I think its wrong, what do you think??

[HowboutthemCowboys]

I think its very wrong the way parents basically brainwash their children about which religion is right or wrong at such a young age that the child doesnt know any better. I dont think religion should be taught until a person is of sound mind and willing to make a choice. Or at least teach children about all religions and inform them why you choose the one you do. You can still teach your children right and wrong, manners, and respect at a young age without using religion.

[basil67]

I think its very wrong the way parents basically brainwash their children about which religion is right or wrong at such a young age that the child doesnt know any better. I dont think religion should be taught until a person is of sound mind and willing to make a choice. Or at least teach children about all religions and inform them why you choose the one you do. You can still teach your children right and wrong, manners, and respect at a young age without using religion.

 

I raised my daughter with the idea that she should never disrespect another person's belief. And that she should never accept her beliefs being disrespected either.

 

I sent her to scripture because I couldn't teach it. She decided at age 7 that she didn't believe in God and stopped going. I was fine with her decision.

 

My autistic son once told me that God is the internet. Why? Because it knows everything. I respect his belief too.

[BC1980]

I think its very wrong the way parents basically brainwash their children about which religion is right or wrong at such a young age that the child doesnt know any better. I dont think religion should be taught until a person is of sound mind and willing to make a choice. Or at least teach children about all religions and inform them why you choose the one you do. You can still teach your children right and wrong, manners, and respect at a young age without using religion.

 

Do you think children should be exposed to religion at all? I think it would be very difficult not to expose a child at all. A lot of my good childhood memories were with my friends at church. Granted, I went to a Methodist Church, which leans more liberal than some. My parents never said that Christianity was the best religion. Just that it was our religion because we were raised in it, and, if we had been born in Iraq, we would have been Muslim. They also instilled in us the idea that we should respect other religions. To me, my upbringing seems like a middle ground.

[T-16bullseyeWompRat]

I don't think there is anything wrong with it. Life's journey will test your faith plenty enough for a person to make their own choices on their personal beliefs. Teaching faith is what I get out of it. Then it is up to the individual to define their faith and their own beliefs. My upbringing in the church and private Christian school taught me the idea of faith and beliefs. Then my life's experiences shaped my own personal faith and beliefs and what they mean for me.

 

My wife grew up in a Buddhist home. She is Christian. I grew up in a Christian home, I'm agnostic (for a lack of a better term really, my beliefs don't fit any lable I know of). We were both taught about faith and personal beliefs. Then we were much better prepared to find out exactly what that means for both of us.

[TaraMaiden2]

I think it should be taught, but not imposed.

 

You can't register your baby as politically Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Labour, Liberal or Green... so I see no reason why you can be able to register them as religiously Catholic, Muslim, C0fE, Jewish, Hindu or anything else.

[HowboutthemCowboys]

I don't think there is anything wrong with it. Life's journey will test your faith plenty enough for a person to make their own choices on their personal beliefs. Teaching faith is what I get out of it. .

 

the problem though is that a lot of parents do not teach their children "This is called religion, there are many different religions, this is what WE believe in". Instead, children are shipped off to the Sunday school, or religious preschool type environment of choice, and only THAT single religion is injected into their mind.

[TaraMaiden2]

the problem though is that a lot of parents do not teach their children "This is called religion, there are many different religions, this is what WE believe in". Instead, children are shipped off to the Sunday school, or religious preschool type environment of choice, and only THAT single religion is injected into their mind.

 

Yes, but children nowadays are adequately influenced by many other avenues to largely prevent brainwashing...

The die-hard, immoveable, obstinate Christian child is not all that common.

And with so much literature, news information and alternatives around, it's not all that difficult to grab a child's attention so that, in the majority of circumstances a child can - and does - begin to wonder for themselves.

 

Classic example here:

I'm Italian. Born, baptised, raised, educated and married via the RC religion, I baptised my 2 girls as RC's and sent them to an RC school.

Neither one of them is a practising religious person. My eldest daughter even held off her Confirmation for two years in order to really understand what she was doing and why, and even then, she subsequently decided to not bother sticking to any particular path. My youngest had First Holy Communion, but never made it to her Confirmation.

I?

After 40-odd years or so as a 'dedicated' practising, church-going Catholic - I am now a determined and practising Buddhist.

 

My wonderful, dedicated, practising, devoted Church-going Catholic mother (of al people!) gave me a Buddhist book in 1992, and the rest as they say, is History.

But what my children do, is entirely their choice, and I have no say in the matter. It's their life, not mine.

 

Even with more stringent and devoted, religious parents, most kids just won't conform. And come the time when they achieve an age of personal freedom, they will stop toeing the line, and do their own thing.