[The Stubborn Power of Indoctrination by Mike Gendron Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries] "As we share the Gospel of grace to those who are lost in religion, 
linger: we often see a stubborn resistance to believing God's Word. oly: The underlying reason for this is the captivating power of indoctrination. Religious indoctrination is the process of imparting doctrine in an authoritative way using an extra-biblical source, such as a catechism. From the time children can think, their minds are taken captive to religious teachings and traditions. As they grow older, many of them develop a fierce loyalty to their religion and never seek a relationship with the true God.
There is a profound difference between religious indoctrination and biblical instruction. Those who have been instructed in God's Word, as the supreme authority for discerning truth from error, will be able to distinguish between God's ways and man's ways. In contrast, those who have been indoctrinated with extra biblical sources will become more loyal to their religion than to the true God of the Bible.
It is no wonder that religion has historically been the greatest enemy of Christ and His Word! Every time the religious elite of the Jews appeared in the Gospels, there is conflict and hostility. Whenever Jesus spoke of the religious leaders, He condemned them as fools and hypocrites. He deliberately defied their legalistic traditions, rituals, and self-righteous pretense. Fifteen hundred years later, when the Reformers began exposing the fatal errors of the Catholic religion with the objective truth of God's Word, they were met with great opposition and hostility. Many of the Reformers who had exchanged their religion for a relationship with Christ were brutally tortured and burned at the stake by the pope's army of Jesuits.
Religious pride and indoctrination may be the most powerful tool Satan uses to blind people from the truth. The apostle Paul wrote: "The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor. 4:4). The destructive power of religious indoctrination is also what Satan uses to hold people captive to do his will (2 Tim. 2:26). I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have heard, "I was born a Catholic and I will die a Catholic."
This supernatural blindness and bondage can only be overcome by the sovereign grace and supreme power of God's Word. As the Word of God is proclaimed, and the Spirit of God does His Work, men will be delivered from the power of darkness into the glorious light of God's kingdom. It is our Sovereign Lord who shines "in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). It is the truth of God's Word that sets captives free from the bondage of religious indoctrination and deception. The Lord Jesus said, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32)." Pro-Gospel.org
linger: we often see a stubborn resistance to believing God's Word. oly: The underlying reason for this is the captivating power of indoctrination. Religious indoctrination is the process of imparting doctrine in an authoritative way using an extra-biblical source, such as a catechism. From the time children can think, their minds are taken captive to religious teachings and traditions. As they grow older, many of them develop a fierce loyalty to their religion and never seek a relationship with the true God. There is a profound difference between religious indoctrination and biblical instruction. Those who have been instructed in God's Word, as the supreme authority for discerning truth from error, will be able to distinguish between God's ways and man's ways. In contrast, those who have been indoctrinated with extra biblical sources will become more loyal to their religion than to the true God of the Bible.
It is no wonder that religion has historically been the greatest enemy of Christ and His Word! Every time the religious elite of the Jews appeared in the Gospels, there is conflict and hostility. Whenever Jesus spoke of the religious leaders, He condemned them as fools and hypocrites. He deliberately defied their legalistic traditions, rituals, and self-righteous pretense. Fifteen hundred years later, when the Reformers began exposing the fatal errors of the Catholic religion with the objective truth of God's Word, they were met with great opposition and hostility. Many of the Reformers who had exchanged their religion for a relationship with Christ were brutally tortured and burned at the stake by the pope's army of Jesuits.
Religious pride and indoctrination may be the most powerful tool Satan uses to blind people from the truth. The apostle Paul wrote: "The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor. 4:4). The destructive power of religious indoctrination is also what Satan uses to hold people captive to do his will (2 Tim. 2:26). I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have heard, "I was born a Catholic and I will die a Catholic."
This supernatural blindness and bondage can only be overcome by the sovereign grace and supreme power of God's Word. As the Word of God is proclaimed, and the Spirit of God does His Work, men will be delivered from the power of darkness into the glorious light of God's kingdom. It is our Sovereign Lord who shines "in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). It is the truth of God's Word that sets captives free from the bondage of religious indoctrination and deception. The Lord Jesus said, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32)." Pro-Gospel.org
