Thread: Is catholic school brainwashing?

A lot of people seem to have an irrational distrust for Catholicism on this forum. I lived as a catholic for the better part of my life, and I personally think I'm a better person because of it. Perhaps I got lucky and found the one Catholic school that wasn't a brainwashing facility...

I find it funny that the people who didn't go to Catholic school seem to have the strongest opinions. 21 votes and counting for "I didn't go to Catholic School, but yes it is brainwashing." And I haven't seen anyone post a strong argument for it.

Yah I laughed out loud when I saw that 62% didn't go to catholic school but thought "yes it is brainwashing" lol

I guess ignorance is truely bliss for some

Originally Posted by grasshoppa

A lot of people seem to have an irrational distrust for Catholicism on this forum. I lived as a catholic for the better part of my life, and I personally think I'm a better person because of it. Perhaps I got lucky and found the one Catholic school that wasn't a brainwashing facility...

I find it funny that the people who didn't go to Catholic school seem to have the strongest opinions. 21 votes and counting for "I didn't go to Catholic School, but yes it is brainwashing." And I haven't seen anyone post a strong argument for it.

I am guessing I have the strongest anti-catholic school opinion, and I went to catholic school.

Teaching a young child a religion is brainwashing. They do not have the capacity to fully understand the concept religion and the do not have the knowledge of other religions and philosophies to compare to what they are being taught. Young children do not have the capacity for complex thinking and religion is a complex subject.

Is that a strong enough argument for you?

Originally Posted by plg6067

I am guessing I have the strongest anti-catholic school opinion, and I went to catholic school.

Teaching a young child a religion is brainwashing. They do not have the capacity to fully understand the concept religion and the do not have the knowledge of other religions and philosophies to compare to what they are being taught. Young children do not have the capacity for complex thinking and religion is a complex subject.

Is that a strong enough argument for you?

An argument, yes, a strong one, no. Define what you exactly mean by "complex"? Catholicism teaches the basic principals of love, kindness to others, fairness, compassion, not to steal, not to swear etc... They teach small children in the form of story books with animals as characters.

Perhaps love and kindess are to complex for some to understand....

Society itself is it's own "brainwashing" machine, telling people to get a job, go to school, don't steal, don't cheat, don't swear, drinking is bad, smoking is bad, stop on red, go on green..... eerily the same to what Catholicism calls for it's practicioners wouldn't you say?

I am intersted in hearing a valid example or argument which makes a direct link to how someone who went to Catholic school became brainwashed because of it.

Originally Posted by dreamingofdreaming

An argument, yes, a strong one, no. Define what you exactly mean by "complex"? Catholicism teaches the basic principals of love, kindness to others, fairness, compassion, not to steal, not to swear etc... They teach small children in the form of story books with animals as characters.

Perhaps love and kindess are to complex for some to understand....

Society itself is it's own "brainwashing" machine, telling people to get a job, go to school, don't steal, don't cheat, don't swear, drinking is bad, smoking is bad, stop on red, go on green..... eerily the same to what Catholicism calls for it's practicioners wouldn't you say?

I am intersted in hearing a valid example or argument which makes a direct link to how someone who went to Catholic school became brainwashed because of it.

I am talking about god, afterlife, son of god on earth, prayer, heaven and hell.
Sure, you can talk about these things in kiddie terms, but that does not make them simple subjects.

These are not subjects that should be dumbed down and spouted to our developing minds.


Religion class did not just teach me about being a good boy... Jesus died for our sins and shit like that is what shouldn't be taught to a kid. They need to decide they believe that for themselves when they are older.

Originally Posted by plg6067

I am talking about god, afterlife, son of god on earth, prayer, heaven and hell.
Sure, you can talk about these things in kiddie terms, but that does not make them simple subjects.

These are not subjects that should be dumbed down and spouted to our developing minds.


Religion class did not just teach me about being a good boy... Jesus died for our sins and shit like that is what shouldn't be taught to a kid. They need to decide they believe that for themselves when they are older.

Well, I see your point, but, I just disagree

I do not think those concepts are too complex or should be restrained from being taught to children. Thats like saying that, the pledge of allegience, our government structure, foreign languages, astronomy, science etc... are too complex to teach children.

