Letting children choose their own religion?

Question

What do you think of the idea of teaching children about a wide range of world views (both religious and non-religious) and then allowing them to make their own decisions about what they want to believe as teenagers or adults?
Would this be an improvement on the current traditions?
Why/why not?

This would also allow children to choose not to be religious at all.

Btw, this is how i was raised and i think it is great. I don't really consider myself religious, but i find that there are lot in religion that can help you tackle the world, even if it is only being tolerant and learning how to better understand different people.

Answer 1

My parents did that. They also didn't try to impose their own religious beliefs on me. "Test it, make it prove itself" my parents would say, "don't be gullible and believe it because some book says so". By the time I was a teenager I was as confused as the rest of the teenagers, too much info and too much rebellion (must escape the nest!). At least by then I had sifted through most of the info and only had to work through logical testing before making my decision.

Is that better? Is that worse? As a child I was less secure about the universe and my place in it and children need security. Psychological research proves it, over and over. But I would NOT exchange my childhood for one with blind faith!

We can't put all children in the same boat. Some need more security, more structure. Some are spiritually adept and able to understand that everyone has different spiritual needs and different reasons for choosing their theism/atheism (aka: religion).

Chose a course of action that best suits the child and don't purposely give them more than they can handle.

Answer 2

I'm not so sure it would be an improvement because most people, when left to their own devices, will manufacture a set of reasons not to do something, especially true of teenagers. This is natural for the age group, to question, and test, and experiment. At that age, most people feel they are invincible. They have no need for religion because they're not going to die for a long, long time. As if teenagers don't die. Another "reason" not to go to church? They think all the church wants is money. They usually don't have much, so what they have is important to them, and they feel the church wants too much of it. They forget the lesson of the widow's mite. Another "reason"? Kids who go to church are "nerds" and they wouldn't be caught dead, hanging around with nerds.

So, where are they going to learn about all these other religions? Who's going to teach them? Is that person or group teaching good religion, or witchcraft? Heck, you can't trust the people in charge of your kids at nursery school, regular school, and hundreds of other places now, is it wise, as a parent, not to question what your kid is being taught? Teenagers just aren't motivated to read and learn about these other religions, they'd rather play video games.

Moreover, it is the parent's responsibility to raise the child in what the family religion is. Teenagers don't think they have any use for family togetherness now, but when they are older, they will. You'll hear grownups that say "My wife's family always got together for a big Christmas dinner, but mine never did..." My husband's family has been members of that church since it was formed. They helped build the building, my family didn't go to church except to be marrird and buried."

I think I'll stick with the current tradition.

Answer 3

Everyone should be allowed the choice. All any parent can do is inform the child broadly about all the religions around. Granted that there are many, and they may not conform with your own ideals .But each must make up their own mind as to what they wish to believe. You can not 'brain wash' from a young age you child into believing that your own held view's are correct and the only truth. This is not acceptable in any society as it will lead to bigotry and varying degrees of hatred for others manifesting them selves in life.Violence will follow and eventually spiral out of control. Bringing religion against religion as there is today. Tolerance of others beliefs seems to be the real way forward. Intolerance breads hatred an violence -- LIFE IS TOO SHORT.................

Answer 4

I think it's great. I don't plan on raising my children in any religion (since I'm an atheist) but I'm not against my children learning about different religions and deciding what's right for them. If my children all choose to be religious then that's fine by me, so long as they choose it for themselves.

Answer 5

I think letting children choose their own religion is a great idea. They are probably the least bigoted people on face of the Earth, so, why should anyone start telling them what to believe? Let them get older and start checking out all different types of religion, then they can decide for themselves.

Answer 6

I think we should be allowed to choose our own religion when your children, I know I did! I had a christening when I was smaller but never confiermed. From the age of 10 I chose my own religion and I have never looked abck and i am happy with the religion I joined. Its important to not take the right to choose out of these things, and i think that it is counter productive if you make some one be in a religion they don't agree with. I think it would give more inderpence to the people who could choose. there is a religion for every one out there if they wish to join one and I think its a good idea for children to learn about them adn understand them as well as being allowed to join adn follow one!

Answer 7

It is the role of parents to teach their children moral values for living within society. My parents sent their 2 children to a sort of neutral middle ground church that taught the values they held (Congregational) while never attending church themselves. My father was an ordained Episcopal priest who lost his calling before I was born. The house had a number of books on compartive religion ranging up from the big Time-Life volume on religions. He was very ethical. My mother was very active in socially religious "secret" groups, including PEO.
I rebelled against the church on the day I was baptised into it as an "adult" because it had totally failed to teach me the history of that local church (as indicated by the names on stained glass windows that matched town streets) and how Congregationalists fitted in the community of churches (too much for 12 year olds to master?)
I would say: teach the young ones your system and be prepared with information about how it fits when they start asking questions, just as you do (we hope) with sex and prejudice.

Answer 8

To an extent we should show our kids about others beliefs...

I grew up going to church. I became a pagan. I believed That Zack when he was older could choose for himself....

Funny HE brought me home to Christ and has taught me more in the few years we have given ourselves to Christ than I ever knew growing up in church.

Zack was only 6 when he lead me to Jesus, But to answer your ? we should show the faith by example and not the dogma yes teach the children the way they should go.

Answer 9

I think it gives them a chance to make a very personal decision...my mother let all of us kids make our own decision on what we thought was right for us as long as we understood that each of us have different lives and values...it doesn't make anyone better than anyone else!!

Answer 10

As a Christian, I would love for my children to be followers of Christ (I'm not a parent yet), so would take them to church until I felt that they were at an age that they were able to make their own decision, and if they felt it necessary I would allow them (begrudgingly) to discontinue church attendance and other related practises.