Teaching children religion is borderline child abuse and should be discouraged.

Thanks for the response and sorry it took so long to reply. Work must be done. " that an education on any given subject connects with choice of what to believe." Of course early childhood education has a deep and lasting impact on what the child thinks and believes. But, of course, you are missing the other important aspects of the kind of indoctrination that parents are uniquely in a position to wield. It is one thing for a school teacher to instruct the child and encourage them to do what they want. However, parents have the power of guilt, punishment and estrangement to coerce their kids to do, think and believe as they wish. In fact, one of the unique things about humans is that we are born prematurely (yes, even at full term of 9 months). This requires us to be taught everything (except the most basic skills) by our parents. In fact, children learn much of what they learn by copying their parents. " If individual A attends all the same classes as individual B from birth and continues to attained all the same educational classes it does not follow that they will believe the same things always even if just referring to subjects pertaining to those classes. " Agreed. Not all people stick with their parents religion. However a recent study shows that about half do. And those who do change are often burdened with guilt trips from their parents. Anecdotally, I can tell you that this happened to me. "Even if your parents teach and encourage you to believe the same faith as they have, it provides next to no imposition on there child's choice of what to believe. " True. Not all children grow up sticking with their parents religion. Many do. Some out of feelings of guilt. There is no legal requirement; it is psychological. "Take resident DDO member FREEDO for example http://www.debate.org...... He is 15 right now and has very insistent parents that he believe in God yet he makes his choice with strong conviction to not believe in anything of the sort." Anecdotal. "My opponent appeals to fundamental beliefs held by the United States of America as a basis for his argument. Why my opponent does not find this beliefs as a religion I do not know" Why my opponent would think the right of individual liberty and self-determination is a religion I don't know. I certainly did not say that nor do I believe that. Please explain. ", if you check the back of a penny or a 5 dollar bill you will see the image of a temple built for its God. " The Lincoln memorial? Maybe you were referring to the Treasury. Even so, one does not worship an inanimate object and money is not a supreme, creator being. You cannot equate the two. Nice try. ‘Whether or not the USA beliefs are religious is not important though, because unless you are prepared to claim the USA a holder of only perfect views it is not authoritative on this one. " The question is not whether USA views on personal liberty are perfect or better than anyone Else's. The fact is that our constitution outlines our rights as human beings in America. We could argue about human rights in China or Iran, but So, are you claiming that human beings do not have right to free will and the ability to determine their own path? "I could just as easily cite the views of our Native American ancestors views to defend against his position http://www.powersource.com...... They believe it is our duty to pass on our beliefs in our children, for your children is all that is left of you when you die. " We are not talking about other values. We are talking about traditional American values. Do not try to drag this off topic. "To be honest that Cherokee wisdom makes a lot more since to me than your US wisdom. " Good for you. "We must try to teach our children our own ways, for that the ultimate objective in even having a child, it is the true security you can have in making sure your life was not a waist." So the ultimate objective of having a child is to make little clones of ourselves. I am sure most people will disagree with you. And I am sure most adults who were raised as little clones of their parents wished that they hadn't. After all, shouldn't't we all be able to choose how we want to live our lives. Why should anyone, including our parents, decide what will be when we grow up? "But my opponent of course will not care for such wisdom for that involves caring about our children, and he hates our children, he is an ageist. " Here you are making a huge leap of faith. How in the world do you get out of this that I am an ageist. In fact, I am arguing FOR the rights of children. I am the one who, if I could, would ban parents from any form of brainwashing or indoctrination. Think Hitler Youth, or KKK or a jihadist. Even you would admit that they should not be teaching their children to blow themselves up, kill Jews or hang black people. What I am arguing here is different only in degree. "He claims Children are not mature enough to critically analyze topics like religion. " That's right, I am. Almost all young children (lets say less than 12) are not mature enough to make many decisions for themselves. Most, if they had their way, would eat pizza every day. That is not wise, but they don't know that. That is why parents must teach them. "Does he know I wonder that they are children as young as TWO years old in MENSA http://www.dailymail.co.uk...... " Smart does not equal wise or mature. "In conclusion: 1) I have shown education on beliefs are no where near 'Borderline' child abuse." I don't think you have. "2) There is even good reason to encourage attempt at passing on your beliefs in your child, any other contribution you make to the world outside of how your child is raised can rot, but your child's character and the beliefs that drive go on forever in your child and your child's child that he passes them onto in turn." There is no doubt that parents should teach their children MANY things. They should teach them secular ethics, the law, math, language, finance, and many more things. But they should not teach them dogmatic religious beliefs. Yes, they should teach them all about ALL religions and leave it at that. There should be no coercion, no guilt trips, and no punishment for not accepting the parent's religion. Teach them accepted facts and real world skills, not their own inherited mythology. "3) The inability for children to think critically on such a simple subject is false notion. And an ageist one." I am not an ageist, I am the child's advocate. Religion is not simple, it is very complicated and most children cannot think critically well into their teens. "4) Being an ageist, is my opponent really the person to take any opinions from on child abuse. It is those that respect the youth that should be considered to actually care about the youth." I am no ageist. Now I challenge my opponent to actually respond to my original argument: Children are not mature enough to critically analyze the topic of religion. They are gullible and wired by nature to take everything their parents tell them as the absolute truth. They are easily intimidated and coerced by their elders. They have a right to decide on their own what they chose to believe. And explain to me and the audience why we don't choose our children's career, spouse, number of children to have, or where to live, but it is right and fair to impose our religion on them.