Parents shouldn't indoctrinate their children to believe that one particular religion is superior.

1. Mere beliefs do not qualify as evidence... I'm very surprised that you have decided to make the case that belief supersedes evidence. Belief can't change reality. --> I'm very surprised too considering that I haven't made that argument at all. Rather my point is NOT that belief supersedes evidence, but rather the POWER of belief supersedes evidence. We see this all the time: consider evolution, for example, or the story of Creation (we know that the Earth was not formed in 6 days). Yet believers denounce all logic and evidence as rubbish, or find a way to manipulate the facts to suit their liking. So my point here is that EVEN THOUGH you and I may be able to distinguish fact from fiction, and see that the Bible is not the be-all end-all of humanity, believers do NOT share in that sentiment and there is nothing that you or I can do about it (assuming that they're good Christians, of course, who will not be persuaded). 2. A young child can be taught to believe anything, and that is where the danger lies. That is why it is so important to instill a respect for evidence, and logic instead of following something blindly. --> You're excluding my points about all of the good that religion can introduce here, such as the values of generosity and embracing community. What's so wrong about a child learning that from a young age? Further, to "instill a respect for evidence" is suggestive of the fact that evidence is greater than faith, which is the total opposite ideal that religions embrace. Moreover, you're forgetting my point that religions tend to either disregard evidence entirely, or manipulate the facts to suit their beliefs. While I may agree that this can be disruptive to education and even societal progression, I also understand that for believers, following 'blind faith' is pretty much the whole POINT. And while I do not believe that religion should have any part of politics, for example, I do acknowledge that everyone has the RIGHT to follow whichever religion they choose. They also have a right to pass on those beliefs and that part of their culture to their children. I noticed that Pro has completely ignored my comments regarding religion being a very important aspect of one's culture... hmm. 3. Again this debate is not about what parents are allowed to do, but what they should do. I'm sure you'll say that I shouldn't tell people how to raise their kids, but I'm not arguing in favor of this to please myself, but because I think it would make our society better if we cut out all the crap. So yes parents CAN teach their kids that their religion is true, or that homosexuality is wrong by fiat, or that men are inferior to women, or that blacks are inferior to other races. I know you think parents CAN teach their kids these things, but do you really think that they SHOULD? --> Well you're right about one thing: I don't think you should tell people how to raise their kids. Aside from that, the fact that you are arguing in favor of the resolution because you believe it will benefit society really has no value. With all due respect, I couldn't care less why you are arguing this point -- the fact remains that I still disagree with you. But moving on, you then posed the question of whether or not a parent SHOULD teach their children that homosexuality is wrong, women are inferior to men, blacks are inferior to whites, etc, just because they CAN teach them that. In response, I will first have to point out that this is completely abusive in terms of your point. Simply because one endorses a particular religion does NOT mean that they also endorse homophobia, racism or sexism. You're trying to draw a comparison between these analogies where none exists, and as a result, are attempting to manipulate this point by suggesting once again that religion only promotes intolerance and hatred. Have you ever considered a lesson in which a parent might say to a child, "Well the Bible notes homosexuality as sinful; however, this Book was written by men hundreds of years ago when the world was not as tolerant as it is today..." ??? My point is that it is absolutely possible for a parent to pass religion onto their child while still teaching them to RESPECT people of other cultures and beliefs, even if they find another religious beliefs to be inferior. Remember that thinking another's religion is inferior has nothing to do with thinking that the other PERSON is inferior -- it's just that truly having faith in your creed means that any other belief is of no spiritual value to you. 4. The views of an ancient middle eastern culture are being extrapolated and stretched to govern the way enlighten people of the 21st century live their lives. We're simply better than that. --> And I would agree with you here. However you're forgetting 2 very important things: One, not everyone follows the Bible to a T. Many Christians are accepting that a lot of the Bible is metaphorical rather than literal. Even so, the fact that Christians do not adhere 100% to the Bible proves that there are exceptions, so to speak. And second, what does the Bible really have to do with this debate anyway? We're talking about religion in general here, and only Christians follow the Bible. Pro cannot make the same accusations about Buddhists or Taoists, so... 4B. Catholics and the Gallup Poll --> First of all, once again I strongly dislike limiting to the term 'religion' in this debate to apply strictly to Christians or Catholics in particular. However with this point, I think you were attempting to prove that Catholics in general were less accepting of gay marriage than Americans chosen at random. However this statistic is completely flawed, because you have no way of knowing that the Americans chosen at random weren't also Catholic or religious...? Anyway this point of yours was frankly incoherent, but since we're talking about Catholics, and this debate is about kids, I figured I'd share this statistic since you apparently trust the Gallup Poll more than my own judgment (and rightfully so): "Catholic youth, however, appear to be nearly evenly divided [on the issue of gay marriage]: 52% approve and 48% disapprove." Source: http://www.gallup.com... 5. I've already made my point that theoretically, all true believers of any faith will automatically deem other religions in a sense 'wrong.' It doesn't mean that they don't respect other beliefs, but if you believe in one thing 100% then you cannot believe in another. For instance, either you believe Jesus was God or you don't. 6. My argument revolves around whether they should or not, and I argue that they shouldn't because society would be better off without it... In contrast, a particular religion is taught to a child because the parent thinks it is good for them, when in fact it is not. --> Not once in this debate has Pro proved or even attempted to prove that society or children in general would be better off without religion. 7. When I raised concerns about the practice [of circumcision], and the health effects I was thinking more of Judaic and Islamic countries where it is mainly done for religious reasons. --> So now you're saying that in Middle Eastern countries where they have THEOCRACIES that religion should not be taught?! That's ridiculous... 8. There is tangible evidence that a higher level of education is directly linked to better pay, and a better life in general. --> I've explained the benefits of religion in one's life, and besides, Pro is suggesting that better pay is more substantial than moral living as it pertains to religion, which to believers, is just not the case. 9. I would prefer that [children] not be brainwashed by anyone. --> If it's not religion, it'll be the kid in class. Or the media. Or the magazines. Etc. 10. Yeah, abortion is a whole other issue... let's not get into it.