Originally Posted by DanaC

Okay, I have to take exception to that. I'd say my views on religion are probably quite well known by some of the regulars, but for the record I am an atheist; I believe that religion is a negative force within the world and I hate the idea of children being indoctrinated into what I consider to be an enormous and damaging con-trick. That said.....the people who raise their children with a strong faith are generally (I believe) doing so out of a profound sense of responsibility to their offspring. Obviously within any one cohort of children raised within a faith, there will be some whose parents are so overbearing that they are damaged psychologically, but that's the case in any cohort of any, or no, faith. The vast majority of parents attempt to raise their children in such a way that they have the requisite tools and resources to be successful and/or happy adults. To suggest that someone who believes that toolkit should include a spiritual dimension is a coward for including it in their child's upbringing, is unfair.

If you fear God (and I use that term in its original sense, rather than the more modern usage) then surely you would be a poor parent if you did not prepare your child for adulthood in a world in which that God is manifest. If you believe in a less traditional and more personal spirituality then you would likely wish your child to discover their spirituality for themself. If, however, you believe in a God whose existence is defined and interpreted through the theological structures of an organised church, surely the sensible thing to do as a parent would be to introduce your child to that church and its structures from an early age. If you believe in the existence of Heaven and Hell, and that the way to the former is through acceptance of God's will or Christ's sacrifice, then surely the most loving thing to do as a parent is to ensure your child has access to the means of salvation.

On a much simpler level, and to be fair to parents of whatever faith, raising children is a difficult thing. You do not become a parent and suddenly slough off your own hang-ups, desires, cultural norms and perspectives. You do not suddenly become an objective outsider to that child's upbringing. You will therefore bring something of yourself to that child's raising. If religion is a large part of who you are, then you are likely to bring religion into that child's life.

We teach our children the concept of right and wrong, how to cross a road safely and whether to value education. For someone who considers religion to be an essential part of life, it would surely seem an abrogation of parental duty not to teach that too.