Should parents be forbidden to push religion on their own children?

[Danzigdawson]

Choosing a religion can be a life-changing, or life-altering choice. It should be a decision that's left to consenting and well-informed adults.

Most religions, including Judaism, Islam and christianity have rituals that are made to condition impressionable minds into accepting faith and beliefs as reality from a very young age.

Religion is not a basic human need and it should not be the core of any human being's life. It should be chosen by an individual. Normal children can and will thrive without it.

When someone reaches adulthood, however, he/she may seek purpose, explanation for the unexplainable and comfort in religion, whatever it may be. That's when religion comes in handy: it is certainly not all bad and it can improve a person's sense of well-being.

However, why is it still being pushed on young children? Why are they groomed to believe what their parents believe in years before they even have a chance to make up their own mind about it?

[goaded]

That didn't work for the Soviets, and the church is very powerful again in today's Russia.

Rather, insist that children be taught to think critically. I know Texas Republicans tried to stop that, so they probably see it as a threat.

If everybody knows about tricks people use to manipulate them, they stop being so successful.

For example, someone asked me what the best deal on an extended warranty on their new car was. I looked at the options, and there was an obvious "best" option, better in almost every way than all the others (assuming you don't drive a million miles a year or similar). How stupid the dealers were not to notice!

Then I remembered that I'd heard of that trick; the best option lets you think you've pulled a fast one on the dealer, but really it's just as worthless as the other options; if your brand new car survives the manufacturer's warranty period, it's very unlikely to break down in the next few years.

[Danzigdawson]

@goaded Quite. History has proven countless times that repression of religion makes it even more powerful; especially christianity, the discourse of which doesn't manage any effort to prepare its belivers to expect disbelief, insults, and even martyrdom. Scorn and brutal repression of christianity by the roman empire did not prevent it from eventually becoming the empire's official religion. The oppression that puritans endured in England paved the way for the manifest destiny delusion and all of its devastating effects. Drastic, sudden prohibition of anything usually leads to something worse. Government should not be allowed to repress religions, just as religion shouldn't be allowed to influence government in a way that gives it enough power to repress the people and impose itself and its beliefs as the only truth, which, unfortunately, is what's happening in the United States right now, after decades of shady lobbying, disinformation, demonization of liberalism and so forth.

Obviously, you know that this question is more about trolling than it is about seriously suggesting such a move. The world would be better off without religion, but you can't expect the faithful to give up their beliefs just because someone forces them to. I'm often juvenile. I admit it and I'm fine with it.

[Kaneki05]

It's ethier religion shouldn't be pushed onto children or all religion should. And I agree more with all should, and why RE is great.

Education on all religions will help a kid critically think about them all and come to their own conclusion.

[jshm2]

LOL, you're not the brightest, it seems.

You probably think teaching history, language, gender, laws and etiquettes should be "optional" as well

After all, the child might want to be a 9th century Chinese emperors horse, when it grows up...

[Tamera952]

Indoctrination of children by their parents into any one religion, in my opinion, is akin to child abuse.

[Gwendoline]

In this immoral world where a son or daughter will sell out their parents or children for money Christianity is needed even more.

[goaded]

Isn't there someone in the Bible who sends his daughters out to be raped by a mob to protect his guests?

[Gwendoline]

@goaded In the Bible, Lot is often described as a righteous man who was "vexed in his soul" by the wickedness he saw in Sodom. While he was righteous, he also made choices that compromised his faith and ultimately led to the loss of his family and his own life. This highlights the theme of weakness in the face of temptation and the importance of standing firm in one's convictions.

[Danzigdawson]

@gwendoline Christianity has ruled for about 2000 years in the western world and it failed miserably. The world certainly does not need more division and even less a theocracy. We were not better off with sexual repression, obscurantism, domination of the most by the few and unscientific beliefs about the nature of the universe, the history of our world, sexuality, unscientific medical treatments and miserable lives of illiteracy characterized by a blind subservience to god and to royalty.

[Gwendoline]

Atheism ruled most of the world for 80 years and all we got was genocide and famine and repression. We don't need that.
Sexual morality is key to a successful happy relationship and family. If you look at who built all the hospitals, schools and advanced scientists you'd see it was the Christians. How is the literacy rates in non-Christian state run schools?

[Danzigdawson]

@gwendoline Pretty good! My whole education was marked by secularity and I'm glad. Furthermore, English isn't even my mother tongue. How's your french, so we can compare?

The church has oppressed the western world for 2000 years. 2000 years of genocide, crusades, inquisitions, colonialism, sexual repression, religious wars, witch hunts, obscurantism, anti-intellectualism; many, many, many many cases of rapes by the clergy who went unreported over so many centuries. It failed. It won't make a come back and we're all the better for it.

[Gwendoline]

The church kept intellectualism alive after the dark ages and funded great technological advancements and fought back middle Eastern colonisation. Do you think the agr of exploration would have been possible if the church was ant intellectual?
There have been many manny many cases of genocide and rapes by atheists in the last century. You will find sexual abuse in basically any organisation without any kind of oversight or protection policies which is why most cases involving the Catholic Church are historical. For instance a massive powder keg is about to blow in Canada involving the abuse of children in sport that involves gymnastics, ice hockey, soccer, water polo, rowing, boxing etc. Then there's the Canadian military where 1/4 women serving have been sexually assaulted.

[goaded]

You mean algebra and algorithms came from? Numbers themselves are Arabic! The Church denied the Earth was not the centre of the universe. They "forgive" child molesters, Catholic and Protestant.

Sexual abuse occurring elsewhere is not a defence.

[Gwendoline]

@goaded well numbers as we know them were invented by the indians. Algebra goes back to 2000bc in ancient Egypt and mesopotamia. Algorithms existed in India, Egypt and mesopotamia as far back as 2000bc long before the Arabs conquered a vast empire that included north Africa, Spain, scilly, crete, parts of India, central Asia, persia, Asia minor where all that knowledge came from. The Arabs certainly contributed to mathematics, science, medicine etc as much as later Europeans continued building on what was already known.
The church was trusting the science of the day as there was a scientific consensus that the earth was the centre of the universe. Up until its fall the Eastern church in byzantine that is the Eastern Roman empire continued the knowledge of the Romans and when constantinople fell that kick started the renaissance as mathematians, scientists and other schoolars fled to Rome and Italy.
The age of consent in Germany is 14.

[Danzigdawson]

@gwendoline Don't get too excited. I doubt that any 14 year-old kid in Germany or elsewhere would ever consent to have sex with a priest/pastor. These children sexual abuse lawsuits will keep piling on as long as christianity still exists.

[Gwendoline]

Just surprising when you realise Peadophilia is legal in Germany and a normal German cultural practice.

[Danzigdawson]

@Gwendoline It's 16 in the UK... So is pædophilia also a common, legal cultural pratice in the depressing tower block where you live?

[Gwendoline]

16 is the age of responsibility in the UK. You can join the army, get married, have a baby, leave school, go to college and get an arts degree

[dragoblack]

I personally believe so. Religion should never be groomed into children, but morals of "dont be an asshole" is universal.

[BCRanger10]

No. Parents should be allowed to raise their children in their religious beliefs.