A kindergartner at a school I cover was having some behavior problems. He refused to be quiet and let the teacher teach the rest of the class. The teacher would, for example, be teaching the concept "b" by showing a "b" and then having the class say it in unison. The little boy would shout "no its not! My dad says its a plane."
The teacher tried a few simple techniques, to no avail. I was asked to consult. After watching for a while it became apparent that this little boys behavior was reinforced by attention. We decided to have the teacher "ignore" the behavior. As usual there was an "extinction burst" (a temporary increase in the behavior before it disappears). Within 20 minutes this boy was sitting with his peers engaged in appropriate unison responding.
The teacher thinks I know magic. She stated that she has tried arguing with the boy, and his behavior "got worse."
Ijust read an article in a British Newspaper which the author was criticising Tony Blairs record of supporting religious indoctrination in schools. After the article there was a place to post comments. The religious folks were out en mass to criticize the author as being a militant atheist. As I look over the recent flourish of religiosity in America it seems the same. The more people take issue with religion, the harder religion fights back and survives and grows (like the bad behavior of a kindergartner).
It is my belief that religion will die, not by fighting it (attending to it), but ignoring it. Watch god finally fade from existence like the remaining smile of an ever fading Cosmic Cheshire cat...
HH
3 comments:
wow,...I just caught a fresh post. I could use some of your magical tricks with my brood. Interesting experience. What do you do about ear splitting screams in response to a big brother's teasings?
Ignoring Religion....fading out God. My thoughts: Perhaps the concept of God isn't the main problem, As I see it, the problem is when people use God and their interpretation of "his word" to control, influence, and manipulate others..often accomplished by using fear. I see the problem is when the sacred mixes with the secular. This is something that shouldn't and can't be ignored and it happens so often here in Utah. It deserves some major time out or even a beatin with an extension cord...but given the power balance here in Utah, that isn't likely to happen any time soon. Maybe it's hard to find that fine invisible line to separate the secular and sacred objectives and everyone might draw that line in a different place...but I'm still not convinced that someone's private faith, if it's kept private, is something that could harm me. I'm not ready to agree with you that this is necessarily bad behavior. I guess it's kinda like how I don't see how same gendered marriage harms me and my heterosexual marriage. It's not something I'm inclined to do, but maybe I'm not built the same way. Maybe religion isn't that different. It fulfills some universal need (the need for connection, for reassurance, for faith in something larger than the self). Whether we ignore it, or endorse it, I don't see it as a threat. Do you?
Hmm.... That's an interesting analogy. Seems to mark a change in your outlook maybe.
I don't know. I read this yesterday, thinking I needed more time to think about it before I left a comment, but I've still got nothing. On one hand, it rings true: I think belief in NoboDaddy is bad, destructive behavior and that ignoring bad, destructive behavior is an effective means of dealing with it. On the other hand, it seems to me that people don't see through delusional thought patterns unless they're hit over the head, hard and often, with the truth. I don't think, for example, that a psychopathic serial killer will stop killing if he stops getting attention for it.
Anyway, thanks for the "thought". Good to see a post!
Love the magic in your example with school kids. If only ignoring would work with religion...I'm not so sure. But who knows.
I do disagree with SE: I think the concept of God is the problem because the very concept is wrapped up with control, influence, manipulation, etc. One might say "God" doesn't have to be like that but I see few if any examples where it isn't.
Post a Comment