Do you think that children should be able to choose there own religion...?

Question

without parents consent of influence?

Answer 1

not until they reach a certain age

until then
my house
my rules

Answer 2

I think parents should raise their children either in a religion or should at least in an awareness of religion, and then let the child decide. Parents will always have some sort of influence, but their consent counts for nothing if you honestly do not believe in their ways. Nobody files a 'form for new religion' that requires parental signatures.

So yes, I believe children can choose their own religion, even if it is not one their parents agree with.

Answer 3

Children should be taught from birth by their parents their religion and values. Parents who think they can let their children choose their religion later, are simply letting others fill the void and are in error because the schools and the world where they are sending their children will teach them a false religion. This false religion is being taught to all children (and adults too) in this so-called free world system, in schools, films, video games, music, etc. Parents have not given their consent on most of what is being taught to their children. There is an ancient religion at the core of this modern world which is direct from ancient Babylon. It is disguised under different names but nevertheless very present in all human activities today. Even many adults claiming they have no religion practice this old Babylon religion unaware as they take part in this religion's hollidays which are all the popular feasts of this world like Halloween, Easter, Christmas, etc. These days have their roots in this Babylonian religion and are part of it. Satan is the god of this world. What did we expect ? We are in the last days of this modern world but our saviour is coming soon. Then true religion will be established on earth and will be taught to parents and children alike.

Answer 4

All people should be able to choose their own religion. However, they may or may not be free to practice it any way they choose in their parents home. The home belongs to the parents, and it is therefore the parents religion that prevails in the home. Up until the age of legal responsibility or maybe a little under, parents have the obligation of teaching their children their moral and religious values. It is a parents duty to lovingly oversee their child's religious education. When the child becomes an adult, s/he may choose for him/herself, and the parent must respect the right of the adult child to choose even if they don't agree with it. Just my opinion.

Hoping the best for you...

Answer 5

What do you think parents are for? They are suppose to guide and influence their children! The day will come when the child will make a choice about the religion or non religion that they will believe in. they could be 5 when this happens or 76, but in till that day comes it's the parents responsibility!,

Answer 6

i feel sorry for the children in fundamentalist christian and all other god-believing families. then will be raised believing in a god, and when they get old enough to understand religion and choose for themselves, they will be too brainwashed to choose anything but the religion they were raised in.

at least with an atheist family, the children will have a choice to choose what religion they want to join. i dont think fundamentalist god-believers will give them that choice.

of course, it all has to do with how they were raised. if they are raised in a good, loving, tolerant of other religions, family, then most likely, they will have a much better advantage over someone who was raised in a hateful, intolerant, totally devout (my way, no highway option) family. its sad, but i think thats how it is.

of course, someone from a fundamentalist family could turn 18, go out on their own, and choose to become an atheist, but they wont get the choice to do so while they are still living with their parents.

Answer 7

Parents are responsible for giving their children a set of values, rules and moral guidelines. If a parent belongs to a certain religion they obviously feel that their beliefs are a good way to live, and it's their prerogative to instill those beliefs in their children. If the government told me I couldn't teach my children right from wrong according to my belief structure, then they can pay for raising them (no, I'm not on welfare...). When a child reaches a certain age (when you could no longer really call them a child), they have to make their own decision. But until their old enough, I'm responsible for the way they behave, so I'll teach them what I feel is right and wrong and expect them to obey me.

Answer 8

My opinion is that parents should teach their kids about different religions, and not force them into one of them. When the child reaches a certain age (say 13), they can decide if they're going to look into more relgions, or chose a path they feel comfortable with.
Nobody should be forced into a religion, everyone should be able to make their own choice.

Answer 9

My daughter is a better Buddhist than I am. She choose, completely on her own, to be vegetarian at 5, won't harm any living thing...

That said, part of being a parent is explaining your beliefs. So far, I have been able to explain Buddhist concepts (seldom by using the words Buddhism) with her and she agrees with the logic and reasoning behind these concepts.

When she is older she will be free to make her own decision, but until than, she is a happy little Buddhist.

Answer 10

Yes. If I ever have children, I will NOT indoctrinate them or force them to conform to any specific set of beliefs the way my parents did. I plan on teaching them about different religions and allow them to choose what they want to believe.

Despite what adults tend to think, children are smarter than we give them credit for. They think, they feel, they learn. If we force them to think like us, to hand everything to them, they'll never grow and become better people as adults. Let them explore the world they were born in, including religion, and let them decide for themselves, rather than telling them what they must believe.

Even in children, beliefs are personal thoughts and cannot be taken away from them, no matter how much adults and parents try to push otherwise. You can take them to church, but you can't make them believe. Only they can choose to believe in their hearts.

Answer 11

Oh, I wish that were possible. I got sucked into a religious cult by my mother when I was a kid. She filled my head with all their fear-inducing teachings of a near Armageddon and end of the world, and that I could die at that time if I didn't fully join with her to their organization. Jesus, I was 9 or 10 years old when she told me that! Luckily I got myself out of it as I got older, but I happen to agree that most kids don't have a choice when it comes to their parent's decision to join a religion. The kid can choose to go with it or go without it as soon as he/she turns adult or late teens and able to fully make their own decisions.