The education system should try to make children question their religious beliefs

Unfortunately, Con and I use the word "should" in different meanings. In this context, I used "should" in the meaning "to give an opinion or a recommendation"[1]. The readers have to decide for themselves which interpretation of "should" would be the most natural one in this context, but I apologize for not having foreseen the possibility of interpreting my claim the way Con does. I want to make two more clarifications about what I have said: a) I have deliberately written about letting "children develop into independent individuals with an ability to question and critically evaluate any "truth" presented to them from their parents, other authorities and their social surroundings". This doesn't imply forcing them to doubt their beliefs. Even after having critically evaluated your beliefs, with the help of relevant arguments against that belief, you may end up holding on to it. I have several times critically evaluated my belief that death penalty is wrong, but ended up with holding on to that view. When Con talks about "brainwashing children into doubting their parents" and "making the child blindly doubt information simply because it comes from the parents" he doesn't argue against my point of view at all. b) I haven't said anything about in what way the school should help children to develop the critical skills I talk about. When Con says that forcing teachers to dedicate a period of their day making children doubt their beliefs would be a counter-productive waste of resources, I completely agree. It would be spending too much time on this. Also, the school should let this task be undertaken by teachers who would do this voluntarily, not forcing a teacher against his or her will. The above refutes parts of Con's argumentation, but I want to make some further comments. I start with section 2.) To persuade children to question and critically evaluate their religious beliefs does not constitute a violation of their right to practice religion. Even if the belief is challenged the child still has the option to hold on to it, and, needless to say, the child should still be free to practice its religion. In fact, if the school tries to counterbalance the influence from the parents of the child in religious matters, not by brainwashing, but by presenting arguments that would make the child question and critically evaluate the belief of their parents, it will actually promote true religious freedom, as it will make the child better prepared to find a belief that is more of its own, not just a reflection of its parents. Religious freedom implies feeling free not to conform to the view of neither school, rest of society nor parents. My comment to section 1.) is also my main argumentation for my own view. While being able to successfully participate in the workforce of the society is important, intellectual matureness and ability are just as important prerequisites for a good life; just as its citizens having these qualities is a prerequisite for a good society. And the skill of critical thinking is absolutely vital to intellectual ability. Even if we just consider the economic aspect of the value of education, I'm sure that Con will agree that honing of its citizens skills of critical thinking is vitally important to the economic progress of a society, and so should be an important goal of the educational system. And the best way to hone that skill is to try to persuade the children to question any belief it has adopted from its surroundings, especially those beliefs where it has been exposed to some kind of pressure. And religious beliefs often fall into that category, as many parents let their children understand that they will be severely disappointed if the child doesn't adopt their spiritual beliefs. So my conclusion is that trying to have children question religious beliefs not only promotes critical thinking, but also liberates their minds. 1.) http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com...