Brainwashing and Indoctrination

Introduction

Now, this morning. I want to ask you why do you believe what you believe about God? About this book, the Bible. Why have you come to the conclusions that you have about these things? Young people, particularly. Why do you believe these things? I want to tell you why. You’ve been brainwashed. You have been brainwashed, all of you people who believe these things. The Decor Prairie Church is the result of over 140 people being brainwashed. Well, that’s the charge that some make. Members of churches of Christ believe what they do because they are brainwashed, and worse than that, they brainwash their innocent kids to believe the same things. Many of us have heard a charge like that. That’s why we believe what we believe. Or you hear that charge being leveled by someone.

1. A Couple Problems With This Charge

Perhaps you’ve heard it. Well, there’s a couple problems here, first of all, that I want to address. The first is this quotation involves denominational language, like churches of Christ, that there’s some kind of league of churches of Christ, that’s some kind of formal association. You see churches of Christ here and there, Decor Prairie Church of Christ. You’ll see some others in this community, and some think that we’re all in league together, and the same kind of propaganda flows from every one of them. We don’t all believe the same things and do the same things that call out those that call themselves churches of Christ. First of all, this is denominational language, doesn’t apply to us. We’re not in league or affiliation with any other church anywhere by any title.

There’s no formal affiliation. Now, I may regard some of them as the Lord’s people, truly belonging to Jesus Christ, but this is not a denomination, say, as some of our denominations in America that are very familiar, like Baptists and Methodists. They all have charters and councils, and they subscribe to various tenets written by men that are supposedly what the scriptures say, but they’re not. And so that’s the first problem with this statement when somebody says this. And you need to explain to them the non-denominational approach to serving God, the biblical approach. That it’s not that we’re a collection of congregations, all called church of Christ. Second thing, here’s the problem with this. It is asserted because you’re the result of brainwashing, the things you believe, that if you had not been brainwashed, that you wouldn’t have come to the conclusions that you have about this book and about God.

The only reason why you believe exactly what you do is because you’ve been brainwashed, and if you had not been brainwashed, you would not have come to these conclusions. These are not rational beliefs that you hold that you came to as the result of logical deduction and conclusion. It’s irrational to believe what you believe. Right? Or is it? Well, what about this term brainwashing? What does what does that mean? Well, one definition of brainwash is to impose beliefs on somebody. Various coercive methods of indoctrination, including destruction of victims’ prior beliefs. The origin of the concept of brainwashing had this idea of coercive methods and techniques. Like I get you to believe something because I pressure you so severely that you are allowed no other option than to accept or embrace what I’m telling you or feeding you.

I’m coercing you or forcing you. Now, has anybody here been forcibly coerced into believing what you believe. Well, there’s a secondary definition. Because this term has changed so much and it’s used in everyday vernacular. It’s just the idea of conditioning somebody to behave differently, to induce to believe or do something, for example, to buy a new product, especially by means of constant repetition or advertising. This is a secondary definition of the word brainwash. And you’ll you’ll hear people use it this way all the time. You’ve been brainwashed into believing that this particular product is exactly what you need, and that you should purchase. And so you’re being conditioned or persuaded, and in synonyms are also worth noting of persuade, condition, convince, program, indoctrinate, mold, or to talk into something.

Where does this term come from? Some of you who are older might know it actually, it’s many attest, comes to the era of the Korean War, which that’s a little before my time. Well, I might have been born during that era, but I couldn’t remember it. And during the Korean War, the Chinese communists who were involved in that Korean conflict would indoctrinate or brainwash UN prisoners to accept communism, and they would get them to propagandize through the media, and it was more to influence their own people. Of course, special ops people would never fall for this now, would they, Mike? That’s why we have that kind of training now, so that they could not be brainwashed by Chinese communists. Probably why the training regiment has gotten so difficult in modern times, because we’ve got to condition soldiers in case they are captured.

But what they found out, there was a study done about this brainwashing and UN soldiers who are proclaiming communism, that it really did not have lasting effect. It was a very transient effect, and a lot of them said what they said because of the harsh and severe conditions to which they were subjected, and they just wanted better, they were promised better living conditions. Okay, I’ll get on a TV and say whatever you want. So I can have better living conditions that were not severe treatment. And so they were coercing them by pressure, but it didn’t have any lasting effect. That is, these prisoners, if they were released, did not remain communists that were being used. The term indoctrinate is also carries with it a negative connotation to a sense, but let me ask you this.

