should we ban children from all religious services until they are old enough to make up their own minds?

Question

i mean that way they will not be brainwashed into anything and as they are older and wiser then they can choose as they please

Answer 1

One thing I hated most about my (supposedly non-religious), primary school was that we had to always go and pray in assembly, sing Christian hymns and at Christmas, act out the nativity play. Due to this in our school, quite a few of my friends turned or remained Christian (which is obviously fine), however a few years ago, I convered to Buddhism, and I would say that it was as a result of the constant bombardment of the Christian way, along with my own personal beliefs and general interest in Eastern Philosophy.

In my oppinion, children in schools, should be made aware of all religions. These days alot of people think it's wrong to have different beliefs. For instance, an older friend (who is a (what i would refer to as a), half Christian), thinks that it is terrible for children to be taught about anything other than Christianity in school and that it is wrong to be anything else while living in Britain, and as I said this is from someone who isn't really religious at all. The reason? because they are scared into believing what the media and their local society believe.
Now if this isn't wrong i don't know what is.
I am British, Caucasian and my family are all Christians, yet the faces I get when I tell someone that I'm Buddhist! They look at you as if your and alien, and ask something stupid like 'do you hum and meditate?' or 'Has that got something to do with China?'
and personally I find this quite offensive, and I'm sure that others probably will as well. Now I say that I am offended not because they are being rude or insolent, as they don't know in all honesty what it's about, but purely because they havent even bothered to find out even the smallest bit about others religions, when 'they' force theirs upon everyone else.
It is for this reason that I think all major (at least) religions should be touched upon in the classroom, so as the children of today and tomorrow, are able to understand each others belief systems and ideology, thus deminishing the chances of disrespect and even conflict.

Answer 2

should we bad children from public school until they are old enough to make up their own minds?

I mean that way they will not be brainwashed into anything and as they are older and wiser then they can choose as the please.

Guess what. When they get older they can still choose as they please. If you ban them, they only get one side of the issue, which everyone can agree with is not a fair way to judge anything.

Answer 3

That doesn't make much sense though. Ban them from religious services? How would they make up their mind about the religious services if they can't even go them? I don't believe in forcing a child to go to such things, but what if they want to attend? You can't learn about something if you don't participate in it. Someone who has been Christian all of their life and had never even spoken with a Pagan can not give credible information on Paganism based on their opinion about something they read about it. They would have to engage in some kind of conversation... or attend some type of gathering to get an idea of what it is about.

Answer 4

You may have a point, i believed in god when i was a kid and slowly saw the light (or darkness!) and now i don't. When you're young you have no reason to doubt it, you believe what people tell you, especially parents. I did religious studies at school but it was taught by a christian and mostly bible focused. However, I also did science class and began to ask some questions. I don't think kids should be forced into it

Answer 5

This is a good question. I think that children should be brought up by their parents beliefs until they get to an age were they can chose. Then i think the parents should tell the child about their faith but not control them because everyone has their own free will.

Answer 6

My sister would say yes because she hates kids, but I don't care if they go to church or not. THat's for the parents to decide. And so far, most of the people I know who switch from christianity to another religion all went to church as kids (and babies) and they weren't brainwashed. I went as a kid, I'm a happy Catholic, and I"m not brainwashed.

Answer 7

How about banning MTV and close to-pornographic commercials on each television, mag and exhibit exhibit till youthful ones are previous adequate to make their own judgements? How about taking each and each of the offensive videos out of the theatres? you recognize, those with human beings knee deep in blood? those are tremendous for toddlers. Sheesh. possibly in case you had a hefty dose as a baby, you does no longer say such issues.

Answer 8

Because parents have a responsibility to train up the child in the way he should go. They (the children) still have the option to chose as they get older. I'm raising my child to follow Christ. If when he gets older and he sees something else he wants to follow, then that's him and his choice. I can only teach him.

Answer 9

No. We are to "train up a child in the way it should go" so that when it grows up, it "will not depart" meaning that we teach them in the home about what goes on in church, training them in the truth (as we know it) and letting them make up their minds based on that influence. If they accept another influence, one can only hope that it's Spirit-led. But at least the parent has done their spiritual duty by taking them to church and teaching them at least the basics of what they need to know to make that choice when the time comes.

Answer 10

Naw. People grow up in religious homes all the time and they still grow up corrupted by society's evils. Everyone makes their own choice when it comes to religion unless you live in some corrupt forceful oversees nation, in which case I feel sorry for you. But, even Jesus didn't force God down people's throat. He always told them the truth and he let them make the decision for themselves.