WHO is a child? - Xtianty and Islam please

[Tino]

I am against child abuse in any form, regardless whether sexual in nature or psychological abuse - which you kindly disguise as "strong parental rights" and I shall discuss later.

Glad to hear it.

Is it really OK for you to treat a person not like a person but like a commodity just because you are their parent?

The point is to treat them like children, which they are.

We sort of forget that children are going to be adults and the decisions we make for them now are going to affect their ADULT lives later on.

I doubt that many parents forget this.

In the US a father decided to have his baby boy circumcised "to be like his father". Is it OK or not?

Yes it's OK. I support it for the same idea that I support a woman's right to choose regarding abortion. It's a complicated issue with many short and long term implications, religious overtones, societal norms, etc. Ultimately the decision is best made by the mother (in the case of an abortion) or by the parent (in the case of religious rites, medical treatments, etc.) The state should have the power to act, only in the extreme situation of a late abortion or if the parental decision is placing the child in immediate jeopardy.

Does this mean your children have to be atheist because you are?

No.

I've seen no science which supports your view.

[quote='Ciel_Rouge' pid='341199' dateline='1348562955']FORCEFUL FEEDING is FORCEFUL FEEDING. It can be done to prisoners etc. Why do this to your child? Food is a very personal choice.

Sorry but I just can't make the leap with you from expecting kids to eat a balanced diet which includes foods they might not like, to the forced stuffing done in Mauritania for tribal reasons.

On a side note, the chefs in Poland who appear on tv often admit they teach their children how to cook so that they can be independent and follow their own taste. I heard of 8 year olds preparing simple meals for themselves. What do you think about that?

As long as the child is supervised and kept safe I have no problem with it. I'm assuming here that the meals they've been taught to prepare are reasonably healthy meals, and not brownies for breakfast.

My real point is that we should reconsider why it is easily accepted when PARENTS treat their children like a COMMODITY rather than a PERSON and even apply some methods normally used on adults in jails, military etc.

Treating a child like an adult person is a bad idea because the child isn't yet equipped to understand the implications of its decisions.