(October 9, 2011 at 4:36 pm)franklludwig Wrote: This is not about bad things some people do in the name of Christianity (by the way, what gave you the impression the article is only about Christianity?), this is about religion itself. Teaching a child religion, whichever religion, and in whichever way, induces feelings of fear and guilt in the child. And filling a child with feelings of fear and guilt is emotional child abuse.
I agree that parents should raise their child as they think is best for him or her, provided they remain within the law and common sense. (And for the countries that still haven't outlawed physical abuse, I should add that no parent should be allowed hurt their child.)
Child abuse is forbidden in every country in the Western world (as far as I know), but some have very vague definitions. My definition is that child abuse is anything that harms the child physically or emotionally, and that applies to smacking and spankings just as much as to exposure to religion.
I know you were making a statement about religion, however you did bring up christianity and being a christian I'm going to speak for it. Before you speak against christianity you should see for yourself how christians raise their children and what they are taught by the church, love is the most taught idea in the christian church. As for spanking children it happened to me and I'm a better person for it, so I do support it when it is applied as a way to teach through discipline, no one should ever beat a child for any reason.
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.