2. Knowing the Fear of the Lord, We Persuade Men

Am I guilty of brainwashing and indoctrinating and the idea of coercing and persuading? Am I asking you this morning to relinquish sway of your mind to me and let me control all of your thoughts and all of your decisions? And you just go like this. Mindless assent to everything that I say. Just go along. Is that what this is about? My preaching actually is based on a passage which you can accept or reject, but if you reject, you do so to your own detriment. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Because I believe this book to be from God, that he is its author, and that we’re going to give an account to him for the way that we live. That is the reason why I decided to preach in the first place.

I was not schooled. I don’t have a psychology degree, by the way.

I don’t have a doctorate in psychology that taught me how to get people to do things they really don’t want to do. You know, I’m not trained in that kind of thing. Let me tell you why I decided to become a preacher when I was 20 years old. Because I was convinced that we’re all going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. I believe what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 10, that we’re going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive the things done in our body, whether those things be good or bad. And because I believe that, I’m going to encourage you and myself to do good. Because if we do bad, we’re going to be judged. I believe that.

I still believe that. Nearly 30 years later, I still believe, 2 Corinthians 5.10, that you and me were going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. And we’re going to be judged on this basis. And he says as a result of verse 11, therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men. But we are made manifest to God, and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. The last part of that deals with the problem the Corinthians were having with Paul. We’ve been studying that. In fact, this passage is from 2 Corinthians. Tonight’s passages are from 2 Corinthians. We’re sort of getting a summary today of the things we studied there. But notice he says, therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, I believe in that.

I believe God needs to be respected and reverenced, yea, feared, and that we should not fear one who can take our lives like Chinese communists. We should not fear them, but we should fear God, who is able to destroy both soul and body and hell. And because I believe in him, and I believe that this book is his word by which we’re going to be judged, knowing the terror of the Lord, I’m going to persuade. I persuade men, Paul says. Now, persuasion, coercive, you know, nobody has a gun pointed at you saying, believe this or else. Or I’m going to withhold food from you and leave you in a dark room for weeks on end unless you accept what I’m telling you. I’m going to torture you as a prisoner.

I’m going to withhold things that you need for your well-being. No water, very little water, no food, parts conditions. Is it that kind of coerciveness that we’re talking about or simple persuasion? But again, brainwashing can in modern vernacular be just that kind of you get people to believe in things. Brainwashing and indoctrination. If the Bible is true and reliable, and I’m convinced that what it is telling me is right, then I’m strongly going to persuade you and my children of these things. Now, let me tell you about this word indoctrination. I want to focus mostly on it instead of brainwashing, because brainwashing does have a more negative connotation to it. But let me talk to you about indoctrinating, instilling ideas and tenets of belief in people.

3. Indoctrination Is Being Done Somewhere by Someone

I want to tell you about indoctrinating. Here’s a very important point this morning. Indoctrination is being done somewhere by someone.

Rest assured, somebody else is. Indoctrination is being done. And if I and we are not planting something in people’s minds, rest assured that something else or someone else is. Remember I talked about commercials? They’re indoctrinating you all the time. And probably everybody in this audience carries all-state insurance now. Because that all-state guy, he’s so impressive. What a great series of commercials. He’s always falling from houses and falling through things and riding on the windshields of cars. He looks terrible. Can you imagine the makeup that guy has to go through to get ready for those commercials? I mean, he looks awful. He doesn’t even have to get out of bed and do anything with his hair. It’s going to be a mess. And so because that commercial is so compelling, now everybody has all state.

Right? Well, that’s how commercials influence the way that we think they’re trying to get us to buy their product. And what about the Republican National Convention this week? I know y’all were glued to the TV sets, the hopes of our nation. Romney and Ryan. And some of you probably weren’t glued to your TV, but I know some of you watch that. Hey, what are you supposed to think about their speeches? You know, sometimes it’s hard to believe what you hear. And it doesn’t matter to me whether it’s Republican or Democrat. You know, sometimes I’m listening to those speeches, okay, really? But I’ll tell you what happens immediately after it’s over. The media’s spinning. They’re spinning. Here’s how you ought to think about that speech you just heard.

