Believer or Brainwashed?

I have many non-Christian friends who assume that I have been brainwashed. Thankfully most of them are kind enough not to say that to me directly, but still that is their belief. The sad part is they are not totally incorrect. 

In the Christian school that I grew up in  we were taught creationism. But anytime that evolution was mentioned we were told it was a lie and there was no evidence to support it. No argument was given against radiocarbon dating or Australopithecus. 

Far too often this is the way Christians treat many issues. We espouse our beliefs while outright rejecting anyone who says anything to the contrary. In our zeal to find sound doctrine and avoid false teachings we substitute belief for brainwashing. 

Ignoring what you disagree with does not make it go away. I know many of my classmates who, upon leaving the Christian school setting and entering public colleges and universities, found the challenges to their faith too great to overcome and walked away from the church. 

If we teach true belief in God that is not something so easily shaken by new ideas, it is something that has taken hold deep in the soul. But if we are only brainwashing then that is easily washed away by new ideas. 

We are afraid to lose people to the lies of this world. But anyone searching for the truth can only find Jesus.