That's not what she was talking about in her most recent post. She was talking about respecting her views. No, I would not expect an atheist to teach the word of God to children of Catholic parents, but nor would I expect a Catholic to teach the absence of God to children of atheist parents. It runs both ways.
This is exactly what I'm talking about. I have no problem with you believing whatever you want to believe. Believe the world was created in six days, seven days, fine. Not an issue. My issue is that you continue to dismiss evidence. The quote I just pasted up here highlights exactly that dismissive attitude. You say that my tone needs to be nicer? How about yours? I may not have a religion, but you are dismissing and insulting my argument far more vociferously and carelessly than I am yours. Please remember that it cuts both ways.
Proficient, yes. With the Book on the table, I would be quite able to teach children the Word. Not for a second would I believe it, of course, which might ruin the whole thing (but that's by the by), but it would certainly be possible. Personally, I have quite a grounding in the Catholic faith, and I'm sure even an atheist who doesn't would be able to get around to it somehow.
See, now this. This would be an acceptable compromise. Maybe my far-fetched suggestion of keeping kids in the dark until age ten before letting them in on the idea of religion was just that: far-fetched. This sort of thing, though, would solve so many problems if more families thought like this.
But I did understand what you said. My point was that your experience was your own. It wasn't mine. And I hope it wasn't for a lot of other people - of any religion. To paint all religious people with the same brush would be incorrect.
I don't think this is a problem. I don't think its the right method or the wrong method. I would just ask that for those who do wish to raise their children into a religious faith (and properly, unlike your experience) have their right respected.
I imagine the basic custodial rights of a parent to raise a child as they see fit as long as it doesn't bring immediate harm?
Well, hey, you've met one now. My best friend is a Muslim and despite our religious differences, there are few people I'm closer to than him. Religion hardly plays into what we discuss with each other, more often than not we're talking about our lives or shows and movies we enjoy just like any other person would with a friend.
This much is a given, which is why I find it silly when people preface statements like that with "as long as they aren't abusing a child," but you'll have a hard time proving to most states that raising a child within a religion of any kind will negatively impact them.
The thing is, though, that I do believe that. I do believe that raising a child as religious impacts upon them negatively, for reasons I've explained elsewhere in this thread, and multiple others. So of course I'm going to argue that people should not have the right to indoctrinate their children into any kind of religion, because from my point of view, that's something that should be argued.
At that point when you find that you're trying to force your own beliefs upon those people just the same way parents might be doing with other children, both sides are going to see it as a negative. Realistically, I don't believe anyone is ever going to move beyond the medium we have now. If you want to raise your children to be religious, great, if you want to leave it up to them, that's cool too, but there is going to be far too much opposition on either side to ever have an outcome that clearly favors one side or the other.
