Quote:
Originally Posted by photon
Did you miss the word "likely" in what he said? It's not that they have no choice but to be an atheist, it's just that they will likely believe similar to what their parents believe, all things being equal.
It's the child's choice, but as demonstrated by simple demographics, that choice is primarily as a result of that influence, not on reasoning of all available options or something like that.
The choices we make aren't nearly as "free" as we'd like to think.
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So do you feel that parents are doing their children a disservice by raising them with a similar belief structure as the parents have?
I've heard athiests say it is a travesty that Christian parents raise their children within the Christian belief structure; some have gone as far to say that Christian parents are brainwashing their children at an early age in order to insure they grow up as Christians.
Likewise, I've heard Christians say that Athiests are wronging their children by not exposing them to Christianity.
I'm not sure where the ideal line lies. I know that my two children, 5 and 3 years old, have exact same belief structure that I and my wife have. It seems only natural that they would. Granted, they may shift as they get older, but I dont think it will be because I am pushing them to do so.