Should children be exposed to religon?

[atheistdebater96]

When a child is raised in a Catholic family, goes to church every Sunday, reads the Bible, attends Sunday school, all of this from the moment he was born, it seems very reasonable and logical to him. However, if a child is raised without religion at all, no church, no parental influence when it comes to the subject, then does it make as much sense? If you took both of these kids, sat them down and asked them about God and what they believe, what do you think the answers would be? Is this good, bad, what? Personally, I think it's bad. Kids grow up with this in their ears and that's what they believe to be true. The truth is that it can't be proven either way. I think it's all a load of crap, but have no hope of proving it until I'm dead and don't go anywhere. It can't be proven, nor disproven, so should children be exposed to it at a young age from a biased person, or should they be left out of it until they are old enough to decide for themselves?

[East of Eden]

The child may well have thought something along the lines of "This is amazing" and later attributed that to "God" later on in life after becoming religious.

No, he clearly said the God concept came into his head at that time, at which point he had had no religious instruction.

[LiamOS]

What we 'know' happened and what happened are often very different things.

[Abraxas]

The child may well have thought something along the lines of "This is amazing" and later attributed that to "God" later on in life after becoming religious.

No, he clearly said the God concept came into his head at that time, at which point he had had no religious instruction.

That's what he says. That may even be what he remembers. Whether it actually happened is another question entirely. Memories of small children are not the most reliable source of information.

When I think back on one of my earliest memories, running through the living room in their home, I can see it very clearly. I see the furniture, assorted items, decorations, and so forth populating a room. Problem is, I know the memory is wrong, it has been polluted by later life experience. I see the furniture, yes, but I know the furniture I see when I think back was purchased later in my life. The layout of the room is wrong too, the sofa being on the wrong wall. Items I know should have been in the room during that time period are not, etc. Because of repeated exposure to different associations, different expectations of what that room should look like, and the general decay of time, I know that memory now is no longer whole, no longer valid. The details are off.

I do not expect a child grown into adulthood to remember the exact details of any given moment of their childhood, the contents of their thoughts, nor would I consider those who claim to to be automatically correct.

[SailingCyclops]

You're moving the goalposts from parents bringing up their kids as Christians and now you change it to a cult breaking the law and doing what the Bible says not to.

This is your opinion only. These "cults" believe they ARE following the same bible you are following, and believe they are the "true" Christians. How is it that your particular belief is right, and the others are wrong? All "Christian" cults, including yours, make the same claims. It's the same disease right across the board.

Besides, I thought the secular left was all in favor of free love, homosexuality and legalized prostitution?

Bad assumption. I am not a member of the "secular left", so I wouldn't know nor do I care what they believe.

Bob

[WinePusher]

Wow, 38% of this forum don't believe in parental rights.

Parental rights do not include child abuse.

Does taking you kid to Church every Sunday constitute Child Abuse in your mind?

Brainwashing of any sort is abuse, not a "parental right".

Bob

And who gets to decide the standard of brainwashing? The government, if the government deems something as "brainwashing" then they have the right to take you kid away from you? I don't understand what makes the left think they have the ability to usurp parental rights.

[LiamOS]

I don't understand what makes the left think they have the ability to usurp parental rights.

Do you think Fritzl had the right to do what he did?

Parental rights aren't real rights; the rights of the children are what matter.

And who gets to decide the standard of brainwashing? The government

Yeah, most likely.

if the government deems something as "brainwashing" then they have the right to take you kid away from you?

They have that right anyway.

The German government did it a while ago to a family which was overfeeding their child to the point where he was wider than tall.

Does taking you kid to Church every Sunday constitute Child Abuse in your mind?

Of course not.
However, forcing him to take part in rituals and worship is.

[Bio-logical]

Although I do not necessarily see taking your child to Church as child abuse, I believe that filling your child's head with fear is.

If a parent consistently tells a child that misbehavior will result in a severe beating, but only ever threatens and intimidates, never actually strikes the child, that is still obvious abuse. The same is true of telling your child that eternal torture awaits all those who do not accept Jesus as their personal savior and/or follow the commandments of god.

Teaching a child, not yet able to discern fantasy from reality, that they are inherently evil and worthy of fire, pain and torture from death to eternity unless they accept a certain faith goes far beyond healthy and is the purest form of indoctrination. This also leads to many personal psychological struggles for the children as they grow if they find that they happen to identify as something that their beliefs strictly forbid. How many gay Christians attempt suicide every year because they cannot cope with the fact that they are an abomination in their minds? How many former Christians suffer from the fact that they are losing faith and feel completely lost in the world? How many Christian children suffer solitude because their parents refuse to let them associate with those outside their church, or sometimes even home? How many people are bullied, teased, assaulted, harassed, shunned, ridiculed and even murdered every year because they fall outside of the spectrum of what another person believes to be right with god?

I am not against all faith, I am not against allowing children to be spiritual and even filling their heads with fantasies about an all-loving God that watches over and protects them. I am vehemently opposed to teaching fear, anger, jealousy or hatred as any part of faith, as well as punishing children who stray from it. I am even against telling kids that they will not get presents from Santa if they are not good, it reinforces the idea that punishment from an unseen hand lurks in the shadows.

I do not believe that taking your child to church is abuse, but I know that there are few psychological abuses worse than dogmatic faith.

[East of Eden]

Although I do not necessarily see taking your child to Church as child abuse, I believe that filling your child's head with fear is.

If a parent consistently tells a child that misbehavior will result in a severe beating, but only ever threatens and intimidates, never actually strikes the child, that is still obvious abuse. The same is true of telling your child that eternal torture awaits all those who do not accept Jesus as their personal savior and/or follow the commandments of god.

Teaching a child, not yet able to discern fantasy from reality, that they are inherently evil and worthy of fire, pain and torture from death to eternity unless they accept a certain faith goes far beyond healthy and is the purest form of indoctrination.

If this teaching is true, it would be child abuse NOT to make the child aware of God's offer of salvation through Jesus Christ.

[East of Eden]

That's what he says. That may even be what he remembers. Whether it actually happened is another question entirely. Memories of small children are not the most reliable source of information.

Just like the Gospel witness testimony is conveniently dismissed.

[East of Eden]

This is your opinion only. These "cults" believe they ARE following the same bible you are following, and believe they are the "true" Christians.

Cults that allow multiple sex partners are outside of New Testament teaching that sex is between one man and one woman in a marriage relationship.

How is it that your particular belief is right, and the others are wrong?

How do you know your beliefs are right and others are wrong? BTW, calling my beliefs 'diseased' is a persona attack and against forum rules. Drop the name-calling and start debating.