Perhaps you happened to go to a very strict and forceful Catholic School, I can't argue with you there. However, having grown up in the Catholic education system and known several friends/peers who have gone to different Catholic schools, it is clear to me that none of us experienced any kind of forced learning or "brainwashing" to believe in one and only one thing. Like I mentioned earlier, we would have Theology classes, it was in these classes that ALL religions were discussed. Yes, obviously, Catholicism was pushed, but not forced.

Really, the only differences between public schools and Catholic schools is that C schools have more of a focus on a certain range of beliefs. Theology classes are added to the curriculum (instead of shop/cooking/sewing) Masses are held once a month, and some C schools have uniforms. Everything else, sports, dances, prom, pep rallies, track meets, science contests, art shows, plays, science (including Darwinism) etc... are all the same

Originally Posted by dreamingofdreaming

Well, I see your point, but, I just disagree

I do not think those concepts are too complex or should be restrained from being taught to children. Thats like saying that, the pledge of allegience, our government structure, foreign languages, astronomy, science etc... are too complex to teach children.

Perhaps you happened to go to a very strict and forceful Catholic School, I can't argue with you there. However, having grown up in the Catholic education system and known several friends/peers who have gone to different Catholic schools, it is clear to me that none of us experienced any kind of forced learning or "brainwashing" to believe in one and only one thing. Like I mentioned earlier, we would have Theology classes, it was in these classes that ALL religions were discussed. Yes, obviously, Catholicism was pushed, but not forced.

Really, the only differences between public schools and Catholic schools is that C schools have more of a focus on a certain range of beliefs. Theology classes are added to the curriculum (instead of shop/cooking/sewing) Masses are held once a month, and some C schools have uniforms. Everything else, sports, dances, prom, pep rallies, track meets, science contests, art shows, plays, science (including Darwinism) etc... are all the same

Yeah I see what you are saying.. If my school had a theology class instead of just a Christian only class then I would not have minded so much. Also science, astronomy, government structure and languages are not so subject. I dont like that we are taught and made to say the pledge of allegiance either but dont want to get to that.

"Everything else, sports, dances, prom, pep rallies, track meets, science contests, art shows, plays, science (including Darwinism) etc... are all the same" not at all catholic schools... I don't go to catholic high school though, so I don't know how our local catholic school is like...

I spent four summers during college getting to know the school systems, public and private, in eight or ten different cities in Delaware, Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama, by talking to a thousand or so families in each community.

My experience of Catholic schools is, in the North where most people send their kids to public schools, Catholic schools are mostly attended by Catholic kids and the religious/cultural side is more pronounced. Maybe, together with family life, it constitutes a degree of brainwashing, though a lot of the adults I know who went to Catholic school are kind of "ethnically Catholic" in the way most American Jews are ethnically Jewish--it's more a cultural identity and set of traditions that they accept than a religion that they believe in.

In the South, however, where nearly all white kids and middle-class or higher nonwhite kids in a lot of communities go to private schools, Catholic schools are often among the least expensive and best-reputed options. They tend to be the most diverse (often the only remotely diverse) private schools, attracting many non-Catholic students, and the most open-minded religious schools, compared to their evangelical counterparts.

I wouldn't be surprised if most Catholic schools generate more skepticism toward religion than the public schools, where the topic is taboo, and so more skepticism in general at a younger age. They tend to have solid reputations, academically.

I never went, but one of my brothers did. If it is brainwashing they are doing a very poor job of it since seems like a lot of the anti religious people I know went to catholic school

I think I've found the answer.

I went to a catholic school and it is definitely brainwashing. We had "Religion" class which was the most bogus thing in the world. The only religion we learned about was Catholicism and any other views were completely shot down.

I went to a Christian school, and it wasn't that bad. We had in-school church every Wednesday, and aside from that, the only difference was better morals than most schools. No uniforms, and most classes had nothing to do with God, or Christianity. I was raised to be religious, but I seem to be drifting from my beliefs. I still believe in some sort of higher power, I just refuse to believe traditional Creationism that is tought to children. Some schools are a lot more serious about it I suppose, and maybe my lackluster Christian education is the reason why I'm not very religious at all. That, and I left and went to public school in the 5th grade.

I don't agree with what they're doing, trying to force kids to believe in their teachings instead of letting them decide for themselves. If there weren't extremist ones like the ones I hate, and most people hate, this wouldn't really be a problem.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents.