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All this talk about forcing children to believe in gods/God, it's a tragic thing, I agree. I feel horrible when I hear people are being forced to say what they don't believe in, just like many of you who had overzealous families that made you go to church without your consent. And I will say it's wrong to force children to engage in what they don't understand.
But guys, there is nothing harmful about teaching religion to children.

"But teaching children religion slows human progress! In order to kill religion we must stop teaching it to kids!"

It does not slow so-called "progress". People who actually believe this, you have to realize that by killing off a religion, you or other people just end up creating and teaching ANOTHER one. Religion has been with us since the ANCIENT times, and no matter how much you try to be rid of it, it will always be replaced by some other dogmatic belief system, with or without gods. See also fav.me/d4xgjt3

"But children do not need to learn from such a bloody and gorey book such as the Bible!"

I agree, many children are not ready to experience the deep contexts of the Bible, but it doesn't harm the child to give the a rated G version that they can enjoy and understand:

No blood and gore in this little beauty. Antitheists and fundemental Christians, did you really expect a kid to be able to comprehend the adult version?

"But children do not need to be brainwashed by Christian camps!"

What about atheist children camps that have been around since 1996? They do just as much preaching about how God doesn't exist, it's liable to be called "brain-washing" as well when you put them both into that sort of context. The truth is, kids want to learn and be around other kids, and camps are the perfect opportunity for that. I strongly oppose camps that act more like boot-camps in general, so I can understand the concern inside children camps very much! Parents must choose wisely and know exactly what their children are being taught about when it comes to that sort of thing, so children can avoid being put into compromising situations.

" But children are taught that being an atheist is bad! They are trapped into thinking something they may not actually believe in! "

And I don't think it's right for that to happen. Alot of that behavior does not come from the actual message of Christianity, but from the parents themselves, because of THEIR faith. If a parent is THAT intimidated by someone who lacks the faith, their own faith is liable to be weaker than they wanted, and that is a problem they need to deal with themselves instead of bringing their children into it. Having doubt is not a bad thing, it's something everyone experiences at some point, and children should/are being taught to explore their beliefs. See also fav.me/d50o69g

I could go on and on about it, but here is where I think the real issue is. Misguided parenting.

Description
All this talk about forcing children to believe in gods/God, it's a tragic thing, I agree. I feel horrible when I hear people are being forced to say what they don't believe in, just like many of you who had overzealous families that made you go to church without your consent. And I will say it's wrong to force children to engage in what they don't understand.
But guys, there is nothing harmful about teaching religion to children.

"But teaching children religion slows human progress! In order to kill religion we must stop teaching it to kids!"

It does not slow so-called "progress". People who actually believe this, you have to realize that by killing off a religion, you or other people just end up creating and teaching ANOTHER one. Religion has been with us since the ANCIENT times, and no matter how much you try to be rid of it, it will always be replaced by some other dogmatic belief system, with or without gods. See also fav.me/d4xgjt3

"But children do not need to learn from such a bloody and gorey book such as the Bible!"

I agree, many children are not ready to experience the deep contexts of the Bible, but it doesn't harm the child to give the a rated G version that they can enjoy and understand:

No blood and gore in this little beauty. Antitheists and fundemental Christians, did you really expect a kid to be able to comprehend the adult version?

"But children do not need to be brainwashed by Christian camps!"

What about atheist children camps that have been around since 1996? They do just as much preaching about how God doesn't exist, it's liable to be called "brain-washing" as well when you put them both into that sort of context. The truth is, kids want to learn and be around other kids, and camps are the perfect opportunity for that. I strongly oppose camps that act more like boot-camps in general, so I can understand the concern inside children camps very much! Parents must choose wisely and know exactly what their children are being taught about when it comes to that sort of thing, so children can avoid being put into compromising situations.

" But children are taught that being an atheist is bad! They are trapped into thinking something they may not actually believe in! "

And I don't think it's right for that to happen. Alot of that behavior does not come from the actual message of Christianity, but from the parents themselves, because of THEIR faith. If a parent is THAT intimidated by someone who lacks the faith, their own faith is liable to be weaker than they wanted, and that is a problem they need to deal with themselves instead of bringing their children into it. Having doubt is not a bad thing, it's something everyone experiences at some point, and children should/are being taught to explore their beliefs. See also fav.me/d50o69g

I could go on and on about it, but here is where I think the real issue is. Misguided parenting.