Indoctrination in progress

Reading Tom Rees' post about what makes happy children (and that it's not religion and spiritual beliefs), I am reminded about a brief event last weekend.

I was using the toilet in the auxiliary quarters of a church, and as I passed by a classroom, I heard (and saw through the window) a teacher telling a class of about ten 5-6 year olds that "all you have to do is accept that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and that if you believe in him you will go to heaven when you die." It was said sort of in conclusion of the class, and sounded mostly like a reminder. I was going to write that I'm sure they needed one (because such things religious should normally be wholly irrelevant to children), but then I remind myself that they are probably also at times told about the other place they can go, if they don't accept Jesus blah blah blah. Those stories are made to scare the little ones, so that they aren't free to make the choice when they would otherwise be old enough to critically consider the ideas. 'INDOCTRINATION IN PROGRESS' would have been a fitting sign for the door.

I went into the adjacent room and played Imagine on the piano there*.

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

(...)

[* For those who know me personally: I taught myself to play piano a little not so long ago. It's most unimpressive.]