You can’t look at the speech and determine from yourself what you think about it. The media is now going to tell you the way you should think about. And if you’re listening to Fox, they’re going to put a more conservative spin on things. And if you’re listening to CNN, they’re going to put a more liberal spin on things. And so depending on which station you may have watched, the speeches were good or not so good. Oh, let’s bring out the negatives over here. Oh, here are the positives over here. And everybody’s always spinning things because they’re trying to influence you. And I’ll tell you what else beyond politics. We are getting a daily dose of worldly philosophy. Turn on your radio. You’re being indoctrinated, listening to songs, reading magazines, watching television, going to movies.

There are messages being conveyed to you, and the devil is the source of a good portion of it. And a lot of what you’re being indoctrinated with is anti-God, anti-spiritual, anti-Bible, and anti-righteousness. You just don’t hear a lot of things during the week, do you? That are saying, you know, you really need to listen to God. You’re going to give an account, 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 10. You’re not confronted with that a lot out there in the world, are you? Because that’s the message. Indoctrination is being done alright. And we’re being told continually, pour yourself into this, pour yourself into that, and what you’ll find is a better life. Or the best life. Isn’t that the message you’re getting on a pretty regular basis out there?

You really need to be doing this. You need to be pursuing that. Your life will be better. Here’s the better life. Well, look, that message is being preached. People are being indoctrinated by the thousands. Doesn’t it make sense that we need to be indoctrinating and teaching what is truly life? Jesus said, I came that they might have life and might have it more abundantly. Jesus’ aim was not to torture people. You know, we deserve torture. Sinners probably have earned. We deserve torture, but that’s not what he came to give. He came that they might have life and might have it more abundantly. This is life, folks. This message of salvation from our creator is truly life. And we should never be ashamed or apologetic to say that we teach it or teach it to our kids or indoctrinate them with it.

4. The Bible Strongly Advocates Teaching the Lord's Way

Because it is not because we are trying to bring down the standard of their lives or simply to control them. It is to give them life and hope. Indoctrination is being done by someone, and there are idols by the millions that beckon us to serve them. The Bible strongly advocates teaching the Lord’s way or indoctrinating. And I wish I had time this morning to talk about the passage in 1 Samuel chapter 12, verses 16 and following, when Israel has asked for a king, and God sends a storm and tells Samuel, tell the people, I’m sending a storm to show you that your request for a king has not been made wisely. And God sends the storm, and the people are penitent. Oh, we were wrong, we shouldn’t have asked for a king.

And at the end of that, Samuel says, I’m going to keep praying for you, and I’m going to keep instructing you in the Lord’s ways. Samuel is going to indoctrinate the people.

Timothy, the young evangelist. The things that he has become convinced of, the holy scriptures that he was taught from the time that he was a youth. He is admonished to continue in those things. His grandmother and mother, Lois and Eunice had instructed him in those things. And apparently that was a good thing. The faith that first resided in them, 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 5, now resides in Timothy. The scriptures that he’s been taught from his youth, the scripture that is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching. That’s the idea of indoctrinate. It is profitable for teaching. And then what is Timothy told in the very next chapter? Timothy, preach the word. Be into an end season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and instruction.

Instruction. Get the instruction out there, Timothy, that people need to be saved and to live. Instruct. And he says, you know what, time’s going to come when they’re not going to listen to sound doctrine. Remember that passage as it goes on? They will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, having itching ears. They will turn aside from the truth to what? Myths. Things that are trumped up as real and good and valuable, but they’re really not. Myths. Believe me, there are a lot of myths being propagated in our times. Things that are inconsistent with the Lord’s ways and his message. Here’s what I keep coming back to, folks. Always keep coming back to John 8. Jesus said, if you abide in my word, then you are disciples of mine, and you shall know the truth.

