my parents might actually be accepting! (beehaw.org)

submitted 1 year ago by sleepybisexual@beehaw.org to c/lgbtq_plus@beehaw.org

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So, today I went for a vaccine and my mom took me as I'm a minor and after she was given a questionairre. There was a slot for my gender and instead of checking male she asked if I'd rather tick non binary. I'm cis so this didn't matter much but it gives me hope that I might be able to come out some day.

I've also started teaching my sister critical thinking to prevent her becoming a religious but. Hope she remembers my lesson on questioning authority

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[-] Dankenstein@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago

First of all, that's awesome!

But while you're encouraging your sister to develop critical thinking skills, do you question whether or not you are indoctrinating her into negative beliefs towards religion?

I know parents love to indoctrinate their children into their religion of choice (one of the many reasons I'm not on good terms with mine) but the opposite can happen, especially between friends/siblings where one person is unintentionally aggressively pushing against religion while the other has some topics they'd like to discuss but doesn't feel comfortable doing so.

Just food for thought, I'm sure you know your sister better than anyone else.

[-] a1tb1t@lemmy.one 3 points 1 year ago

Critical thinking isn't anti-religion. Religion is anti-critical thinking.

[-] Dankenstein@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

So you think all religious beliefs are not based in critical thinking? That itself is not critical thinking.

[-] a1tb1t@lemmy.one 3 points 1 year ago

Most religions specifically dissuade people from thinking critically. I recall my time in my Jesuit high school, where any questioning of the tenets were frowned upon.

The basic concept of faith is to accept something which can't be proven. It is antithetical to critical thought.

I have spent years learning about religions of the world, as I recover from my religious trauma. There are very few which truly encourage critical thought.

[-] Dankenstein@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

"Most" is the key word and OP is potentially a child or minor (the sister most probably is).

It is already dangerous to make blanket statements but to advocate behavior which may alienate a child from their sibling is even more so.

Religious beliefs span across religions and even influence non-religious spiritual beliefs (including pick-and-choose kinds of beliefs), refusing to accept what people believe instead of speaking with them in a constructive manner can be counterintuitive.

If you were to ask "why" enough times, eventually you will come across questions that humanity legitimately does not have answers for, exploring those questions is part of what makes us human.

[-] sleepybisexual@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

I could be. I don't know whether what I am doing is right. O don't know how to go about teaching her so I'm just being very anti rules in general. This will probably blow up in my face tbh

[-] Triasha 1 points 1 year ago

Maybe. I can only suggest you try to be the best sibling you can be. Keep that as your north star and you shouldn't go too far wrong.

[-] Dankenstein@beehaw.org 0 points 1 year ago

Maybe but all you can do is reflect on your actions and try your best. I hope everything turns out well for the both of you.

[-] sleepybisexual@beehaw.org 0 points 1 year ago

I sure hope so. Im just not sure how to teach critical thinking

[-] Evergreen5970@beehaw.org 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I think I remember reading (and maybe math?) workbooks with sections labeled “Critical Thinking” when I was young. So maybe you could go to a bookstore and find the section for workbooks that they usually use for homeschooled children? I have no idea how old your sister is so this might not be appropriate.

I also find exposing people to logical fallacies and common biases often makes a certain type of person eager to identify them in positions they don’t like. If you’re like me, you’re also eager to identify them in your own position so you can root out bad beliefs sooner rather than later. “Smart people question themselves too,” and if your ego cares about being smart, then for some people the egotistical thing, deconstructing your own ideas for errors because I Am A Smart Person And That Is What Smart People Do is also a productive self-check.

[-] sleepybisexual@beehaw.org 0 points 1 year ago

She is 5 that's why I'm struggling to teach

[-] JohnGarland1001@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

Alongside what others have recommended, I’ve found that running through scientific case examples and trying to get them to come to the conclusion themselves (for example pointing out that a river dips to a certain area or that vegetation in an area is missing) helps to teach critical thinking without a pro or anti-religious bent. It’s also a tad bit of a buzzword today, as it encompasses many skills, but in my opinion (which isn’t the only one) one of the most important base skills is a firm understanding of hypothesis tests.