Yes. Religion runs a distant second to the power of brainwashing of popular culture. A proper exposure to God and religion can help to counteract the real brainwashing that popular culture is constantly throwing at all of us in books, movies, TV, songs, advertisements, and even video games. Popular culture is constantly bombarding us with intensive, not-so-forcible indoctrination, aimed at setting up worldly convictions and attitudes. Popular culture comes at us from all directions including books, movies, TV, songs, advertisements, video games and even the Internet. A few of the these immoral values include: - Lust and Sex (outside of marriage) - A disrespect for God and religion - A disrespect for lawful authority - A disrespect for our human dignity - Envy, greed and consumerism - Anger and Violence - Drug abuse including smoking and alcohol - Vanity, outside is more important than inside - Prejudice and hate I think that if we expose our children to all this immorality without the moral anchor of God and religion "until they can come to a conclusion of their own" then we would be unwise, irresponsible, and frequently too late. With love in Christ.

Yes, religion should be taught in the same way we teach all other subjects... to expose children to ideas and familiarize them with the conversation mankind has been having with itself for thousands of years. You can't raise a child in an isolated little cocoon devoid of relevant information about our world. What is wrong isn't the teaching *about* religion, it's the nearly coercive pressure applied by adults to *believe* a particular religion, combined with the distorted presentation which favors the family's religion over all others. That isn't helpful to the child, it is essentially a form of programming or brainwashing. Of course parents will have their own religious views, but a responsible parent will avoid attempting to force those onto a child, and instead try to do their best to embody the values of their religion. The child will eventually choose for him or herself anyway, better that they be empowered to do so freely without having to first dig themselves out from a childhood heavy laden with propaganda.

No, but good luck trying to legislate that. Look, the reigning powers that be want the opposite. Check out answer #2 and that'll give you an inkling of the mindset you're up against

For me, this is a form of child abuse, and this is how religion has a stranglehold. get them young and indoctrinate them. This way you are assured of a docile unquestioning populace. If I were to suggest that we should teach satanism or Atzec heart ripping, people would be up in arms. A case of double standards if you ask me.

I think religion should be taught to children in the same context that we teach them about Mother Goose, Greek mythology and Charles Dickens. Interesting stories that speak about the time they were written in that may or may not have a lesson to teach. We should not teach them as fact.

Teach it to them if you want, just don't make the public pay for it. That's the only rule here.