouble and it was a huge problem with the teacher lol. This was between the ages of 4-10.

So I think resistance to Conformity in my case was genetic. 

Holy shit, maybe it's an INTJ type trait ? I think you are INTJ, if I am not mistaken.

I resisted all parts of schooling constantly 'I won't do this unless I see why, or where I can apply it'. I paid no attention and disregarded a lot of subjects for this reason.

My grades were atrocious. Until one day my Dad sat down with me and gave me the hard words. That even though I didn't see a use for what I was being taught, later on in life much of it would apply, I was just too ignorant and young to understand this. I needed to trust him, he said. 

My Dad is an engineer and construction manager. He taught me all about electrical work and low voltage DC circuits when younger (I learned PC building and software form him). I listened to him, because he knew his shit. He had applied knowledge I could see manifest in reality in concrete, tangible ways. He and my Grandfather were the only two family members I would listen to. 

At around 14 years old I decided I better learn this shit. Skipped a grade and was throttled into accelerated specialist, methods and general maths. Completed high school level maths in year 10. So I had only half load for my final 2 years prior to graduation. 

All my teachers, prior to applying myself, were trying to hold me back and concerned I had retarded development.

I was just an arrogant, pig headed INTJ who thought I was being forced into rubbish schooling that had no application 🤣🤣🤣

But it's a good case for minors needing guidance from parents. Neglect can be it's own abuse.

@Carl-Richard great insights and foods for contemplation 🥰

Edited 54 minutes ago by Natasha Tori Maru

[Monster Energy]

8 hours ago, Carl-Richard said:

Then I think we might be watering down the concept as you've said. Is teaching your kids to not break the law abuse?

It’s not abuse because a healthy society needs rules. School is abuse because it limits consciousness with false claims and teaches obedience instead of questioning. It’s not healthy. The fixed schedules for when to wake up and when to stop aren’t natural, and the system isn’t adapted to human needs.

 

[Monster Energy]

2 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

School is not abuse. But it is conformist. But some degree of conformity cannot be avoided. Kids cannot help going through a conformist stage.

Too much conformity becomes harmful, and that’s exactly what school often turns into. There are more downsides than benefits. You’re right that everyone goes through a conformist phase, but school is far too restrictive to give students any real room to breathe. It creates more stress than freedom.

 

[Monster Energy]

1 hour ago, Inliytened1 said:

They can take you there but whether you choose to believe it is up to you.  My parents were conservative Jews so I don't feel like I was ever brainwashed or forced to believe something.  But then again when it came to.God I just thought for myself always.  Which is weird because I didn’t always do that in other areas of my life.  But I can see where in more orthodox or religious families there can be forms of brainwashing and cult like behavior.  So I think it depends.

You may not have felt brainwashed, but it’s possible you were influenced unconsciously by words or ideas from your parents that you didn’t fully understand. That’s a real possibility. But I’m glad you didn’t feel confused and were able to ask the difficult questions about God and the church.