I genuinely think having Christianity as such a dominant religion that is taught from birth to adulthood has been terrible for our country
One of the most popular question we constantly ask ourselves is "Why is Madagascar so poor and unfortunate? How are European countries or the US/Canada so much better off?" Obviously there are multiple generational factors that play into their wealth and in turn, our poverty. But one key aspect of western culture that we don't have is critical thinking.
Critical thinking really hinges on questioning everything around you, a lot of "why are things this way? Why shoukd i do this? Whats the purpose of that thing? " etc, the exact mindset that is demonized in Malagasy christianity where you are taught to believe without ever questioning
You might be wondering though how this is relevant since the US and a great majority of European countries are also christian and still successful. I cant speak on europe since I don't live there but I currently live in the US. From what i understand based on its history and what ive observed, americans have added a unique twist to the religion in which they've placed themselves in dominant positions in god's name rather than submissive like in Madagascar
Im not a theologist though so im gonna stop before i spread misinformation. But my point basically is:
Christianity has taught Malagasy people to subvert their ability to do "critical thinking" in favor of blind faith. It's not just about the religion but the mindset it perpetuates ehich ends up affecting even the non religious areas of life. Children are taught to never questiom their belief and simply accept things as they are. It wouldn't make sense to try and encourage them to question only some things but not religion--that's not morally consistent.
There is nothing in life that is should be sparred of critical thinking. If something tells you to not question its validity and that you should simply take it as is, you should definitely question that.
Employing critical thinking is not going to immediately fix all our problems. Hell it's not even something that can be taught in a single class or a book. It's a mindset that's meant to guide you in your lifetime. But the issue is that every stage of schooling in Madagascar, catholic or not (idk abt international schools but who can afford to go there anyways), the idea of simply believing and never be allowed to come up with an original thought outside of what's supposed to be memorized is perpetuated, making it difficult for us to collectively move forward
Edit: i feel like i wasnt really clear abt the christianity in the US bit and thats bothering me so --
Christianity has historically been empowering for white americans specifically. Or at least they've positioned it to be. They've decided that it is God' command for them to "conquer" and "civilize". White american christians make up a good chunk of the wealthiest population in the US. And while Christianity has "told" them to act as the world's commanding hand, that very same religion has somehow told Malagasy people to be submissive instead. Im not a theologist or a christian and im not here to argue what the bible actually says. I am simply stating how it has been applied historically and the consequences that follows
