At what age should a child be introduced to religion?

[polymath257]

The sooner the better. Just make sure they understand that there’s no real difference between ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ and ‘The Sermon On The Mount’.

Boru

That's exactly how it was with me.

My dad read me Aesop's Fables each night. So when I got read bible stories in the day I never saw the difference. Except that Aesop's were more fun and always had a clear moral to them.

I distinctly remember when I realized that *other* people were taking the Biblical stories as more than fables and morality tales. I recall that my teacher actually thought Joseph and his coat were real events.

I was shocked.

[The Grand Nudger]

I had that same realization, also distinctly memorable. A tone shift. You come into it "this is a discussion about literature and the meaning of life" and walk away with "nope, it's the colored stick theory of animal husbandry".

[onlinebiker]

That's exactly how it was with me.

My dad read me Aesop's Fables each night. So when I got read bible stories in the day I never saw the difference. Except that Aesop's were more fun and always had a clear moral to them.

That's how I have always compared Bible stories.  I saw them as not all that different from Aesop's Fables.  I was actually surprised when I found out that some people take the Bible stories as literal reporting of events.

I have a hunting buddy - who is a brilliant mechanical engineer - and a devout xtian.

It blew my mind when he told me he thought the Noah's Ark fable was factual.....

The biggest kludge ever reported - and he buys in....

[The Valkyrie]

Never as a child.

Wait until they're adults.

[arewethereyet]

Though on my third, and last, kid by that time...his teacher in first or second grade told me that my son was one of the few in her class who knew the difference between reality and fantasy. If I did nothing else right, I managed that.

Starting out by teaching fantasy as reality is not the way to raise a kid who can think things through on their own.

[Angrboda]

That being said, it's surprising how little effect teaching kids fantasy has on their ability to think reasonably. Kids seem to be a melting pot of fantasy and reality, and it works. It's puberty where the shit hits the fan.

[Pat Mustard]

So what do you think at what age should a child be introduced to religion?

At the age where they can properly discern fantasy from reality. It depends on the teen.

---

Ideally, this is something that the public, secular school system should be doing, say, in a World religions class.

I took 'World Religions' at Catholic school.  
**
I didn't introduce my kids to religion but I didn't shield them from it either...how could I have when it's everywhere.  I let them go to church with friends and among the three they pretty much were exposed to most flavors of Christian groups.  From hellfire and brimstone revivals to Pentecostals speaking in tongues to whatever they call services at a JW Kingdom hall.  I answered a lot of questions with "some people believe".  Yes, there was a Bible in the house and there was a children's Bible when they were young.  I had hopes that they were bright enough to come to their own conclusions if allowed to explore.  Their belief or lack of needed to be theirs not mine.

So did I. I got Irish catholicism, French catholicism and dirty black prods.

[brewer]

Never as a child.

Wait until they're adults.

But, but, then religions would die a quick and painful death.

You're a monster.

[Disagreeable]

That's exactly how it was with me.

My dad read me Aesop's Fables each night. So when I got read bible stories in the day I never saw the difference. Except that Aesop's were more fun and always had a clear moral to them.

That's how I have always compared Bible stories.  I saw them as not all that different from Aesop's Fables.  I was actually surprised when I found out that some people take the Bible stories as literal reporting of events.

I remember being surprised that adults can be creationists. I assumed everybody grew out of it once they learned about Darwin

[John 6IX Breezy]

My dad read me Aesop's Fables each night. So when I got read bible stories in the day I never saw the difference. Except that Aesop's were more fun and always had a clear moral to them.

Presumably, you saw similarities because the Bible gets presented as if it were an Aesop fable to children because they are children. I'm curious if you developed a different perspective of Scripture as you got older. Or if the colorful pictures in bed time stories and religious cartoons still filter the way in which you see the Bible?

My guess is that leaving religion when children stories was most of what you were exposed to has a similar effect to the way we all think of Renaissance paintings when we imagine angels and demons.

I didn't grow up in an atheist household (my family is Christian), but I also wasn't that exposed to that many religious ideas until I was in High School. Obviously, everyone saw the Prince of Egypt movie growing up, and maybe Veggie Tales, but I would say my first personal interaction with religious ideas was through a Biblical Commentary that I was given in High School. So I never got exposed to the children's stories.