Children don't belong to religion

@buffalobill90 Said
If anyone has read 'the God delusion' by Richard Dawkins, they will be well aware of this problem.

In a religious family, the children are brought up to believe that the family's particular religion is true and this view will stick with them and eventually pass on to their children. This is a form of child abuse, since it is taking away a child's ability to choose their own way of life and instead forcing the parent's own views on the children. Indoctrinating children into a religion is a brainwashing process in it's own right and should be seriously frowned upon by any moral person.

Also, it is utterly inappropriate and unfair to label any child as a 'Christian child' or a 'Muslim child' or a 'Sikh child' or a member of any other religion since they are far to young to even comprehend religion and it's consequences for their life, let alone decide to become a member of one. It is the same as labelling a child a Marxist, a conservative, a fundamentalist or a member of any other ideology which they could not possibly understand fully or responsibly decide to follow.

Parents have a responsibility to teach their children to quetion what they are taught and to make their own decisions based on reason and rationality, instead of forcing an ideology on them which they may not have otherwise agreed with.

Discuss.

@dumdedum Said
Yeah this is all well and good but children are too young to be as sophisticated in their thinking to make a choice. Isn't it sort of nice to give them something to believe in. To tell them that if they are ever upset and need to talk to someone they can talk to Jesus. I mean that's what I grew up in. It does dpeend on how strict your parents are with religion, I was lucky. I was also taught to have my own views too about stuff such as sex and divorce. But the point being children don't have those views yet. I think it is good to give them a comfort such as a friend to talk to in the form of religion. I don't believe in organized religion at all personally, it has done many bad things, but at home with a child I think it is nice to give them that kind of footing into the world. I was never tuaght to fear God for example. I was always taught he can understand you and help you to be better if you know you've done wrong. I think that's a very positive thing to teach very young children just until they can make their own minds up. And to say it's always brainwashing is a very pressumtious and bitter thing to say.

@xphile2868 Said
I've never known anyone who was told as a child, or who tells their child, that they can talk to Jesus. Far better that they actually tell an adult who cares for them rather than resorting to a guy who probably never existed.

@dumdedum Said
I find that a bit ignorant.
Yeah I could talk to me parents
but i was taught it as a option.
To snnub a religion like that is unfair. I don't tell you you talk to imaginary people.

@dumdedum Said
Yeah this is all well and good but children are too young to be as sophisticated in their thinking to make a choice. Isn't it sort of nice to give them something to believe in.