Atheist Revolution asked the question (actually, they made a statement), is imposing religion on children abusive? They gave the example of a seventeen-year-old that was forced to go to church.
17 year-old being forced to attend church and told that he belongs to a particular religion by his parents. He’s wondering whether this is legal (I suspect that it is) and has raised questions about what any of us can do to prevent other children from having to endure similar experiences in the future.
The writer then talked about their own experience as a child—being forced to go to church—and how the relationship with their parents was never the same after that experience.
The question, or statement as it might be, is not a new one. Most recently, Richard Dawkins got attention for making similar statements. He suggests that labeling children as Christian children or Muslim children is absurd, as is filling their minds with the idea that unless they believe, they will burn in hell.
Personally, I think the word abuse is a bit much. Oppressive maybe, but abusive?
You and I are on the same page with our thinking.
I was raised by atheist parents, but went to a private Church of Christ high school because it was the only real option considering the impoverished city that I grew up in. I had all sorts of B.S. forced down my throat, and the ramifications of this religious force-feeding still haunt me.
I don’t know what the answer is. Separation of church and state is one thing, but diving into family lives is another. It is a fine line, my friend. I just sometimes wish religion would go away, already.