In a culture that is increasingly hostile to Christianity, it is not uncommon to hear of Christians being accused of indoctrinating their children when they raise them to believe that the Christian faith is true.

Some time ago, I was made aware of a video in which an 11-year-old boy makes something of a presentation to his church showing how Jesus is depicted in every book of the Bible. While the video itself was quite interesting, I found the comments to be a bit perplexing. Accusations of indoctrination filled the page, and some remarked that his parents were forcing him to live in a bubble and lamented the poor child's inability to choose his beliefs for himself.

I find this a bit odd because the comments are all devoid of any real logic or reason, and end up being nothing more than a protest against Christianity. First of all, an 11-year-old like the boy in the video would certainly have the mental capacity to make a decision about religious convictions. He may not be able to think about all the ins and outs of various religions and beliefs, but at this point he would be able to make a decision regarding his belief in the biblical God that his parents believe in.

In the second place, the idea that raising a child to believe the same thing you do amounts to indoctrination is rather peculiar, simply because every parent does this. The difference is that some do it consciously, while others do not. Society generally construes religion and religious beliefs as something private, relegated to one sphere of life, but the reality is that people cannot help but live according to these convictions. Human beings are fundamentally religious, and this gives shape to their entire lives. Resultingly, everyone lives out of a story they believe makes the most sense of reality, whether or not they are aware of this story. Even if you think that beliefs are separate, the way you live is not disconnected from those beliefs.

Children, being as perceptive as they are, recognise this. If their parents teach them the beliefs of Christianity, but fail to live according to them, the children will see a disconnect and not find the claims to be credible. The same goes for the parents who want their children to be religiously tolerant; if they raise their children to think that any form of religion is a valid option, but then live in a way that does not reflect this supposed conviction, the children will not accept that narrative as true. Accusations of indoctrination fall flat because Christian parents are not forcing their children to believe – ultimately, they cannot – but are simply raising their children within the framework of a story that they believe makes the most sense of reality. In the end, whether or not the child accepts this story as true is not the decision of the parents. This is not unique to Christian parents raising children; it is true of every parent raising a child. You will raise them to believe something, and at some point they will make a decision regarding the validity of those beliefs.

If you believe that there is a story that makes sense of the nature of reality, why would you not raise your children to believe the same thing? You are giving them guidance and direction as they navigate a messy and complex world. That's hardly an injustice or indoctrination. That is love.