"If religious instruction were not allowed until the child had attained the age of reason, we would be living in a quite different world."
- Christopher Hitchens
Quote Source: God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
Christopher Hitchens: A Quite Different World
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Interesting, I doubt such a thing as a regulated age of reason and religious instruction could ever be enforced though, but surely the world would be a quite a different one!
I was raised loosely in the Catholic religion, and they (as many other religions) do have an age where you're supposed to recognize your true belief in the church, not just because of your parents will, but your own. Confirmation, or if you're Jewish, Bat Mitzvah
Of course, that's in theory. In practice, 13 isn't really considered to be an age of reason these days, and most kids are still happy to submit to whatever their parents will is despite their own beliefs if they have them. Considering how much money they give out at these coming of age parties, who could blame them?
This is the principle that most people who use logic would want for their children. It makes sense that they should be allowed to make a conscious decision regarding this.
My mother reminds me from time to time that she took an oath to raise her children to the best of her ability in the faith of the Catholic Church i tell her from time to time she failed and its ok now she can move on with her life. My mom believes it is best for me that I believe in Jesus and am a faithful follower of the Catholicism. She feels I should honor my father and my mother as the ten commandments dictate and she thinks part of doing that is to be a good catholic in line with the pledge she and my father made not doing so would dishonor their word at least if she ever gave up trying to convert me. It's trick like these the church has evolved to help keep the parishioners numbers up. You see the church and even society raises us to seek marriage giving benefit to those who marry over others, and then the church makes you commit to raising your kids in their doctrine which of course raises people to want to one day get married. The church uses this sort of logic to forward its agenda. The churches faithful use logic confined to the belief of the church, open-minded logic however that's a different story. I agree people should be allowed to come to reason on their own, but this is nearly never the case.
It is challenging at times to think about what would be taught in place of religion since it is so commonly expected that children are raised on the notion of the existence of a higher spirit. Sometime I wonder if parents follow along with it simply because it is mainstream.
I think children should be taught about all religion in school as a form of social studies they should indeed not exclude any religion from the studies especially and including Pastafarianism. this would ensure that the children learned exactly what the religions were about and gave them a well rounded understanding by the time they reached the age of reason.
It's so much easier for children to consent to whatever their parents say, no matter how old they are. That is what makes a family a family. Without it, we would be a higher race of people logically, but not emotionally.
Interesting, just making sure on this but are you saying that without family we would be a much higher race of people logically because if you are I am inclined to disagree and could you elaborate?
Yes, that why i always think its funny when the do pretend voting in school and children say when asked why that choice for president they say because my parents are voting for them.
I agree. I started questioning religion very young at around 9 years old,
Every weekend we had Bible Stories,
The old woman who read to us told my parents " She ask too many questions and she is disrupting the story time."
My mom was so angry at me for the next six months I had to stay home alone in my room.
I read my science book, the joke was on her... LOL
Wow over simply asking to many questions! Now a days, to send a kid to their room is like sending an adult to an all inclusive resort!
I would always want my children to make conscious decisions no matter what. I think an age of consent for religion would be ideal.
As would I, I guess for Catholics and people of Jewish faith that would be Confirmation or Shavuot but still the religions still stuff it down your throat until you reach that age of reason and have a big celebration when your supposed to choose this life of faith putting much pressure on a person to make the so called right choice. They even go so far as saying the child has grown up and is a man if he does so, I mention this because this is something many children want to do around this age as they are sick of being a child. I believe logic is one of those word we have discussed where it is all in the eyes of the person saying the word. An age of consent for religion is something one can enforce on thier own children but forcing it on the children of others would never go over.