WHO is a child? - Xtianty and Islam please

[Tino]

We also usually imply that because of their age they are necessarily somewhat stupid and lack any complex feelings.

Well they are somewhat stupid, but the issue you're ignoring is whether they are equipped to understand the implications of their actions.

Putting my cards on the table, I'm having trouble taking your post seriously because I fear that where you're headed is trying to justify child-adult sexual relations.

We seem to forget that the little girl or boy is going to be an adult.

The little boy or girl is also going to die someday. Should we just bury them now? Answer: no. Reason: because age DOES make a difference.

Let me list some of the basic human rights violations that really strike me:

1) the very common and fundamental one: CHOICE OF RELIGION. Most religions decide it FOR YOU even before you are able to comprehend what religion IS.

I'm an atheist so I obviously have objections to religion, and I'm a fan of Dawkins, who also makes this argument, but for me the issue is trumped by my advocacy for strong parental rights.

3) PERSONAL FREEDOM - for instance, such things like the time you go to bed, the food you eat - I am not talking about extremes like "kids" who want to stay up and play computer games all night or eat only chips. I am talking about respecting sound, reasonable choices like children who hate a particular kind of food and are still made to it eat even though not eating it would not have any dietary consequences.

This is silly. Anyone who has raised a kid knows that they thrive on rules, to create structure and a sense of comforting predictability. Bedtime is driven by what time they need to get up for school and how many hours of sleep they need. We don't need each kid to independently experience the health detriments of inadequate sleep. Likewise, "forcing" a kid to eat foods they might not now like is part of family life, eating the food that has been purchased and prepared and enjoyed by other members of the family. It's also about developing the child's palate, so that they can learn to enjoy a wide variety of foods.

Bedtime and eating your vegetables are human rights violations? Again, I'm left wondering whether your real point is that it should be OK for adults to have sex with children?