The truth shall make you free. We need to teach that. Because this is the only message that makes people free. There’s no other message that can do that. The truth, Jesus said, shall make you free. And if this is not it, if this isn’t the answer for what people need more than anything else, then we’re going to have to throw Jesus aside too. Because he’s the one that said it. And that’s a really big problem for me. The goal of our instruction. Well, there you go, Paul and Timothy, they’re about instructing people. The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart. And that’s a good thing. If you can get people to sign on to that, to indoctrinate them with this. Love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

5. Teaching the Lord's Ways, Molding the Conscience

That’s the goal of this instruction. And when you teach the Lord’s way, here’s something else that happens. You mold the conscience. You see the good conscience mentioned in 1 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 9. What is the conscience? One of the great testimonies to your creator. There’s this mechanism that God placed within us. The Bible talks about it as our conscience, that it zings us and says, You did right. That’s a good thing that you did. Or it says, You did wrong. Oh. You did wrong. And it zings you. It’s our conscience. It’s God’s automated warning system. But it is a creature of education. It will only do its job if it is properly educated. And that’s why we teach our children certain values, things they should do, things that they shouldn’t do, so that when they do something they shouldn’t do, they, you know, they feel a sense of remorse.

See, we’re training their conscience. But Paul warned about times that people would be seared in their consciences. As with a branding iron. Well, that’s not a good thing. That means that they are either ignoring or silencing their conscience. When your conscience is telling you, I’ve done good or I’ve done wrong. Well, that could be correct if it is properly educated. And if it is properly educated, and that’s my job to teach you the Lord’s ways, like Samuel was talking about in 1 Samuel chapter 12, and to pray for you. And if I’ve done my job correctly, and your parents have done their job correctly, and they’ve instructed you with the right values and principles for living. And when that conscience says, what you’re doing is not right, what you’re doing is not right, you had better listen and make correction.

Because if you keep saying, I’m tuning you out, I’m tuning you out, I’m tuning you out, I’m tuning you out, then your conscience becomes seared. It’ll stop doing its job. You won’t feel anything anymore. That twinge or that hang that says, you know, you really shouldn’t be doing this. This is wrong. This is wrong. You make it be quiet too long. And it won’t work properly anymore. And then what is wrong becomes right. What is right becomes wrong. That’s what happened in the days of Isaiah. And we’re getting to that in Isaiah 5 and verse 20. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, and bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. All of a sudden, because we’re not listening to the conscience, or it has not been taught properly, then good becomes evil and evil becomes good, and bitter becomes sweet, and sweet becomes bitter, and darkness becomes light, and light becomes darkness, and you’ve got chaos.

Hmm. Sound like a world you know?

Teaching the Lord’s ways, molding the conscience. Now, let me get to the conclusion of this. You folks guilty of brainwashing and brainwashing your kids. Now, if you ask some of the little kids, bringing them to assemblies like this, it’s torture. And sometimes they tell us, don’t they, our little kids? They’re torturing me here. You’re really not being tortured. Believe me, your preacher is not long winded. Now, there are some preachers that preach a lot longer than I do, and some of that’s really torture. I’m not long winded. Okay. Looking at the faces of some of our kids. You’re getting pretty long winded right now. This is not torture, folks. Exposing people to the will of God is not torture. It’s not torture to have our kids do their Bible class lessons or to read the Bible or to learn more about the thing that’s going to save them ultimately, like Timothy’s mother and grandmother did for him.

And like I said earlier, I was not trained in psychology to the extent that I could effectively coerce you with some kind of tactics to your detriment. In fact, one of my worst classes was psychology at Florida College with Baxter Dickey. I got some of my worst grades in college in psychology. Thankfully, he doesn’t remember that. He remembers me as a good student. I don’t know how, but he does. And so I don’t try to correct him when he says those kinds of things. But I did terrible in Thaster Dickey’s psychology class, so I’m not going to be able to effectively brainwash you or coerce you into believing something that you don’t want to believe. And I have to say this, I tell people all the time, you don’t accept what I’m saying?

6. The Nature of a Biblical, Truthful Indoctrination

You want to reject what I’m teaching? That’s your prerogative. I’m not going to force you to believe this. And so I want to talk to you just briefly about the nature of a biblical, truthful indoctrination. And isn’t this what we tell people? Aren’t we appealing to their logic and reason as we teach them? Aren’t we asking them to investigate honestly the things that are being taught? And then if what you’re being taught is not correct, reject it. We’re telling people all the time when your life is not consistent with this message, then you need to change. And if you bring that to my attention, that what you’re teaching is not consistent with the pages of inspiration, then I need to change. You’d be my friend if you’d tell me that.

