If a practice can’t go on without discrimination and abuse, it should not exist. We must separate the abuse from healthy traditions, and codify that into something that can be broadly applied. This policy alone will not end child predation, brainwashing, hazing, racism, anti-queerness, etc., but the primary goal is to remove a powerful tool used for all of those things: indoctrination.
To address something as massive and amorphous as indoctrination you must first define it in real, actionable terms. Indoctrination is a word which gets thrown around, and used incorrectly to shame people for their existence and make people afraid to educate others. Ironically, shaming people for their existence and shunning education are facets of indoctrination themselves.
There are groups outside of religious organizations which indoctrinate. There are ways to practice religion without indoctrination. “Religion” gets used synonymously with “Christianity”, but we must also be conscientious of other religions, cultures, and practices. We are not trying to prevent anyone from sharing their culture with their children in a responsible and respectful way. We are not going to commit cultural genocide.
What is Indoctrination?
It is not the religious songs, fables, celebrations, and gifts which create an environment of indoctrination, but rather teaching these fables as unquestionable truth. Children (and adults for that matter) must be allowed to question and explore their teachings.
All children, under Jasmine Sherman’s administration, will be taught actual science and history, including those who are homeschooled, as per the education policy. Intentionally misteaching science and history, or teaching it in such a way as to dismiss its relevance, shall be considered indoctrination and prohibited under this policy.
When given the freedom to ask questions and explore their environment, children who are able to speak and/or otherwise communicate tend to be able to clearly communicate who they are and what they believe by the age of six. Children who communicate a desire to explore their personhood in regards to beliefs and personal identity will be allowed to do so both with guidance, and privately. Children under Jasmine Sherman’s administration will be given the tools to advocate for their own autonomy. Forcing a child to participate in rituals or traditions they do not want to shall be considered indoctrination and prohibited under this policy. Children too young to communicate their beliefs, and too young to communicate whether or not they want to be involved in a tradition are too young to consent to that tradition.
Children who want to participate in age appropriate traditions such as stories, songs, dances, crafts, meals, performances, gift giving, and games will of course be allowed to, however adults do not have the right to force children into these traditions. Children must not be included in traditions with adult themes such as taking drugs, drinking alcohol (including communion involving alcohol), having or observing sex, being sexualized (including child beauty pageants), ritualized nudity, and receiving or witnessing unnecessary body modification (including infant circumcision). Body modification on children is not for the child, it’s for the adults. Adults will no longer participate in a tradition of doing cosmetic surgery on babies. If the child wants it when they’re older they can get it done when they can consent. Forcing adult themes upon children in this way is not only indoctrination but also child abuse.
Proselytizing- or trying to convert people to your beliefs- may only be done to consenting adults. Children cannot give consent, and should never be proselytized to. This includes referring to learning cultural traditions as “school” (i.e. Sunday School). Calling religious fables “school” is intentional deception meant to trick children into thinking they are hearing facts not metaphoric stories. Teaching facts is not proselytizing because facts are not beliefs, and the teaching of facts will not be considered indoctrination. Telling folklore and fiction stories is not indoctrination, as long as it is clear that it’s just a story which may have a message, but is not literal history. Any school or camp found proselytizing is a religious organization guilty of proselytizing to children and will be subject to judicial dissolution, including conversion therapy camps, and bible camps.
Having children recite words they do not understand daily is indoctrination under this policy, therefore the Pledge of Allegiance will not be said in schools. This applies to all directed recitation, therefore no child will be directed to recite words they do not understand well enough to explain in their own words. This includes child actors and musicians. Rituals associated with school as well as any organization will be voluntary, such as the commencement ceremony.
As long as all parties are consenting, rituals involving acknowledgment of achievement, the reciting of (well understood) words, eating and drinking food and beverages, drug and alcohol use (where age appropriate), trust exercises, getting-to-know-you exercises, performances, lighting of candles or incense, and related activities are not considered indoctrination. Rituals which involve the use of abuse, fear, violence, nonconsensual or mandatory physical contact of any parties, nonconsensual or mandatory drug or alcohol use, or the committing of crimes will be considered indoctrination. As such, hazing will be considered Indoctrination under this policy.
Fraternities and sororities have a history of abuse, hazing, contributing to nepotism and cronyism, and denial of acceptance based on discrimination. Fraternities and sororities are classist, racist, homophobic, ableist constructs which have been used to hide cults. They must be dissolved, and will be considered indoctrination under this policy. Social and academic clubs will still be permitted, as long as they don’t participate in discriminatory inclusion/advancement, or hazing. Any college or university found participating in discriminatory practices, including denying admission to people based on name, ethnicity, race, class, age, sex, gender, or disability is guilty of indoctrination and will be subject to judicial dissolution.
It is not indoctrination to teach people facts about the world or spread messages of tolerance for people with different backgrounds. People in positions of authority such as religious leaders, educators, news reporters, public speakers, etc. may not abuse their platform to spread hatred and intolerance of people with different cultures, traditions, and identities. Doing such is hate speech and not protected by freedom of speech and additionally will be considered indoctrination under this policy.
We believe in the positive power of community, and many communities are religious in nature. We are not disbanding communities. People may still be invited to contribute to their communities by donating time, food, and other resources to community organizations including churches, though these donations will be taxed in accordance with the tax policy. However, demanding people give up all their belongings or more than they can sustainably give (forcing them to rely on those making the demands), or using guilt and manipulation to extort people for money, time, and resources is considered indoctrination under this policy. This includes subscription-based religion, or religion in which you must pay dues, fees, or make mandatory donations of fixed amounts/fixed percentages that are required for participation or membership in the church/religion.
Limiting or prohibiting contact or communication with friends, family, and those outside of a group or organization is indoctrination. Demanding or coercing members into only using resources from your group or organization, such as therapists, doctors, teachers, etc. is indoctrination. In an effort to increase opportunities for people to get involved with a community of their choice, there will be increased nonreligious community spaces available for use, including community centers, community gardens, and mixed-zone areas in walkable communities.
Manipulative and unethical advertisement will be considered indoctrination under this policy.
Medical advice should come from experts such as medical professionals and patients actually experiencing the condition, as well as statistical data collected from a wide range of both doctors and patients. It is unethical for drug companies to advertise generalized medical advice publicly, because medications are not one-size-fits-all. Using psychology to manipulate an advertisement’s target audience is unethical, and corporate entities will no longer be able to hire psychological consultants to teach them how best to manipulate people. The collection and selling or distribution of personal data, including web history and facial recognition data is unethical without consent, and the use of any unethically collected data will be considered indoctrination. Multi Level Marketing (MLM) misleads people into the belief that they will be independent and successful, when statistics say MLM participants are not independent nor are they often successful. This too is indoctrination, and prohibited under this policy.
Organizations which are aligned politically with any specific legal cause(s) or politician(s) are political organizations, they are not community organizations or religious organizations, and must be accordingly regulated. Binding contracts must be separated from rituals, because belief is not legally binding but contracts are. Therefore we must allow people to have the space and time to read and analyze a contract outside of ritual space. This includes being sworn into a public position, as well as marriage. This is to ensure the safety of minors in regards to marriage and/or anyone signing contracts under duress.
What’s the answer?
All churches, corporations, community organizations, schools, media outlets, and any inhuman entities which are found indoctrinating will be subject to judicial dissolution. Any individuals accused of indoctrination will be handled by their community task force, as outlined in the restorative justice policy.