Emotional pressure? This arguement may work with the powerless (kids brought up in the religious tradition based on the geograhpical accident of his/her birth). but not with those that have the abitliy to reason and question. It's called indocrtination. Is your use of emotional pressure a euphemism for indoctrincation?
It must be, otherswise you would have to picture a scene repeated globaly (and through generations) where parents sit down with a five year old and explain all the different pros and cons of different religions and then asking the tot to choose one. Let's ignore the fact that the five year old does not have the reasoning capability to choose one, or choose all. The cross, or crescent, or star of david (insert traditional religious symbol here) is ubiquitous in this kid's life, yet you would ask a five year old choose one. The limited reasoning capabilty of the five year old results in: I'm going to do whaterver the big people do (mom and dad), becasue it would really suck not to eat. Some choice. You can apply this to a ten year old, a fourteen year old, but what happens with an eighteen year old that has independent access to a library?
If there were a world wide maxim that dictated that no person could be indoctrinated into the religion of his/her parents and that there was also no social or civil retribution involved until he/she was 25 years old then I maintain that religion as we know it would disappear quickly. Let's add to the experiment that all religions are taught equally throughout the child's education process. Being the 'one' true religion would lose meaning if not reinforced by geographical tradition. What then?
It must be, otherswise you would have to picture a scene repeated globaly (and through generations) where parents sit down with a five year old and explain all the different pros and cons of different religions and then asking the tot to choose one. Let's ignore the fact that the five year old does not have the reasoning capability to choose one, or choose all. The cross, or crescent, or star of david (insert traditional religious symbol here) is ubiquitous in this kid's life, yet you would ask a five year old choose one. The limited reasoning capabilty of the five year old results in: I'm going to do whaterver the big people do (mom and dad), becasue it would really suck not to eat. Some choice. You can apply this to a ten year old, a fourteen year old, but what happens with an eighteen year old that has independent access to a library?
If there were a world wide maxim that dictated that no person could be indoctrinated into the religion of his/her parents and that there was also no social or civil retribution involved until he/she was 25 years old then I maintain that religion as we know it would disappear quickly. Let's add to the experiment that all religions are taught equally throughout the child's education process. Being the 'one' true religion would lose meaning if not reinforced by geographical tradition. What then?