You see, the reason why the charge is, you know, you’re brainwashing people. The reason why that charge is no good is because the nature of the teaching we’re doing challenges people to think for themselves. We teach our kids. Believe these things for logical, rational reasons. We’re not asking you to embrace what is illogical and irrational and unreasonable to conclude. And we’re telling them look, if what I’m not telling you is right, if it’s not right, reject it. We must obey God rather than men. Acts 5 29. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. If what I’m teaching you is not consistent with the Lord’s will, reject it. My daughter’s here. I tell her that. If what I am teaching is not consistent with the Lord’s will, reject it.

See, the nature of the indoctrinating that we’re doing encourages the open mind. So our goal is to challenge people to consider their well being in light of the overwhelming evidence. And I’ll tell you what I believe the overwhelming evidence is that I am the product of an intelligent creator, my God, and that I am to serve him, and that he is all wise, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his ways to my ways, and his thoughts to my thoughts, and that Jesus, his representative, who came to die for our sins, that he is now the Christ that was promised in the Old Testament. He is king, and he is my ultimate judge. And the awesome thing is that when I listen to him, he is promised to help me through the difficulties that we’re going to talk about tonight of our lives.

That’s the nature of a biblical, truthful indoctrination. I’m going to say, what are you going to do with this? I can’t get around this. I can’t come to the conclusion that I am the product of evolution. You talk about irrational. You talk about brainwashing. That’s what goes on in many of our educational institutions in this country. If this is brainwashing, what are you going to call that? Encouraging you to believe something as irrational. That I came from some tiny little amoeba by chance, and that all of this came as a result of chance. Are you kidding me? A cosmic explosion? A creator is not involved in the order and design of this universe? You talk about the sacrifice of reason and logic. I’m going to believe the overwhelming evidence right here.

And I can’t get around the fact that Jesus of Nazareth lived on the earth, died on a cross, and he made all these claims. I got to do something with that. And either I’m going to say this guy was deranged and a lunatic and a liar. Or he is right now the reigning king and my ultimate judge. And the overwhelming evidence points to the latter. And so when we come to the nuts and bolts of this, and the reason why people say, well, you’re brainwashing people, when we come to the nuts and bolts of this, is you know, really the brainwashing thing doesn’t come into being because I say God exists. This is really the rub right here, because I believe baptism is necessary for salvation.

That’s usually where that comes from, because no logical, rational person would believe in the necessity of baptism for salvation. Really? 1 Peter 3 21.

Baptism doth also now save you. That doesn’t sound insignificant to me. Not the removal of filth from the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The effectiveness of baptism is based upon Jesus’ death and resurrection. We’ve talked many times about how we’re dying to sin. We’re being buried with Christ in baptism and rising to walk in newness of life. How can there be newness of life? Salvation without baptism. Baptism doth also now save us, Peter says. It’s the culminating act. And what was Saul of Tarsus told, one who had used to persecute Christians? He wasn’t saved on the road to Damascus. Because when he got to Damascus, Ananias, a prophet of God, said what? Acts 22, 16, arise and be baptized.

And wash away your sins. Calling upon the name of the Lord. Buried with Christ in baptism, Colossians chapter 2, buried with him, as I just mentioned a moment ago. Powerful passage. Colossians 2 and verse 12. Having been buried with him in baptism, in which, and I have those two words underlined in my Bible, in which you were also raised up with him through faith in the working of God who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead, you were dead in your transgressions. See, I believe that. That’s why I teach people the Lord’s way. You’ve got to get out of that miserable condition. You were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh.

Is that brainwashing to tell you what the scriptures teach? Dead over here. Buried with him through faith in the working God. Just as you believe that Jesus was risen from the dead by the power of God, you believe that you’re going to be risen from spiritual death unto spiritual life. Made alive together with him.

Throw away your mind and believe what I’m telling you just because I’m telling you it.

Conclusion

Is that what the Bible teaches or not? And if it is, embrace it for your salvation. So if you’re subject to this invitation, if you need to do that in order to be saved, we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Are you ready to do that? We sing a song of encouragement. Let’s stand and sing together.